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What Have You Towed?

Show What You Tow And Share Experiences

216K views 416 replies 128 participants last post by  Opa 
#1 · (Edited)
Good Evening Guys & Gals,

I have seen posts here and there about what owners have towed. On my former Cummins Forum there was a thread similar to this one. I thought it time to start one here. I have owned a few enclosed trailers over the years for pickup trucks and used them a lot. I am looking at getting one or two trailers for my sig vehicle.

Here are the trailers I am looking at:
1. BigTex Trailers 30SV-12
2. Schutt Industries xventure...when I hit the lottery
3. Tentrax...not 100% sure on the best model but they are a little small
4. An aluminum utility trailer the same size as the BigTex
5. An enclosed trailer that is 5.5' or 6' wide, 5' tall and 10' long with a ram door.

All of the above would be well below the maximum 39 sq ft surface area.

I am looking forward to all the pictures and stories behind them. After more than a year on the market, there should be quite a few members here with stories. I'll post up a picture first. This is the only time I have towed with the Jeep, and have done it 3 times. All around town on back roads, small loads too. I have an expensive B&W drop hitch and it is not even low enough to level out this little trailer. What hitches do you guys / gals use to level out your trailers?

Let the :grin: begin!
 
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#2 ·
I have a 16' Gheenoe Classic with a Yamaha 40 hp. 4 Stroke motor and dual batteries. Total weight around 1.000lbs. but I got the factory tow package so that I can tow my heavy motorcycles or ATV if I need to.
 

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#3 · (Edited)
Need to add small camper and large camper to your poll.

This is mine. Home built camper approximately 1700 lbs. loaded for camping. I use a 4.5 inch drop hitch but this trailer was built for off-road use and sits a lot higher than most do. I pulled this all the way to Yellowstone and back home. (Approximately 3100 Miles). Frontal area is 4 x 5 feet.

 
#4 ·
It won't let me edit the poll. Sorry about that. Watching Sons of Liberty, so I was a bit distracted when finishing this thread up.
 
#6 ·
You 'da man! Have a frosty cold Sam Adams Winter Lager on me!
 
#9 · (Edited)
I've owned a 3500# boat for 15 years now, and loved my 2002 Liberty for its towing capacity. This was my biggest concern when ordering my TH, but the past year has proven these concerns were NOT warranted - my TH tows my boat even better than my previous Liberty. I usually tow 4-5000 Km per year, so we see a lot of highway - LOL.

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#10 ·
Does anyone have any experiences with either of these American small businesses?

Montrose Trailers http://www.montrosetrailers.com/

3D Custom Aluminum Trailers http://www.3dcustomaluminum.com/index.html

Both Sites show nice products. I would MUCH prefer aluminum for obvious reasons. And having one smaller enclosed trailer plus one utility would complete my needs 100%.
 
#11 ·
Tow a 24' Bennington Pontoon Boat
19 foot Lund Center Console Duck / fishing boat
and a small utility trailer used to haul decoys in and out of the fields we hunt in and to Michigan's Upper peninsula every fall


No problems at all
 

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#13 ·
Nice! That boat makes your Jeep look really small haha.
 
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#16 · (Edited)
Strongly Considering This One

So, I think I might bite the bullet, spend way more than I wanted, and buy a custom trailer constructed out of aluminum. It is lighter, won't rust, has no screws to come loose (like my previous ones did) and can be either enclosed or open. Montrose in MI is the company that makes them. Here are some pictures from their Site.

Here are the specs I would get:
4'W x 6'L x 3'H inside dimensions.
Rear ramp door that can either act as a ramp or as a tailgate.
10" of ground clearance at the body, not the axle.
Raised hitch neck due to the height of the Cherokee hitch.
4 strips of E-Track (2 on the floor, 1 on each wall).
2 of the boat ties on the front, in addition to the 3 on each outside part.

The max weight I envision carrying is about 1,400 lbs. The owner says it weighs under 700 lbs empty. And he says he can park an 800 cc quad on the lid. So it would be better than a pickup truck bed as it is much deeper and I can put ladders and such on the top.

The cost is what is making me worried. About $5,500 give or take. When I call him tomorrow we will firm up the specs and price.

What are you thoughts' on this? My other option is to buy a less expensive cargo trailer and a utility trailer. This way I only own one. And it seems like he does very good work.
 
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#19 ·
So, I think I might bite the bullet, spend way more than I wanted, and buy a custom trailer constructed out of aluminum. It is lighter, won't rust, has no screws to come loose (like my previous ones did) and can be either enclosed or open. Montrose in MI is the company that makes them. Here are some pictures from their Site.

Here are the specs I would get:
4'W x 6'L x 3'H inside dimensions.
Rear ramp door that can either act as a ramp or as a tailgate.
10" of ground clearance at the body, not the axle.
Raised hitch neck due to the height of the Cherokee hitch.
4 strips of E-Track (2 on the floor, 1 on each wall).
2 of the boat ties on the front, in addition to the 3 on each outside part.

The max weight I envision carrying is about 1,400 lbs. The owner says it weighs under 700 lbs empty. And he says he can park an 800 cc quad on the lid. So it would be better than a pickup truck bed as it is much deeper and I can put ladders and such on the top.

The cost is what is making me worried. About $5,500 give or take. When I call him tomorrow we will firm up the specs and price.

What are you thoughts' on this? My other option is to buy a less expensive cargo trailer and a utility trailer. This way I only own one. And it seems like he does very good work.
Very nice Mudman. My wife is from Montrose. She still has some family up there. Its only about a hour north of me. If you ever want me to go up there and get some pics or video of their stuff or talk to anyone, let me know.
Todd
 
#20 ·
@mtudb24, thank you very much. Have you heard anything about the company, good or bad? In trolling the interwebs I see a lot of expensive car owners buy his trailers and love them. I have not seen much of anything on the trailer like I am looking to order. I am calling him tomorrow with my list of additional questions.
 
#21 ·
@mtudb24, thank you very much. Have you heard anything about the company, good or bad? In trolling the interwebs I see a lot of expensive car owners buy his trailers and love them. I have not seen much of anything on the trailer like I am looking to order. I am calling him tomorrow with my list of additional questions.
Mudman1. No problem. I personally have not heard of them but I sent my nephews who live up there a message asking They would know. They are Truck / trailer guys and will have a honest opinion of them. Will let you know as soon as I hear back
Todd
 
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#23 ·
Wow that was fast. Thanks! It seems like even plastic trailers that are small are over $3,000. Like this one http://www.familygokarts.com/shop/u...enclosed-cargo-utility-trailer/trailer-pulmor. I LOVE this one and of course 100% USA made but it does not accept 4x8 lumber which is a bummer. But everything else is pretty cool http://manleyorv.com/trailers/morv-original.html. I also found these guys http://www.morrismule.com/index.html. But again, all 3 links are either plastic (works well for many things, not bashing it) or steel and I really want aluminum.

I will keep your offer very handy. After I call Montrose tomorrow I will have a better idea and will update. Again, thank you for taking time to help me and the Forum out.
 
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#24 · (Edited)
Today I spoke to Gary for almost 40 minutes on the phone. He is really easy to work with. The specifications have adjusted a little bit.

Here are the specs I would get:
- 4 1/2'W x 6'L x 3'H. We are going 6" wider inside so a sheet of plywood can be slid in on the floor.
- Rear ramp door that can either act as a ramp or as a tailgate.
- 10" of ground clearance at the body, not the axle at a minimum.
- He is going to accommodate the high hitch height of the Cherokee with a target of 21".
- 4 strips of E-Track (2 on the floor, 1 on each wall). Plus 4 D-rings on the floor (in the corners).
- 8 total high mounted tie points for use on gear on the lid. 3 per side, 2 in the front. - Likely D-rings or something of that nature.
- 2 U points (military style) on the rear to cross tie long cargo (one strap on a floor D-ring, across the cargo, and anchored to a proper location at the rear by the bumper / frame).
- Spare mounted on the left side, folding table on the right (for camping, working, etc).
- Large tool box on the front that can hold at least 2ea 5 gallon gas cans.
- Upgraded 3,500 lb axle with 14" wheels.

Again, this is all through Montrose Trailers in MI. He offers a lifetime warranty on the frame and body as well, so it is good to know he stands behind his work.

Now, back to what you tow! Show what your Cherokee can pull.
 
#25 ·
I'd love to get something to tow, but my driveway is tiny and I'm sure if I parked anything other than a vehicle in the street semi-permanently my HOA would kill me. :)
 
#26 ·
In my town you can't park a trailer/motorhome/camper more than 48 hours in front of your own home and not at all in front of other's property.
 
#27 ·
I do not miss my HOA in Virginia at all.
 
#28 ·
My custom aluminum trailer is now on order! I will pick it up mid-March.

Keep the pictures coming. Show what you tow!
 
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#29 ·
I tow a 6x10 cargo trailer. The dealer didn't have a lot of choices when it came to drops. I believe it is currently a 5" or 5.5" drop. The ball needs to come down another inch to transfer more weight on the tongue. With a light load the trailer wants to pitch and pull on the ball. Not good.

The place I bought it is around 75 miles from home. That trip was pretty windy. There were a couple of times I especially watched it around trucks, but it really didn't have any sway problems.
 

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#30 ·
Hey, nice color you got on that Jeep! I think you are the first one to post up a picture of such a large enclosed trailer. There are lots of boats though. Having towed a LOT with pickup trucks and large cargo trailers, I am well aware of the wind concerns and how it feels when a semi, especially a triple trailer, passes you on the interstate. This is a major reason I did not spend less money and buy a trailer like yours. Not being rude, just sharing my logic.

Is that a steel frame or aluminum? Do you lock out any gears or just leave it in D? What sort of MPG hit did you take? And yea it is odd how much of a drop you need on these Jeeps for the trailer to be level. This is why mine is being built with a much taller ball height.

Thanks for sharing. Let us know how it does when you put some weight in it.
 
#31 ·
Wind isn't an issue. It really isn't. At its worst I could feel a little lift in the rear end when getting buffeted but everything tracked fine.

It is steel frame. The V nose cuts through the wind and I don't experience any air dam effects. Now that I have my spare tire on top of the TH I think the air stream will be even better.

I just ordered this weight distributing hitch with this shank. That will allow me to dial in for whatever load I put in this trailer. I can always add a sway bar later, but I don't think I will need to.

Gas mileage isn't that great. If I average 13MPG I will be happy.
 
#32 ·
I pulled my old jeep and trailer about 2 hours through I-5 traffic. I was impressed on how well the TH towed. It was more stable than my late model Tacoma pickup. If I pulled that much weight around often (I don't) I would probably get a weight distributing hitch, but really had no problems. About 16 MPG, mostly 60 MPH except through cities.


 
#36 ·
At least nobody can say "You don't have a real Jeep." :laugh:
 
#33 ·
Thanks for sharing the specs and experiences. Glad to hear!

^^Nice setup you have there. How about some details on that old Jeep!
 
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