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Car Trailer

We sell the following brands of car trailers: ATC (Aluminum Trailer Company), American Hauler, U.S. Cargo, Pace American, KZ Cargo, Danzer Morrison, Cargo
Pro-Aluminum, Amera Aluminum.

Car Trailers have certain features which make them more suitable for use in transporting a car than other utility trailers. Car trailers are usually 8 1/2’ wide, and have a beavertail (the floor is sloped at the back of the trailer) making the ramp loading angle less steep, and minimizing the high spot at the top of the ramp so the center of the car does not bottom-out.

It is best if your vehicle is unusual, that you fill out a car trailer specification form. Specifying length, width, height, ground clearance, wheelbase, car door location, etc. helps determine the best trailer layout for your vehicle.

Choose from basic economy steel models or basic lightweight aluminum models, then add individual options, option packages, living quarters, stacker lifts, etc.

Cars that are very low to the ground, and have a very long wheel base may require a longer beavertail, a ramp with extension flaps, or in extreme instances you may need to tilt the entire trailer by raising the front with a manual jack, landing gear, electric, or electric/hydraulic jack.

There are literally hundreds of pages of trailer models and options. A few of our suppliers have better than average web sites that allow you to specify your own trailer on the internet. They are: aluminumtrailer.com and paceamerican.com.

When specifying a car trailer you may want to consider how you will exit the car if you drive it into the trailer. Some people elect to winch their car in and push it out. An escape door can be added to the side of the trailer so that you may open the car door wide enough to get out and walk along next to the car to exit the trailer. Escape doors are usually too high off the ground to exit the trailer through them. The position of the escape door will depend on the correct position of the car inside the trailer, and the location of the door on the car. Cars that have doors that lift upward may need to consider the interior height of the trailer.

Front air dam, spoiler, bumper interference with the loading ramp seems to be a very misunderstood malady. On very low ground clearance cars which have a long distance to the front tires, the nose will run into the loading ramps. In some cases a simple rise versus run calculation will leave you wondering if you will need a 20’ long ramp to get the car into the trailer. Example: a car with a 2”ground clearance at the front air dam and three feet ahead of the center of the front wheel would require a slope of less than 1” rise per every 1 1/2’ of run. Therefore, using a 1” rise per every 2’ of run, the length of ramp necessary to get the car into a trailer with a 14” deck height would have to be 28’ long. Obviously, this would be inconvenient. The easiest solution to this problem is to make a couple of 2x12 lumber step-up blocks that are a little longer than the nose of the car, tapering the back ends so the front tires can ride up on them. The actual height (thickness) of 2 by lumber is normally 1 1/2 inches. You will need to lay the step-up blocks on the ground, so they will lift the nose of the car before it can hit the loading ramp. The nose will now be 3 1/2” up instead of 2”. This would enable the car to approach a ramp only 4 feet long with a rise of 14” which is steeper than the typical 6’ long loading ramp found on most enclosed trailers. There are fancy aluminum ramp extensions available for those who prefer a more refined look.

Other considerations include the tow rating of your tow vehicle, weight of everything you will be putting inside the trailer, length of the trailer, and maneuverability requirements. Gooseneck and fifth wheel type trailers turn tighter than bumper pull trailers. Trailers come with different weight capacities usually stated as GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). This rating includes the trailers weight plus what ever you put in the trailer. Make sure you add the empty weight of the trailer to the pay load (everything you are going to put into the trailer) and make sure the GVWR is adequate.

What options would you like in your trailer? We suggest that you carefully consider the up-front cost of many factory-installed options which may be lower than the cost of adding them yourself later. For example, most wiring options are less expensive when installed before the walls get covered up. You could have stub wires run, or run an outlet off a switch and install your own light fixture later.

Having one of the roof vents framed extra heavy and running a wire for a future roof mount air conditioner is much less work and expense than adding them later. Have a winch plate pre-welded into the floor if you think you might ever want to add a winch, it saves a lot of trouble later.

I hope some of this information was helpful to you. We welcome any comments or helpful suggestions for additions to our web site. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance. We look forward to helping you purchase the most functional and aesthetically pleasing trailer possible within your budget. If you would like to receive a brochure or a complete list of options for a particular trailer please call or stop in.