CT Questions

[Mouldy]

Ok, my first idea way back when was to convert a CT. Then i started looking into prices and couldn't believe how much they were for what they were! Cheapest 6x10 is 1500 bones on trailertrader.com&nbsp; and local craigslist isn't much better. Did you guys with CT's find them for much cheaper or just drop the money to have a space that is more efficiently used than TT's? Then depending on what you put into the interior, you have a good chunk of money into it. I guess what i'm trying to say is that for about the same money, you could have had a TT with more amenities. Or is that the thing, you don't want ameniites because they cost more to keep up and maintain?<br>Ok next thing, we have used a CT for our goose hunting decoys for years and the floor has started to sag. I noticed that is has 24" supports. Do you guys look for 16" ones or just go with 3/4 treated plywood?<br>NEXT, do you notice a difference in your brake wear when you don't have electric brakes on a trailer? Or is the weight so small that it doesn't really make a difference?<br>If you can't tell i'm looking into eventually converting one because i have a smaller truck and I'm bored out of my mind right now. Too much time inside with my thoughts, good thing it's supposed to warm up today! Kris<br><br>

 

[akrvbob]

I paid $2400 for my CT, but it is a pretty nice model: side door, barn doors in back, 6 foot standing height, radial tires including a spare, led lighting, 3/8 inch plywood walls, spray coating across the whole bottom. There were three key reasons I went with a CT:<br>1) Weight--nearly any TT is going to weigh around 4000 lbs. Newer ones may be less but then they are out of my price range. My F150 just can't handle that much weight. My cargo trailer weighed 1300 lbs and I may have put 200 lbs into the conversion, so it weighs about 1500 lbs. My truck still struggles with it up a big hills, but otherwise it is fine.<br>2)Simplicity--like you said, I have just what i want in it and nothing else. If I decide to change it next year, i can easily do that.<br>3) Reliability--A TT old enough to be in my price range can have lots of hidden problems, especially water damage. My aluminum trailer should give me decades of trouble-free service.&nbsp; <br><br>I don't move the trailer very much. It spends 6 months a year in a Forest Service campground where I am a campground host. I then move it to my winter camp where it will sit for at least 2-4 months. Then I will move it to another winter camp for 2-3 months, and finally back up to the NF campground. I expect to put about 1500 miles a year on the trailer. I don't think that should have much impact on my trucks brakes. When I want to go exploring, I tent camp out of the pickup. Hopefully there is someone else to watch the trailer while I am gone, but if there isn't I can always put it in storage for the month. Bob <br><br>

 

[Mouldy]

Thank you for the insight. Do you have a V8 or V6 on that ford there? <br>The more and more I think about it, the more and more that I think i'm going to sell my trailer after awhile and convert a CT. Hopefully I can turn a decent profit on my current trailer!<br><br>

 

[danelady]

Thanks for that info Bob. My plans are to set up a van and just use that on days off while I am still driving the truck. I can leave it parked at my company's terminal and use it on a day off. I'm going to keep working as long as I am able to. When the day finally arrives that I kiss truckin' goodbye I think I'd like to have some kind of set up like you got,Bob. A &nbsp;trailer I can pull behind.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>So many ideas!<br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>

 

[akrvbob]

I have a 302 V8. It is great with the empty truck and is okay with the trailer on level ground, but once I hit a hill it really struggles. The older trucks all had 3 speed autos with an overdrive added on top. The problem is there is too big a gap between 2nd and 3rd. As the truck struggles with the hill, it has to shift down to 2nd which is only good to 35 or 40. As soon as it hits 40 it shifts up and bogs down so it goes back into second. If it had a true 3rd gear it would pull the hills easily at 50 mph or more. <br><br>All that to say that you can't just look at the engine size, you have to look at the trans too. Todays advanced transmissions are largely responsible for the big jump in power and gas mileage we see in the V8 and V6 engines. <br>

 

[Mouldy]

Gotcha! I have a V8 also in my dakota and it has a 4 speed with O/D and I can cruise along fine at 55-57mph on flat land, haven't had it on hills and passes yet so you could see me crawling up them at 40.... Only time will tell.<br>

 

[Hammer]

What year Dakota is it? &nbsp;And do you know what Trans you have?<div><br></div><div>4x4 or rear wheel drive?</div><div><br></div><div>All of that will have a bearing on uphill performance.</div><div><br></div><div>Bob, is your 150 a flare side XCab? &nbsp;If so, my dad has exactly the same thing, and he seems to think widening the intake manifold will increase the HP to where it's useful uphill. &nbsp;Just a thought.</div><div><br></div><div>Hammer</div>

 

[akrvbob]

I have the xcab, straight bed that is 7 feet long. I just dropped a Ford rebuilt motor in it with a 3 year, 100,000 mile warranty. So no modifications for a couple years. Bob<br>

 

[Hammer]

Ahh, gotcha.<div><br></div><div>Hammer</div>

 

[Mouldy]

I got an '01 dakota quad cab 4x4. 4.7L V8. We have had it since new and I got it from my mom for free so I can't complain!<br>

 

[Hammer]

Please don`t! &nbsp;You have my dream truck! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><div><br></div><div>Should do fairly well. &nbsp;Perhaps not as well as the R/T would, but it shouldn't be bad!</div><div><br></div><div>Hammer</div>

 

[Mouldy]

If your talking about my Dakota, Its for sale! <br>