This is great info, i think im going to go with a 20’ open and then trade up if I decide to stick with it, the open trailers are a bit more versatile.

That was going to be my "next" trailer but then I moved north and sold my cars I'd haul to Goodguys and NSRA shows.

I bought my enclosed trailer when I worked for Magnuson, it was a 24' Titan but we had problems with the siding delaminating, and they wouldn't buy it back so I went to a Sundowner 20' open trailer
Attachment 1117452
The Sundowner 20' is the best open trailer I've pulled and I've owned about 20 trailers in my 55 years of drag racing
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After I sold my 16ss I bought a C7 which I ran NA bolt on and we bought a 18" Aluma, great trailer but not finished as well as the Sundowner but pulled really well. Attachment 1117454
Sold the C7 about a year ago and bought my 2022 Lt1 and ended up buying a Heartland 20' open trailer with steel tread plate dovetail, its about 400 lbs heavier than the Aluma or the Sundowner. I pulls great and is finished pretty well for a steel trailer.
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Just a few choices for ya. I'm currently pulling with a 2022 3.0 baby Duramax and man it is really superior to the 2021 Ltz with the 6.2 I pulled with when I had my C7. My opinion is don't buy less then a 18', my son in law has a 16' Aluma and I was going to use it last year but its just to short for a Camaro for adding a box up front or even strapping it down properly

On any steel trailer, try to make sure you get a powdercoated paint finish. It's WAY tougher and way more corrosion-resistant than any liquid-applied paint.

Jim G

I agree Jim, my new Heartland is Powder Coated. I would have bought another aluminum trailer, but they went up about 3k over the last couple years so resorted back to a steel and pretty happy with it. I still need to add a box up front like on my Sundowner and Aluma.

Hey LeonardS / All,
Out of curiosity, when you winch it onto the trailer, what’s the next step? Specifically, if the vehicle is in neutral while winching up the inclined trailer, what do you do once it’s in place? Do you simply strap/secure the car & leave it in neutral the whole time you’re trailering? Or, have you found a way to open the door, and put it in gear and/or set the emergency brake? I’m looking for any thoughts and ideas as I have an open trailer that I’m going to be winching on/of as well and unfortunately the fenders don’t come off. Because of that, I’m focused on the winch option for loading and unloading. Thanks

I left the cars in neutral and strapped them down. I never had one come loose, but I do recommend stopping occasionally and double checking the tightness of the straps. I have seen a few guys that use the normal 4 straps and axle straps, plus they add one more strap and axle strap on the rear axle. You aren’t often going to accelerate fast enough to break straps, but you could stop fast enough to cause a problem. That extra rear strap would help with that. You could also mount wheel chocks for the front wheels, to make things even safer and guarantee the same placement every time.

Thanks Leonard!! I appreciate the quick response and insight. This will be the first time trailering and I want to do everything I can to ensure nothing goes wrong. I’ll probably end up stopping every mile to check straps :smiling1::smiling1::smiling1:

Just take your time and you will soon be very comfortable towing your car. I made 13 trips with a 28’ enclosed trailer when I moved from Iowa to North Dakota. 10 hours each way. I put 22,000 miles on a new 3500 HD GMC with a Duramax diesel. Every trip got easier and I knew exactly what I needed to do.

It has TV power and air conditioning, makes a great retreat area when you're at the track.

Seriously considering an enclosed with an escape door but never paid attention to how a car is tied down. Any tricks to tying down the car? Been using e-track and over the wheel straps, but not sure if there is room in the trailer to get it strapped down. Suggestions?

I use E-track and Wheel Straps in the front and I use Tiedown Hooks and traditional straps in the rear.

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Thanks for the pic! Now I can see that there is enough room to shinny around it to get it tied down.

What I would really like is a toy hauler with a long enough garage for Camaro and enough payload capacity for a Jeep. Oh yeah - it has to be affordable too! I'll keep dreaming and buying lottery tickets...