We've just purchased our new to us motorhome after having had a 2001 Expedition back in 2002 when we flat towed a vehicle.This time around we will be purchasing a car trailer to tow our vehicle that weighs 3800 lbs. What specs should I be looking for? Max towing for the RV is 10,000 lbs. so as long as we get a trailer weight that keeps the total under 10k lbs. we should be good? Have to check tongue weight, but what brakes should I look for on the trailer?Very excited to be back in an RV and can't wait for our first trip.2008 Itasca Meridian 39z

Generally car haulers your looking at come in 7000 gvwr with tandem 3500 lb axles with brakes. The trailer may weigh 1700-1800 lbs plus the 3800 lb car = 5600 lbs so its well under the 7000 gvwr. My 10000 gvwr car hauler has tandem 5200 lb axles/brakes but weighs 2520 lbs. Unless your hauling something that weighs in the 7500 lb range you may no need it. However 5200 lb axles times 2 = 10400 lbs of braking is a big deal. Tires will be your biggest concern. The 7k trailers usually come with 15" 5 or 6 lug wheel. If you go this way I would have the trailer mfg mount Providers.....Goodyear Endurance.....Carlisle HD ST in that order. They will cost you extra but a much better tire down the road. The 10k trailer usually come with 16" 6 lug wheels. If you want the best tire for that size trailer pay extra and get the Bridgestone R-238 commercial grade all steel ply carcass tire. We run these 60k plus miles with no issues. Or if you choose to stick with a ST tire use the same brands I mentioned above. The trailer dealer will tell you their off brand maypop ST tire is good or better however having placed many trailers is service I and my drivers found out they weren't. I see your sometimes from Texas. Tx abounds with these type trailer mfg and their dealers.

^ What he said. 7kgvw trailer will haul 3800lbs fine. Electric brakes.

I agree with a 7,500 GVWR trailer as well. There are some really nice all aluminum ones on the market now, such as EZ Hauler and Mission trailers. Once you hit the 8k GVWR mark, some states kick it into a higher registration class, and it looks like NY charges by the 500 pounds for registration.Electric brakes are fine for a car trailer. If they have the option, self-adjusting brakes are really nice, but also easy to add later. IMO aluminum wheels are a must, because they are less likely to seize in place if you drive on salted winter roads.The other option I'd look at is tie-down locations. These are basically customer-spec'd, and some dealers do better jobs than others when they spec their in-stock trailers. Make sure there are enough tie-down for the style straps you want to use, and that you can reach them without crawling under the car. I really like 2-point wheel straps, because they still allow the suspension to work. Tying to the chassis can cause extra shock on the straps when the suspension compresses on bumps then rebounds. This shock can tear the hooks out of unibody cars. If you watch most flat-bed tow trucks these days, they've mostly switch to wheels straps for this reason unless they're hauling a pickup.Lastly, make sure the trailer has the driver-side "escape door" option. Some brands even offer this door large enough to go all the way to the floor of the trailer, which will make it far safer for egress.

This is great information, thank you very much. Lot's to consider, would love to find something used as the vehicle I need to trailer will be gone in two years and then we plan to get a toad to flat tow.

Great information. I am in a similar boat. I tow a Jeep Wrangler with extra wide paddle tires in rear so I am looking at an 18' drive over fender flatbed trailer 10,000lb. These are wood deck trailers and I want to do the anchor points near the tires so I can use tire nets for towing. I really like what I am reading on "shockstrap" brand of tie downs. My question is on a wood deck trailer, I assume your anchor point on the wood must also attach to a steel frame cross member????

Towing car on a trailer | Good Sam Community

deltabravo
Nomad
Jun 09, 2019
JIMNLIN wrote:
Generally car haulers your looking at come in 7000 gvwr with tandem 3500 lb axles with brakes.
The trailer may weigh 1700-1800 lbs plus the 3800 lb car = 5600 lbs so its well under the 7000 gvwr.

Ditto on the above.

PJ Trailers makes a nice car hauler.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Jun 03, 2019
Scales.
However loading a truck or trailer everyday I used a tape measure on the rear bumper to keep under the trucks rawr....then verify by the scales. This is important with loading wheeled equipment on a trailer.
Out of habit from my hauling days I keep a scale ticket in all my trucks and even the car. I know my blue tractor....Cub Cadet GT1862.... zero turn gross weights.
In that type of business we gotta' know our trucks axle weights empty and loaded so weighing axle loads is part of everyday life.
Bedlam
Moderator
Jun 03, 2019
If you can find DOT scales that are running but currently closed, that will help you load up the first time. Once you get an idea of actual weights, you can compensate for additional items you might want to carry. I try to get the engine over or forward of the trailer axles, but I have 300 lbs of batteries on the trailer tongue and can also haul an additional 700 lbs of fresh water inside the trailer forward of the axle in holding tanks.
dunerunnerjw
Explorer
Jun 03, 2019
How do you guys know if you are in the right ballpark on tongue weight? Eyeball test or actual scales?
Timothy2001
Explorer
Jun 03, 2019
Great information, thanks.
Bedlam
Moderator
Jun 03, 2019
My 20' enclosed trailer weighs about 3500 lbs empty and uses dual 5K+ lb torsion axles. My trailer has a 4" drop with dove tail so even low slung vehicles will not have a problem with the break over angles.I have a door up front allowing me to store access additional items when the vehicle is loaded.

If you are hauling a 2-door car, you will want an escape door to be able to open the car door enough to get out. If your car is taller than 6', you will want a trailer with additional height (typical purchased in one foot increments}. Make sure the tongue length is 4' or more so tight turn or driveway dips do not allow the trailer and RV to touch.

I use wheel nets/bonnets to tie down the car rather than trying to tie to frame or suspension.
dunerunnerjw
Explorer
Jun 03, 2019
JIMNLIN wrote:
My 10k gvwr 20' car hauler has 16" on center cross members with wood decking so I can bolt down through wood into the cross members. I use bolt on D rings with grade #8 hex cap screws every 4' for straps or chains. When I haul my 7600 lb blue tractor I use chains down under the outside main frame rails. d rings
I drill the square carriage bolt holes out with a 1/2" four flute core drill for those grade 8 bolts.

Some car hauler mfg will custom fab you a trailer with tie downs of your choice or they may have optional tie downs to fit your needs. Its costly but when you make a living with them its worth the cost.

Thanks a bunch JIMNLIN......that helps a great deal!!!!
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Jun 03, 2019
My 10k gvwr 20' car hauler has 16" on center cross members with wood decking so I can bolt down through wood into the cross members. I use bolt on D rings with grade #8 hex cap screws every 4' for straps or chains. When I haul my 7600 lb blue tractor I use chains down under the outside main frame rails. d rings
I drill the square carriage bolt holes out with a 1/2" four flute core drill for those grade 8 bolts.

Some car hauler mfg will custom fab you a trailer with tie downs of your choice or they may have optional tie downs to fit your needs. Its costly but when you make a living with them its worth the cost.
dunerunnerjw
Explorer
Jun 02, 2019
Great information. I am in a similar boat. I tow a Jeep Wrangler with extra wide paddle tires in rear so I am looking at an 18' drive over fender flatbed trailer 10,000lb. These are wood deck trailers and I want to do the anchor points near the tires so I can use tire nets for towing. I really like what I am reading on "shockstrap" brand of tie downs. My question is on a wood deck trailer, I assume your anchor point on the wood must also attach to a steel frame cross member????
Timothy2001
Explorer
Jun 02, 2019
This is great information, thank you very much. Lot's to consider, would love to find something used as the vehicle I need to trailer will be gone in two years and then we plan to get a toad to flat tow.