Re: [Chrysler300] Trailer Size?

Hello Shannon,

Two other things to think about:

Tires - most trailers come with ST radial tires, to give a better ride. However, I learned after going to the Monterrey CA show, that ALL ST tires are speed limited to 65 mph. "All bets are off" with regard to replacement etc., if you exceed 65mph - as I did going across west Texas and New Mexico on I-40 at the posted speed limit of 70mph. I had two failures on one year old tires, and only when replacing them found there was no credit toward the cost of new tires. I was informed of the speed limitation for the first time, never having heard a word from the trailer manufacturer or the tire dealer when the originals were replaced after fours years service.

The speed limitation makes sense from the view of economy and safety in general but on a long trip where time is important, it surely was a temptation to go the limit, as I did. A possible solution would be to specifiy LT tires when ordering your trailer, as these do not have the speed limit. They may not fit in the wheel well of the trailer if you don't specify that on ordering - some wells are very "tight" to give max room inside the trailer.

Hitch/stabilizer system: From the beginning with my 28ft trailer, the long distance from the front trailer wheels to the hitch point, created a swaying tendency - when being passed by a large bus or 18 wheeler. Especially at interstate speeds the air buble ahead of the passing vehicle would "push" the nose of the trailer sideways, thus the nose of my Ford Excursion (F-250 equivalent) TOWARD the passing bus/truck. This required me to be ready to counter steer to avoid closing toward the bus/truck.

The first few times were startling but I quickly adapted to this requirement and "had it under control". I thought!

Then one night in the drizzle, an 18 wheeler passed me going at least 25 mph faster than my 60mph. The sideways push was so strong my excursion was pointed right at the tractor's driving wheels in a flash. I corrected back right abruptly and found myself one whole lane to the right of the one I had been driving in. Had any one been in that lane I would have caused a horrific accident.

The next day I did my "homework" and invested in a Hensley Arrow hitch which advertises, and DOES, correct this problem completely. I strongly urge anyone with an enclosed trailer to go to their website, hensleymfg.com, and get them to send their information. The life you save may be your own (or your beloved 300's)

One additional thought specifically about 26 & 28 ft trailers, you must be especially careful and think about the space they require to maneuver and/or, park in. My rig is 53 ft over all. Many Hotel and Motel parking lots will not handle rigs of this size. Places to stop and eat have the same problem, as do gas stations (my excursion is a gas fuel V-10). Early on I had to back out of a gas station I thought I could pull straight through. My wife directed traffic on the four lane street so I could get out. Not Good for marital bliss as you might imagine.

All the Best 300ing,

Phil Irish

----- Original Message -----

From: Joe Allen

To: Shannon

Cc: Jean-Yves ; Mwl1967 ; <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 11:54 PM

Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Trailer Size?

Just another late comment regarding trailers for our Chrysler 300's. . . If by chance anyone is considering a custom two car stacker enclosed trailer, consider the following: Make sure lift has capacity, length and height clearance for 2nd vehicle. For example, my 25 ft trailer has plenty of room for '55 C300 on bottom. My lift has 6,000 lb capacity, but I failed to allow enough length for another 300 letter car, a '56 Dodge, nor a 300M due to improperly placed bracing / ramp door lift, etc. Maximize internal height without exceeding 13' 6" outside through creative frame / platform / suspension design. Triple 7,000 lb axles and special trailer rated tires provide a rating of 21,000 lbs. A steel frame, aluminum skin 25 ft trailer weighs approximately 8,500 lbs empty, 17,000 lbs loaded with two 300's. Such a trailer requires a heavy duty tow vehicle. If the tow vehicle is a motorhome, be sure total length of motorhome, trailer, and hitch assembly does not exceed 65 ft in order to be legal in California and in a few northeastern states. I believe 102" total width is now legal in all states, even California. Make sure trailer is towed perfectly level with load spread evenly over all 3 axles.

Contact me directly regarding specific trailer questions / concerns / ideas. I can share experiences over past 12 years - some good, some bad, some ugly.

Bill Allen

billandmarilynallen@xxxxxxxxx

678-521-3658

On Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 10:03 AM, Shannon <LabLoverDC@xxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm a little late weighing in on this, but I second the opinions regarding a minimum of 5200 pound axles. We bought an enclosed 24' Haulmark new, and picked it up at the factory in Georgia to save on shipping. It came standard with 3500 pound axles, which we thought would be sufficient, but we were way wrong. Although we didn't have a letter car then, every time we would load it fairly heavily, we would blow tires. It turned out that you just can't buy a sturdy enough tire with enough of a rating to handle the loads, even if you keep your payload to around 3500 pounds, which would obviously be exceeded with a 300.

Ultimately, we bit the bullet and upgraded to 5200 pound axles. We considered going one size higher (7,000 pound?), but were advised that they may be too stiff for our normal loads, resulting in too much bouncing, and the 5200 pound axles would be better suited to our normal load of 5-6,000 pounds. Since switching axles and going with the highest rated tires, we have not had any problems, and hauled a 300 G a long distance successfully.

Some other trailer thoughts: A load equalizing hitch and an anti-sway bar helped immensely. We added a winch which helps with the loading process a lot. I can't remember if our doors on the G would open above the fender wells; that might be worth looking into, because if they don't, I don't think a drivers side door would do much good. Also, I'm not sure a drivers side door would typically be placed far enough back to enable opening the car door--another point to check.

We've found the 24' adequate for our needs, but wish we had bought a 28', just for the luxury of extra space. Trailers are kind of like garages--they can never be too big. That said, I guess you also have to consider your tow vehicle.

Torsion bar suspension is nice and worth it in my opinion. It also allows the trailer to ride closer to the ground, which makes it less likely to scrape bottom on loading as you go over the hump. A dove-tailed rear is important for the same reason.

We have found our Haulmark to be reasonably well made and it has held up pretty well for a relatively inexpensive trailer. That said, depending on how much use it will get, there are definitely some better made but more expensive trailers out there that may be worth considering, depending upon your budget. We have a 20' enclosed, all aluminum Triton trailer we use for hauling our snowmobiles, and there is a world of difference in the quality, as well as the increased payload as a result of the trailer being lighter. In aluminum trailers, Featherlite is another top brand worth considering, but all of the all aluminum trailers are pricey.

Finally, don't forget to have plenty of tie downs installed in the floor and sides too, if you're hauling things other than cars. Brakes on both axles with a good controller are important, as someone pointed out. I think most modern trailers come with adequate running/side lights. On two of our tow vehicles, we added air bags just to help with the tongue weight, although that may not be necessary.

Good luck with your purchase.

Shannon

300 F convertible

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 5, 2014, at 11:26 AM, "Jean-Yves" <jymopar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I agree with other post re trailer, go for 24 ft , 5200 pound axles and get
a driver side door.

300's are heavy up front , I would always put the car front first in the
trailer if you are going to travel any significant distance, for trailer
stability you want a little more weight in front of your axles , not behind
them...my 2 Cents...

As a side note, I pulled into a weight station in Canada once and they gave
me a warning ticket because ; with a regular drivers licence, which is what
I have, you can only haul up to 9,900 pounds,( I did not know that!) and
the trailer with 5200 axles totals 10,400! To fix this, they told me to go
to a DMV and get the trailer weight lowered to 9,900 pounds on the trailer
registration papers ...and that would make it all legal!!

This may not apply to the US...but if it does, and you buy a new trailer ,
you may want to check the towing limit allowed by a regular drivers
licence...

Jean-Yves.

From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Mwl1967
Sent: March-04-14 11:02 PM
To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Chrysler300] Trailer Size?

Hi Everyone,

I'm sure this must have come up at some point in the past but I'd like
to open a discussion as to what to look for in a enclosed trailer sturdy
enough to handle the largest of the 300's. I currently have a 20' open car
carrier with a steel deck that weighs around 2300lbs empty with 3500lb
axles. Add a full size brute to that and I'm running at maximum. Shall I
assume an enclosed trailer same length will then need to upgrade to 5000lbs
axles to cover the weight of the car and the trailer? What about length?
Will a 20' enclosed give me enough room to get in front of the loaded car,
and down on the ground to work the tie downs up front? What about trailer
construction? Why is a Haulmark Edge twice the price of others? Do I need a
door on the drivers side of the trailer to get in and out of the car?
Appreciate any input.

Mike Laiserin

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