Enclosed Trailers - why 7' inline vs. 8.5"

[dfattack]

May want to consider a NEO or an RnR.

Both built in Michigan. NEO would be the better of the two. Very good quality fit and finish.

Legend built in Michigan too. I have a 29' trackmaster from them and am happy with it.

 

[groomerdriver]

One thing that I know that someone incorrectly mentioned above - as far as the width of the axles 7 wide vs. 7 1/2 wide vs. 8 1/2 wide ( NOT deckover ) - most that I know of, the OVERALL width of the trailer is the same. Meaning that the overall outside dimension of the fenders/tires is usually 101"/102" on all of them. On a 7' wide you will have NO fender boxes inside the trailer, smooth walls inside because the entire fender is on the outside. On a 7 1/2' wide you will have approx 3" of fender box inside on each side, the rest is on the outside, and on a 8 1/2' wide you will have most of the fender box inside, very little outside as the walls of the trailer are almost just as wide as the wheels/tires.
So you gain some space with the wider trailer BUT then you also have the fender boxes to maneuver around with the sleds.

We have an all aluminum 7 x 25' ( 20 + 5 ) inline and I am very happy with it. We usually only haul two sleds in it, and I back them in from the rear keeping them right inline with each other nose to tail and drive them out the rear. Our 137 and 129 take up just about all of the 20' of straight box to stay nose to tail, which is why I got the 20+5.

I do this because we also use it for road racing motorcycles in the summer and I have some cabs/shelves up in front so I never use the front ramp door. Due to the low floor and slight ramp angle it's pretty easy to back them in from the rear. Like others have mentioned, these trailers are mostly designed/balanced to have the sleds facing the rear, and I did pull it once with the sleds facing forward and it seems to tow nicer with them facing the rear.

Just some more food for thought for ya...............

So it sounds as if your 129 and 137 don't leave much room for a 3rd sled in a 20+5? Dealers and some here say an 18 + 5 is sufficient for 3 sleds. Maybe I'm not reading something right then.

 

[longtrack]

May want to consider a NEO or an RnR.

Both built in Michigan. NEO would be the better of the two. Very good quality fit and finish.

I should clarify, If built within 50 miles of Elkhart, IN "Buyer beware" and I am not saying they are junk. Only that they ride that fine line and you can find better built Trailers but you will pay for them. I have been at several of the Manufactures around Elkhart and Bristol and they all are trying to compete against the other and price is everything.

 

[jedoyle]

18' + 5' is definitely sufficient for hauling 3 sleds if staggering them. I think what rich_jelinek was saying is he parks his one directly behind the other in a perfect line. Most people don't do that.
As stated earlier, the minimum I would go if buying a 7' wide inline is 22' total length including the V. Mine is 23' and works great for 3 sleds (129, 144 & 121 sleds). I think some manufacturers make a 22' long one which also would work. Don't go less than that though if consistently hauling 3 sleds and wanting to park them all in the same direction.

 

[groomerdriver]

18' + 5' is definitely sufficient for hauling 3 sleds if staggering them. I think what rich_jelinek was saying is he parks his one directly behind the other in a perfect line. Most people don't do that.
As stated earlier, the minimum I would go if buying a 7' wide inline is 22' total length including the V. Mine is 23' and works great for 3 sleds (129, 144 & 121 sleds). I think some manufacturers make a 22' long one which also would work. Don't go less than that though if consistently hauling 3 sleds and wanting to park them all in the same direction.

Being that I've never owned an enclosed trailer nor saw sleds inside of a "7' inline trailer", I can only imagine them being "nose to tail". I would prefer to set up the ski runners and track mats in this manner.

 

[dfattack]

Being that I've never owned an enclosed trailer nor saw sleds inside of a "7' inline trailer", I can only imagine them being "nose to tail". I would prefer to set up the ski runners and track mats in this manner.

If you load "Nose to tail" you will not fit in these smaller trailers being mentioned. I have a 29' V (25+5) and I cannot fit my three sleds nose to tail. I have to put them on angles to get them to fit. Now...that's with 3 sleds with 140"+ tracks. Some people still have the 121" tracks and that changes things quite a bit. Depends on your sled's size and if you want to stay on the ski runners and track mats.

 

[rich_jelinek]

So it sounds as if your 129 and 137 don't leave much room for a 3rd sled in a 20+5? Dealers and some here say an 18 + 5 is sufficient for 3 sleds. Maybe I'm not reading something right then.

What I am saying is that although my trailer is a 20 + 5, I really only use the 20' of straight box because I have used up most of the vee with shelves/cabinets/bench etc., so since I DO NOT stagger the sleds , I keep them directly inline, nose to tail they both use up of all of the 20'.

An 18+5 7' inline is considered by most to be a 3 place trailer, since you drive them in the front, the tail end ( narrowest part) of the third sled will fit nicely into the vee. I actually think I could get four ? into my 20 + 5 depending on how log they are, but there's plenty of room for three of just about any length in mine IF I used the vee space. Which I can do by just about a dozen screws and remove some of the stuff up front if I needed to.

By staggering we mean you drive the first sled in from the front, drive it all the way to the rear and over with the ski against one wall ( say drivers side ). Then drive the second sled in from the front, and put it against the other wall ( pass. side ) and pull it in as far as you can. Then pull the third sled in from the front and put it against the driver side wall and the tail of the third sled will fit into the vee nose.

If you really need to squeeze them in you can also kick the rear end of the sleds over to the wall to gain some more space so you can pull the next one up further into it.

Alot of it depends on how long each sled is and obviously how many sleds you are going to haul, but I think if you are going to haul three average size sleds and 18+5 will do the job. I got the 20 + 5 even knowing I will usually only haul two sleds, but since I don't want to bother with having to stagger them I needed the extra 2' , not to mention I'd rather have the two extra feet and not need it then need it and not have it. I actually got this trailer to set it up more for the motorcycles, because we haul alot more equipment to the race track with the bikes, but also just made sure it would be simple and easy to get the sleds in and out of it too.

For me it's just big enough without being too big.

 

[rich_jelinek]

Here's a pic if it will help you visualize............although this is before I put the stuff in the VEE, this is how the sleds ride inside. The very tail of my 137 ( in the front of the trailer ) is right about where the VEE starts and the skis on the wifes 129 are just a couple inches from the ramp door when it closes and there's about 4 - 6" of room between the two. Another reason I wanted to keep the sleds directly inline is so that I didn't have twice as much ski glides and track mat stuff all over the floor, which would be a PITA when using it for the cycles.

 

[rich_jelinek]

18' + 5' is definitely sufficient for hauling 3 sleds if staggering them. I think what rich_jelinek was saying is he parks his one directly behind the other in a perfect line. Most people don't do that.
As stated earlier, the minimum I would go if buying a 7' wide inline is 22' total length including the V. Mine is 23' and works great for 3 sleds (129, 144 & 121 sleds). I think some manufacturers make a 22' long one which also would work. Don't go less than that though if consistently hauling 3 sleds and wanting to park them all in the same direction.

Correct................

 

[Go Fast or Go Home]

My trailer is an RnR. 7' x 20' with a 5' V (25')

I can run three 137" sleds straight in.(staggered) I can put a fourth 137" sled in by backing two and driving two with floor space left over for gear.

On the RnR that I sold 7' x 18' with a 5' V (23') I could run three 137" straight in (staggered) I could also get a fourth 120" sled by driving two and backing two.

In line trailers are designed to load from front to back in a staggered formation. However --Do whatever works best for you as Jelinek said.

 

[heckler56]

I have a Legend 19x4 enclosed inline and could not be happier. I pull two sleds straight in and back them out. I found if they are facing back the tongue weight is too light. Both sleds are 4 strokes with 141 & 137 tracks. I can park them with the skis of the one around the tail of the other sled or swing the rear out and pull the one in a few more feet. Could 3 fit in there, sure facing the rear but one most definitely needs to be a short track.
I choose a inline since the tires are easily accessible if you have a blowout and a larger tire is spinning allot less than a small tire. I bet someone here can do the math on a 15" tire spinning at 70mph vs a 12" is ---?mph

 

[sweeperguy]

I have a Legend 19x4 enclosed inline and could not be happier. I pull two sleds straight in and back them out. I found if they are facing back the tongue weight is too light. Both sleds are 4 strokes with 141 & 137 tracks. I can park them with the skis of the one around the tail of the other sled or swing the rear out and pull the one in a few more feet. Could 3 fit in there, sure facing the rear but one most definitely needs to be a short track.
I choose a inline since the tires are easily accessible if you have a blowout and a larger tire is spinning allot less than a small tire. I bet someone here can do the math on a 15" tire spinning at 70mph vs a 12" is ---?mph

19 plus 4?
MPH? You mean at 70 MPH what the difference in RPM's right? Revolutions per Minute or Mile.

 

[groomerdriver]

Thanks for the picture Rich! Much appreciated! I can deal with staggering the three sleds as was suggested here. Right now 2 of my 3 sleds are nose heavy Yamaha 4s' so I'll have to keep the tongue weight thing in mind.

 

[snobuilder]

Why does the ramp flap look so goofy on that trailer?
The neo has an outside pivot that the ramp apron is attached with....no piano hinge.
Best set up in the industry, along with their single point SS ramp latch.

 

[old abe]

snobuilder; where did you buy your Neo???

 

[rich_jelinek]

Why does the ramp flap look so goofy on that trailer?
The neo has an outside pivot that the ramp apron is attached with....no piano hinge.
Best set up in the industry, along with their single point SS ramp latch.

I assume you are referring to mine, and the flap on the front ramp. It just sits that way ( won't close flat ) because the track mat and ski glides go all the way into the hinge on both the ramp and the flap so they interfere when the flap closes.

I have to agree, the Neo flap hinge set up is nice, but with the deal I got on my R&R I wasn't going to let how the ramp flap attaches keep me from buying it.......................

 

[rich_jelinek]

Thanks for the picture Rich! Much appreciated! I can deal with staggering the three sleds as was suggested here. Right now 2 of my 3 sleds are nose heavy Yamaha 4s' so I'll have to keep the tongue weight thing in mind.

No problem, if you want to see anything else let me know. Both our sleds are 1200 4 strokes and it rides nicer with them in backwards, but it depends on where the axles are placed under the trailer as far as tongue weight/balance goes. If I put three in there I would definitely put them all in backwards, not that my f-350 wouldn't handle the tongue weight, but it would ride/tow a little nicer.

Here's another idea for you since to most of us an enclosed trailer is a big investment and you want to get it right when you spend your money.

On your garage floor, layout the interior dimensions of the trailer you think you want with tape or chalk and then roll your sleds on the skates ( or whatever ) into the lines and you can better see what kind of room you'll end up with and how you will have to arrange things inside the trailer to fit everything.

 

[BNF CAT]

This reply probably don't matter by now anymore, but my 2 cents worth is, it comes down to what your pulling the trailer with. If you have a half ton vehicle, go with the inline (7') if you have a 3/4 or 1ton diesel it will pull either style trailer no problem, and be able to see around the majority of either also. I had a 1/2 ton 4x4 and it had everything to do to hold 60 with a 8.5x 26' steel frame enclosed. I then bought a 3/4 diesel and the trailer was a toy behind it, so I upgraded to a 40' all aluminum enclosed. I can see far enough back to where I am comfortable, and the only time I know its back there is if I have a heavy cross wind. If its fuel mileage you are concerned about, I can average 12 pulling mine at 70mph, a fellow club member gets 10 puling his inline 4 place with his 1/2 ton. The only thing I have noticed is when loading a inline you have to position the sleds in certain spots/angles to fit them all. (lots of manual labor) With a8.5 wide trailer, drive in and stop done. Only time you may need to touch them is unloading if the "V" of the trailer is 4' and you have to kick the *** over to drive out. If you go with a 5' "V" they SHOULD be able to make the turn without manual repositioning. I had my trailer custom built with double doors in the "V" so I can drive left sleds out the right, and right sleds out the left. Again just my two cents, enjoy your purchase which ever way you go.

 

[groomerdriver]

This reply probably don't matter by now anymore, but my 2 cents worth is, it comes down to what your pulling the trailer with. If you have a half ton vehicle, go with the inline (7') if you have a 3/4 or 1ton diesel it will pull either style trailer no problem, and be able to see around the majority of either also. I had a 1/2 ton 4x4 and it had everything to do to hold 60 with a 8.5x 26' steel frame enclosed. I then bought a 3/4 diesel and the trailer was a toy behind it, so I upgraded to a 40' all aluminum enclosed. I can see far enough back to where I am comfortable, and the only time I know its back there is if I have a heavy cross wind. If its fuel mileage you are concerned about, I can average 12 pulling mine at 70mph, a fellow club member gets 10 puling his inline 4 place with his 1/2 ton. The only thing I have noticed is when loading a inline you have to position the sleds in certain spots/angles to fit them all. (lots of manual labor) With a8.5 wide trailer, drive in and stop done. Only time you may need to touch them is unloading if the "V" of the trailer is 4' and you have to kick the *** over to drive out. If you go with a 5' "V" they SHOULD be able to make the turn without manual repositioning. I had my trailer custom built with double doors in the "V" so I can drive left sleds out the right, and right sleds out the left. Again just my two cents, enjoy your purchase which ever way you go.

Thanks BNF. Haven't bought anything yet and unless a STEAL comes up, I won't do anything until the fall.