Finding a Double Decker Trailer For Boat and Car (Guide)
When you can’t afford a toy hauler, go for the next best thing. A double-decker trailer that will hold your vehicle and other toys you want with you. These will be a lot cheaper, hold more weight and make sure your toys arrive safely with you.
The place to look for one of these top rigs is a new and used trailer outlet. There are plenty of these businesses around and you should be able to find one near you when you do a local search. Companies that deal in trailers should have this option in stock.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so your double-decker trailer search will be easier and quicker. Take a few minutes to see how this information puts you on the right path to a better holiday.
Double-Decker Trailer For Boat And Car
There are plenty of options around for you to choose from. The most common models will have open sides so you will not get any protection from debris or dirt on the road. These trailers are made with different weight capacities so you have to double-check to see which one will be strong enough to handle your boats and car.
The quickest way to get the one you need will be to have it built for you. Tell them what you want, how much weight it will have to hold, and other details and you should be able to have one made that will be perfect for your RV.
The price will depend on the materials, how complicated to build, and so on. Plus, you do not have to include your car. You can get combination trailers that will handle boats and jet skis, boats and dune buggies, and ones that will hold multiple canoes or kayaks.
You do have a lot of variety and options when it comes to trailers for boats and cars. The key to getting the right trailer will be how much total weight will there be. You have to factor in the weight of the trailer, the weight of the boat, and the weight of the car to make sure this set-up will work for your RV.
Car And Boat Trailer Double-Decker Options
The options are up to the trailer company that makes these kinds of towables. When you are shopping new, you will be limited to the design they prefer to sell. One company in Australia has a trailer that is large enough to hold a pickup truck with a jet ski in the bed, plus a boat on top of that and a motorcycle in front.
You are going to find that these companies will make all sizes of trailers and in different designs. Those designs may be too large or too small for what you need. The one mentioned above was shown being towed by an RV so it is possible to go large and still be able to tow all your tows at the same time.
Keep in mind that when you do your search for these trailers, the term double-decker may not be the best search term to use. There are a variety of trailers that are for commercial purposes that will pop up in your search results.
Also, the different companies define the words double-decker, stacker trailers, and 2-story trailers in different ways and you will be presented with a large number of trailers that will not meet your needs.
Some stacker trailers are the open-sided for boat and car models while others are enclosed and can be used for all sorts of toys and cargo. You may have to use the term combo trailer to get anywhere close to what you may be looking for.
These trailers are out there, it will just be a matter of time and patience to find those model options that will fit what you want to tow. This is why we said that a custom-built one may be the fastest and best way to go.
Built-Rite Double-Decker Stacker Trailer
This seems to be the best brand to buy when you are looking for a nice double-decker trailer. We only found a few on sale during one search and one model was 25 feet long, 8 1/2 feet wide and could hold up to 9000 pounds.
The photo showed the trailer holding a nice speed boat, SUV, and a Yamaha Gold Wing motorcycle. Or you could replace the motorcycle with a cargo box. The price was $10,000. Another one for sale had the same dimensions approx. but was on sale for $14,500
One model came with a hydraulic lift but no further details were given. The lift would make it very easy to load the boat and then your car. many double-decker trailers will only come with two sets of ramps. Of course, the top deck will have to be loaded first.
Storage for the ramps is usually at the front of the trailer for tongue weight purposes. If you are not sold on having a built Rite model, there are other brands that make trailers just as good.
A little shopping around will help you find the right model for your car and boat. Trailers should last a long time and older models are just as good as newer ones in this situation.
How To Load a Double-Decker Trailer
The top deck is loaded first which means that your boat or boats will have to be placed upstairs before loading your vehicle. When it comes time to load your boat, you will need to have it in line with the ramps.
Then you hook the winch to it and pull the boat up and into place by the winch. You should have the boat on a trailer to load it safely. The winch will be used to lower the boat back to the ground when you get to your camping spot.
To load the car, you will have 2 more ramps you can use and you simply drive it up and into place. Just do not drive too fast or you may overshoot your parking area. be careful when backing the vehicle out as you have to make sure you hit those ramps with your tires or you could go off the edge and cause some damage.
After you load your boat and car, make sure to strap them down securely. You will need tough and strong tie-downs to make sure neither vehicle goes anywhere while you are driving.
Double-Decker Trailer Specs
Since weight is king, you need to know how much the trailer weighs empty and how much weight it can hold. Then you need to check with your RV’s owner’s manual to see if the trailer and its load will meet the towing capacity of your RV.
One example is a 28-foot double-decker that weighed 4000 pounds. Its upper deck could hold 3,000 and the bottom deck could handle 5000. When you add those figures up, you are looking at towing 12,000 pounds.
If your RV is not rated for that much weight, then you need to look for another option. For those RV owners who own a Class A RV, you are in luck. Many of them are rated to tow up to 15,000 pounds (depending on the model, etc.).
A class C RV can tow up to 10,000 pounds approx. This means you have to look for a trailer that carries less weight or you need to downsize your boat and car. A class B RV tows even less weight. Its best rating seems to be 5000 pounds.
However, those are ideal towing ratings and most RVs will not tow anywhere close to those figures. When you are towing with a Class A or C RV, you have to worry about length. Not only are those RVs quite long, but you are also adding an additional 20 to 25 feet to the length.
If you are not comfortable with towing that long of a rig, then you should make other plans. Don’t forget, you have to have the right towing equipment to tow safely. That means you will need a brake controller and other devices to make sure the double-decker tows safely and remains within government regulations.
Some Final Words
While you should be able to find a new or used trailer outfit near you, there are a lot of different types of trailers in existence. Double-deckers are popular so you may not find one right away that will handle your boat and car.
Check out those customizing shops to see how much it will cost you to build your own. This is a good option to consider as that way you can get the design you want at the price you want to pay.
