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Old 12-11-2016, 08:06 PM   #1
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Car trailer tow enclosed practical?

Just wondering if you really do not want to invest in a 4 down capable vehicle, is it practical to just tow enclosed trailer and also have some extra storage? Anyone here ever do that?

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Old 12-11-2016, 08:22 PM   #2
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i've not seen many, there could be some good reasons why...

you have to think about the room needed to load and unload the vehicle,
certainly if within an rv park or campground...

and, most of all - where do you park the trailer? most rv parks and campgrounds probably don't have the space, or may not even allow it within the site - meaning that you would have the logistics of unloading first, moving the trailer to a storage area with your coach, all before even parking at your site.
it's doable, but will probably be much more trouble than you might assume - most toads are easily disconnected right in front of the site.
This might not be as challenging if you have a long easy pull through, but those are not always available - many parks have none.

Monetarily, all four forms of towing a vehicle(toad, dolly, trailer, enclosed trailer) are probably similar in overall long-term cost, with an enclosed trailer being on the high end.
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Old 12-11-2016, 08:46 PM   #3
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Four down towing is the most popular for a reason. Its the easiest to deal with, and once at your destination, no dolly or trailer to have to deal with. Its expensive to get set up, but once done, its done, until you trade toads, or motorhomes. Downsides are, expense to set up, sometimes a real pain to connect, once connected you might as well forget that your motorhome has a reverse, because you will not be using it with the car back there. we towed for years with a large DP, never had any real problems, now the DP is gone and we have a little Gemini, which can and has towed our toad, but I don't see towing over any major mountain ranges in our future.
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Old 12-11-2016, 09:08 PM   #4
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Enclosed trailers are great for protecting the vehicle, but like Turner very difficult to find a place to park. It's hard to get inside the trailer to lock down the vehicle and the trailers are very expensive. An alternative is a flatbed car hauler to which you can add a windbreaker to the front. Again, a big trailer to park when you aren't using it. If you have a front wheel drive car you can use a car dolly which is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
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Old 12-11-2016, 10:58 PM   #5
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You also have to keep in mind the weight of the trailer. A lot of times the trailer weight + car weight will put you over what the unit can tow.
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Old 12-12-2016, 02:09 AM   #6
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I pulled an enclosed 20 foot trailer for many years behind my former 40 foot Monaco diesel pusher, mostly with race cars to race track, but often with a motorcycle and car on vacation. Very handy, vehicles are kept clean and protected, and you can throw other stuff into the trailer. Also has the advantage of being able to back up, which you can't do with 4wheel down or tow dolly. Main disadvantage is WEIGHT - an enclosed trailer alone is over 3500 pounds, and when you add a car you are probably approaching 7000 pounds.

I now flat tow a Mini Cooper with my Vegas....
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Old 12-12-2016, 02:37 AM   #7
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Thanks for your insights! Did not really think too in depth about the parking/rv site thing.....makes sense that you would have the hassle of unhooking and then try to also park the trailer somewhere in some parks or resorts! Guess we have seen so many big big class a's toting toads and trailers or boats and in their sites it seems easily! Will have to re think the toad thing...may just rent a car or call a cab on some of the bigger/longer trips!......
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Old 12-12-2016, 12:31 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WillowRun View Post
Thanks for your insights! Did not really think too in depth about the parking/rv site thing.....makes sense that you would have the hassle of unhooking and then try to also park the trailer somewhere in some parks or resorts! Guess we have seen so many big big class a's toting toads and trailers or boats and in their sites it seems easily! Will have to re think the toad thing...may just rent a car or call a cab on some of the bigger/longer trips!......
Unless it is a short local trip where the wife drives the car we have pretty much quit towing and use Enterprise when we get to our location. In the last year I have returned 2 cars with cracked windshields. Since our rental rate included the LDW insurance no questions were asked. A lot easier and cheaper than trying to deal with my insurance company.
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Old 12-12-2016, 03:12 PM   #9
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I would have actually preferred to pull an enclosed trailer, but the tow capacity of my RV just will not allow that much weight. My problem is that when we do extended trips I would like the SUV plus my motorcycle to go with me.


Right now we are pulling the motorcycle on an open aluminum trailer. Even though the trailer is small most CG's will not allow it to stay on your site, so it can be a problem if you are staying in one place for awhile. Decisions.....decisions....
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Old 12-21-2016, 02:13 AM   #10
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We always towed our toad behind the tiffin DP we had. Now with a much smaller lighter Gemini, I expect to do a lot less towing, especially on longer trips. Will depend on Uber and renting econoboxes more. Also the Gemini can get into parking lots more easily, so stopping to stock up on trips is far easier now. The Gemini is setup to tow and I have towed our toad with it, but needless to say, because it puts the Gemini right at max GVCW, or very close to it, there will be no towing over any major mountains or long distances.
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