Featherlite 3110 open trailer + Prodigy brake controller

Make sure the fender of the trailer that will be on the driver's side of the trailered car comes off so you can get in & out of the trailered car easier.

 

A tire rack makes life much easier. Nothing gets you more upset than blowing a tire and having your weekend shot. Obviously, this means having a spare set of wheels and tires. Welcome to the slippery sloop.

 

Also helpful to have a trailer spare tire and a jack that can lift the trailer with the car still on it.....I had a trailer flat in November it wasn't really a problem that I didn't have a jack because I didn't have a spare either.

 

Even though your setup is lightweight and the trailer is open, I would suggest you look into getting sway control for the hitch. It is pretty scarey when the trailer starts to wander after a lane change or after being passed by a 18-wheeler.

Featherlite has a great reputation, so I would expect that it will have brakes on all four wheels (I'm assuming a dual-axle trailer). Remember to brake early with a trailer due to increased momentum. First time I trailered by car I skidded through a downhill intersection but luckily it was 4am so there was no traffic. Also, get a trailer that is low to the ground. I once borrowed an open equipment trailer meant for hauling heavy backhoes. Let's just say that it took a LOT of time and effort to get the Ferrari with its low spoiler up the ramps. I've seen others have trouble if the trailer is high since the ramps then have to be pretty long. I recommend you ask the seller to let you try loading the car before you buy.

Tires: I always carry more than one spare tire. It seems that I blow at least one per trip and it is not easy to find a high quality trailer tire on the road. AAA and other roadside assistance refuse to help with a trailer, though I was recently told by Alstate that their roadside assistence program can provide such coverage at higher premium.

Personally, I prefer (and own) an enclosed beavertail ... no need to protect anything from the elements, so it is easier to pack. But, that increases the initial costs and is more prone to being pushed around by the wind. On my next trailer I'm strongly considering moving up to a gooseneck setup so that the weight is distributed more forward on the pickup truck. Lots of people are happy with their open trailers, so I'm not trying to deter you.


Lou

 

I like what Lou said about an enclosed trailer, if I were to do it again I think I'd go for an enclosed one. It would free up much needed garage space for me.

 

I thing I forgot. Get an electric winch. Makes loading and unloading easier. Also, there will come a time when you will not be able to drive the car up onto the trailer. At that moment, you will give anything for a winch.....

 

Pad, you beat me to it, go get the winch!!!!! It was the best $ I ever spent on a trailer item, You will never regret it, trust me. An other little piece of advice is to get the best AAA tow coverage you can buy, I think we have the AAA plus and it covers both the Tow vehicle and trailer for up to 100 miles, they once towed us (Truck,trailer and race car) from Baltimore to Phila, when the trans went south on us, with two trucks. I would upgrade your trucks brake pads to the best that you can get for towing, I like the Hawk HPF's but they are hard on rotors, with such a lite truck it will help you out a bit as your car is nearly as heavy as you tow vehicle. Adding a small box on the front of the trailer is nice, keeps the dirty stuff out of the truck. One other thing that I have done is ad reflectors to the front side of the trailers fenders so that I can see the outside edges of them @ night when I look in the rear view mirror, it helps when you are trying to squeeze the trailer into a small space late @ night at the track. Have fun.

Chris Kellett
Sync Speed, Inc.

 

The winch is a very good idea. My Explorer came pre-wired for the electric brakes, it was a simple as plugging in the module behind the glove box then mounting the unit where I could reach it. Took the guy at the shop all of 10 minutes to install it. I have single axel brakes on the trailer and have no problems stopping it.

 

That sounds like a good deal. Let us know how the towing and all works out.

 

I pull a 30' Sooner horse trailer with living quarters with a 2500 HD DuraMax - I always have in whatever truck I drive pulling a trailer, a Jiffy Jack (drive good wheel onto it) - only way to go with tandem wheeled trailer. When we were horse trailer shopping we found that the Featherlite aluminum floor "oil-canned" compared to other brands.

Carol

 

Or a friend with an available trailer?

BTW, there's nothing easy about trailering a car it's a WHOLE lot more work than driving one to the track. Just be ready for that. The enclosed is very nice but as you said you haven't capacity and a reasonably sized enclosed trailer adds some very serious towing issues not to be taken lightly.

Get good mirrors. I tried the "supposed" best strap-ons (no jokes please) and they were horrible to use as well as a pain to put one. I ended up get a bigger set of permanent electrics on my Suburban now aptly named Dumbo.

You're always going to need tools, supplies and things like a charger, air tank
etc, so if the trailer doesn't have lockable storage for that stuff it's got to go in the truck.

Get a load-leveling/anti-sway combination hitch. The stock stuff on the trailer and your truck is not enough.

Here's the one I settled on. A lot of people like it but there are other good ones as well. Go on the RV/towing websites and you can learn a lot. I also have the prodigy.

http://www.equalizerhitch.com

Your dealer should be able to set it up for you properly with the car loaded.
That's very important.


BTW, where are you located?

Bob S.

 

You're doing great, I should have asked way more than I did before I got my trailer, it would have me completely set up faster. If the winch has a corded remote you'll be able to walk along w/the car turning the wheel as needed. Don't know how useful that would be but I think I'd like it that way.

 

Just a note. I have an old Superwinch and probably will have to replace it someday so I've been asking people at the track that have those ones you see on Harborfreight. The last guy I spoke to loved it. They are cheaper and his was a lot beefier than mine. But, I suppose repair parts will be impossible.
I was able to get repair parts for Superwinch 2 years ago and mine is 10 years old.

 

Steve, I think you may want a bigger vehicle to tow with... The ranger isn't very long, and the trailer will be all over the place. Also, there won't be much power, even with the 4.0V6 and the lower gears. Your gas mileage will be horrible. Don't mean to be too negative, but good luck.

 

Steve:
I did something similar with my track events. Couple of thoughts:

I reversed the 308 on to the trailer for best weight distribution. Once you have the car on the trailer and the trailer is fairly level, you can roll the car to its final position. Some chocks are useful until you are ready to cinch the tie downs.

I found the trailer was prone to "bounce" as the rear wheels navigated the junction between the ramps and the trailer body. This caused the ramps to "jump" out of their slots on a couple of occasions. Now the rear wheels were on the end of the trailer and the fronts on the ground... (my laughter from the local crews, an "oh s**t" from me). Solution was a couple of jacks on the end of the trailer to restrict it's up and down movement.

Never unload downhill. Even a slight gradient. It's not funny running after a "runaway" car heading into someone else's vehicle and makes you look like a total d**k. Been there, done that. Obvious right? Yup, still did it.

Check the gear ratios on the truck and try and get to a 1:1 ratio. I killed the trans in our Acura MDX and this is in the Midwest where the terrain is flat. If you need to go up and down hill, well, I guess there's prayer. And TP for the downhill.
Good luck.
Philip