Cargo trailers to tow behind an RV

[cptqueeg]

I'm wondering about factors that one might consider in the purchase of an enclosed cargo trailer to haul all that bulky, dirty sports equipment and nice stuff that we can't fit in the RV. (I think Reality Check built the model for this type of trailer with his endless ability and creativity.)

I'm considering a bumper hitch, dual axle from 8'-16' - long enough to hold bikes, 13' canoe, SUP, extra camping gear, 30gal fresh water, and all the stuff that's now mounted on the outside in boxes, etc. It needs to be 7' tall, but not sure of width - wheel wells inside or outside cargo area. I am a huge fan of surge disc brakes so will most likely get them. Does the angled front affect gas mileage enough to warrant the loss of space over a squared fronted trailer? I doubt there is SxS or other OHV in my future.

We do a mix of dispersed camping usually 1 or 2 nights enroute to a destination for 3-4 days and then home again. Or just run to a local place for 2-4 nights. Currently camping w a class B, Sprinter van, but just getting underway w our retirement camping.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Grit_dog]

If you’re going tandem axle anyway and have already considered up to a 16’ trailer, why not just put the canoo inside the trailer?
Even a 6x12 or 7x12 trailer with any sort of vee nose will fit the canoe.
Just a suggestion.
Another suggestion, shop around. The further east you go, the cheaper trailers (and most other things) are.
Since moving up to Wa$hington, I find myself making purchases back east more than the PNW.

Also don’t necessarily discount the “lesser” or regional brands vs the big names.
Not sure how far west they distribute, but if buying new, I was impressed with the quality of a “low end” trailer from MTI. Middlebury Trailers.

[cptqueeg]

Thanks Marty, yeah brakes fo sho. Thanks for the details on the trailer build, got some geeking out to over the new considerations.

[blt2ski]

Do know Sprinters have built in rails on the roof for racks. But, the 2500 I drove was 9.5' tall, add on another 2' for the canoe, windage ie 2-4 mpg loss, potential low clearance issues.....my personal last choice for canoe. I own one! Have a rib too as dinghy for sailboat.
You can get a cargo trailer with 6' headroom, torsion axles, a 28" diam tire, roof might be 7' off the ground. One doesn't need but a step ladder at best to load the canoe on it. At 6' myself, I don't need a step or equal.
The trailer and canoe might be a net loss of 1-3 mpg vs double with the canoe on top.
If you do a torsion axle like I've mentioned, you may want the axles at 65%bsck vs typical 60%. This will reduce the rear overhang dragging issue. On the other hand, if you might be off highway using, forest service roads etc, a low rider trailer may not be good. So a spring over axle trailer with 30-32" tires would be better. This latter option will put you in the 7.5-8' roof height.
Also make sure your 10' ladder is a bit less than 10'. I could not get an 8' tripod ladder except angled in an 8' box trailer I had.
No matter what you do, get brakes on the trailer. The sprinter I had, I could tell the brakes didn't change much to 10k lbs, as I hit 12k gvw, 5400 van, 6300 lbs of 3 pallets with 210 gals of antifreeze per pallet. Brakes were ok, not great. A small U1 battery, will operate interior lights, and brakes if the trailer breaks away just fine.
A few more issues I've run into in the past for you to cogatate over. Everything has a plus or minus.

Marty

[cptqueeg]

blt2ski wrote:
A couple things to think about.

Many trailers come with a 3.5' tongue, you may or may not be able to jack knife your trailer. Get a 4' if not 4.5' if you want to be safer on not hitting the back of you can. If you might go with a DW C or A, then 4.5' min. I needed that to not hit with the flatbed rigs towing trailers.
IF you put the canoe on the trailer. The above suggestions go out the door, if the canoe over hangs forward of the box! Having a 10 or 12' box with a 13' canoe will be better, in that the front of the canoe is at front of box, remainder overhangs the rear. Iir 3 or4' over hang is max legal amount with out dealing with red flags and a few other hoops in laws.
You may also want the axle set back vs typical too. The longer the distance from ball to the axle, the faster the trailer will turn on reverse. An extended hitch, axle a bit back, makes backing easier for a given length trailer.

Marty

I think the extended tongue is a good idea that I've seen mentioned here once or twice, thanks for reminding me. Probably will make it easier to deal w the rear doors on the van as well.

There is no easy answer for the canoe other than packing a 10' ladder in the trailer so we can put the canoe on top of the van or switching to inflatable SUP or kayaks. It's 13' w a wide midship so it's a real pia to load, but you can stand to fish off it.

[blt2ski]

A couple things to think about.

Many trailers come with a 3.5' tongue, you may or may not be able to jack knife your trailer. Get a 4' if not 4.5' if you want to be safer on not hitting the back of you can. If you might go with a DW C or A, then 4.5' min. I needed that to not hit with the flatbed rigs towing trailers.
IF you put the canoe on the trailer. The above suggestions go out the door, if the canoe over hangs forward of the box! Having a 10 or 12' box with a 13' canoe will be better, in that the front of the canoe is at front of box, remainder overhangs the rear. Iir 3 or4' over hang is max legal amount with out dealing with red flags and a few other hoops in laws.
You may also want the axle set back vs typical too. The longer the distance from ball to the axle, the faster the trailer will turn on reverse. An extended hitch, axle a bit back, makes backing easier for a given length trailer.

Marty

[cptqueeg]

PA12DRVR wrote:
Would second the suggestion to just borrow a few trailers and try pulling them for a bit, see how it works, and how the drivers' stress level changes.

FWIW, since '85, I've had several "trailers" either 1-axle utility, 1-axle sno-go, 3 axle 5th wheel, several dual axle sno-go or utility, and a dual-axle boat trailer. Probably jinxing myself but one of my current trailers (have 4 now) is a 1999 vintage single axle utility and it is the only trailer that has gone that period of time (i.e. 22+ years, and have gone through 3 sets of tires FWIW) without a blowout.

The wife's stress level is probably a paramount consideration, but I'd get the trailer that fits and would not worry about 1-2 axle if the single axle otherwise fits your needs.

I have had 2 incidents w single-axle trailers and their tires and wheels. Both ended up w a LOT of aggravation and inconvenience suffered on my part(thankfully neither resulted in serious damage or injury to others.) If either case would have happened on a DA the incident either would not have occurred or been just a minor blip.

[cptqueeg]

Grit dog wrote:

dedmiston wrote:

Harsh.

This is barely a two or a three out of ten on the weird-stuff-o-meter.

Good point. Apologies to the OP, who is inexperienced and just asking questions.
My sarcasm was more directed at the subjective microscopic dissection of towing capacities by...others.

@cpteeq, yes, I think it would be a good idea to see if you can't borrow a couple different size trailers and test yours and your wife's comfort level towing them.

I'm not exactly inexperienced at camping, towing, and trucks, just have a deep conviction that some of the members on rv.net have experience and ability being FAR greater than mine. Of course I (hopefully) don't project myself as a know-it-all to puff up my ego(at others expense) so assuming that I know nothing is actually appropriate from a safety standpoint.


And I know that writing a nice civil response is not your MO but it was very thoughtful in this case. See it wasn't that hard! A little levity and sarcasm are always a nice diversion so keep that up!

[PA12DRVR]

Would second the suggestion to just borrow a few trailers and try pulling them for a bit, see how it works, and how the drivers' stress level changes.

FWIW, since '85, I've had several "trailers" either 1-axle utility, 1-axle sno-go, 3 axle 5th wheel, several dual axle sno-go or utility, and a dual-axle boat trailer. Probably jinxing myself but one of my current trailers (have 4 now) is a 1999 vintage single axle utility and it is the only trailer that has gone that period of time (i.e. 22+ years, and have gone through 3 sets of tires FWIW) without a blowout.

The wife's stress level is probably a paramount consideration, but I'd get the trailer that fits and would not worry about 1-2 axle if the single axle otherwise fits your needs.

[dedmiston]

[Grit_dog]

dedmiston wrote:

Harsh.

This is barely a two or a three out of ten on the weird-stuff-o-meter.

Good point. Apologies to the OP, who is inexperienced and just asking questions.
My sarcasm was more directed at the subjective microscopic dissection of towing capacities by...others.

@cpteeq, yes, I think it would be a good idea to see if you can't borrow a couple different size trailers and test yours and your wife's comfort level towing them.

[dedmiston]

Grit dog wrote:
^Thanks for the “reality” at the end Marty. Although this thread and the OPs query are basically like any other RVnet thread, right down to the many weight “theories” and total misgivings.
Just like this one where the OP “has” to have a tandem axle trailer for his peace of mind.
So he started a thread to validate his wacky idea or paranoia about trailer tires or whatever.

There’s no need to poll the internet. If your mind is made up, save your breath and bandwidth! Lol

Harsh.

This is barely a two or a three out of ten on the weird-stuff-o-meter.

[Grit_dog]

^Thanks for the “reality” at the end Marty. Although this thread and the OPs query are basically like any other RVnet thread, right down to the many weight “theories” and total misgivings.
Just like this one where the OP “has” to have a tandem axle trailer for his peace of mind.
So he started a thread to validate his wacky idea or paranoia about trailer tires or whatever.

There’s no need to poll the internet. If your mind is made up, save your breath and bandwidth! Lol

[blt2ski]

JRscooby wrote:

ncrowley wrote:
You have a hitch rated for 5000 pounds but I have not seen a Sprinter that should be pulling 5000 pounds. To calculate how much you can pull:

GCWR - GVWR = how much you should pull

You will probably be close to your GVWR with the Sprinters.

Not exactly. To stay in the numbers GCWR- actual GVW is the max trailer weight. If you are loaded close to GVWR, what you tow is limited by TW.

I never have liked the GCWR - GVWR = max trailer weight. Because if you are AT max gvw, you have zero, zilch trailer capacity, unless your trailer can be towed with no hitch/pin weight.

The better ratio or formula is (GVW - tare gvw) / hw % or remaining payload divide by HW% you will be using etc.

If you have 1000 lbs of payload, 10% HW, you can tow 10k lbs of trailer. 1000 lbs of HW, 9000 lbs on the trailer axle(s)

LEO's or CVEO's dont give a frig about manufactures trailer tow ratings, or gcwr's. Nor do they in reality care about the manufactures gvwr either. Its all about if you have enough paid for gvw/tax paid for the weight you are going down the road at. Along with not over the amount per axle per the Federal Bridge laws.

Reality from driving one of these over 200K miles, a 5000 lbs trailer will tow just fine behind this rig, "ASSUMING" it has 500-750 lbs of payload for the hitch weight. More than one of us in the past has rolled down the road with a 200/400 turbo diesel at 15000 lbs gcwr.

Marty

[JRscooby]

ncrowley wrote:
You have a hitch rated for 5000 pounds but I have not seen a Sprinter that should be pulling 5000 pounds. To calculate how much you can pull:

GCWR - GVWR = how much you should pull

You will probably be close to your GVWR with the Sprinters.

Not exactly. To stay in the numbers GCWR- actual GVW is the max trailer weight. If you are loaded close to GVWR, what you tow is limited by TW.

[ncrowley]

You have a hitch rated for 5000 pounds but I have not seen a Sprinter that should be pulling 5000 pounds. To calculate how much you can pull:

GCWR - GVWR = how much you should pull

You will probably be close to your GVWR with the Sprinters.