towing a open trailer vs enclosed?

[chevnut55]

I have a 2010 Silverado 2wd 5.7 with tow package.
I have a heavy open wood deck trailer I tow with no problem.
I want to upgrade to a enclosed trailer but not sure how the truck will pull it.
The look heavy but I know they are aluminum vs my steel and wood.
Im wanting to do this because I will be moving to a smaller house and will be short a garage , the open trailer will just take up another parking I do not have room for.
Has anyone pulled both styles (any truck) what are the differences?

[WallaceMFG]

I've got a 2001 Silverado with the 5.3. The truck won't really notice the weight difference between open and enclosed, but it will notice the big front area of the trailer. Around town you don't notice it, but if you try to get on the highway you can tell. Mine will still pull it, but you have to run it harder. I wouldn't try to drive across the country with a trailer like that, but for an hour or two it would be fine.

[minendrews68]

Also what kind are you looking at. I've got a Homesteader 16' enclosed trailer and it's heavy. I think it's around 4200 pounds.

[chevnut55]

not sure yet, Im moving from Ma. to Fl. in a month or two so I would be towing cross country, figured it would be cheaper than renting a u haul for our stuff and paying to ship 3 cars.
But I also do not want to do the trip 7=8 times either.

[srt1010]

I had a 22 ft. Shadow Master enclosed. Loved it, but sold it a few years ago because I wasn't using it that often. I pulled it with a Chevy 2500 HD with 6.0L. Never had any issues, towed it on several 400 + mile trips. I used it for car storage also until I built my other garage, then the trailer stayed in the garage. It weighed 3,060 lbs. without the car. I have several drag racing friends that tow enclosed trailers with 1/2 ton 5.3 trucks. You'll notice it on large grades and in fuel mileage. If you do go the enclosed route, get stabilizer bars for the hitch especially with a lighter truck. One thing I will say is you never lose your money on them. I paid $5,500 for mine in 2000 and sold it in 2011 for $5,000. It was still like new, but you can't go wrong.

[Randy67]

I went from a 16" steel open trailer to a 28' V-nose Horton enclosed, there was quite a difference. Going from about 1800 lbs to 4500+ lbs, you can tell its there. Like others said, the aero hit is quite noticeable, especially on windy days. Tucking in behind a semi or RV helps when on the interstate. Not a lot of difference pulling the trailer empty vs loaded, I feel it pulls better loaded. Now a 24' or shorter trailer would be probably a better choice with a 1/2 ton truck. Your truck should do pretty good pulling one. Most of the newer 1/2 tons are as capable as the older 3/4 ton trucks.

Edit: I did pull my enclosed from Atlanta to Lincoln NE back in 2012 for the Solo Nats, with just a carbed 350 in the Dually. It did okay but struggled on hills quite a bit. Truck now has a 454 back in it, should help out quite a bit.

[chevnut55]

I hope so. I noticed the newer trucks are much better, I owned a 99 z71 4x4 with a lot of mods and air lift and it was always to the floor.
with my newer Silverado it like towing nothing and its stock, I just added airlift for the move but don't think it will be needed.
Also getting 5-15 mpg better.

[1truckguy78]

Way easier with a open trailer. Cant beat the organization and security of a enclosed.

[Z06vet]

Get a V nose, it will help on the highway. The weight makes a difference taking off and getting up to speed. Once at highway speed, the enclosed can act like a wind sock at times. I have 3 enclosed trailers 14,16, & 20ft. I get about the same mileage on the highway with any of them. My 07 2500 HD had a 6.0 gas & 6spd auto trans. It had a cold air intake & a tune, everything else stock. It could not maintain 70-75 mph unless it stayed in 5th gear. Dead flat with no wind, maybe it would stay in 6th. Mileage was roughly 7-10 mpg. Didnt matter if the trailer was loaded or empty. With the open trailer it would stay in 6th most of the time & mileage was 10-11. I found it annoying to use the cruise on the highway so I did not use it. If you are just buying it for the move & not planning on a lot of long trips in the future, you should be fine. If you dont have a tranny oil cooler you may want to ad one before the trip. I just got a duramax and am really pleased with it. Night & day over the gas motor when towing on the highway. Let us know what you decide.

[TheJDMan]

I owned a 00 1/2 ton Chevy with a 5.7 when I first purchased my 20' enclosed trailer. I towed it from Indiana to Chicago then to Virginia. By the time I got home I had made up my mind that I was not going to do that again with that truck. Soon after, I purchased my 07 2500HD Silverado Duramax. The 1/2 ton was under powered and unstable while pulling the trailer. I would be nearly blown off the road every time I was passed by a semi and pulling hills was painfully slow. On the other hand the Duramax is a dream to tow with. It is stable in cross winds and will maintain any hiway speed you choose into head winds or hills. In addition to the large frontal drag, enclosed trailers are also very vulnerable to side winds which makes the entire rig unstable if the tow vehicle is not able to handle the side loads.

I can tell you that there is a dramatic difference in tow capability between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton. A large part of that difference is due to tires. Most 1/2 tons are equipped with "C" or "D" load rated tires. You can improve a 1/2 ton's towing capacity by equipping it with "E" load rated tires which have much stiffer side walls.

If you are towing an enclosed trailer locally (within a couple of hours), a 1/2 ton with "E" rated tires will work just fine. If you are towing that same trailer across country you will be sorry you are driving a 1/2 ton by the time your trip is done.

[FlyDoc]

I have a 2010 dodge 4X4 5.7 Hemi with the tow package, 28' feather light enclosed, and a open wood deck 20'. I think the enclosed is lighter, I do not know what they weigh but the enclosed pulls like a dream!
I run the enclosed with a '64 SS Impala in it. cruse at 65mph + with nothing getting over normal temp, or with in 5* of 75mph with out the trailer.
I would not see any issues with you pulling a up to a 30'er it you buy a used ask to pull it for 20 or so miles. do this with out the load leveling hitch, and sway bar. that will tell you a lot, if the trailer likes to pull to one side it may only need to be aligned, but it also could be as easy as tier Psi, or as bad as bent axle/s or bent trailer.
good luck

[mpozzi]

Look long and hard before you start towing an enclosed trailer with what you have at present. It's more than just the moving forwards part as stopping and slowing down, traveling over mountain ranges, and cornering that can really ruin your day. It's weight ...

For your present tow vehicle, look at an all-aluminum and yes, they're expensive. Go with no longer than a 24' box length as if you buy larger, you'll fill it up with more stuff which means ... you guessed it, WEIGHT! I speak from experience and downsized last year.

Upgrading the transmission cooling and brakes are a must if you're towing anything significant.

Mary Pozzi

[Wuaname]

As others have said, you will notice the difference but is doable... Not really a need to swap trucks, I think.

[vintageracer]

If you want an enclosed trailer buy a HIGH END (Expensive When New) used trailer in good condition. I am a HUGE believer in purchasing HIGH END EQUIPMENT USED rather than buying LOWER END EQUIPMENT NEW. Buy (Pun Intended) lower end I mean fits my limited budget. Yes buying high end used is not as easy as buying low end new as you have to spend the time looking for good high end USED equipment rather than just going down to the local yocal NEW trailer seller however the result is a great piece of equipment that will give years of service and probably sell the same price or MORE when you go to sell it!

You will pay the same price for that used high end trailer as you would have for a lower end new trailer and end up with a far better piece of equipment. There is always a demand for good high end used trailers. Year model makes no difference on good high end used enclosed trailers. It's all about the price matching the condition of the trailer. Lower end enclosed trailers get real cheap real fast when they are a couple of years old. Ask yourself the question why? That ought to tell you something!

Enclosed trailers grab a LOT of air. V nose, slope nose all those mods can help however it's still all about the total height of the box trailer. Most standard enclosed trailers are 6 1/2 feet tall inside the box. Add that to the amount of height from the ground to the floor of the trailer and you have one tall trailer and one BIG A$$ air grabber! Finding a trailer with only 6 inches LESS inside height (6 foot height) in the box makes a huge difference from a pulling the trailer aspect. Now realize that you will probably have to tilt your head in a 6 foot box when you walk in the box. Most "race" guys will not put up with that however how much time are you going to spend standing in 24 foot or less length trailer? Add the shorter 6 foot inside box to a low sitting trailer and you have made a HUGE difference in the way that BIG A$$ box pulls.

I have a one car open, two car open and a one car enclosed trailer. IF I had to have just one trailer is most certainly would be an OPEN TRAILER and probably an open 1 car trailer. Much more useful for hauling lot's of different stuff besides cars easier to maneuver and cheaper to purchase a used high end trailer on the front end. Ya I know a lot of you will say the box gives you another garage on wheels. That it does. That's about the only plus I can think of and that was not an issue in the original post!

[Randy67]

I got a chance to see this weekend that the tow vehicle can make a difference. I've been towing my 28ft enclosed with my 79 GMC Dually, with a 350 & MT, rather underpowered (being swapped to a 454 TBI now). I borrowed my co-drivers truck, a 2002 2500HD with the 8100 and Allison 5spd, the difference was quite dramatic. It pulled the enclosed as easily as my Dually would pull an open trailer. It even got a little better mpgs than mine, if you can call 8.5 mpg good. The Allison is an amazing transmission, I would actually prefer it over a manual now. Now I need to borrow a Duramax truck, just to see how it does, for comparisons sake of course.

I do agree with Mike, buy a good used high end trailer. I am very happy with my Horton, build quality is excellent.

[David Pozzi]

Another tip is drive at 55 to 60 mph max. Your mileage will drop a ton if you go faster.

[parsonsj]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k

[snappytravis]

I would figure the weight of what you are pulling, and how far you plan to pull, Your truck will pull it may use a ton of fuel, I have a 24 ft v nose, I pull with a 11 f350 diesel. It gets about 12 miles to the gallon. Just a little research may save you a headache later. Good luck