Enclosed Trailer Thread,

[OCD Solutions]

After another trailer failure this weekend the Wife has suggested we invest in an enclosed trailer. While I have always wanted one, I find myself hesitating to purchase one for numerous reasons including storage and mileage.

I would be interested in hearing what others have experienced with enclosed trailers and skis.

I am thinking that a 10x6x6 would be more than adequate and offer ample room for everything to be setup nicely and still be small enough to not effect mileage. Ultimately the deal will determine what we buy but I just want to get a feel for what to look for that I haven't thought of yet.

I would be interested to hear how V-nose trailers compare to flat face trailers for mileage and towing. I'm pretty sure i want a V-nose for turning radius and mileage but am curious if it actually make smuch of a difference.

 

[Rotorhead65]

The V-nose is great! You can build a shelf in the V and store all your stuff. From what Ive found, you will get better mileage from a all aluminum built trailer over a steel & aluminum. The nose I dont think effects it as much as you think. We get better mileage pulling our aluminum enclosed car hauler over our Haulmark steel/aluminum snowmobile trailer. Also from the salt on our roads here the aluminum is corroding very bad where it meets the steel. No more steel trailers for us, the extra money is well worth it for aluminum.

 

[Aircraftsalz]

Boyer go for the all Aluminum trailer, 10x6x6 your going to get the same or within 1-2 mpg that your current trailer gets. I have a 22ft enclosed trailer & I drop 2-3 mpg with my trucks pulling at 75-80mph. For you I think enclosed for your road trips is the way to go.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Our first trailer was a 6x10. We kept it for a few years and then upgraded it to an 8x16. should have stuck with the 6x10. We had a square nose. You can actually set it up to carry 4 ski's relatively easy.

 

[NVGuy]

Bradf5 has a good point with the aluminum vs. a steel trailer. i have a steel and aluminum interstate trailer that is a 16x7x6. yes i only store one jet ski in it, but its nice for taking to the lake and camping in it. the enclosed are nicer than an open trailer because of the protection you get (no rock chips, no sun beaten equipment, less likely to be stolen) i also have a full set up with mine. i have XM radio, 3000 watt inverter, two gel deep cycle batteries powered by solar panels. i have a built in 10 gallon air compressor built into the frame of the trailer, fluorescent lights, the stereo i installed in it i am able to hear it while im jet skiing. ya i know i went a little over board on it but i also use this trailer for motocross. yes its heavy. i tow it with a 2010 ford expedition, and seem to get about 13 mpg. its a flat nose, tandem axle.

 

[FlightPlanDan]

I wish I had an enclosed trailer! The sun is pretty tough on the ski's. (stored outside).
Fab up removable bunks for the ski's. You will use it for everything!

 

[cattledog]

what happened this time to your trailer

 

[scottie mac]

Having driven all over the US racing and riding, once you get an enclosed, it is hard to go back. The only downside is getting your skis in and out if you go to a boat ramp. I have had 14x7, 17x7 and now a 20 x 8. The last two were V noses and I wouldn't have it any other way. A flat faced trailer is like a big said catching the wind going down the road. As long as you stay under 20 feet and don't weigh it down with too much stuff, it shouldn't effect your fuel mileage more than a couple mpg.

Let me know your price range. I still have my 17 x 7 Hercules Trailer. It hasn't been used in two years. I only use it for storage at the lake. I would consider selling it. Oh and it's black, lol.

Scottie

 

[OCD Solutions]

I'm going to keep it fairly simple, small and light. I bought my 2004 Cummins dually for hauling sleds and skis around and always had dreams of a deluxe enclosed trailer but never got it. Now I just drive a 2002 Ram 1500 2wd with a 4.7l and sold off everything but the 2 skis. The simpler I get things, the more I enjoy them and the more time i get to enjoy them.

The radio is a good idea and I already have a couple spare Sirius receivers to round it out. I am also planning a small bench/storage unit up front and would like to find a place for a freshwater tank and external shower unit with provisions for washing down the skis. Because we travel so far and get home so late we need to really get them cleaned out before we load them so they don't sit so long at home before I can get to them.

Single axle or tandem? I like the idea of tandem as the trailer itself will carry more weight and keep it off the truck and likely pull just as easy if not better.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Having driven all over the US racing and riding, once you get an enclosed, it is hard to go back. The only downside is getting your skis in and out if you go to a boat ramp. I have had 14x7, 17x7 and now a 20 x 8. The last two were V noses and I wouldn't have it any other way. A flat faced trailer is like a big said catching the wind going down the road. As long as you stay under 20 feet and don't weigh it down with too much stuff, it shouldn't effect your fuel mileage more than a couple mpg.

Let me know your price range. I still have my 17 x 7 Hercules Trailer. It hasn't been used in two years. I only use it for storage at the lake. I would consider selling it. Oh and it's black, lol.

Scottie

Thanks for the offer Scottie but that sounds much bigger than I want to mess with and i am going white on the trailer, for the same reason as the truck, to keep the heat down and it's easier to keep clean.

I found a nice 12 x 6 last night I'm going to look at this week. There's some real nice trailers out there but at the same time there's so much to look for in a trailer.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Well, we finally pulled the trigger and purchased a 6x10 Haulmark enclosed trailer. I took advantage of the long weekend and got it rigged up for everything I can think of needing for all our roadtrips.

- Removeable Bunks for up to 4 skis, each bunk covered with teflon glide sticks.
- 26 Gallon fresh water tank with 70psi shurflo pump
- Plenty of tie downs to secure everything in.

I still need to convert the 4 pin harness to a 7 pin to get power in for the lights and water pump and whatever else we decide we need down the road. I'm sure as we use it we will find new things to add in.

what do you guys think so far.

 

[Aircraftsalz]

Nice set up Boyer

 

[OptimaRacing]

Go big.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Go big.

Just a little overkill there, lol.

We are really enjoying our little trailer. Mileage isn't stellar but is right around where we expected. It's sure nice to have everything onboard and have the cab empty. You never know when you may need to pull over and climb in the back seat for a...:sneaky: rest. lol

The water tank was a great idea and I'm slowly getting it plumbed in for a couple quick connect points. The 26 gallon tank (217 lbs) may be a bit of overkill but a trip to the surf will show us how much water we will need to flush 2 skis and rinse off ourselves and all our gear. They had a 13 gallon tank as well that may be the perfect size.

 

[DAG]

living the dream. very nice setup all round.

only thing i did not see was a place for the tools?

 

[OCD Solutions]

living the dream. very nice setup all round.

only thing i did not see was a place for the tools?

Wrench in the garage, ride at the water, lol. JK,

I have all my tools and spare parts in Tough Tote containers I throw in up front. I've added a couple racks and hooks already for gear and am contemplating a bench up front with a spare tool box. each time we take it out we see something else that would be nice but it's easy to do too much and add too much weight up front.

 

[vitalikol]

How you stoping skis from parking in truck bad if you hit brakes hard ? I don't see any bow stops.

 

[OCD Solutions]

How you stoping skis from parking in truck bad if you hit brakes hard ? I don't see any bow stops.

I installed d-hooks into the floor and have tie downs on the nose hooks. Just didn't have them installed yet when i took the first pics.

 

[Idok]

take those top bunks out and you got a built in sleeping area!

 

[Big Kahuna]

Nice Job. That is similar to how we had our 6*10 set up. We had hard stop bow mounts on though. More secure, but with the matrix your limited with no bow eye..