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I got a wide enclosed trailer for taking my 1950 Series 23 "streamliner" to the PI Membership Meet this weekend. The trailer is a full 8' 6" wide, the maximum allowed on the road. I drove the Packard into the trailer and found I could not get out of the car! The door opens and bumps into the side of the trailer and the tiny gap cannot let me squeeze through. I finally (barely)got out by driving the car to the right until I bumped the rocker panel into the interior fender. If I tried to transport the car there would be body damage. At this point I will be leaving the Packard home and taking my spare parts to sell at the swap meet.

I could get a door put into the side of the trailer for another $1000 or so that would let me open the driver's door. I wish the trailer salesman had told me this was a good idea before he sold the trailer to me. All the car trailers on the lot looked like the one I bought, so I guess none of them works to haul a full size car.

Does anyone have a good solution for trailering a Packard?

Hi Fred,

The attached picture is of my trailer set up. It's a soft sided cover with a fold up door each side. The 'all up' weight including a fully 'tanked up' Packard is 3.5 tons, the max. for a light goods vehicle here.

The Packard goes in and out ok (minus the trunk), the trick is to sit in the midddle of the car while driving on, pick a spot on the bulk head and go for it!

Regards,

Pat.

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Fred, I have the same problem with my Haulmark enclosed trailer. I have successfully managed to transport my 48-50 Packards without damage to the rocker panels by placing a plank on each side of the trailer floor under the cars tires so the car sits high enough for the rocker panels to clear the inner fenders of the trailer. I learned the hard way after damage to passenger side rocker panel on my 48 sedan. It's kind of crude but it works. It's still a tight squeeze for me to exit the car. Packardtaximan

Thanks guys, that input helps.

Consider mounting a 12V electric winch if the front of the trailer. Line the car up straight and winch it into the trailer. You can make slight steering adjustments by moving the front wheels by hand.

Harbor Freight has them on sale now & then. Not in the same league as a Ramsey, but OK for occasional use.

I was going to suggest a winch too. ...but after purchasing the correct rated winch and mounting and wiring it from the battery of the tow vehicle, you may have only saved yourself a couple of hundred dollars from the $1000 for the door in the trailer. ...assuming that you do it yourself. Don't forget, if you winch it up, you still should throw it in gear. So that would mean leaving a window open and using a 2x4 to depress the clutch while putting it into gear.

I have an 18ft open trailer. ...and I have about $650 invested in my winch and wiring/mounting gear. I have yet to install it. Depending upon the car, the doors (when opened) sometimes hit the trailer's wheel fenders. That's why they sell the "removable" fenders. I didn't know that until I loaded it for the first time.

Maybe you can find the manufacturer of the trailer doors, purchase it, and install it yourself. I would think that all you need is a reciprocating saw, a drill, a pop rivet gun (or screws) and some caulk. Try www.northerntools.com

Another thought... Cut a door opening yourself, and purchase some aluminum stock from Home Depot to frame the opening and the door slab itself (for rigidity). Instead of hinges, you could bolt it on.

Just throwing some thoughts/ideas out there.

Good luck,

Mark

Don't forget, if you winch it up, you still should throw it in gear

I've used one of the premier collector car haulers on a few occasions. He is a major player in hauling cars cross-country to Pebble, down to Amelia Island, etc. He always instructs me to leave the car in neutral; after it's strapped down to load the suspension so the car doesn't rock or sway, then the parking brake is applied. I don't know the rationale for his method but assume it's based on some (perhaps unpleasant) experience in the past, but he's quite insistent on it. Automatic trans cars NOT in Park either.

A further word of warning....

Always be careful what your wearing when moving around your Pride and Joy in a trailer, a zip can destroy a wing while you squeeze between it and the trailer sides.

Been there..done that...twice....

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I second O_D about leaving the car in neutral. I've been told that the constant fore & aft lurching of the car while underway can put unwanted strain on the driveline. I use 4 heavy duty ratchet straps attached to the front and rear axle points so the suspension of the car is free to move (as designed).

Also, HF has some adequate and reasonable priced winches that would do the job for occasional use:

harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=winch

I have both an open flatbed and an enclosed trailer with Ramsey winches, but at today's prices I'd probably look at less expensive brands as they don't get used that often. I think you will find that a separate dedicated battery is required to operate the winch rather than trailer wiring.

The winch power is a real pain. I bought a winch for my smaller trailer and I found that the winch battery was dead each time I occasionaly used it. Then I bought a solar panel charging system and put it on the roof of the trailer. That helps, but batteries don't like to sit without being used. My new Nissan Titan has a 50 amp power plug in the rear of the bed so I tried the winch with that. It worked for a few seconds until it blew the breaker in the truck.

On an older 1956 truck I put a second battery in it under the hood and used a charging system made for campers to keep it charged up while driving the truck. That worked pretty well, but my 2004 Titan does not have the extra space under the hood for the extra battery.

For my newest trailer I bought an AC winch at harbor freight. Since they run on 110 volt power instead of 12 volt DC the current draw is much less than a DC winch. This makes the winch smaller lighter and cheaper. I can us an extension cord in my driveway to power it or a portable gasoline generator that I can roll into the trailer and tie down. I have yet to try this new system. The portable generator has other uses besides sitting around for the day I need the winch.

Thanks everyone for the nice advice on the trailer issues.