Car trailer advice:
 

What do you know now, that you wish you knew then (before you purchased)?

I will be hauling various cars on few hour trips.
Some of them will be quite low(rider) cars.
Weights will range between 2500 and 6000 lbs.

Steel?
Aluminum?
Metal deck?
Wood deck?
Metal AND wood deck?

I'm not worried about wheels/tires; I have plenty of experience there, and will likely supply my own.

I just want a trailer that can sit 98% of the time, but we worry free and trusted when I do want to use it.

Many thanks.

I always liked my wood deck, if anything leaked on it it soaked in instead of leaving a slick surface to toss me on my assignment. Had mine when I was younger and 9 out of 10 vehicles going on it were shot boxes. Lol

i used a 22' tilt deck car trailer, recently. Makes getting the cars on a breeze. Lowest one was a gen1 viper. No brand was obvious, hydraulic tilt and regular winch.

If I could do it over again I would have saved all my pennies and bought an aluminum one. Obviously the most expensive choice, but they are light and pull well. I had a wood dove tail that I traded over to a steel deck. Replacing busted boards got old. Also really like the electric trailer brakes, make sure you spring for that option no matter what trailer you get.

Looooong ramps........enclosed or open

best car trailer I ever bought. no rattling ramps, tows straight, easy loading.... http://www.kwikload.com/products/car-hauler.html

Oil bath axles and self adjusting electric brakes. I prefer spring axles but torsion are fine if your not going off road. (fields, jobsites, ect)

I am guessing you are asking about open trailers. That being said, there is a few questions, 1) Will it be exclusive to vehicles or are you looking at hauling other things, like tractors, equipment, etc? 2) What budget do you want to be in and finally,3) What length?

For question number one, this will make a world of difference when looking, if it is exclusive to vehicles, I recommend a full steel w/dove tail, it will be designed with the tie downs where you need them and the ramps will be less aggressive and longer for a better angle. I also recommend purchasing a set of the ramp extenders for when the car is really low. (they are cheep and basically made of composite plastic so they are light and easy to carry).

I would also recommend getting a 20'-22' Trailer, not the standard 18' that most people sell. You get the bigger axles, more flexibility when loading vehicles, in other words, should you want to haul a Pickup or suburban, you would have that option for just a few hundred dollars more.

I personally own numerous trailers for different things, the "wood bottom" trailers are more designed for "utility" they will work for basically everything, but... The upkeep is greater, your tie downs are on the sides, not bed and the dove tail/ramps are steeper, my car trailers are much more user friendly for hauling cars, but limit you to basically just vehicles. and then, there are the enclosed....

On an open trailer, I also don't feel a big difference on Torsion or Spring Axles, torsion do pull a bit easier, but.... on an open trailer it is less noticeable because there is less weight. All will have electric brakes.

Personally I have never understood why anyone would buy an open aluminum car trailer? For the cost you can get a nice enclosed trailer and that takes it to a complete new level...

Like I said, budget is and will always be in the picture.... In trailers, you do get more for what you pay.....

Thanks everyone, great info.

Yes, open trailer. But I am not looking to spend a fortune on it.
But I also don't want cheap Chinese running gear under it.

These folks make a great trailer, several friends have owned them

http://haulmark.com/trailers/car-tra...rs/open-haco79