one of the facts of life is that high performance cars tend to break down,
and its rarely sitting in your driveway,
when it does and youll rarely have the correct tools and parts with you,
so getting it back to your garage usually includes towing charges UNLESS,..
you own a car trailer, now obviously you can buy one ,
but if your skilled and own a welder you can usually build a nice one ,
for less than 60% of the normal cost.
yet I must point out that shopping carefully for a USED low mileage car trailer locally,
can many times result in a good deal less work and far more cost savings.
Id also point out that if you find a trailer that needs to be re-conditioned,
it might save a great deal of time and money ,
as a starting point in building a custom trailer over starting from scratch.
of course closely inspect the frame, axles and tires,
on any used trailer,
the rest is rather easily replaced.
the last couple trailers I purchased were used ,
they needed repairs, like wiring and lights and deck repairs,
but both cost under $800
this is where a decent MIG welder comes in handy
http://www.circletrack.com/howto/78358_ ... index.html
http://www.circletrack.com/howto/ctrp_0 ... index.html
http://www.circletrack.com/techarticles ... index.html
http://www.tjtrailers.com/store/car-carrier-trailer-plans-18x80.html
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4318&p=18620&hilit=+project+state#p18620
http://www.trailerplans.com//index....mart&page=shop.browse&category_id=13&Itemid=2
http://www.plans-for-you.com/trailer.html
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...Id-100000169592/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000169592
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907312
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907324
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907321
a decent power metal saw will be a big plus as will a large flat area of concrete, I frequently forget , and assume most guys have access too or know what tools are involved, in most projects and have a few friends willing to get invoved in car related projects
I and several of my friends have purchased a few car trailers that needed some repairs at a very good price, I got mine at a yard sale from a guy that lost his job here,and was moving back up to GA.
It looked like crap but on close inspection it could be repaired reasonably, most of the problems were cosmedic, like bent fenders, broken lights, needing paint, etc.
It was not for sale, at the time but I left my ph# and he called. he at first asked for twice what I evenually paid for it, and even with the repairs it was a decent deal.
so its not impossiable to go that route
"As far as loading a non-running vehicle onto a trailer, that's what winches are for!"
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=33003
or if you want to get fancy
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91905
why DON,T YOU buy a decent MIG 180-250 amp welder and locate your local metal supply (all the welder suppliers like your lincoln and miller dealers,will know where you can buy metal) and do it yourself?
if you were local Id consider having you come over and we could tackle the job, but unless you have constant (HANDS ON INPUT) your unlikely to get exactly what you want!
as my old welding instructor was fond of pointing out...
" a MONKEY could probably be trained to use a QUALITY MIG WELDER effectively.... so theres some hope for even you guys"
the truth most of us don,t care to hear, is that towing is best done with a 3/4 ton rated pick-up and if its the primary use, you might consider a diesel dually with 4x4 and power steering
I know I had a 2005 avalanche I used for a few years and it was one of the best tow rigs I owned.
yeah, it is not ideal but having a "parts chaser/tow truck" is a very helpful/ useful, accessory to have access too in this hobby if you tow a trailer
and its rarely sitting in your driveway,
when it does and youll rarely have the correct tools and parts with you,
so getting it back to your garage usually includes towing charges UNLESS,..
you own a car trailer, now obviously you can buy one ,
but if your skilled and own a welder you can usually build a nice one ,
for less than 60% of the normal cost.
yet I must point out that shopping carefully for a USED low mileage car trailer locally,
can many times result in a good deal less work and far more cost savings.
Id also point out that if you find a trailer that needs to be re-conditioned,
it might save a great deal of time and money ,
as a starting point in building a custom trailer over starting from scratch.
of course closely inspect the frame, axles and tires,
on any used trailer,
the rest is rather easily replaced.
the last couple trailers I purchased were used ,
they needed repairs, like wiring and lights and deck repairs,
but both cost under $800
this is where a decent MIG welder comes in handy
http://www.circletrack.com/howto/78358_ ... index.html
http://www.circletrack.com/howto/ctrp_0 ... index.html
http://www.circletrack.com/techarticles ... index.html
http://www.tjtrailers.com/store/car-carrier-trailer-plans-18x80.html
viewtopic.php?f=87&t=4318&p=18620&hilit=+project+state#p18620
http://www.trailerplans.com//index....mart&page=shop.browse&category_id=13&Itemid=2
http://www.plans-for-you.com/trailer.html
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...Id-100000169592/Pr-p_CATENTRY_ID:100000169592
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907312
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907324
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907321
a decent power metal saw will be a big plus as will a large flat area of concrete, I frequently forget , and assume most guys have access too or know what tools are involved, in most projects and have a few friends willing to get invoved in car related projects
I and several of my friends have purchased a few car trailers that needed some repairs at a very good price, I got mine at a yard sale from a guy that lost his job here,and was moving back up to GA.
It looked like crap but on close inspection it could be repaired reasonably, most of the problems were cosmedic, like bent fenders, broken lights, needing paint, etc.
It was not for sale, at the time but I left my ph# and he called. he at first asked for twice what I evenually paid for it, and even with the repairs it was a decent deal.
so its not impossiable to go that route
"As far as loading a non-running vehicle onto a trailer, that's what winches are for!"
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=33003
or if you want to get fancy
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91905
why DON,T YOU buy a decent MIG 180-250 amp welder and locate your local metal supply (all the welder suppliers like your lincoln and miller dealers,will know where you can buy metal) and do it yourself?
if you were local Id consider having you come over and we could tackle the job, but unless you have constant (HANDS ON INPUT) your unlikely to get exactly what you want!
as my old welding instructor was fond of pointing out...
" a MONKEY could probably be trained to use a QUALITY MIG WELDER effectively.... so theres some hope for even you guys"
the truth most of us don,t care to hear, is that towing is best done with a 3/4 ton rated pick-up and if its the primary use, you might consider a diesel dually with 4x4 and power steering
I know I had a 2005 avalanche I used for a few years and it was one of the best tow rigs I owned.
yeah, it is not ideal but having a "parts chaser/tow truck" is a very helpful/ useful, accessory to have access too in this hobby if you tow a trailer
Last edited by a moderator:
