What size enclosed trailer do I need for my 1922 Touring Model T?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: What size enclosed trailer do I need for my 1922 Touring Model T?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Anthony Ventrice on Friday, August 30, 2013 - 07:58 pm:

Would a 8 feet wide by 16 feet be ok? Do you know where I can buy a used one? I live in Staten Island, NY.....Thank You, Tony


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Friday, August 30, 2013 - 08:11 pm:

There was a long discussion about trailers not long ago. Check it out:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/382855.html?1377364904


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Friday, August 30, 2013 - 11:00 pm:

I have a 16' trailer and it is fine for a model T. Either a V nose or flat nose will work but the V nose has less wind resistance so you get better gas mileage. The wider trailer is much more convenient for loading and unloading.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By R. S. Cruickshank on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 04:09 am:

Anthony, pay attention to the door opening. I think you would want at least 84 inches high so you would not have to lower the top to load. Unless the trailer is ordered special, the usual is 6 foot 6 inches high which would make the door opening less than that.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Zibell on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 10:03 am:

Anthony, I couldn't find anything used so I had one built for my 26 Tudor (with bumpers it is 14 feet long). I opted for 7 foot 6 inches door opening (90 inches) and 18 feet long V nose. The extra length is nice for positioning tie downs. Luckily the maker is where I live so at a certain point in construction I was able to drive my car over to position the chocks and tie down points as part of the manufacturing process.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Gould on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 10:22 am:

I purchased a new Haulmark trailer a couple years ago on the advice I should purchase one high enough to enter with the top up. For me that was a mistake. Not only was the trailer more expensive, it was harder to pull and much more sensitive to wind. If I were to do it again I'd purchase a much smaller unit. You can easily put the top down, fold the windshield and if needed, unhasten the sockets in the down position and move them forward so they don't stick out the back of the car. If you do that, you can get by with a whole lot smaller trailer than I purchased.
I sold a car to fellow who trailered it from Wells, Nv to Kentucky. He had a small box like trailer. The inside door dimensions gave him a couple inches on each side from the hubcaps and he folded the windshield down to fit. He didn't have to move the sockets. The trailer was very small compared to mine but it did the job just fine.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy Clary on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 10:32 am:

I use a 7x16 cargo trailer. It is as big as I needed. While you could probably get by with a 14 footer the tie downs would be a pain. Unless you can not possibly put your top down I wouldn't get any extra height.

Andy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 10:48 am:

Anthony,

Staten Island is tough to find anything used
for sale in good condition, particularly after
Sandy .....

I recently delivered this 1970 Corvette there
to replace one lost to Sandy ....

My advice is to travel to a nearby state
to purchase a trailer.

If you buy a used one, have someone
experienced come with you to check it out.



Jim :-)


1970 Corvette


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 12:26 pm:

Here is the trailer I used to haul my coupelet from Iowa to California. It belongs to my mom and step dad, they ordered it with extra height to accommodate the coupelet.







Don't short change yourself with at trailer that just works, you will regret it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 12:56 pm:

A large portion of the cost of a new trailer is the delivery charge. If you are thinking about a new trailer consider dealing directly with the manufacturer and picking it up directly from them. I bought a trailer from an outfit in Georgia and picked it up on the way from Florida to New York. It cost me $75 in extra gas and saved me $350 in delivery charges which was just about 10% of the trailer's cost. I like the trailer so much that I bought another one on the way back so I would have one in New York and Florida.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By R. S. Cruickshank on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 01:18 pm:

Anthony, not to start something that never ends, I suggested you look for a trailer with extra height.
The reason for this is you may have the need to carry another vehicle that is different than your current one. An example is the situation I was in with a trailer that could carry a T touring fine but I finally found a T Depot Hack that I wanted for several years. It requires a door opening of 85 inches. A Depot Hack and a sedan do not have the simple solution of dropping the top. If your into T's, most of us find that one is not enough and why limit yourself to a one type of vehicle.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 09:21 pm:

If you get one just barely tall enough with the top down, NEVER forget, like I did!! Nine months later, it was all repaired and had it 800 miles from home and did it again! No picture, but, same damage plus broken top windshield and frame. I've already spent more money in repairs than the extra height trailer would have cost me.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Garrison_Rice Minnesota on Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 12:25 am:

Anthony, I had a very nice 20' enclosed trailer for my '38 Ford truck. With the truck loaded up and suitcases and other "extras" I was able to pull it with no problem with an F150. With a Model T you'd end up with enough room to outfit it with additional features of your own doing. Are you thinking of doing a great many overnight trips? One of the things I really liked were the "D" shaped tie-downs that were mounted in the floor. Another thing is the equalizer hitch and some really good electric brakes. Aluminum framed trailers are a lot lighter than steel framed trailers but cost quite a bit more. Currently I haul my Model T on a 14' single axle open trailer and have plenty room left over. But I rarely go any farther than 100 miles and tow it with a 2500 Chevy truck with a heavy duty towing package. It works well for me and because I have a heavy truck I don't worry too much about flat tires and having the truck getting thrown around too much. But I wouldn't suggest anyone going with a single axle trailer unless they're sure what they're doing and like me it's all they can afford. Good luck in your search.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kenneth W DeLong on Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 10:04 am:

I think most would agree that Phillip Berg's advise covers almost any trailer choice!! Bud.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John F. Regan on Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 04:00 pm:

To accommodate any T you generally need to add 1 foot of extra height. I have bought 2 enclosed trailers so far and that was the extra height I ordered at the advice of others. My Delivery Car was the tallest T I have and it was just right. The trailer makers have a firm price ready to go when you call if you want it one foot taller. The inside bed on both of my trailers was 16 feet long giving then about 4-5 foot of cargo space in front of the T when it is in there. As others have stated that space is most handy when you are hooking your T down for the ride. It also gives you some easy way to adjust the tongue weight by moving cargo into that area up front. The top on a T takes a beating soon enough without having to put it up and down each time you trailer your T. On many national tours I can park my T in the trailer each night by being able to just drive it in. The first time you try to put your T in the trailer when it is pouring down rain will be the day you regret not paying the few extra dollars for the taller trailer. My first trailer was a sloped front trailer made by Haulmark. I hated it. The one I got was poorly constructed with crooked trim and sheeting everyplace and lots of twisted off screw heads. I picked it up in Indiana and the front trim blew off on the way home to IL. The trailer I have now was a more generic brand and cheaper than the Haulmark by a bunch but was ordered the same size being nominal 8 foot wide by 16 foot bed with 1 foot extra height. It also came from Indiana. It is not a V nose or a slope front unit but just an ordinary slightly curved front with rounded corners at the front edges. I love it. I warned the dealer that if I arrived to pick it up and it was poorly constructed or had a single screw popped off that it was going to be "his trailer" while I waited for another new one. I ordered in the fall so that I knew touring season was over and I would be in no hurry to take delivery if the dealer attempted to call my bluff. I had previously checked gas mileage with my slope nosed Haulmark versus a friends same size trailer but with regular shaped front end and found zero difference in the mileage when towed at 65 MPH. I had already decided that the small extra savings in fuel if any was not worth all the trouble of the lost space inside the trailer since I only towed my T a few times a year. I was happy to discover there was no fuel savings with the sloped front and I also noticed that those selling trailers with front ends that are supposed to pull easier don't put that "in writing" and merely state that some of their customers say there is a savings. No scientific tests of any kinds seem to back up the claims of better mileage and being an engineer my mileage test was actual gallons on gas receipt versus actual miles on the odometer with notes as to wind speed. Keep that in mind. The most fuel savings you can get is to back off the throttle and tow slower regardless of the trailer front end. Now that I can also in fact verify since I once followed my son driving his T some 350 miles to Iowa and I followed at 35-40 MPH with blinkers on and the mileage was just way way more than at my usual speed limit+ towing speed. Don't feel bad if you disagree with any of this thread and buy something else since frankly many of us regret what we bought on the first purchase since we thought we knew what we wanted. My last trailer has LED lights and the flooring was laid out ahead of time to have all the tie downs in it. I also found out on the first enclosed trailer that putting the spare in the floor under the T was not a good idea. It is my third trailer with the first one being an open trailer made by Owens. That Owens was a good trailer and a friend of mine in the T club still uses it but I wanted an enclosed trailer. I like the enclosed trailer much better and can pay for a lot of gas with the savings over the sloped nose trailer price.

Your mileage may vary (pun intended).


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