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  #11  
Old 12-02-2020, 09:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbert View Post
Thanks, Bill.

Besides making sure my wide body can fit on it (my car is 71-73" wide and this has usable deck width of 75"), any other questions I should ask him?

+1 on the Q7!
I'd start with general question about how he used it and what he towed on it and with it. If he towed a 911 on it, did he have to back onto the trailer for weight distribution, or was he able to drive forward onto it -- forward is much easier for loading. Ask about the tire rack and how easy/hard it was to use. Ask about the general condition of the trailer. Ask about what size hitch ball it uses, and what your tow vehicle is going to need for a brake controller. Ask about the ramps and how to secure them; also ask if he could drive up the ramps without scraping or if he had to use wooden blocks or raceramps to keep from scraping.

There are plenty of folks here with more experience than me with buying trailers, so maybe some of them can chime in.

And, I'm going to +1 the suggestion of a Q7 TDI. I replaced Clifford (our previous big red Durango) with a 2015 TDI in May '19, and it's been very good for towing -- 27+ mpg on the highway and 16-18 mpg when towing. I would have looked for a Cayenne TDI, except I needed more seating than the Cayenne provided (5 seats vs 7 in the Q7).

However, some things to consider:
  • The Cayenne's towing capacity is 7700 lbs.
  • The Q7's towing capacity is 6600 lbs if it came equipped with the factory tow package, and only 5500 lbs if it didn't.
  • Both Cayenne and Q7 can be more difficult to install a brake controller than other vehicles. -- That's why I went with a Tekonsha RF controller on my trailer, nothing to hard-wire into the vehicle.
  • My only real gripe with the TDI has been the annoyance of dealing with the AdBlue fluid. Audi extended the warrantly of the diesel-related parts for many miles, and includes free AdBlue fill-ups for the life of the warranty, but it's still a bit of a pain to have to go to the dealer to get it filled back up. Because of the modifications Audi made to the system, it's not quite as easy as it should be (Audi insists on doing an "adaptation" every time it's filled up.)
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  #12  
Old 12-03-2020, 07:03 AM
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DrFraserCrane DrFraserCrane is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BillC View Post
And, I'm going to +1 the suggestion of a Q7 TDI. I replaced Clifford (our previous big red Durango) with a 2015 TDI in May '19, and it's been very good for towing -- 27+ mpg on the highway and 16-18 mpg when towing. I would have looked for a Cayenne TDI, except I needed more seating than the Cayenne provided (5 seats vs 7 in the Q7).

However, some things to consider:
  • The Cayenne's towing capacity is 7700 lbs.
  • The Q7's towing capacity is 6600 lbs if it came equipped with the factory tow package, and only 5500 lbs if it didn't.
  • Both Cayenne and Q7 can be more difficult to install a brake controller than other vehicles. -- That's why I went with a Tekonsha RF controller on my trailer, nothing to hard-wire into the vehicle.
  • My only real gripe with the TDI has been the annoyance of dealing with the AdBlue fluid. Audi extended the warrantly of the diesel-related parts for many miles, and includes free AdBlue fill-ups for the life of the warranty, but it's still a bit of a pain to have to go to the dealer to get it filled back up. Because of the modifications Audi made to the system, it's not quite as easy as it should be (Audi insists on doing an "adaptation" every time it's filled up.)
Another vote for a VAG 3.0 TDI SUV (Q7, Cayenne, Touareg). I am towing my econotrailer open center steel with ease with my '16 Touareg TDI. I got ~20.5 mpgs when I towed to Sebring earlier this year.

I will echo that the Dieselgate fixes have some gremlins (the adblue re-fills and the adaptation when re-filled), but overall my TDI has been awesome for the time I have had mine and is also my daily driver.
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  #13  
Old 12-03-2020, 07:26 AM
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Check the Trailex website... they have 3 basic open trailers:
https://www.trailex.com/products/pc/...?idCategory=17

1) CT7031
2) CT7541
3) CT8045

The first two numbers refer to width between fenders..

A CT7541, is perfect for older (ie, aircooled) 911's at 75" width but might be a bit tight for your new (and wide) 911. That only leaves 1" on each side as I think you mentioned your 911 is 73" wide? You might want the CT8045 model to ensure plenty of space (at 80") and ease of load/unloading
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Last edited by racer; 12-03-2020 at 02:07 PM.
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  #14  
Old 12-03-2020, 07:57 AM
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Former owner of a '15 Touareg TDI and a CT7541 here...

Yes, the CT7541 is too narrow for a newer 911, but they do call it the "911 trailer" at Trailex as it was modeled around the older cars. I towed an e36 with it, and the current owner tows a Scion FR-S. Works great for both of those.

I only had the Touareg for about 15k miles (long story), but it was a fantastic vehicle. I got about 17mpg towing the e36 to Summit a few times, and I saw up to 32mpg unloaded on a highway trip to NC.
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  #15  
Old 12-03-2020, 06:25 PM
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I felt the need to insert a plug for a large piece of US steel as a tow vehicle. I'm very happy with a 2015 Yukon XL for towing. 22 mpg highway without a trailer, never paid attention to mpg with a trailer. Downside is it is sometimes too tall for parking garages and difficult to maneuver in small parking spaces. I'm towing a class G 993 with a late 90's Trailex. Total weight for that combination is less than 4000 lbs and doesn't tax the Yukon uphills or on braking.

I used to tow it with a Lexus RX 450h. Despite 270 HP, the predominantly FWD bias of the Lexus RX never made for a pleasant towing experience.
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  #16  
Old 12-04-2020, 09:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jhsmith View Post
I felt the need to insert a plug for a large piece of US steel as a tow vehicle.
and another - i (used to ) tow with our 2017 yukon denali. tows like a dream, even with a steel trailer over the hills and thru the woods to WG. as long as tongue weight is right, ya got no probs with that beast.
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  #17  
Old 12-04-2020, 10:22 AM
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Maybe I was just lucky, 350K miles out of my now deceased 98 Durango pulled heavu steel trailer (now stolen) to Mt. Tremblant and Mosport 3 times, Mid Ohio at least 15 to 20 times, WG, same on the old mountain roads, VIR maybe 10 times and literally several hundred to SP. I did not baby on the hills either, never had a major problem with it till it burst the brake lines and several other needed repairs had to junk it. It had the smaller of the 2 V8s available I think 4.7? I know others had problems with them.
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  #18  
Old 12-05-2020, 03:48 PM
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Another +1 for the Prodigy wireless brake controller if you buy a tow vehicle that is not pre-wired for a brake controller. Most American Iron already has the wiring installed and a brake controller install is easy if you buy the proper adapter plug. But the Audi SQ5 is not wired for a brake controller so it was either do all this myself or spend a couple extra dollars for the wireless controller. It was a no brainer to buy the wireless unit. I installed the trailer hitch on our SQ5 myself with the the factory hitch and brake light controller. The Prodigy unit works great and is adjustable and easy to install.

https://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-9025.../dp/B001P0ZA86
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  #19  
Old 12-10-2020, 01:41 PM
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Thanks, all! My car is 73" wide so I'm looking for a trailer wider than the 7541.

Ideally an 8045 with a tire rack. But they seem like unicorns. If you spot one, please hit me up! Thanks.

+1 on the wireless brake controller.

The tow vehicle also has to be a daily driver and I work in DC. So that limits the size of my feasible options. Trust me, you want me in the smallest hauler that will work.
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  #20  
Old 12-10-2020, 04:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbert View Post
Thanks, all! My car is 73" wide so I'm looking for a trailer wider than the 7541.

Ideally an 8045 with a tire rack. But they seem like unicorns. If you spot one, please hit me up! Thanks.

+1 on the wireless brake controller.

The tow vehicle also has to be a daily driver and I work in DC. So that limits the size of my feasible options. Trust me, you want me in the smallest hauler that will work.
The Cayenne/Touareg/Q7 is your droid (less so for the Q7 because of the extra length). Turning radius is respectable, not too big to point and shoot in traffic, not too tall for parking decks, and a human can parallel park one with minimal pain and suffering. If my wife didn't hate diesel SUVs with such a passion, I'd still have mine even though I no longer have a trailer. I quite prefer the Touareg over the F31 BMW wagon I have now. However, marital bliss and all.
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