Selecting a car trailer

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Any difference between a car trailer with a steel bed vs one with wood? Looking at used trailer to tow a car and have seen full steel beds, some with steel rails on each side (where tires would go) and open in the middle and ones with full wood beds. Not sure if there is any difference between them. I'm assuming I would want a shorter vs longer one to keep weight down. The ones I've seen range from 1800lbs to 2300lbs (trailer weight) 7000gvw depending on length. Car I'm towing is 3050 lbs.

Have a 2021 JT Rubicon, automatic. It did come with 7 & 4 pin wiring harness and Electronic Trailer Sway Control?
I installed a Mopar tow hitch and was planning on getting a wireless Curt brake controller. Only plan on towing the car 4-5 times per year.

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[tobyw]

My personal opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it, is that a trailer should be as small and light as possible to get the intended job done. The problem with that theory is that the intended job often changes over time, and trying to pick "the" trailer is like reading a crystal ball... I have been pretty happy with our current 18' flatbed that has a wood deck and a 2' dovetail. I'm personally not a fan of steel decks because they can get very slippery when wet/muddy and I like the ability to screw in some wooden cleats to capture cargo from time to time (in addition to adequately strapping it down of course...). I will admit it looks funny when I have my little flat fender on such a big trailer, but conversely when the Gladiator is on the trailer behind the motorhome it looks just about right.

 

[rharr]

if you have a fully decked trailer you can also use it for carrying other crap, like furniture or whatever. But the wood will rotten eventually and need to be replaced. The steel rail open deck car trailers only work well for cars and things like that. Any furniture you put on it will fall through the hole in the middle

me personally i like having options and versatility.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Aluma - keeps the trailer weight down so you can tow it easier.

Iv'e had steel, wood, and now aluminum.
Wood is fine but will eventually deteriorate. It gets slicker than puppy poop in the rain. (it's also heavy)
Wood allow you to screw things down like blocks and such, but gaps mean you can't haul stuff that may fall through. Planks too close and dirt and sand collects and holds water and rots the roof faster. I treated mine with Thompsons Water Seal every fall (so by next spring it wasn't getting on whatever I hauled, it was all soaked in and dry)

When I was shopping for my first JT I realized my wood bed, steel trailer with my cars would be pushing the weight for an Overland. My wife suggested I buy a lighter trailer. So I did.

My JT Overland is rated 6,000 compared to a Rubicon (with receiver) being able to tow 7,000 if I recall correctly. You never want to tow close to the rating.
My PJ steel trailer with wood bed weighed in at about 2200-2300 pounds. With a 3200 pounds car that's roughly 5500 pounds give or take and more tongue weight than I wanted.

My Aluma tilt bed trailer (same 18' length) is 1500 plus another 100 for spare, tool box and straps and such so the trailer is just under 1600 pounds. With a 3200 pound car I'm at about 4800 pounds.

If I want to haul rock or whatever I could build sides as it's got stake pockets, then toss down an old tarp and haul rock or sand or dirt.

The 18' PJ I traded for an 18' Aluma in 2020 -

The Aluma I have now -

 

[wchevron]

I'd like to go aluminum but for the amount of times I'm realistically going to use it and the added cost, I think I'm going to stick with steel. Although my other thought was to buy a used steel with wood platform and over time replace the wood with aluminum planking. I was looking at some aluminum Trailex trailers. The bed appears to be aluminum bleacher planks. I found some online I could purchase in various lengths. I could probably end up saving 250-350 lbs by replacing the wood with aluminum.

I also see a bunch of "homemade" trailers. I"m assuming I should stay away from those.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'd like to go aluminum but for the amount of times I'm realistically going to use it and the added cost, I think I'm going to stick with steel. Although my other thought was to buy a used steel with wood platform and over time replace the wood with aluminum planking. I was looking at some aluminum Trailex trailers. The bed appears to be aluminum bleacher planks. I found some online I could purchase in various lengths. I could probably end up saving 250-350 lbs by replacing the wood with aluminum.

I also see a bunch of "homemade" trailers. I"m assuming I should stay away from those.

Yeah, beware of home made. Some may be good - but others I've seen are something I'd walk by without a second look. You just never know.

Aluminum in the right configuration can be extremely strong and depending on the frame of the trailer, planks like that may work out well. I've seen guys haul small endloaders and skid loaders with aluminum trailers like mine and the bed isn't massive like you might get with a steel trailer and the right aluminum.

I use mine only 2 or 3 times a year but it was important for it to be light and super-easy to load and unload. Got to the point heavy ramps were just too much, plus the load of towing a heavy trailer. The tilt bed was all I needed to see. So tired of carrying ramps that weigh 70 pounds and then having a car kick one out behind it because of slightly uneven ground. That was enough for me. Luckily the car was pretty much on the trailer when the weight shifted and the ramp shot back. Glad no one stands behind trailer and cars when loading. I'm sooo done with ramps.
Now I simply tilt the bed and drive on slowly until the bed just starts to tilt back down, hold the car in place and ride it down slowly. That's generally about where you want the typical car. Driving off is so easy as you don't need to make sure you are lined up on ramps behind you. Makes it a simple 1 person job. Can't speak enough to the safety. And if the car was dead, a small ATV winch could pull a rolling car onto the trailer.

But that's just what I needed to do with my age and back and towing considerations. And you don't say "naw, I don't think so" when your wife looks at you and says "so go buy a lighter trailer". You respond - "great idea, honey! Wish I'd have thought of that".

 

[Deleted member 57233]

I've just been renting the uhaul trailers for the last 20 years, still haven't hit the cost of buying a trailer, and I don't have to store a trailer on my property!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I HATE UHaul trailers. I've helped others load cars on them, and I've used one myself long ago when I was between trailers. You never know the condition of what you get, and they don't always allow me to haul what I want to haul with what I have.
They about had a fit when I was going to haul a Jeep Grand Cherokee with my Chevy truck. I had to tell them it was something totally different. And hauling an Eagle station wagon - that was another case of "that car is too heavy for your rig and our trailer". Seriously? 3,400 pounds is too heavy?

I've run into too much bad luck with their car haulers as far as availability and condition. At least with mine if I want to haul something, I just hook up and go, no reservation and no saying "we do't have one available on that date" or going to pick one up and them telling me "it's not back here yet".
I've driven to IN and stayed a week with my trailer - I wonder what that would have cost me in fees for rental?
I have a winch on my trailer now - so if I'm out somewhere and the car dies, I can load it by myself.

I guess I'm too independent and prefer safety of knowns.

I get it that some can't make the investment, but being able to take off on a Sunday at the drop of a hat, or not having to drive 30 minutes through traffic to return a trailer or pick one one only to find it's not there, meh. But like I said - I get it that some can't buy a trailer or even store one.
I've got more than enough space. If my neighbor calls me and says "my son's Trans Am just blew a rod, can you bring your trailer" I run to his aid (because he did just that for me - hooked onto my trailer while I was at work and drove several hours to get me son's car that blew a rod bearing inside IL)
But it's not just a car trailer - I hauled my Western snow plow on the trailer (wouldn't fit in a Gladiator bed for some odd reason), hauled 12' dealership signs, long lumber (16' 2x8s for example) and other stuff so I guess when I say I only use it 2 or 3 times a year - that's for cars. Otherwise it gets used for things that the JT can't otherwise do. (like a 2,000 pound load of landscaping block?)

When I lived in Ankeny, I was told I could not keep a trailer of ANY kind in my driveway or on my property so I had to store it at a friend's farm north of town. Sort of took away the convenience. And there are many places like that around here where you can't keep any sort of trailer and can't even work on a car in your own driveway.
In those cases, UHaul is the answer. IF you have to pay to store a trailer that's only used here and there, that would really suck for sure.

 

[sarguy1941]

I have a steel deck 18' trailer. It comes in at 1499#'s. My old trailer was a 16' with wood bed and was 1800#'s. If you can find a decent steel deck I think they are best. Ive used it to haul cars, tractors, dressers, lumber and all. I wish it was a bit longer but suites 99% of the time.

 

[Panthers65]

I always preferred wood when I was hauling race cars, the first time you lay a bare arm on a steel trailer after it's been baking in 100* temps all Saturday you'll understand it. I was constantly loading and unloading in the summer, my trailer served as a pit as much as it did a trailer, and the wood was just more comfortable

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have a steel deck 18' trailer. It comes in at 1499#'s. My old trailer was a 16' with wood bed and was 1800#'s. If you can find a decent steel deck I think they are best. Ive used it to haul cars, tractors, dressers, lumber and all. I wish it was a bit longer but suites 99% of the time.

I wonder how a dual axle steel trailer can beat the weight of an all-aluminum trailer (all aluminum save for the axles, of course!)
I mean, really, to make a trailer out of steel, then use steel decking - how is it possible to come in UNDER the weight of an all aluminum trailer where the whole thing - frame, tongue, bed, all of it, is aluminum and there's no ramps! The ramps alone for a steel trailer are going to be about 150 for a pair.
My PJ 18 footer was over 2,000 - maybe because your wood bed trailer was 2 feet shorter?
Sorry, those numbers don't make a lot of sense to me after comparing trailer weights for hours to pick one the JT could very easily handle.
I never found a steel trailer in 18' length under about 1800 to 2,000 pounds.

 

[sarguy1941]

Ya I'm not sure to be honest. I bought it in GA from a guy. When I got to NY they made me get a scale weight on it to title it and cat scale showed #1500. It appears to be mostly heavy angle with the steel deck. He used it for drag racing and it had no brakes. I replaced one axle with one with electric brakes.

 

[Osteodoc08]

I haul my 24’ car hauler with my expedition. Ship weight on the trailer was 2k#. I load it up with my side by side and four wheelers. The wood deck can be customized with tie downs where I want them. Wood is only slick if you let mold grow.

 

[MrJeep]

I went round and round on this very question. I finally went with: neither.
I found a 90's trailer that was a split rail that someone put custom aluminum diamond plate in to make it a flat deck. It is MUCH lighter and more well built than anything I could find new. 1300#, tows my modified TJ Rubi like a dream. I did have to fix it up cosmetically.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

I HATE UHaul trailers. I've helped others load cars on them, and I've used one myself long ago when I was between trailers. You never know the condition of what you get, and they don't always allow me to haul what I want to haul with what I have.
They about had a fit when I was going to haul a Jeep Grand Cherokee with my Chevy truck. I had to tell them it was something totally different. And hauling an Eagle station wagon - that was another case of "that car is too heavy for your rig and our trailer". Seriously? 3,400 pounds is too heavy?

I've run into too much bad luck with their car haulers as far as availability and condition. At least with mine if I want to haul something, I just hook up and go, no reservation and no saying "we do't have one available on that date" or going to pick one up and them telling me "it's not back here yet".
I've driven to IN and stayed a week with my trailer - I wonder what that would have cost me in fees for rental?
I have a winch on my trailer now - so if I'm out somewhere and the car dies, I can load it by myself.

I guess I'm too independent and prefer safety of knowns.

I get it that some can't make the investment, but being able to take off on a Sunday at the drop of a hat, or not having to drive 30 minutes through traffic to return a trailer or pick one one only to find it's not there, meh. But like I said - I get it that some can't buy a trailer or even store one.
I've got more than enough space. If my neighbor calls me and says "my son's Trans Am just blew a rod, can you bring your trailer" I run to his aid (because he did just that for me - hooked onto my trailer while I was at work and drove several hours to get me son's car that blew a rod bearing inside IL)
But it's not just a car trailer - I hauled my Western snow plow on the trailer (wouldn't fit in a Gladiator bed for some odd reason), hauled 12' dealership signs, long lumber (16' 2x8s for example) and other stuff so I guess when I say I only use it 2 or 3 times a year - that's for cars. Otherwise it gets used for things that the JT can't otherwise do. (like a 2,000 pound load of landscaping block?)

When I lived in Ankeny, I was told I could not keep a trailer of ANY kind in my driveway or on my property so I had to store it at a friend's farm north of town. Sort of took away the convenience. And there are many places like that around here where you can't keep any sort of trailer and can't even work on a car in your own driveway.
In those cases, UHaul is the answer. IF you have to pay to store a trailer that's only used here and there, that would really suck for sure.

Always tell uhaul you are towing a 1998 Honda Civic with bad tires, so you need the full size trailer. This was the last "civic" I towed ?

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