The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Other Random Car Stuff → Anyone built a car hauler out of a travel trailer?
Just randomly noodling on the cheapest way to a long hauler. Seems like a cosmetically trashed but mechanically solid travel trailer might make a decent start. Rip the body off, floor it with wood or diamond plate, add some ramps.
What could possibly go wrong (seriously?)
Why not as long as the axles meet your weight requirement. Seems like a lot of work though; you must have found a really cheap trailer.
You might want to take a good look at the frame under the trailer before you plunk down your monies. My concern (and this is all speculation, I could be 100% wrong) would be that the frame for the travel trailer would be underbuilt and flimsy compared with what you would want for a car hauler, since the travel trailer might not be designed to carry the load(s) that you'll be putting on it as a car hauler. It would be good to see that before paying for it rather than after you've gone to all the work and trouble of trashing the trailer shell just to see that the frame is a bunch of 1" square tube. Good luck!
The crazy Texans of Sensory Assault Racing turned a 5th-wheel trailer with fire damage into a car hauler. It's extremely hoopty and has a bed about 4' off the ground, which requires gigantic/scary ramps, but it does get the car to races.
Only time I've ever heard of anyone doing it, it was with a classic Airstream that was worth sinking the money into as a 'vintage' and unique car hauler.
If you're just looking to save money, a bare bones enclosed trailer can be had for not a lot of scratch. Open trailers, too. Go over to racingjunk.com and be amazed at what's for sale.
Take this little number for example:
Bare bones, $2500 obo
http://www.racingjunk.com/Used-Trailers … auler.html
For a little more, get a tire rack and some protection, $3000
http://www.racingjunk.com/Used-Trailers … AILER.html
Or go like I did, use it as your off-season garage, $3700
http://www.racingjunk.com/Used-Trailers … ailer.html
And for Speedycop, here's the must-have for only $3000
http://www.racingjunk.com/Used-Trailers … ailer.html
And these are just off the top. If you search within a radius of your zip code you'll find a wider variety. And if you know of some local racetracks with forums (or go on 4m.net) you should find even cheaper stuff than what you'll find on racingjunk. As an example, here's a guy in my area selling his open trailer for $1600 with winch, tool box and tire rack.
http://fairburyspeedway.com/forum/index … pic=3357.0
I don't think the frame would be strong enough. I've talked to Chuck about his hooptie tailer and it has some serious issues due to it's repurposing. Also, in TX, a car hauler comes in over the magic 4000lb gross that requires an inspection and closer scrutiny from the blue meanies. I've been hearing rumors about increasingly stringent trailer rules, and I've been pulled over with my trailer more times in the past three years than in the previous 15.
Here's one of those high-end Airstream conversions I mentioned.
http://sierranevadaairstreams.org/memor … llery.html
I bought a 16' open trailer for $1000, put a hand-crank winch on it myself and hauled the 18' Jag up to MAM with it. I've been looking at enclosed 24' trailers (just dreaming), and there are plenty of sub-$4000 examples out there. Most of the travel trailers I've seen are the same price, if not higher.
Please - Don't do something stupid. We all know the risks when we are on the track. Cutting corners on the open road don't just endanger you (many of my friends have had accidents while towing), but you also endanger people around you.
Great feedback guys
Thanks -- and I'll abandon this idea!
Yes, I built one. Although I admit it is not for the faint of heart, and most of the advice you got is valid. I got a 1970 Open Road travel trailer 24' double axle for a good price (i.e.: free). Gutted it losing a little over 1100 lbs. Our Lemons car is an '86 MR2 which weighs 2000 lb. I wacked off the back and made a set of barn doors with steel / aluminum. The axles are set back from the midpoint of the box, but it tows just fine (had it over 90 mph heading up I5 to Thunderhill). In short, if you have a rellatively light car (and don't load a lot of other ke-rap in it) it works OK. But rather than doing it all over again, I would probably just search for a purpose built trailer, as others have suggested.
Yes, I built one. Although I admit it is not for the faint of heart, and most of the advice you got is valid. I got a 1970 Open Road travel trailer 24' double axle for a good price (i.e.: free). Gutted it losing a little over 1100 lbs. Our Lemons car is an '86 MR2 which weighs 2000 lb. I wacked off the back and made a set of barn doors with steel / aluminum. The axles are set back from the midpoint of the box, but it tows just fine (had it over 90 mph heading up I5 to Thunderhill). In short, if you have a rellatively light car (and don't load a lot of other ke-rap in it) it works OK. But rather than doing it all over again, I would probably just search for a purpose built trailer, as others have suggested.
That scares the hell out of me, towing at 90. Please don't, I've been first on scene at an accident that was due to high speed towing. Two fatalities in the car the trailer crushed. The idiot doing the towing was unhurt. The CHP estimated his speed at 80mph.. He was out of control. My shop is located near the CHP academy and I know lots of CHP officers.. To a Man, they say that they are called out many car/trailer accidents and all are due to speed.
-John
What about renting a uhaul box truck and car hauler?
My back-of-the-envelope math is that the cost to purchase a truck capable of pulling a car trailer, and the trailer, and insurance and maintenance and tires put the break even point of approximately 10 races over 2 years.
Just stick the car in the back of the box truck and save the trailer money.
I've done that a few times and it's worked well.
You have to drill thru the floor to make tie-down points - just cover them back up with wood putty when you're done. If you can find a loading dock or even a steep berm you don't even need ramps.
BTW, if you're not too far from Austin, I've had good experiences renting from:
http://www.longhorncartruckrentals.com
They rent 1 ton pickups that you can pull with and also flat beds that you could put a car on.
If you want to build a trailer, boat trailers have solid foundations. We built one years ago, basically just add a dove tail and a deck. Turned out nice for about $500.
the cost to purchase a truck capable of pulling a car trailer, and the trailer, and insurance and maintenance and tires put the break even point of approximately 10 races over 2 years
The cost of not having a truck my wife can haul stuff to and from arts and craft shows is higher. The trailer pays for itself once you have that first crapcan in your driveway. You can cage the car and charge the neighborhood kids a buck to sit in it and make vroom-vroom noises.
the cost to purchase a truck capable of pulling a car trailer, and the trailer, and insurance and maintenance and tires put the break even point of approximately 10 races over 2 years
The cost of not having a truck my wife can haul stuff to and from arts and craft shows is higher. The trailer pays for itself once you have that first crapcan in your driveway. You can cage the car and charge the neighborhood kids a buck to sit in it and make vroom-vroom noises.
How much for grown ups?
b
EriktheAwful wrote:the cost to purchase a truck capable of pulling a car trailer, and the trailer, and insurance and maintenance and tires put the break even point of approximately 10 races over 2 years
The cost of not having a truck my wife can haul stuff to and from arts and craft shows is higher. The trailer pays for itself once you have that first crapcan in your driveway. You can cage the car and charge the neighborhood kids a buck to sit in it and make vroom-vroom noises.
How much for grown ups?
b
I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up!
I've been wanting to build a trailer out of a 5th wheel for a long time.
Found this on the local Craigslist yesterday:
http://orlando.craigslist.org/rvs/2637792425.html
There are plenty of old, ratty 5ers in trailer parks here where the owners will just about pay you to haul them off. And the nice thing about a 5th wheel is, unless it's under about 28 feet long, it's likely to have at least 6,000lb-rated axles under it, with brakes at all 4 wheels. My 33-footer has 8K axles under it, and once you get rid of all the structure and furnishings, you're dropping A LOT of weight. Some extra braces between the frame rails and you've got plenty of trailer to work with. The biggest issue is, of course, the height off the ground, but with long enough ramps made to retract up under the trailer itself, you'd be fine.
The biggest issue is, of course, the height off the ground, but with long enough ramps made to retract up under the trailer itself, you'd be fine.
You could always flip the axle back so that the axle is over the spring.
Not sure if this helps anyone making a decision on a trailer, but Pulp Friction #333 just bought a brand new 18ft double-axle, dove tail car hauler with bulldog hitch, wood decking, metal ramps and brakes for under $2100 all in. We bought this to replace our tow dolly, which was proving to be a little on the scary side - the car jumped off the thing twice despite being securley stropped down....well we thought it was secure!
If anyone is interested in a new trailer like this, let me know and I'll give info on where to get one 
Steven
If anyone is interested in a new trailer like this, let me know and I'll give info on where to get one
Steven
I'm interested. Post it up.
We got our trailer from this guy -
Texas Trailer Supply (281 380 4161)
18965 Kuykendahl Dr
Spring, Tx
77379
There is a cheaper option of used tyres and second hand wheels...but we prefered the new wheels and rubber option, the additional cost was worth it to us to reduce the risk of blow-outs on the road.
I have no vested interest in this company, we only bought a trailer from them at what we felt was a very reasonable price.
Steven
We got something like this - http://www.texastrailersupply.com/car_h … ht0006.htm
We used it for the first time to get our Lemon to MSR for YeeHaw earlier this month and I have to wonder why we didn't get one sooner!
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Other Random Car Stuff → Anyone built a car hauler out of a travel trailer?