Speedster trailer survey

I'm considering to again, build car trailers that are of my design.
A light weight, open centered double steel ramp design for speedster owners. GVW weight is not a major concern, a single axle would do but it is best for the trailers I would build to have dual axles for towing stability and electric brakes on both axles for safety's sake Steel fenders, DOT lighting , approx 60" ramps for easy loading,
removable left fender for driver's door access into the speedster, 2'' ball coupler and 7 prong harness connector. Trailer would have a 24" beaver tail. Approx. measurments: 16 feet long, not including the tongue area, 82"inside fender measurment,new wheels and tires.

I need your ideas as to what your additional thoughts and needs might be (realizing that extras will run the costs up) and a ball park figure $_______ that would entice a speedster owner to seriously consider one.

Thanks in advance, Alan

Alan, Out here in Cal/Nev country, I can buy the typical car hauler
14-16 foot , double axle all day long for $1400.00 to $1600.00.
I was looking at making a trailer myself ,that was featured in Hot Vw's magazine, but after pricing axles, tires,wheels, quality 2 stage paint, fenders etc. I figured the best I could even build one for , would be about $1,200 dollars. And at that rate I would just buy the 14 footer, and alter it to my spec's.

Gclarke

Thanks for you imput....I agree, trailers that are home built are no great cost saver if buying the parts at retail I have watched the 16' trailer that are available in the West and South can be bought for that price range.
Most of the Noth East states require brakes on both axles, a break- away kit and a rear centered tri-bar light.
With the past years 31% increase on steel, the adv. 16'open deck trailer around here, now goes for $2,100 w/o the removable fender option etc. Hence my thoughts of doing a trailer designed for the speedster.

Alan -

I would squeeze the fender-to-fender measurement a bit. I forget what exactly my open deck trailer measured, but I want to say it was 76". An additional six inches doesn't sound like a lot, but it makes life much easier when the trailer width is closer to your tow vehicle width, especially estimating lane clearance. You'll still have plenty of space for a Speedster, too.

I don't need a 16 footer for a speedster, though. My old 14.5 footer (which Gordon now has) fits it perfectly with some room to spare on the back, so I'd make it a 15 footer with a 1.5 foot beaver, and you'd be golden - especially with the removeable fender.

I've never heard about a two-axle-braking requirement around here, but now you have me interested! I also don't think you need the tri-bar unless your trailer is over 18 feet in length (I could be wrong about this), but if it were me, I'd throw it in anyway.

If you're looking for a new trailer with everything you mentioned so far though, Alan, check out the place I just bought my new 16 footer from:

www.kaufmantrailers.com

I paid about $100 to ship a 16 foot closed deck from NC to Massachusetts. You just can't beat shipping prices like that. :)

Chris
I just checked on a couple of state DMV web sites and they state
"Must have brakes on all wheels" Personally unless you are hauling 10,000 lbs. or more, it's not necessary to have the additional axle brake.
I may be shooting myself in the foot here but based on Kaufman's pricing, I would assume that they can build a custom speedster type trailer cheaper than I can....

They delivered from just one trailer from NC to you for $100?

The requirement for a tri-light bar on a trailer in both Mass. and RI is anything over 18'. However, anything that can be done to make that puppy more visible from ANY direction is a good thing, especially from the rear, so I would probably add one anyway.

BTW: here in South Carolina, there is no vehicle inspection (NONE!) and you don't need a separate registration for a trailer, unless it's used for commercial purposes, so you see most of them being towed around plate-less!!

I hadn't heard of that dual-axle break requirement either, and I remember helping a landscaping neighbor in RI fix his trailer brakes and they were only on one axle of a dual-axle set-up (it was a surge-brake). Having said that, I also remember a horse trailer we used to have, also with a surge brake, that braked on both axles, so I guess it has to do with how much weight you're trying to stop (one horse about equals one Speedster at 1,600 lbs.)

gn

Anything in excess of 2,999 lbs GVW requires a second brake axle in NY NJ Pa. and the tri-bar light as well as some other states.

Alan -

Yup, one single trailer shipped from NC to MA for $100 (which, come to think of it, was discounted $50 beacause I paid with a cashier's check on delivery). There was a catch - they looped it into a delivery with a bunch of other trailers going to various places in the northeast (they send a truck up this way about every week and a half or two weeks anyway), and I had to secure a method of lifting it off the flatbed onto the ground.

I know the guys at the local True Value pretty well, so a case of beer later to the forklift guy there, and I had a deal. :)

Chris

What's wrong with a tow bar? At about $90 it seems like a good alternative. D-man

I flat towed a race car all over the east coast (economics) and towed one on a trailer. Ain't no comparison.
ed

I've done both as well.

Flat tow with the standard VW tow bar is ok, I have a custom built one that is about 30" longer than normal. It hooks directly to custom welded brackets on the front beam (speedster and Nothcback) Two pins and I am connected.

Flat Trailer tow I prefer as long as it is a double axle. I find that the single axle requires the car (VW based) be loaded backwards as to avoid any fish tail business that may happen.

The budget and space you have will answer the question for you too.

Double axle trailers are always a safer way to tow most any vehicle.

The "Aluma" aluminum trailer I tow behind a 2003 S-10, has a single axle, I modified the front of trailer to be able to move the speedster slightly forward, this allows for an excellent balance even at 75 mph towing.

Alan,

That looks like a trail I saw a guy towing a hardtop 356 on. He passed me doing about 75mph and I couldn't believe how stable the car looked.

My single axle has the wheels further toward the middle of the trailer which makes for a scary tow if the motor is hanging out the back.

I remember seeing a picture of Gene Berg, heading out to a day of racing, with his formula "V" car lashed onto the roof rack of a VW Beetle Sedan. The "V" had no engine in it. When they got to the track, they pulled the engine from the sedan and put it onto the "V". When racing was done, they swapped it back and drove home (with the race car back up on the roof).

Now THAT takes confidence!! (and maybe some really BIG ones!)

gn

I've towed a single-axle car trailer once for a friend, and I don't think I'll do that again any time soon. :) If it's light enough loaded, as Alan's surely is, I doubt it's a problem. This was a steel trailer though, with about a 2800lb car on it. The load was centered, as I had no problems with trailer sway, but it's generally so much more stable towing a double-axle trailer.

Here's a picture of my new full deck Kaufman trailer, although it needs a bath from all the grime on the roads with the newly-melted snow... :(

Chris ,

"She's 'a ....sooo beautiful!

Alan, I have seen a few nice open and closed trailers in the ol' racing days. One that I have really taken a fancy to is the roll back trailers. If you are looking at enclosed the 8 foot wide X 16 Low Hauler Haulmark trailer is nice. It will fit in a garage. Price $3500 - $5500 .

I have seen this aluminum roll back what a nice trailer and pricy too!

What I am looking into is filling a void as most trailers are oversized for a speedster. I hope to be able to build a light weight open trailer that is specific to speedster use and be able to be towed by a small S-10 or a Ranger pick up without laboring it.
May have found something that will work well at a reasonable cost but still working on it.

Alan , May I suggest that your design should include a braking system.

And tie downs in just the right spots.

Brakes for sure !

In my experience, you can never have enough tie downs. At least the four corners, in the middle of the trailer deck, one on each A-frame member, and if it's an open deck, the inside corner of the deck and the rear support cross member.

That usually covers just about any situation / configuration.

Alan, I was on the Aluma website. They have a model 7814 with 5 foot ramps. This is a little bigger than your model 64133. Little heavier--about 900 lbs as it is tandem axle. Also, it comes with ramps instead of the tailgate. Bad news is that they want $3925 for it. How do you think this would work as a speedster trailer? I won't be doing a lot of hauling, but I do need to get my speedster from Little Rock to Charlotte and back. I like the idea of a very light trailer--just big enough to handle the job--and would not be that hesitant about a single axle setup if the weight can be forward. (They do make a model 7814S (single axle version). Any thoughts and advice would be welcomed. THANKS.