[ember1205]

I'm actively working towards selling my house and moving which means I will be losing my garage. For the winter, I was considering renting a storage facility to garage the car. I'm now wondering if it might make more sense for me to buy an enclosed trailer (which I can park at a relative's house for the winter at a minimum) to store the car instead of renting space somewhere.

For anyone that has an enclosed trailer that they've had the Camaro inside of, I'm wondering about the specifics of the trailer you have and any sort of upgrades you got or wish you had gotten to make loading, unloading, securing, etc. any easier. One of the things that concerns me is that the car is a bit over 6' wide and I don't know what to expect in terms of how easily I would be able to enter/exit the car while it's in the trailer.

V-Nose? Width? Length? Brand? Upgrades? Any sort of details that you think are useful would be appreciated to know.

My tow vehicle is rated for a little under 10k of gross trailer weight, but I would not expect to exceed about 6500 lbs between trailer and car as I'm not going to load in things like tires, tools, etc.

Cost isn't likely to be a terribly useful bit of info for me, though, since costs are very different in different areas of the country. If you happen to have purchased very recently from a dealer in CT, MA, or NH or Upstate NY (Albany area), then that information would be of interest to understand.

Thanks in advance!

[Rock-It Man]

Not sure why a trailer is preferable to a climate controlled storage facility.

There are facilities that specialize in car storage, including access to electricity for your battery tender and the all important rodent control.

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

Not sure why a trailer is preferable to a climate controlled storage facility.

There are facilities that specialize in car storage, including access to electricity for your battery tender and the all important rodent control.

Because you can use the trailer for a trailer and go places too.

I'm thinking the same so I can open up a garage spot and be ready to hook up and go to the track any time.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

Not sure why a trailer is preferable to a climate controlled storage facility.

There are facilities that specialize in car storage, including access to electricity for your battery tender and the all important rodent control.

Because that's what I want to explore as an option.

Originally Posted by mlee

Because you can use the trailer for a trailer and go places too.

I'm thinking the same so I can open up a garage spot and be ready to hook up and go to the track any time.

Yeah, this is definitely part of the allure. Additionally, I don't know where I'll end up moving to and whether I'll have the garage space for the car or would need to store it alternatively.

I also have a solar-powered tender that I could attach to keep the battery topped off while it's in the trailer, regardless of when that might be.

I currently have a 10k equipment trailer that I'll be selling after the house sells because I won't need to move the tractor around (that's getting sold as well). So, that can fund a decent portion of the purchase of an enclosed trailer and keep the cash out of pocket amount down. Quality trailers hold their value, too.

[Rock-It Man]

Originally Posted by ember1205

Because that's what I want to explore as an option.



Yeah, this is definitely part of the allure. Additionally, I don't know where I'll end up moving to and whether I'll have the garage space for the car or would need to store it alternatively.

I also have a solar-powered tender that I could attach to keep the battery topped off while it's in the trailer, regardless of when that might be.

I currently have a 10k equipment trailer that I'll be selling after the house sells because I won't need to move the tractor around (that's getting sold as well). So, that can fund a decent portion of the purchase of an enclosed trailer and keep the cash out of pocket amount down. Quality trailers hold their value, too.

Cool! Tell us about the solar powered battery tender. This would be a game changer for many people!

[closs2sx]

ATC here. You will want a 2500 and I would go diesel to pull one if you plan on doing any non local towing. I can talk options all day and pit falls to watch out for and you have my number. My trailer is all aluminum and its 4000 lbs (34 feet long from tongue to rear door with the V nose) although you could cut 6 ft off mine and still get a camaro in but not much more than that.

[95 imp]

I have a 30' trailer mainly because I got a great deal on it and I use(d) it the haul my 2 B bodies. You will have to leave the window down and slid in and out "Dukes of Hazzard" style.

I seriously doubt you'll find an enclosed trailer wide enough to get in through an open door because the trailer can only be so wide due to travel lane width.

The 30' has over a 10K gross. You'll probably be close because the Camaro isn't much lighter than the 90's
B body (3800-4200 lbs) any more. Then again, you said no tools etc, so you'd probably want a 20' trailer.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by closs2sx

ATC here. You will want a 2500 and I would go diesel to pull one if you plan on doing any non local towing. I can talk options all day and pit falls to watch out for and you have my number. My trailer is all aluminum and its 4000 lbs (34 feet long from tongue to rear door with the V nose) although you could cut 6 ft off mine and still get a camaro in but not much more than that.

I would expect a 20' trailer with a 6-7' nose, around 29-30' total length would be plenty long enough to fit a 16' car in, and that seems about in line with what you're stating. I won't tow more than about 75 miles or so in any one stint until / unless I move some distance away. And, if that happens, it's a one-and-done and I'll just suck it up with the 1500 and take my time.

Hmmm. 4k in trailer weight alone. I always forget how much extra weight the enclosure adds. My equipment trailer is heavy steel and wood and weighs in at about 2600 lbs.

Originally Posted by 95 imp

I have a 30' trailer mainly because I got a great deal on it and I use(d) it the haul my 2 B bodies. You will have to leave the window down and slid in and out "Dukes of Hazzard" style.

I seriously doubt you'll find an enclosed trailer wide enough to get in through an open door because the trailer can only be so wide due to travel lane width.

The 30' has over a 10K gross. You'll probably be close because the Camaro isn't much lighter than the 90's
B body (3800-4200 lbs) any more. Then again, you said no tools etc, so you'd probably want a 20' trailer.

Yep.. Federal DOT standards require no more than 102" in width without having to be flagged as oversized. The width between the wheels, inside, will likely be somewhere in the 80" area which is just a touch wider than necessary to fit the car in between the wheels, leaving around a foot of clearance from the side of the car to the wall of the trailer - definitely not much room to work with.

I could leave the top and driver's window down, climb out, reach in to hit the Start button, put the top up, hit the start button to shut it down, pull the driver's power window switch and walk away. That would fully close the car up and I could lower the window and top with the key fob. If I pop the hood before closing it all up, I'll be able to get at the cabling to connect the battery tender and can close the hood afterward as well. Not perfect, but it will work.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Rock-It Man

Cool! Tell us about the solar powered battery tender. This would be a game changer for many people!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=solar+bat...f=nb_sb_noss_1

I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende...3768960&sr=8-3

Had it for quite some time (ten years?), so not a new item on the market.

[01pewterz28]

I have a 24 x 8.5 Haulmark Enclosed trailer I have yet to try and get the 6th gen. I know my 5th gen was a tight fit on the sides. I pulled it no problem with my 06 Silverado Vmax 6.0L, and my wifes Suburban. My Yukon XL will tow it just have not had the chance.

[Choda]

What ever one you get, make sure to get the man door option so you can open your drivers door and get out of your car easily.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Choda

What ever one you get, make sure to get the man door option so you can open your drivers door and get out of your car easily.

Unless a large section of the side of the trailer open outward, allowing the car door to open wider, AND the door costs the trailer wheels, getting in and out of the car is not going to be easy.

[Rhobz]

Ideally you would want one of these but you would be adding weight and cost of course. If I was buying an enclosed for the 6th Gen, I would 100% get one with an escape door. I do not want to be climbing my big ass all over the side of the car.

This is what Choda was talking about.

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by ember1205

Unless a large section of the side of the trailer open outward, allowing the car door to open wider, AND the door costs the trailer wheels, getting in and out of the car is not going to be easy.

I've got a 20' + v nose aluminum trailer. 8.5' wide. If you're trying to keep weight down, aluminum is the way to go. My trailer weighs in at ~2700 lbs after insulating and installing a little work bench in the nose. A large side door on the trailer for opening the car door would be nice, but not 100% necessary depending on your size and agility lol. I'm 6'0" 185 lbs and with the window down can open the door a couple of inches (I have a rubber pad on the trailer wall to rest the car door against when it's open) and shimmy out that way even though it's a little tight. The doors are high enough to clear the trailer fenders, but even if the fenders were a little taller on the trailer it'd be easy to screw some plywood in to boost the resting height of the car since you shouldn't be far from clearing.

One thing I would recommend is installing e-track for securing the car over the tires. That's how it's transported from the factory, there's no proper anchor points on the chassis, and I'm not overly impressed with the way the aftermarket tow points are installed, specifically for the rear.