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« on: March 06, 2022, 11:11:39 PM »
Length: I'll concur that 20' would be the minimum usable length, but 22' or 24' is worth the extra cost and parking hassle.
I’ll add a few more thoughts:
Tow Vehicle: Having a decent tow rig can make your experience effortless. I now have a ’17 Ram 2500 diesel and it is much better than my old Suburban 2500 with a 454. I barely feel the trailer behind me, even in the mountains.
Brands: Featherlite and ATC have been mentioned as good choices and I agree. Does anybody have an "InTech" brand aluminum trailer? Back in 2018, I was leaning towards InTech when I found a good deal on my 24' ATC. InTech was reported to be founded by former-ATC personnel. I'm curious if they truly are on par with ATC and Featherlite as they seem. At that time, they were a tad less expensive than ATC.
Construction: Aluminum is considerably more expensive than steel, but the aluminum trailers hold their value better. Look at the list prices of used steel vs aluminum car haulers. When you figure in how much more you can get for the aluminum trailer when your done with it, I think that narrows the price differential a lot. Plus, you get to live with a nicer and lighter trailer while you’re using it.
Winch: Loading a car into a trailer by yourself, especially a clutch-equipped one - under its own power - can be stressful. My ’65 Mustang has quite a bit of room side-to-side, but my '19 GT350 has only 2" of clearance to the trailer fenders on each side. A winch is well worth the peace of mind. It makes loading a car by yourself a cinch (pun intended). Plus, it comes in really handy when your car isn’t running or it blows up at a track day. (Ask me how I know.)
Escape Door: Make sure you get a trailer escape door that allows you to completely open your car door over the trailer wheels. Many trailers have “escape doors”, but their lower edge opening is too high to enable you to get the car door open. The ATC and other high-end brands have escape doors which provide an opening all the way to the floor of the trailer and also allow the removal of the wheel fender, so your car door only has to clear the trailer wheels. If you can't get your car door open with the car in the trailer, you'll still be doing the Bo & Luke Duke thing getting in and out of your car.