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Old 04-22-2021, 05:13 PM   #1
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To Trailer or Not To Trailer

Looking for some advice: to trailer or not to trailer? I have been flat towing our 2020 Jeep Gladiator since November. Before the Gladiator, we flat towed our 2017 Wrangler. We wanted to trailer the Wrangler, but we never got around to it.

I know there are a few of Seneca owners that trailer, so I have some questions:

Open or Closed? I am leaning toward open, but looking for your input.

Length? How long is your trailer? The Gladiator is 18 feet long, so I am leaning toward a 20 or 21 foot trailer.

7K or 10K? I am leaning toward 10K. Your thoughts?

Steel or Aluminum? I am leaning toward steel, but again, looking for your advice.

Trailer manufacturer, recommendations?

Do you use a stabilizer?

Lastly, I want to put a toolbox on the front of the trailer. What are your thoughts?

Thank you in advance for your input.
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Old 04-22-2021, 06:50 PM   #2
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I Guess I don’t follow the logic of trailering when you can flat tow. Why add more weight behind you, the hassle of trying to deal with the trailer when you get there when it is a simple unhook, and rebook with flat tow.
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Old 04-23-2021, 10:01 AM   #3
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I am sure SloPoke will have some good advice for you as he is a strong advocate for using a trailer especially if you do a lot of off roading and want to bring the toys to the camp site. You might do a search and find some previous threads on this topic.

Basically flat towing is quicker and easier to hook up. Down sides are you can not back up and you put wear and tear on the toad. If you use your jeep or other toad off roading it is just a matter of time before you break something and then if you are flat towing you are SOL.

Steel vs aluminum is mainly a weight issue, you can gain about 600-900 lbs of capacity if using aluminum. I doubt the weight means much in fuel economy but if you are getting close to your maximum weight with the trailer and vehicle then saving those few pound would go a long way.
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Old 04-23-2021, 10:33 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVermont View Post
I am sure SloPoke will have some good advice for you as he is a strong advocate for using a trailer especially if you do a lot of off roading and want to bring the toys to the camp site. You might do a search and find some previous threads on this topic.
You know me well! and i agree 100%

Quote:
Originally Posted by LaMigra View Post
Looking for some advice: to trailer or not to trailer? I have been flat towing our 2020 Jeep Gladiator since November. Before the Gladiator, we flat towed our 2017 Wrangler. We wanted to trailer the Wrangler, but we never got around to it.

I know there are a few of Seneca owners that trailer, so I have some questions:

Open or Closed? I am leaning toward open, but looking for your input.

Length? How long is your trailer? The Gladiator is 18 feet long, so I am leaning toward a 20 or 21 foot trailer.

7K or 10K? I am leaning toward 10K. Your thoughts?

Steel or Aluminum? I am leaning toward steel, but again, looking for your advice.

Trailer manufacturer, recommendations?

Do you use a stabilizer?

Lastly, I want to put a toolbox on the front of the trailer. What are your thoughts?

Thank you in advance for your input.
Quick answers: Open, as sometimes we are hauling 2-RZR's and a 4-wheeler, a load of gravel, lumber or equipment that is loaded from the side.

Length: ours is 26' Toyota on the rear, ATV on the front loaded sideways, toolbox on nose. This also puts the trailer axles more rearward which makes the trailer tires almost equal distance from the drive tires as the steer tires - super easy to maneuver and it tracks within 4 inches of the drive tire footprint.

Ours is a 10k. Heavier duty everything with a lighter load usually means good reliability. Our trailer was a marine trailer in a previous life - a 26' boat weighs enough to require a 10k capacity.

Steel - as it was built that way... With the Seneca, we don't have a weight limit we need to be under - and I can modify things easily with steel.... I don't have the skills to weld Aluminum.

MFG? Look for something that suits your style and capacity... I bought ours used... it was a perfect fit for what I wanted it to be after putting the flat bed on. I planned to replace the brakes, bearings and all lights - and wanted to stay with hydraulic surge brakes with the auto-reverse feature on the axles... I don't have to worry about loaning my trailer to someone else who does not have a brake controller / wiring

Stabilizer? No... No equalizer either. I use a plain old 10k 2 5/16 ball hitch in the receiver of the Seneca. The Seneca automatically adjusts ride height to the same height due to the air suspension.

Toolbox: oh yes! Make sure to get one that is water-tight - like a truck-bed tool box and bolt it to the frame. We carry extra straps, chains, binders, jacks, tools, jack-stands, lubricants and other stuff... but ours somehow gets wet inside when travelling in the rain - think the wind is blowing the rain up and around the lid's poor seal.

Here are some of the early pictures of the trailer build... phase 1, 2 and 3.
Attached Thumbnails
IMAG0463.jpg   IMAG0559.jpg   IMAG0613.jpg   IMAG1087.jpg   IMAG1144.jpg  

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Old 04-23-2021, 10:46 AM   #5
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here are a few more pic's of the later phases... and fully loaded.

We also carry a 35g water tank on boondocking trips. I just hook a hose from that tank to the "country fill" and refill the Seneca.

Some other reasons to trailer...
We don't have to air-up the Tires on our Toyota... They have been known to be aired down for 7-months straight from Florida to Minnesota to Utah.

We also can travel at the full interstate speeds, the Trailer tires are speed rated to 80+ They are on Ram-3500 wheels that are heavy duty and 80MPH is the speed limit here on our highways... I keep getting reminded by Google maps that I am over the speed limit too...

Backing up - turning around on a tight place: Many times we have found ourselves on a dead end road that does not have room to turn around... every time I just backed up until there was a side road / driveway and backed the trailer and Seneca into the driveway far enough that I can pull out the other direction and continue on our journey. Just as often we have found an absolutely amazing boondocking spot to stay the night or sometimes longer.
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20180504_111304.jpg   20180504_111319.jpg   20190501_143244.jpg   20200407_115250.jpg   20200407_115239.jpg  

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Old 04-24-2021, 07:52 AM   #6
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Thank you for your reply. You are correct, SolPoke did reply and he is a wealth of knowledge. Even though it is moving weekend, and I caught him packing, he took time out of his busy schedule to talk with me.
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Old 04-24-2021, 08:02 AM   #7
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I want to thank you for taking time to talk with me. I am very appreciative for the information you shared. I look forward to meeting up with you and Stacey, hopefully in Garnet Ghost Town this summer. Safe travels and happy trails. .

Pete and Sue
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Old 04-26-2021, 09:20 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by LaMigra View Post
I want to thank you for taking time to talk with me. I am very appreciative for the information you shared. I look forward to meeting up with you and Stacey, hopefully in Garnet Ghost Town this summer. Safe travels and happy trails. .

Pete and Sue
Stacy and I arrived in Kingman... and got things unloaded, but not any where close to unpacked (we keep the Seneca separately - it never gets unloaded, xcept the fridge)

and YES, we plan on swinging by and saying hi! later on this summer.
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Old 04-27-2021, 01:23 AM   #9
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We only flat tow when we are going to a campground that doesn't easily allow us to maneuver with a trailer or when we are towing the Jeep for basic traveling around town and limited offroading. Flat towing is great until you break something then it gets not-fun fast.
We've only had Jeep problems twice:
With trailer - Broke an axle on the Jeep and only had to limp it back to the trailer to get it the rest of the way home.
Flat towing - Lost a pinion nut on the Jeep and had to wait 4 hours along the freeway for a tow truck.

We had an open Carson custom-ordered steel 20' deck trailer with 4' tongue (24' overall). Toolbox on the front and 10k lbs rating. Fit the Jeep, dirt bikes, firewood, etc... It worked fine but a buddy had an enclosed trailer and we saw the light on how much nicer an enclosed is for what we do.

We now have an enclosed ATC 26' V-nose aluminum enclosed trailer (29' overall). It has a 10k lbs rating. Fits everything we need and a bunch of stuff we don't need. We bought it used but got lucky with all the features it has... It has a walk-on roof for some viewing from up top. It has lights on the outside for lighting up camp. It has a flip-up vendor door with lights for when we do group dinners. The front nose has a ramp gate so I can pull the dirt bikes out without having to unload the Jeep or SXS. Recessed E-track in the floor for easy tie down. It is a taller trailer but not a stacker.

No stabilizer or equalizer on the hitch for either trailers.

We love the enclosed trailer. Everything is covered and secured. When camping if the wind starts whipping or rain starts we have a place to hang out. No need to tie down or worry about things walking away (chairs, ez-up, etc...). You can simply toss small things inside the trailer and go.

I'd never go back to an open-style trailer after having both types of trailers.


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