Types Of Towing Trailers For A Car Or Small Truck
It’s essential to note that trailers aren’t created equal. Their behavior on the road and how they impact the tow vehicles’ handling are drastically affected by their hitch, weight, size, and shape. Simply saying, there’s no one-size-fits-all trailer. That’s why choosing the right type of towing trailer is important when transporting a car or small truck.
Below are the different options you have for a towing trailer:
Flatbed Trailers
The most commonly used trailer type are flatbed trailers. Being one of the tandem axle trailer examples, they’re highly versatile. From a car or small truck to lumber, you can use flatbed trailers to transport almost everything.
Note that flatbed trailers don’t have a box to cover the load being shipped; they’re open from all sides. That’s makes loading and off-loading very easy. You can either use a forklift to pick up the load from the sides or a crane from the top.
Lowboy Trailers
These trailers are also called double-drop, float, low-loader, or low-bed trailers. These semi trailers have drop decks; one is present before the wheels and the other right behind the gooseneck. That’s why this type of trailer sits very close to the ground.
Due to the drop, shipping of extremely huge items is possible. Lowboy trailers can even carry heavy-duty construction equipment that are usually heavier when compared to the maximum weight limit that other types of trailers have.
Step Deck Trailers
A step deck trailer is quite similar to a flatbed trailer. The only difference is the maximum legal height. Step deck trailers are used in transporting loads that can’t be transported via flatbed trailers because of the height.
Step deck trailers are open trailers with two deck levels, one upper and one lower level. Because they’re closer to the ground, they’re safer for unloading using a forklift. They also have ramps for unloading.
Extendable Flatbed Trailers
These trailers are similar to flatbed trailers; it’s just that they can be extended. Yes, that means the length of extendable flatbed trailers isn’t fixed. For instance, a flatbed that’s 43 feet long can be extended to 80 feet long.
Extendable flatbed trailers are also open trailers, just like flatbed trailers. They don’t have any walls or roof.
The shipment of loads that are normally too large to be transported through a regular flatbed trailer can be done with extendable flatbed trailers.
Removable Gooseneck Trailers
When moving large equipment, a gooseneck trailer is the ideal trailer to have. It’s also known as a double drop trailer or a double lowboy because of having a drop in the middle, providing a margin for taller objects. Use the dropped region for taller objects and place loads that aren’t too tall on the raised beds.
Another benefit that this type of trailer brings are their detachable front end. By detaching the gooseneck trailer’s front end, you can drive your car or small truck directly into the trailer. You can then reattach the trailer’s detached portion once your vehicle is in place. It makes loading and unloading not only convenient, but also quick.
Side Kit Trailers
These trailers look like flatbed trailer with a tent-like top covering and removable sides.
With enclosed trailers, it’s quite difficult to load and unload objects, especially very heavy ones. That won’t be the case with side kit trailers since the removable sides will make unloading easier using forklifts. Arranging of large, heavy objects becomes convenient too because the sides are detachable throughout the trailer bed’s length.
The side kits range from plywood to fiberglass. For the roof that protects the cargo from all elements, you can opt for a tarp covering.
The versatility and low-cost of operation make side kit trailers the most commonly used trailer type.
Extendable Double Drop Trailers
An extendable double drop trailer is meant to haul unusually long loads that can’t be transported via a regular double drop trailer.
To increase the bed area of the trailer, the stepped deck’s middle section can be extended, making it able to accommodate unusually long equipment.
The length and height of the stepped deck is adjustable so it can adapt to non-standard needs. It allows the transport of various dimensions of loads in one load. Extendable double drop trailers allow the transport of both taller and shorted loads. The shorter ones will be adjusted on the upper deck, while the taller ones on the lower deck.
Stretch RGN Trailers
Stretch RGN trailers can carry up to 150,000 pounds of load. Though the maximum width of stretch RGNs is just like other types of trailers, which is 8.5 feet, it can carry a maximum height of 11.6 feet, which is, of course, much greater compared to what other trailers can carry.
A stretch RGN is a great trailer not only because of its extendable main deck, but also of a few other features. One is that it’s possible to add extra axel to it that balances the heavy loads that you’ll be carrying. Also, the loading and unloading of heavy objects become easier because of its detachable or removable goosenecks.
Multi-Car Trailers
These trailers are one of the most common trailers available for many years now. Using these trailers, the tow truck can carry up to eight cars from one location to another.
The two types of multi-car trailers are the single deckers and the double deckers. Double decker trailers are what’s usually used if the number of cars to be transported is as many as eight.
Usually, 11.6 feet is the overpass height limit, and multi-car trailers generally can’t pass through. The good thing about multi-car trailers, however, is that the vehicles don’t get loose while being hauled since vehicles are properly secured.
Final Thoughts
It would now be so much easier for you to choose which trailer suits your car or small truck towing needs since you already know the different types of trailers. The use of trailer is a major investment, especially when you plan to buy instead of rent one. Before settling on a specific trailer type, carefully consider the type of car or small truck you need to transfer. The last thing you’d want is to encounter problems along the process of towing your vehicle due to bad choice.
