Enclosed trailers for dummies

[Bullshot]

I am thinking about upgrading my out west setup. Currently I have been loading a single axle utility trailer and pulling quad and gear 4,000 miles round trip. It has worked out fine and I have gotten it everwhere I needed and some places I shouldn't have. I am always careful with prepping bearings, carrying spare wheels, hubs, and lighting and it has served me well. I’d like to move on to an enclosed trailer that can handle a quad and a little bit of gear and that I might be able to sleep in, in a pinch. I am tired of my stuff being exposed to prying eyes and the weather and dust. My main concerns are that I know exactly squat of the different brands, not sure what are practical or safety-minded must-haves for travelling cross country, or what is best for dealing with rutted washboard USFS/BLM roads. Also, my V6 toyota 4runner is WEAK over the mountain passes and not very good on fuel when loaded down, so I need something lightweight but strong. Looking for opinions on brands, axle and spring types, best door configuration. I know its a lot to ask, but start from my weak Toyota motor and go from there.

 

[Dsnow9]

Not sure on size or details but I have used a couple wells cargo trailers and never had issues

 

[Sask hunter]

Aluminum ones are 200-300 pounds lighter then steel ones. I’m looking at getting one for goose hunting

 

[Addicting]

Just a word of caution, if you are already having issues with your truck in the mountains, a enclosed trailer will only make it worse. The extra weight and especially the wind resistance will make it tow harder in those situations. I have a V8 F150 and pull our 12’ Vnose aluminum enclosed trailer and to Nebraska it’s fine. After that it starts to get miserable, constantly down shifting trying to maintain 65mph.

My recommendation is to try and find one you can use and see how your truck does before you buy.

 

[F250]

I have had several enclosed trailers, both steel and aluminum frame. I would recommend the aluminum frame - less weight, and no rust. I have pulled a steel frame 6 X 14 tandem axle Wells Cargo with my wife's F150 6 cyl. Eco Boost without difficulty. Go with a tandem axle if you can. Much more stable on the highway than a single axle. Much safer at highway speeds should you suffer a blowout. Over the past few decades, I pull a trailer over 4000 miles at least once, nearly every hunting season. I carry an extra hub, floor jack, 4 way wrench, grease gun, assorted gear and parts for trailer light repairs, socket set, assorted wrenches and screw drivers, brake down warning safety triangles, spare tire, 12 volt compressor, tire repair plugs, a hammer (of course !!) etc.

 

[Scrappy]

All aluminum and with torq axles is the only way to go. My rav4 has a v6 but its definitely not geared to tow much but gets the job done.

 

[jabber]

I have had several enclosed trailers, both steel and aluminum frame. I would recommend the aluminum frame - less weight, and no rust. I have pulled a steel frame 6 X 14 tandem axle Wells Cargo with my wife's F150 6 cyl. Eco Boost without difficulty. Go with a tandem axle if you can. Much more stable on the highway than a single axle. Much safer at highway speeds should you suffer a blowout. Over the past few decades, I pull a trailer over 4000 miles at least once, nearly every hunting season. I carry an extra hub, floor jack, 4 way wrench, grease gun, assorted gear and parts for trailer light repairs, socket set, assorted wrenches and screw drivers, brake down warning safety triangles, spare tire, 12 volt compressor, tire repair plugs, a hammer (of course !!) etc.

No duct tape or WD 40??? Your list is incomplete

 

[Mallardsx2]

Whatever size you decide. Remember one thing and one thing for certain....

MAKE SURE YOU BUY ONE THAT YOU CAN FULLY STAND UP IN.

Heed that advice. I bought one that I couldn't stand up in and I hit my head 5000 times on the ceiling until the day I sold it in a fit of rage.....

Now I own a tall ceiling model. Its got a 74 inch door so I can pull my side by side in there.

Haulmark makes a good trailer for the money. Make sure you get the camper style door with the dead bolt on the outside so if you do camp in it you can open it from the inside...

 

[F250]

LOL !! Yes, actually there is a roll of duct tape and can of WD 40 in the box !! ( and tow strap, several large ratchet straps …)

 

[Sytes]

I am always careful with prepping bearings, carrying spare wheels, hubs, and lighting and it has served me well.

2010... Flip trailer upside down, repack all gear + one 5x bull w/ tongue over cab and drive trailer home... Wheel snapped.

I borrowed this small trailer from a friend, bought it when I returned... Haha! Wife has a nice enclosed trailer for her side jewelry business (farmer market, small shops)... I advised her to have her items in totes to pack in garage during my intended use during hunt season...

She basically replied, pound sand. Haha! (My polite forum translation)

On specific note of the topic;
This is my... Eh, my wife's trailer. We pull it with an '18 F150 3.5 v6. Absolutely zero issues though I don't know how a 4runner v6 matches.

Murdoch's – Carry-On - 7 x 14 7000 lb GVWR 7' Enclosed Trailer

Shop 7 x 14 7000 lb GVWR 7' Enclosed Trailer at Murdoch''s Ranch & Home Supply

www.murdochs.com

No duct tape or WD 40??? Your list is incomplete

Must add JBweld. Those three items and I can fix a Cessna while inflight!

 

[MNElkNut]

I was in your position this time last year. Went with an H&H and it has been good. It went out west 3 times last year (1 family vacation and 2 hunts). I went all steel for 2 reasons: Cost (mostly) and washboard roads causing welds to break. It is all powder coated for rust protection. I talked to 2 dealers who both said be careful with aluminum on really bumpy stuff or they have seen welds break. If you aren't going to be on super bumpy stuff and can afford it, aluminum is the winner. Especially for a weak motor.

Some other things we did: Upgraded to 5200# axles. Insulated the whole thing. Installed an electrical male outlet on the outside so that we can plug in the trailer and have a regular outlet inside the trailer. that allows us to plug into electricity (regular or generator) and have heat, lights, etc. We installed rails inside so we can hang stuff. We ran a cord from our outlet and installed a LED light that REALLY brightens it up. We painted the floor with slip resistant paint. We put a window in the door. The door has a RV handle so you can lock it from the inside and not worry about you getting locked inside by your buddy with a sense of humor.

Raising the roof so you can get a side by side in there (I did) will cause it to pull so hard you cannot use your Toyota I think. I pull it with a Ford F150 Ecoboost and have pulled it with an F250 gasser. Both got the same mileage on the freeway 9-10. Both downshifted on mountain climbs, but never did it dip below 55 mph. However, any less power would not be good.

 

[buck137]

When I bought my redneck camper/enclosed trailer, I wanted an aluminium trailer, but when the dealer asked me what I was going to do with it, told him converting it into a camper for hunting, he strongly recommended me not to buy an aluminium one, as they can't handle the stress of rough roads and if I were to have issues with the steel frame, that I could be able to find any rancher with a welder to fix the steel but not the aluminium one. So I bought a Sure Trac 7'x14' with a 6'6" interior tandem axle, and as soon as I got home, I pulled all the plywood from the interior and insulated it, using 1.5" foam board for the ceiling, 1" in the walls, installed a window in the door, then ran wiring for both 12 volt and 120 volt systems. Installed a power converter, multiple outlets, a couple of USB plugs, four led interior lights and one led outside light. Then put vertical E track on the walls for the beds and have a queen sized mattress with a twin size above it, then built a couch/storage/twin bed alongside the one wall and use the bottom as storage with a small part blocked off for my electrical area. Right now I heat it with either a big buddy heater with the window cracked, or an electric heater, but to do that, I have to fire up generator, but I'm in the process of trying to find a good diesel heater for it, and I can finally only use the generator for the microwave, which by the way, is a godsend when you finally get back to camp and are too tired to cook a big meal. Now for what you asked, my trailer has the dual spring straight axles, which I like cause this summer I will be doing a spring over conversion to get more ground clearance, which you can't do with a torsion axle, or I should say, not as easy. The second thing would be, these trailer are wind sails, they catch the wind big time, granted mine is bigger than you would want to pull with your 4runner. When I pulled it with my 2011 f150, I was lucky to get 9 mph out of it, now with my Cummins it is a lot better. Looking back, there is only a couple of things I would do differently, one, I'd go to a 18' trailer and the other thing, is I spray foam it.

 

[COEngineer]

A friend of mine co-founded this company to build what it sounds like you are looking for. He brought one out for a week of elk hunting and I was impressed with how light and sturdy it was. We took it on some forest roads that were not in great condition and it did well. We fit an ATV in the back and slept in it every night (the rigidity was great on the windy nights).

CORE Trailers website

 

[Wildabeest]

Definitely get one with a V-nose. I have a 4Runner as well, and although I love it’s offroad capabilities, it’s the most under powered rig I’ve ever owned! If you hit a good headwind coming across WY, CO or MT with an enclosed trailer behind it, you’ll be hating life. I’ve opted to stick with an open utility trailer for that reason.

 

[MT_Chad]

Don't look too hard at brand names, like most things a few companies own all of them. Pay more attention to construction. For instance boxed steel frame instead of z or hat studs. Thickness of wall sheeting is another to watch. Also look for through axle greasing like dexter ez lube axles. Take a look through the manufacturer's websites and the above recommendations will reduce the list significantly. Pace/Look (same company) check most of these boxes for a standard enclosed trailer. A 6x12 single axle is probably about as big as you will want to go.

 

[Bullshot]

Definitely get one with a V-nose. I have a 4Runner as well, and although I love it’s offroad capabilities, it’s the most under powered rig I’ve ever owned! If you hit a good headwind coming across WY, CO or MT with an enclosed trailer behind it, you’ll be hating life. I’ve opted to stick with an open utility trailer for that reason.

Agreed on the problem hitting the Nebraska/Wyoming headwind. Feels like driving through a sand dune and MPG drops by a 1/3. Now the comments on here have me thinking not only on what kind of trailer to get but daydreaming of a new truck that would actually be able to pull it. Scope creep strikes again! But no way would the wife go for it under the current circumstances. And the real solution, the one that keeps me up at night, would be to just move 2000 miles closer to my hunting spots.... but there we go again....even more scope creep.

 

[Wildabeest]

Wyoming has no income tax. Montana has no sales tax. Buy a place in WY just across the border and do your shopping in MT. You can financially justify it with only the tax savings. But I guess you’d need jobs, eh?

 

[elkhnter]

I can’t speak for a aluminum cargo trailer, but we had 2 aluminum trailers and beat the crap out of them. Only used to haul a Rubicon on lease roads and we were constantly repairing them. Started bolting back together where we could because of the welds breaking. And yes, we had certified welders doing the work.

 

[buck137]

Agreed on the problem hitting the Nebraska/Wyoming headwind. Feels like driving through a sand dune and MPG drops by a 1/3. Now the comments on here have me thinking not only on what kind of trailer to get but daydreaming of a new truck that would actually be able to pull it. Scope creep strikes again! But no way would the wife go for it under the current circumstances. And the real solution, the one that keeps me up at night, would be to just move 2000 miles closer to my hunting spots.... but there we go again....even more scope creep.

I've owned and pulled both, flat nosed and the one I own now with a v nose. My opinion is, I could really never tell the difference in mileage between them, both are huge windsails either way. But with the V nose, you get almost two feet more of interior room for storage or however you want to build it inside. I've hit the Bozeman pass with my current set up, V nose trailer pulling with a Cummins and as soon as I hit the wind pulling up the pass, it was like I had someone hook onto the rear of the trailer and they were hitting the brakes. As for your solution and moving closer to your hunting spots, do it. We moved a few years ago to Montana and we haven't regretted it one bit, well, just one, missing our parents, but that is it. Here is an idea for ya, buy the enclosed trailer and use it for double use, moving and hunting, I did that, knew we were moving, sold my dump trailer and took the cash and bought my current trailer.

 

[LVelk]

Lotta good suggestions here. What do you plan on doing to it once you have it, keep it bare bones or modify the interior for some camping comforts (which can become pretty elaborate)?
I don't have a lot of experience with different brands (and I don't think it really matters until you pay extra $$), but I would go steel and spend the extra money on the suspension and a tandem axle.
I would go 10' - 14' (not sure what your tow vehicle can handle, probably closer to 10) anything much bigger than 14 and you will start to have issues navigating in the mountains. You can waste a lot of time finding a spot, deciding if I can or should continue on a road, etc...; and when you get in a bind you'll wish you had that small utillity trailer (always carry a handyman jack, you can turn a trailer 180 with one).
I would also go barn doors versus ramp. Ramps are great on the street in front of the house, not great in tight spots or uneven ground, and I think they are a little cheaper.
When you get to the build out stage its actually a lot of fun (do the research, pintrest has lotta options/idea. The first cold snowy/rainy night you spend in it, you'll wounder why you didn't make the jump sooner. good luck to u!