[Chrysler300] Happy trailering to you,

["Rich Barber" <c300@xxxxxxx>]

I bought a new 7,000# trailer for hauling our low mileage '55 C-300 to
far-away meets.  Technically, and actually, it gets the job done but I have
suffered bowed axles that caused excess camber on the small tires with
resultant wear on the inner edge of the tread.  I would strongly recommend
the relatively small cost to upgrade a trailer to 5,000# axles for
mechanical strength, bigger tires and brakes-especially when hauling a
vintage Chrysler 300.  Don't believe those specified 300 weights.  Add at
least 500#.   Also, specify brakes on both axles-just like the Brute riding
on the trailer.  I don't have experience with brakes on both axles but
believe you can choose one axle with hydraulic surge brakes and one axle
with electric brakes.  Kind of like belt and suspenders.  Buy the best
electric trailer brake controller you can get and mount it where you can get
at it.  Learn how to adjust and use it, including in emergency braking.
Trailer brakes may need frequent service to assure reliable operation
without drag.

 

Getting in and out on an open trailer is easy if the car door will open over
the fender.  With an enclosed trailer, it helps to have a winch of 5,000# or
more so you can get the car in place without being in it.  Lashing down the
front end is always a problem, but one that can be worked around if you have
a little extra length in front, a RH door for access and a small, young
strong and flexible body-so they say.  Nothing wrong with a LH door that is
positioned so you can open the car door with the LH door open.  A longer
trailer will be slightly heavier but no more difficult to maneuver and only
slightly more drag on the system at highway speeds.  I think the V-shaped
nose makes sense to reduce drag at some loss of storage space.  If the Vee
is over the tongue area, not much is lost.  Tools, tires and swap meet
bargains can be stored and transported there.

 

Like the Brutes, torsion-bar suspension is preferred over leaf springs.
Trailer makers compete mightily to build and sell the cheapest trailer by
cutting corners everywhere.  More trailer guts, less trouble.  Inside and
outside trim costs are superficial and up to the buyer.  An aluminum roof
will last forever or until the next severe hail storm.  Rubber roofs will
last some time, but if stored outside, they will eventually need replacing.
All steel on the trailer can be expected to rust unless the frame and
suspension is carefully coated with corrosion-resistant primer and several
coats of chip-resistant paint.  Mine seems to just have one thin coat of
cheap black paint with a lot of rust spots where paint has chipped or
rubbed.  Make sure you get LED lighting all around in high-quality sealed
systems.  I believe it makes sense to balance all five trailer tires-be sure
to get a spare and carry the proper kind of floor jack and lug wrench to
service a tire at the roadside.  Frequent repacking of the trailer wheel
bearings is good insurance.   A black-and-white checkerboard tile floor will
hold up better than plain wood, especially if additionally equipped with
aluminum checkerboard plate where the tires will be riding.  My open trailer
has a checkerboard steel floor which is hold up well with rattle-can touchup
of rust spots periodically.  Current state-of-the-art is radial tires on
trailers.  Insist on good tires as the mfr. Will probably provide the
cheapest foreign-made tire he can get.  When securing the car inside the
trailer, assume it will rock and roll some, so don't get car surfaces
anywhere near the inside trailer surfaces.

 

FYI, I bought a 2005 Dodge Durango with the trailer towing package, 345 CID
hemi, 5-speed  automatic transmission and 3.90 axles just to tow the C-300.
That gives it 8,600# towing capacity and it has done well.  And, it fits in
our rather small garage.  The new hemi-Rangoes are rebadged Jeep Grand
Cherokees and have about 1,000# less towing capacity-even with higher
horsepower-but still enough to pull a 7,000# trailer.  This may be due to
smaller brakes, tires and cooling  on the lighter vehicle.  I get better
mileage towing the C-300 than I do driving it!  I had a load-distributing
hitch installed that effectively shifts some of the tongue weight back to
the trailer tires and frontward to the Durango front tires.  This levels out
the Durango so nighttime headlights do not peel paint from oncoming cars.  A
stiffer-sprung 3/4T pickup would have stiffer rear springs and may not
require a load-distributing hitch.  I love driving the rig through the
western states (except California) which have speed limits of
vehicle-systems like mine of 65-75 MPH.  The Durango and trailer are very
stable at all speeds, even in cross winds.  CA limits vehicle systems with
over two axles to 55 MPH, a stupid law which is occasionally adhered to by
me and my trucker and RV drivers.

 

Happy C300K'ly trails to you,

Rich Barber

Brentwood, CA (still raining off and on-we need it)

 

From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Mwl1967
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2014 7:02 PM
To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Chrysler300] Trailer Size?

 

  

Hi Everyone,

 

    I'm sure this must have come up at some point in the past but I'd like
to open a discussion as to what to look for in a enclosed trailer sturdy
enough to handle the largest of the 300's. I currently have a 20' open car
carrier with a steel deck that weighs around 2300lbs empty with 3500lb
axles. Add a full size brute to that and I'm running at maximum. Shall I
assume an enclosed trailer same length will then need to upgrade to 5000lbs
axles to cover the weight of the car and the trailer? What about length?
Will a 20' enclosed give me enough room to get in front of the loaded car,
and down on the ground to work the tie downs up front? What about trailer
construction? Why is a Haulmark Edge twice the price of others? Do I need a
door on the drivers side of the trailer to get in and out of the car?
Appreciate any input.

 

Mike Laiserin

 





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