Choosing an aluminium enclosed trailer… Haulmark or ATC?

[toofastforyou]

Next spring, I might be in the market for a new enclosed trailer as my son will be buying the one I own now. I'll be looking for no more than 24', and would like an all-aluminum trailer with a few options like a left side door to help getting out of the car, preferably an aluminum floor with a recessed compartment for the spare tire and winch, etc…
Claude.

 

[Boost231]

Why aluminum? What are you towing it with? Imop not worth the extra money for aluminum unless you are towing a million miles with it or you have a truck that can't pull the little extra weight of steel

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[toofastforyou]

Why aluminum? What are you towing it with? Imop not worth the extra money for aluminum unless you are towing a million miles with it or you have a truck that can't pull the little extra weight of steel

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I have an '08 Ford F350 dually that has plenty of power for that… Right now, I have a 22' American Flyer enclosed trailer which has a steel frame but everything else (walls, roof, floor, etc…) is aluminum and the truck pulls it effortlessly but I thought that if I'm going to replace it, I might as well get a better one no? I wanted aluminum because it doesn't corrode…and yeah it's a little lighter too…

Claude.

 

[achalmersman]

Aluminum wont rust amd resale value is significantly better. I had a model 2013 ATC 32' gooseneck custom built and cost 37k. I sold it over 3 years later for $30k in 2 days on racingjunk.com with people on standby wanting to buy. Probably could have gotten more but I changed jobs and wanted to sell fast. Build quality was phenomenal. Does the haulmark have the dual perimiter frame like the ATC? Inwould have a real hard look at the underneath of the haulmark before I compared it to the ATC.

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[Coltsfan1]

Hallmark is junk

 

[achalmersman]

Oh and by the way if you havent pulled a gooseneck before I would highly recommend considering a gooseneck. The above trailer loaded to about 14k was pulled behind my 03 Duramax 2500HD. One hand one the wheel, cruise control, etc. Solid as a rock. No comparison to any tag along even with sway control. Gooseneck has zero sway.

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[toofastforyou]

Thanks "achalmersman" for both your replies and pictures. The items that I'd really like to have are an aluminium floor (preferrably extruded or tread plate), left side car exit door, spare tire and winch compartment recessed in the floor, some nice (preferrably black) custom 6 bolt wheels and perimeter skirting which I think enhances the appearance a lot

...and maybe a few more goodies that I'm not thinking of right now. Also, I'll stick with a bumper pull type because I don't want to have to drill holes into my truck's bed and for the same overall length (24') it gives less "floor space" if I can explain it like that. As for pricing, there definitely is a difference in price between the Haulmark and ATC but to me it's not really a matter of price but rather a matter of good sense…Do I really need to have the $30K loaded ATC

knowing that a properly equipped Haulmark would fill my needs and do the job just fine?

…In other words, does it makes sense to invest $30K into something I'm going to use maybe 8-10 times a year?
Also I like the fact that aluminum won't rust or corrode... even if the one I have now has a steel frame, it never really corroded, just a little surface rust. I keep thinking that if I'm going to replace the one I have now, I might as well upgrade a little no?…

Thanks again for replying,

Claude.

P.S: and "Coltsfan1" you're saying is that "Haulmark is junk" but you're not giving any reasons why you say that…

 

[Coltsfan1]

Here's a good example... I own one. they are a cheaply made, they cut corners and everything lasts just enough to clear the warranty. If I were in the market I would look more at Featherlite or maybe even a smaller mom and pop shop that custom makes trailers.

 

[Coltsfan1]

Oh and by the way if you havent pulled a gooseneck before I would highly recommend considering a gooseneck. The above trailer loaded to about 14k was pulled behind my 03 Duramax 2500HD. One hand one the wheel, cruise control, etc. Solid as a rock. No comparison to any tag along even with sway control. Gooseneck has zero sway.

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Absolutely......bumper pulls suck.....

 

[ITSAV6]

Here's a good example... I own one. they are a cheaply made, they cut corners and everything lasts just enough to clear the warranty. If I were in the market I would look more at Featherlite or maybe even a smaller mom and pop shop that custom makes trailers.

Myself and Needsboost used to work at Haulmark. The main issue is they pay piece rate, the more you shove out the door the more you get paid. I worked in the second weld shop. We built one off and prototype frames and open type trailers. The local Dr's, Lawyers, and big wigs all had custom canoe and cook out type trailers. We also did the final fit/finish touchup work on the high end customer trailers. Right before I left we did the Petty Nascar teams trailers. Didn't take all this extra care on the same units going to dealers. My main issue with the main weld shop was the building of the side walls was running the mig welders at high amperage when welding the thin hat posts together and welding them to the frame. Lots of welds would break because it makes the thin metal way too hot, it's needed when welding the main thick tubing for penetration. I even stayed late and welded some samples together at lower amps, proved my point, they didn't care.....shove them out the door.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

1 Haulmark, 1 time......Was so far out of square we couldn't put the floor cabinets in it.
Wiring was mashed between the skin and the frame.
A total POS! Needless to say, it went down the road. The guy that bought it didn't give a hoot, as he hauled junk car parts in it. I saw it a yr later...Side walls beat out, NASTY.
Was replaced w/ a 28' Featherlite.

 

[gnxtc2]

ATC, InTech, Gold Rush are the top guys. Also look at T&E. Haulmark you get what you pay for.

Tow with a gooseneck...you'll never want to tow a tag. The gooseneck tows better than my open trailer.

24' trailer for a GN is gonna be tight. Since you already have the truck, go no less than 28'. I have a 34' United Extreme gooseneck which is 26' on the floor. But the price I got the trailer for, I couldn't pass it up. With a golf cart and the car in the trailer, I have 8" between the two. I'm looking to go to a 38' or 40' black gooseneck. I'll sell my trailer if you're interested (fully loaded....air compressor, Onan generator, hydraulic landing gear, winch, Vidmar tool cabinet, AC/heat). PM me if you're interested.

Spare tire wells are useless. They are only good for storing jack stands, jacks and other stuff. If you place your spare tire in the well, you're going to have to unload the car to get to the spare tire. I keep my spare at the rear of the trailer secured against the wall. Some like to hang the spare but mines on the floor.

If you decide to order a trailer, make sure you get 16" wheels with 8 lug axles. Don't the sales person talk you out of it.

You shouldn't be driving your car into the trailer.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[toofastforyou]

Thanks "Coltsfan1", "ITSAV6", Chuck Leeper and "gnxtc" for your replies. Let me begin by saying that I'm also a member on another car forum and curiously the Haulmark is getting pretty good reviews there…go figure… I guess it's matter of "getting what you're paying for"…Seriously…they can't be THAT bad!
And "ITSAV6", thanks for explaining the welding techniques but I've never did any welding in my life so I'm not a good judge at that, but I'm still taking note of it.
And "gnxtc" you're the first person who tells me that "I shouldn't be driving my car into the trailer" …Ok but can you please explain WHY ? I've been doing that for more than 25 years with two different trailers!
And about gooseneck type trailers, I've never had one and never rode in a truck with one attached to it but although some of you guys swear by them, unfortunately it's out of the question for me for several reasons: 1st, like said in one of my previous posts I'd rather not have to drill holes into my truck's bed and 2nd, like "gnxtc" explained his 34' gooseneck gives about 26' on the floor, so by the same reasoning assume if I want 24' of floor space, I'd need to get at least a 32' gooseneck trailer…which becomes another problem for me because I don't have a large enough place to store it……Yeah it's a poor excuse but it's something I have to deal with. The trailer I have at the moment is a 22' and I could go to 24', but that's it, no more than that.
Thanks again guys, I appreciate,
Claude.

 

[turbotroy]

You shouldn't be driving your car into the trailer.

Why is that?

 

[toofastforyou]

Why is that?

That's exactly what I was wondering about...

…
Claude.

 

[SS/GN]

Claude I bought an open ATC and the quality is amazing. I wanted some spare lights so I called the factory and they mailed them to me no charge. Great company to deal with and I drove down and picked it up in Elkart. Knowing you I don't think you will be happy with a cheaper trailer.

 

[gnxtc2]

And "gnxtc" you're the first person who tells me that "I shouldn't be driving my car into the trailer" …Ok but can you please explain WHY ? I've been doing that for more than 25 years with two different trailers

When you winch your car in, you have more control where it goes. With the winch control in your hand, you can make sure you're not going to hit anything.

Plus if you opt for a driver's side escape door in the trailer, make sure the car door clears the trailer wheel well. Or you're going to be driving onto 2x8s.

Billy T .
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[achalmersman]

Claude I bought an open ATC and the quality is amazing. I wanted some spare lights so I called the factory and they mailed them to me no charge. Great company to deal with and I drove down and picked it up in Elkart. Knowing you I don't think you will be happy with a cheaper trailer.

I agree. I live in DE, placed my order through a PA dealer, was in St Louis MO so on my way back passed through IN to take delivery and not be charged delivery fee to dealer. Since I was there I toured the factory. Awesome place and nice people.

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[turbotroy]

Hey All! Since this is one of the few "trailer threads" I thought I'd get in.
If I need to start a new thread, please let me know!
What is the best way to mount a winch in one of these trailers? The front d-rings would be the best anchor point, but if you "chained it down" wouldn't the winch just fall over, unless you could directly tie it to the d-rings? And what winch would you recommend?
Thanks and Cheers!

 

[turbotroy]

When you winch your car in, you have more control where it goes. With the winch control in your hand, you can make sure you're not going to hit anything.

Thanks for your reply I can't do that for the most part, as I'm a one man band. I haven't blown it up (lately) so I've always driven it back on the trailer. However, I've broken some things and had to use a come along to get it on the trailer