Enclosed Cargo Trailer

Guys, I'm planning on buying an enclosed general purpose cargo trailer, a first for me. Hoping you might have knowledge or experience to share.

Trailer will be used for two (primary) purposes:

1) Protect antiques and collectables my wife purchases and transports for her business. To date she's been making do with the cargo area of a Subaru Forester. Enclosed trailer will enable her to acquire and put larger pieces, like furniture, in her showroom space.

2) Better way to transport my tools, including large pieces of power equipment, when I have a project away from our house. I've been using the bed of a RAM pickup. This is hobby stuff for me. Am not a tradesman.

Given its limited rating (1,500 pounds), am not going to put a hitch on the Subaru. Going to use a RAM 1500 5.7 liter crew cab for towing. No plan to replace either of the two vehicles, They are paid for and run well. And I really like my RAM.

The three boys are now grown men who have put down roots in Idaho, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. We live in Virginia. The trailer will see a lot of road miles.

I know from my Moomba boating years the security of a tandem axle trailer, but if I have a spare and the right tools to make a tire change, is a second axle necessary and worth the additional expense on a cargo trailer?

I like the look of a black trailer, but in summer months would white be more hospitable with the interior loaded with tools and used as a project mobile work space?

Staying on the mobile work space thing, would an interior height greater than 72 inches make sense to keep from whacking my head or do you just get used to the low ceiling?

Does brand make a difference or, ignoring the hype and marketing, are they all about the same in terms of engineering and durability?

Since I don’t know what I don’t know, of what else should I be aware about enclosed cargo trailers and factor into the decision on what to buy?

Greatly appreciate any feedback. Thanks! - Deerfield

14' or longer get tandems. The items appreciate the softer ride. Like a boat, you get what pay for. The only one that comes to mind to avoid is the Interstate brand. I liked to paint the floor using traction paint and then install E-trac for tying things down. You can configure as needed. Look for secure gate and door latch. I used mine for a household move, dirt bikes, a RZR. The last ride was a trip from Arizona to Washington state and slept in it in April 2020 when open motels due to covid was far and in between.

to answer some of your questions-

1. Do not buy white. It always looks dirty regardless of if you use it or not. It'll be hot inside anyway. I had both white and dark gray.
2. Definitely the taller option. Not only you get headroom, but it's more useful.
Better resale value as guys with UTV's and landscapers will be looking for them.
Only negative is that your gas mileage will suffer quite a bit.
3. The difference in cost between a single 5k axle and dual 3.5K is minimal, but if you are not carrying heavy loads the dual is bumpy.
Brands don't matter, but components do. Compare apples to apples.
Hope this helps

since you don't mention size...

I had a single axle 6x8 that I bought when I was building houses on the side years ago. towed great but was a BITCH to back up and park due to short size. easier to unhook and move by hand. it held everything I needed from a tools standpoint and my old ford ranger with the 4.0 towed it like it wasn't even there. it was bouncy when empty(not concerning but noticable) but once loaded no issues. single axle. headroom was tight as it was 5ft inside-which was fine for what I needed. had it 3 or 4 years and not a single issue with it. iirc it was interstate brand.
it was white and never noticed that it looked dirty parking on construction lots but never cared about appearance.
we found most of them to be made very similarly. there were a couple of "higher end" companies in boise but when given the sales pitch on why theirs are better, I didn't see the value but I also wasn't trekking across country.
sold it when I got divorced for a few ben franklins less than I paid for it. take care of them any you will not have any issues selling it should the need arise. took me 2 days.
nice thing was it fit into the garage in a corner and didn't take up a lot of space. no swing tongues on them so factor that in when storing. 8ft long was really like 12ft of space.

our shopping found most of them were about the same in construction unless you got up into specialized trailers.

good luck.

You could look at a v-nose if you are going to be concerned with hwy fuel mileage. Especially if you go with a taller trailer. I take it if you are only needing something that replaces the storage space of the SUV, you don't need anything very big. But, walking in a trailer hunched over can be a pain. And think about the door (s). Do you want swinging or fold down ramp? Even a side door option added if you get anything 12 ft long or more. You can always add plywood walls yourself too if you want to save a little money. Or even make your own built in wooden shelving.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Enclosed sled trailers are lightweight, have side door access, dual axle, ramp, good clearance, and can come in low profile options. E-tracks are awesome for anchoring loads.


Making my new SA build come true!!!

Guys - I appreciate your advice. Thanks! We have landed on a 2018 single axle 7 x 12 v-nose enclosed trailer, w/ both rear ramp and side door. Interior is minimal finish with only 3/4 plywood on floor and 3/8 plywood on sides. Includes new spare. Manufacturer is Arising Industries Inc. I am 6'2" and can stand fully upright inside the trailer. Buying from the original owner. Asking price is $3,000. Will post pics of i can figure it out. Again, thanks for the advice. - Deerfield

Back with an update and another question.

Update: The trailer was sold to another party the day before we went to pick it up. We continued to look and decided to buy new. Order was placed in March. Trailer will be ready to pick up the end of this month. Will post a picture.

Question: Anyone have experience with Dodge Durango? Pros? Cons? The RAM 1500 has 200,000 miles and last week encountered an engine issue that will be expensive to repair, so looking for a replacement. Will be used to pull the cargo trailer and travel between Virginia, Wisconsin, and Idaho.

Appreciate any advice on the Durango v another RAM 1500. Thanks.

I dont have direct experience with the Durango. Have a friend with one and my neighbor has one. The neighbor pulls a 16 ft cargo trailer with it all the time. They do use a leveling hitch when they pull it. Not 100% sure what they have in it far as weight goes, but it seems to do the job.

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Originally Posted by deerfield

Back with an update and another question.

Update: The trailer was sold to another party the day before we went to pick it up. We continued to look and decided to buy new. Order was placed in March. Trailer will be ready to pick up the end of this month. Will post a picture.

Question: Anyone have experience with Dodge Durango? Pros? Cons? The RAM 1500 has 200,000 miles and last week encountered an engine issue that will be expensive to repair, so looking for a replacement. Will be used to pull the cargo trailer and travel between Virginia, Wisconsin, and Idaho.

Appreciate any advice on the Durango v another RAM 1500. Thanks.

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I drive a Durango. We have the 5.7 Hemi and use it to tow our Mojo to local lakes. We used to tow an enclosed trailer with it 300 miles to Lake Powell and it did just great. There is an option for load leveling suspension on the back end, which seems to work really well.

I'd be curious what your total weight is with the trailer fully loaded. My 24x8.5 is 4,000 empty, 10,000 gross but she's got a heavy tongue. Will squat my truck an inch or more even when it's empty. Will squat our Nissan Armada even more so usually need a WD hitch when pulling with it. Nissan is rated to tow 8,500 too but they suggest anything over 5,000 to use the WDH. What's the Durango rated for?

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Originally Posted by bergermaister

I'd be curious what your total weight is with the trailer fully loaded. My 24x8.5 is 4,000 empty, 10,000 gross but she's got a heavy tongue. Will squat my truck an inch or more even when it's empty. Will squat our Nissan Armada even more so usually need a WD hitch when pulling with it. Nissan is rated to tow 8,500 too but they suggest anything over 5,000 to use the WDH. What's the Durango rated for?

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The trailer's empty weight is 2,215 pounds. It's a 7 x 14 tandem axle w/ electric brakes. Maximum gross vehicle weight is 7,000 pounds. Tongue weight is 180 pounds.

Tow capacity of the Durango 3.6L V6 is 6,200 pounds. With the 5.7L V8 it is 7,200, 7,400, or 8,700 pounds depending on the package.

Whether the Durango or another RAM 1500 crew cab, we will get the 5.7L V8.

I'd buy the ram if you don't have another one. we couldn't live without a truck. suv's are nice but several times a year seems we need the bed capacity of a full size.

One year later and we finally have a cargo trailer. It's 7 X 14, w/ a V-nose. Electric brakes. Two lines of E-trac on both sides and two lines of E-trac on the floor. Pleased with the purchase.

Just read that you were thinking of purchasing a Durango. My experience as a Durango owner was not a good one.I had a 2011 Citadel purchased new:

Engine failed outside of warranty -camshaft lobe went flat, likely from a failed lifter
Left wife left stranded a couple of times with small children due to an issue with the 4X4 Hi/Low switch on console. The switch was eventually re-engineered and the issue was resolved.
HVAC blew hot air on passenger side in the summer and cold in the winter
Sunroof replaced 3 times under warranty but never stopped leaking.
Rear hatch seal replaced twice under warranty but never stopped leaking.
Early corrosion around front door handles not covered by warranty.
To replace Hi-beam bulbs front bumper has to come off.
To replace battery front passenger seat has to come out
The rear hatch safety system to prevent the door from closing against an object failed so the door would close fine but then pop back open while driving down the road. Replaced every component in the system but the problem still existed so had to secure the door with a bungee from the hatch to one of the child restraint mounting points on a rear seat.

Build quality on these vehicle was extremely poor. I would not recommend this vehicle for your next purchase.

Worst vehicle I’ve owned and I have had a few lemons in my day.

Cost of repairing the engine was about $7,000. Replacement engine would have cost about $12,000. And a new truck, when available, was going to cost north of $50,000. The body and interior are in pretty good shape. No rust or anything like that. The transmission, 4-wheel drive, and rear end all in good shape, as well. So, even though the Durango was initially a possibility, happy to report that we are keeping and hoping to put another 200,000 miles on the RAM.

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Originally Posted by deerfield

Cost of repairing the engine was about $7,000. Replacement engine would have cost about $12,000. And a new truck, when available, was going to cost north of $50,000.

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my old man ran across similar issue with his older toyota 4x4 truck. new one is 40k. rebuild the v6 and it comes with 2 year warranty for 6k. body was fine-no rust and everything else works as it should, just old. he now has a toy with a rebuilt engine and hoping for another 150k.
probably a lot more decisions like this happening with the stupid price of new cars today.

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Originally Posted by Tommy2slow

Just read that you were thinking of purchasing a Durango. My experience as a Durango owner was not a good one.I had a 2011 Citadel purchased new:

Engine failed outside of warranty -camshaft lobe went flat, likely from a failed lifter
Left wife left stranded a couple of times with small children due to an issue with the 4X4 Hi/Low switch on console. The switch was eventually re-engineered and the issue was resolved.
HVAC blew hot air on passenger side in the summer and cold in the winter
Sunroof replaced 3 times under warranty but never stopped leaking.
Rear hatch seal replaced twice under warranty but never stopped leaking.
Early corrosion around front door handles not covered by warranty.
To replace Hi-beam bulbs front bumper has to come off.
To replace battery front passenger seat has to come out
The rear hatch safety system to prevent the door from closing against an object failed so the door would close fine but then pop back open while driving down the road. Replaced every component in the system but the problem still existed so had to secure the door with a bungee from the hatch to one of the child restraint mounting points on a rear seat.

Build quality on these vehicle was extremely poor. I would not recommend this vehicle for your next purchase.

Worst vehicle I’ve owned and I have had a few lemons in my day.

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I have a 2013 Crew with pretty much every option. It gets the job done, but I haven't seen as many issues as you have. The biggest problem I have had is with the exhaust manifolds breaking all the bolts due to the header warping on the HEMI engine. I understand this is an EXTREMELY common problem on the HEMI. The dealer wanted $4k to fix both headers. I took it to a local shop and they said just one needed to be fixed and after reading advice from others, I had them machine the existing header face to prevent it from happening again, which cost me $1800 total for the repair. The current issue I am having is a short in the rear wiper spray pump. On a hot day I came out to see water all over the pavement at the back of my car. I had to pull the fuse for the sprayers, which causes the front to disconnect as well. I still haven't bothered to figure out, but I am guessing it won't be a cheap fix. The condenser for the AC also leaks and makes a ton of noise and I was told by the dealer it would be $1500 to fix since the whole dashboard needs to come off. I am at 90k miles and it is still OK though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zog

I have a 2013 Crew with pretty much every option. It gets the job done, but I haven't seen as many issues as you have. The biggest problem I have had is with the exhaust manifolds breaking all the bolts due to the header warping on the HEMI engine. I understand this is an EXTREMELY common problem on the HEMI. The dealer wanted $4k to fix both headers. I took it to a local shop and they said just one needed to be fixed and after reading advice from others, I had them machine the existing header face to prevent it from happening again, which cost me $1800 total for the repair. The current issue I am having is a short in the rear wiper spray pump. On a hot day I came out to see water all over the pavement at the back of my car. I had to pull the fuse for the sprayers, which causes the front to disconnect as well. I still haven't bothered to figure out, but I am guessing it won't be a cheap fix. The condenser for the AC also leaks and makes a ton of noise and I was told by the dealer it would be $1500 to fix since the whole dashboard needs to come off. I am at 90k miles and it is still OK though.

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Yep, I forgot to mention the cracked exhaust manifolds.