What do I look for in a trailer???

Steve,

One thing that I haven’t seen mentioned is storage of ramps.
You want them to be as close (convenient) to the tail of the trailer as possible
And also they should have a positive means of securing them to the trailer, for both traveling and loading un-loading of the vehicle.
I have seen people just lay them flat on the trailer deck and could only imagine what would happen in an accident

A few years back I lost one on the (un-named) Highway and I don’t know what was worse, trying to find a replacement for it or the fact that I probably ruined someone’s day
 
Our experience has been with an R&R aluminum trailer behind an '03 Dakota 4.7 with full tow package. The open trailer is a good choice for me even though this one is actually 20' of deck and dovetail. The ramps are 5' and act as a front airdam. I still find that a pair of 2'x8'x6' extensions are best for our CRX. I don't have an airdam on the car but assume that all will be fine unless it is ground touching
smile.gif
. Keep in mind the price of trailers has gone up a lot since I bought mine. The price of both steel and aluminum is one issue to think about.
Towing a 1300Lb trailer w 2100Lb car has been a lot of fun. No real surprises except one. Dodge built the truck with a HD package that actually does not have the correct spring rates in the rear for the load capacity the is listed. They even refuse to retrofit the Durango springs. The truck is rated for 6010 and we are not at the limit when the car is loaded and the bed filled. Remember that we are talking overall GVRW not just tongue and bed weights. The size of the trailer has actually ben abenefit and if you can house one this long you will find that it helps with distribution at the tongue a lot better than a 14-16 will. Then again you can do a load distribution hitch. Not to be long winded-but I agree that brakes and a quality controller for both axles is very important. The truck brakes should also be capable of doing their job under the load imposed. I have several acquaintances who tow box trailers with Durangos and Jeeps. They have done a few things to make it easy and safe. I'm not sure about your Montero. If it is comparable to a Ranger then you should seriously consider an aluminum trailer in a length for the RX-7 or 1 size longer at most.
THese thoughts are based on our towing to both The Glen and Pocono along with trips (1 hour) to BeaveRun. Mid Ohio is no more difficult than BeaveRun. The hills here will slow you down, so keep that in mind if you have to traverse like we do.
Final thought-I agree that a winch (we have a Superwinch and battery) is very useful and also helps hold the car on the trailer (aux tiedown point). If you price an R&R or TrailerWorld aluminum trailer and their resale values you will be pleasantly surprised. BriMar is a good choice for steel if new.
Happy holidays



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Grandpa's toys-modded suspensions and a few other tweaks
'89 CRX Si-SCCA ITA #99
'99 Prelude=a sweet song
'03 Dodge Dakota Club Cab V8-Patriot Blue gonna tow
 
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