Open vs enclosed trailers

[SS/GN]

Looking for opinions,pros and cons of open vs enclosed trailers.I hve an enclosed and am thinking of selling for an open.Thanks for the input

Kevin

 

[forcefed3.8's]

Why go backwards? Keep the car out of the of weather and flying stones, etc. Opens serve their purpose.

 

[SS/GN]

Cost of reg fuel is $5.22 a gallon up here .The cost of racing seems to be getting stupid,just looking at options.

Kevin

 

[Phoneguy]

Why go backwards? Keep the car out of the of weather and flying stones, etc. Opens serve their purpose.

I agree. I only have an open though. At least you can get in the enclosed if nasty weather moves in. Unless you have a really large enclosed I cant see much difference in fuel costs. My truck pulling the 20' open trailer with my car on it gets 11 mpg.

Bryan

 

[TurboTGuy]

I love my open trailer but I live in Arizona and usually only haul to California, Nevada and New Mexico. I also make most of my destinations in a single day, not too many over-night stops so security isn't a big factor.

The weather out here allows me to use an open trailer with not much worry about hail or things of that nature.

Enclosed trailers are a hassle, but worth their wieght in gold if the weather turns ugly while on the road and the security factor lets you sleep much more soundly in a strange place.

So there you have it.

They both serve their purpose.

 

[turboc87gn]

20 foot open vs 24 foot enclosed open does get a lot better mileage.....But pulling with a 2500 chevy van 2wd vs my buddies 2500 chev 4wd pickup both with 6.0 gas huge difference in favor of the van....

 

[SCOOBY DOO]

I rent my trailers from U Haul...works fine for me.

 

[Scott A.]

I rent my trailers from U Haul...works fine for me.

I sold my 18' open last month with that line of thinking. I really didn't use it that much, and had others wanting to borrow it all the time.

 

[Grumpy]

I sold my 18' open last month with that line of thinking. I really didn't use it that much, and had others wanting to borrow it all the time.

hahahaha ... isn't that the truth !!! I really like the enclosed if your goin to events.. Lot safer to me BUT they are a pain if ya don't have a good place to stash em. Oh... I borrow my buddys enclosed if we go to events.

 

[cruzn57]

open.......... lighter, easier to tow, easier access to all parts of the car, cheaper to buy, rock chips! everyone sees what your towing,

enclosed, HEAVY, very secure, easy to store everything inside, did I say heavy? harder to store ( more room required)

I had an enclosed, sold it, built an open, so much easier to tow.

 

[rmar]

Open is a ton easier but I prefer enclosed, I just have to hire a midget or a contortionist to put it in the trailer and get out of the car.

 

[SS/GN]

I thought of the U-haul thing but not real comfortable with their maintenance especially when my car is on it .I also like to be in control of my own destiny,when Iwant to go I want to go .I have an enclosed because my girls raced jr dragsters but we are done with those and the next adventure begins.I plan on racing within an hour of home with the exception of maybe 1 Buick event per year.Thanks for the opinions

Kevin

 

[aminga]

Open is a ton easier but I prefer enclosed, I just have to hire a midget or a contortionist to put it in the trailer and get out of the car.

or a one legged stripper

 

[TurboDave]

I've had/used both. Much prefer the enclosed for security, and keeping road debri damage to nothing. Yes, you WILL get road debri damage with an open. How much you want to tolerate is up to you.
Open's are lighter, easier to tow if you have a weak kneed tow vehicle. No security, and the afformentioned road damage.
I don't think I would want to tow open again.

 

[Red C5]

Just really comes down to how you use it. It sounds like an open would be just fine for you. If you're going to overnight events, etc the enclosed is better. For day trips here and there you can't beat open. So easy to load/unload, easier to tow, lighter, better fuel economy, etc.

Peter

 

[Scott A.]

I really liked my open trailer, other than the fact it was a little heavy. Probably 95% of what I used it for wouldn't haved worked well with an enclosed trailer. I was actually looking at trading for an open aluminum trailer/car hauler. The one I looked at weighed 1250 lbs...but the thought of somebody asking to borrow it and messing it up killed that thought.

 

[gordyzx9r]

I have a 28' enclosed trailer (32' total length)...it's a beast, but worth it's weight in gold. I tow it with a '06 GMC Sierra 2500 HD and get about 12-14MPG uphill or downhill, tailwind or headwind. The GMC is a 4 door and has an 8' bed so it's unbelievably stable when pulling that trailer. The downside is, you really have to be sure where you're about to take that thing into because once you've committed to pulling into a parking lot you're not going to have many options...

 

[chopped39]

Enclosed makes for a good shed.LOL. They do make enclosed trailers with a door on the left side so you can open your car door all the way. I saw one at the World of wheels a couple years back

 

[need boost]

Kevin where are you at? I am in Georgia, I have an open and want an enclosed

 

[Chuck Leeper]

I sold my 18' open last month with that line of thinking. I really didn't use it that much, and had others wanting to borrow it all the time.

I used to get into those same situations until I learned to make use of the second shortest word in the language...No.
1 ran the tires low, and ruined them.. Response: "Sorry".
The second was the loss of a ramp, and a fender mashed. Took threats to get it back.

I've had both types of trlrs...The enclosed was NICE, but was a PITA to store, keep up, and use while by myself...Currently the unit is a 20' Texas Rollback. Had it for 16 yrs..NEVER a problem, easy to use alone, and it's PAID FOR, there when I need it. [Or not].