6ft vs. 7ft

[New Hope]

Greetings everyone.  We continue to consider the idea of a cargo trailer conversion.  One thing I'm wrestling with, is trailer width.  With a 6ft wide you're looking at an overall width of approximately 7 1/2 feet and with a 7ft the overall width of  approximately 8 1/2 feet.  The extra interior width of the 7 footer is nice, but that translates into a pretty wide foot print.  Yesterday we were traveling, on the Cherohala Skyway, behind a 7 footer pulled by a dually pickup.  He didn't have much room, on either side of his wheels, to play with while traveling that mountain road.  Any thoughts on your experinces with what you're towing?

 

[tx2sturgis]

What are you pulling it with?

 

[New Hope]

What are you pulling it with?

I haven't chosen my tow vehicle yet, but my plans are for at least a 3/4 ton van.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Well, my advice, worth exactly what you're paying for it, is that unless you have the largest motor in the van you buy, AND you have tolerance for blind spots behind you, AND plans for very little in town driving and camping, then the 6 foot wide is a good match for a van.

That's what I bought and its almost exactly the same width as the van body, pulls easily, I can see around it, and its not heavy and not a huge aerodynamic burden on the van.

Of course that extra width inside is nice if you can tolerate the downsides.

Many people on here are pulling wide trailers and are happy with those too.

 

[johnny b]

I drove an 8 1/2 X 18 trailer for years...you get used to the width. (Of course I once worked delivering Xerox paper in a 20' straight truck thru alleys in DC so narrow you had to fold in the mirrors!)

Unless you're planning on a lot of off road and forest roads, I'd go for the extra width/comfort.

My much delayed new trailer will be a 7 X 12 (8 1/2' wheel width) with a 4 1/2' V nose...only a foot shorter overall length than my old 18 footer.

I pull with a 3/4 ton Ford van...you're right on the money for tow vehicle size.

 

[ZoNiE]

For comparison, I pull an 8 ft wide travel trailer. The wheels are tucked under, unlike a 7 ft wide cargo, but it is still wide. I have a camera on the back now and it helps... a lot. the 6 footer will airstream better behind your van. Pulling what I do with a midsize truck is like pulling a sail flat against the wind.
If it were me, I'd go 6x10 or 6x12 on that trailer, and only one axle if you don't plan on loading it down too much.

 

[New Hope]

Thanks for all the feed back.  I understand there are advantages and of course drawbacks with each size/configuration.  We do plan some back country trips.  I know from experience that some of those roads can be quite difficult to navigate.  We can't have it all, can we.

 

[John61CT]

I need 7.5" outside for full length bed sideways plus good insulation. If keeping to moderate temps, 7" would be enough.

Would prefer wheels tucked inside that max width, not sitting outside.

And a nice wide TV, so I don't need crazy extended windows.

 

[New Hope]

I've looked at the 8 1/2 foot wide trailers.  They have the same foot print as the 7 ft wide trailers: however; the side body panels extend out over the wheels, giving it so much more interior room.  BUT, all that box really limits any vision to the rear.  I wish they made, perhaps someone does, a seven foot box built on an axle made for a 6 foot trailer.  That way the wheels would be tucked under the body.   That way you would have a trailer with the same over all tracking width, of the 6', but with all that added interior room.  There's a side business for someone!

 

[John61CT]

"Axle-less" torsion type suspensions fit onto rails spaced at any arbitrary width.

And custom length axles are widely available.

Anything you want is available with research time and money to spend.

Draw it up in SketchUp and there are probably a dozen shops within a few hundred miles capable of fabricating the frame for you, this stuff is not rocket science.

 

[Charly]

I've looked at the 8 1/2 foot wide trailers.  They have the same foot print as the 7 ft wide trailers: however; the side body panels extend out over the wheels, giving it so much more interior room.  BUT, all that box really limits any vision to the rear.  I wish they made, perhaps someone does, a seven foot box built on an axle made for a 6 foot trailer.  That way the wheels would be tucked under the body.   That way you would have a trailer with the same over all tracking width, of the 6', but with all that added interior room.  There's a side business for someone!

For Rolling Vault :
"6' wide Axle on 7' wide unit Single Axle (For Wheel Well Boxes) $135"

For Diamond Cargo :
6' Axle on 7' Wide Trailer (Wheel well boxes inside, approx 64" btw fenders $260
6' Wide Axle on 7' Wide Trailer for No Exterior Wheelwells (Deckover) $250

 

[jimindenver]

There is balance in every decision in life. Bigger is more comfortable yet more limiting as far as where you can go. My travel trailer which is 7 1/2 feet wide with the wheels tucked can go down a narrower trail and tighter switch backs than a 8 foot wide can. It really proved that the day I felt two of the wheels sliding off on the inside of a turn, a regular width trailer would have gone over while I was able to punch the truck in 4x4 low and pull mine back up before it was too late.

Think of all aspects of what you are getting before you buy.

 

[John61CT]

Yes my absolute maximum outside width, including all protrusions is 7'4". Wheels under obviously.

And that means compromising on insulation in order to (just) get an 80" bed sideways without jamming it in there.

On the plus side, what Jim said about getting out into the boonies.

 

[Charly]

I am deciding between 6 and 7'.

Id like to have a builder do a shorter axie so the wheels are tucked with either. But I may just do a 6 x 12 and leave the standard axle.

The 7' with wheels tucked ends up with about the same track as the 6' with the standard axle, of course...but the bigger wind resistance is a big thing that i am concerned about.

 

[John61CT]

Height is the biggest issue with wind resistance, not just mpg but stability.

Why I wish standard fitting were available for different types of pop-ups.

 

[jimindenver]

I am sure the info is out there but again it is in the balance. How much additional wind resistance are you gaining vs space and comfort. Remember that while it is not equal the tires and fenders also create resistance so you have to factor that in to the additional frontal exposure of a 7 foot with wheels tucked vs a 6 foot with them exposed. The same is true if you have a van pulling a equal width trailer, the van itself has more frontal exposure ALL the time. Fine if you never disconnect the trailer but when it isn't connected.....

 

[John61CT]

And just driving a bit more slowly on highways, and pulling over when windspeeds get crazy, helps a lot.

 

[user 423]

OK...would the extra 2' of length with a 6x14 negate the advantages of having a narrower trailer?

Towing related problems; not space considerations.

 

[John61CT]

As long as your rear clearance, departure angle is OK, a little longer is certainly better than going wider.

But of course, there might be an occasional tight sharp curve you have to be extra careful about.

It's not a bright yes/no line, infinite shades of grey.

But there's a reason so many offroad trailers are little 4x8 maybe 5x9 with an RTT.

And driving skills certainly come into play too!

 

[user 423]

Hadn't thought about the angle of departure being a problem but that is a valid point.

I've been to a few remote areas in my vans but would mostly avoid those when I start pulling a trailer. Recently I stayed at a state park in NM and preferred boondocking out away from the crowds. The roads would be OK pulling a trailer as long as you went slow and it was dry.