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Thread: In the market for a enclosed trailer. Have a few questions first.

  1. #1
    Forum Member slow96hater's Avatar
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    Default In the market for a enclosed trailer. Have a few questions first.

    So I'm going to be getting a enclosed trailer. I currently have a old school 302 f150 and am wondering about opinions. I'm wanting a 24' foot enclosed, and I have a fox body that I'd be using the trailer for primarily. So here's my questions. Is a 24' 10k gvw trailer too much for the old long box, or is it going to pull ok at 55mph? I have towed with the truck of course, but always been with a 20' open trailer. I did haul a 4x4 dodge 1500 extended cab once on the expressway on the 20' trailer and at 55 it wasn't exactly ideal, but it didn't haul too bad either.

    I'm hoping someone on here has pulled something similar before and has some feed back on it before I jump in head first. I'm wanting a larger trailer so I not only have enough room while I'm hauling the car, but as most people do with enclosed trailers, I'll also be using it for storage, lawn mowers other stuff. You know how it goes. I figured for 6500 I can haul my shed with me, instead of buying a shed, and I'll get a free trailer for the car and other stuff as well.

    Thanks in advance for any opinions or experience motown.

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    Forum Member camaromann's Avatar
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    I’m gonna guess the trailer is around 4,500 empty if it’s not finished inside. Add 3,000lbs? for the fox body. Plus tools, spare tires/wheels and spare parts maybe? Compressor? Generator? Gas? I’d guess that trailer loaded with the car and parts will push 8,000+lbs. I personally think it’s a little too much weight for the older f150.

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    Forum Member slow96hater's Avatar
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    Yeah, they're saying even a 351 truck is low on capacity. I was just hoping someone had real world experience. I'd be towing all back roads with it to the track as I live close. I am just brain storming for the most part. I knew I shoulda kept my diesel.

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    Forum Member CruisnCobra's Avatar
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    I'd be weary of an old F150 with a 302 being able to pull/ handle a 24' car trailer all that great. My 03 Sierra 2500 with the 6.0 didn't really like a 27' travel trailer that weighed like 5k lbs. I think camaroman is pretty spot on for weight so it would be 8k+ lbs in a giant kite that catches all the wind

    Are you the guy I sold the gray expedition too? If so is that thing still kickin'?

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    Club Member derbydad276's Avatar
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    expect to burn up transmission in no time way over weight
    Driven Crazy

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    Forum Member slow96hater's Avatar
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    Yeah, that's me, and yeah it's still kickin! I sold it to my cousin about a year ago and they have it up to 240,000 now. It's starting to act up a little bit on them, but I sold it to them for the same price I bought it from you for, so they were happy too. They were looking at 7500 f150's and stuff, and I told them I'd hook them up instead so they didn't get ripped. Sure enough, I sold them the expedition, then 2 months later he just had to have a crew cab 06 f150.... he had it 2 weeks before it crapped on him. Needless to say, the expedition has been their life saver. A starter just got put in it, and the electronics are going (I've been telling him I think the gems going on it) but it still starts and drives every day so they keep driving it.

    And yeah, I was figuring it was a big trailer for a small f150. I probably won't get one. It was just a idea for the day.

    Can't thank you enough for the expedition either man. I enjoyed it while I had it, and I know they love it.

  7. #7
    Club Member AutoRoc's Avatar
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    Pulling 8000lbs at 55mph is easy enough for most trucks. Getting up hills will be a struggle, a sad struggle! My 2015 5.0 struggles bad towing 7000-1000lbs. It wants to grab second gear and 5000+rpm. The bad part is getting passed constantly by semis doing 70+. You get pushed all over the road. Combat that with a proper weight distribution hitch and some friction sway bars...

    Time to lease a new truck with modern horsepower/brakes/chassis. Keep the old 302 for nice days(or bad days).. keep miles off of the rental tow pig. 20ft enclosed hauls a car well too, you don't always need 24ft. Nothing wrong with daydreaming!
    Denny Villemure
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    Club Member black88coupe's Avatar
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    2EA9A84A-7C53-4365-A1F6-4C060286042A.jpeg

    I have a well built steel full deck open trailer (Sure Trac) that i pull my 85 with. My car weighs 2760. Add tools and other incidentals and it starts to add up. I have a 2001 F150 4 door/ 4wd/ short box with a 5.4 Triton. It pulls OK around town and goes down the freeway pretty well. I towed to a race in PA and the area was very hilly. There were times that my truck labored to get up some of those steep back road hills. Had to turn off the OD or it wouldn’t have made it up the next hill IMO. I was definitely wishing I had more power.

    Did the wizard ever get back to you about that brain?????

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    Club Member mikesfastss's Avatar
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    The key to any heavy hauling is the proper stuff to do it with, make sure you have tires rated to haul the weight on the truck, air bags help to, trans coolers help, weight distribution hitch’s etc. I used to just hook up trailers and go till I almost lost a trailer with a bobcat lol.

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    I bought a 22' non-V nose enclosed trailer to haul my oval track car around. I had the 5.4 (?) in my Ford truck and it hauled it fine. The trailer weighed in at about 3500#, according to the paperwork. I built a workbench at the front with 2 lower tool boxes and one upper tool box. We carried a large nitrogen tank, generator, 2 floor jacks, 20 gallons of fuel, winch, 8 tires and rims and a 3,200# car.

    The Ford truck pulled the trailer just fine. I then bought a 2004 Chev with a 5.3 and that hauled it a little better. Both the Ford and Chev had 100K + miles on them. The transmission went in the Ford after the first season...

    When I was racing in the late 1990's and early 2000's, we had a 27' enclosed trailer and an old Ford stepside with a new 302 in it. That truck would pull our 2400# race car and tools, etc. We could go 65ish but, it wasn't fast and took a while to get there. My racing partner ended up getting a new Ford truck with the V10 in it and that worked a lot better.

    FWIW - I Bought my trailer brand new and decided on the 22' because it was a bit lighter. Even with the workbench up front, and a full sized race car in the trailer, there was plenty of room in the front, between the car and work bench. We used this every week and never regretted getting a 22' over a 24' or larger. Even when it rained at the track and we pulled the car into the trailer, there was still room for the lawn chairs and us to sit in the trailer.

    Just my .02.....grr
    Last edited by grr456; 12-14-2019 at 01:25 PM.

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