I got my dively trailer (econotrailer) delivered sunday, exactly when they said they would. I haven't been able to do anything but briefly hook it up. Initial impressions are that it is simple, as expected, with a few things I believe could be a little better. I'm not wild about the way the ramps are held in, just a chain with a threaded link. The jack seems to be a little on the light side. For the money though, I am satisfied and general quality is good. I attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure:



















The only thing I have to work out yet is the lighting. It comes with LED lights which apparently is a problem on some German cars. They don't offer enough resistance and the car thinks there is a bulb out. I bought an inline adapter to offer more resistance, hopefully it fixes the problem.

 

LED lights doesn't seem to be an issue with my newer Touareg. The issue we have is the constant low voltage so a relay is needed to only give the brake controller voltage when you step on the brake and let the brake controller adjust the gain.


http://tm-techmark.com/touareg/PDFfi...%20Cayenne.pdf

 

i had to retighten the trailer wheel bearing after a full season last year. and regreased the bearings.

 

That should really be annual trailer maintenance for anyone. Especially if you put a few thousand miles on it every year..

 

Well, I have connected the brake controller to the factory plug but haven't really tested it yet. It does appear to be working fine,turning on and such. Is there a way to tell if I need the relay other than testing the trailer brakes?

This is what I had to buy for the lights, if anyone is interested:
https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Tow-Ready/20142.html
My guess is the new cars are capable of handling the LED lights, as they are more common place than in 2005.

 

Its been a while since I did mine but theres something about a constant low voltage that can cause brakes to drag. Some say they don't have any issues but I preferred to just follow the recommended method.

 

I have '08 V8 T2 and I had issue with LED lights for 3 days. Then on final day when I took the trailer back ( it was a rental ) lights started to work correctly.

 

Well I got my adapter last night (amazon prime rules) and the trailer lights are now working but I still have the warning light to check my trailer brakes. Good enough for now until I can spend more time with it.

Now its on to loading and strapping. I have some t-hooks. Anything I should know about straps?

 

the 450 had 4.30 gears and the 350 has 3.55. the 450 was a 2011 and it was rated at 390hp/800ftlbs and the new trucks are rated at 440/860. plus they have a cool engine brake that so far seems quite effective.

 

Figured I would give one last review of my towing set-up. So far I have towed the evo twice, one 2 hr trip and on 45 min trip. Both went well.

Trailer:
The econo-trailer has been quite good. The open center and t hooks make it easy to load and unload. I can load the car in about 15 minutes. The open center does make it difficult to haul anything else though, I hauled my friends shell (no wheels or anything) and it would have been nice to have a closed deck. My trailer is also the 15ft version, which is short. This makes it extremely maneuverable, especially with the small tow vehicle. I have already had to negotiate some pretty tight spots that would have been a problem with a long set-up. The problem with the shorter trailer is where it positions the car, it is pretty far forward. So much so, that I could never get a box or rack on the tongue, my splitter/front bumper protrudes to far. For this reason I wish I had gotten the 18ft version. Overall I'm an happy with the trailer.

Touareg:

My touareg is an 05 V8 with air suspension and it has to be one of the most unappreciated tow vehicles out there. The V8 has plenty of power, I towed up many Pennsylvania hills at this point. The air suspension is great, self leveling so the car positioning is not so critical and it rides great even with the trailer. Gas millage is not great 9-12 mpg, but that's the only downfall at this point. The small size makes it very maneuverable, but I wouldn't mind some extra cargo space. The car has impressed me enough that I am considering upgrading to a newer diesel version.

Here is a pic of the set-up:

 

I have the econo trailer 15' and don't have a problem with having a toll box on the tongue. I also have front splitter. I can also even get a pit bike in between the car and toll box. Just requires more planning when loading the car. I put a lot of heavy stuff in the tool box to keep weight balance, like jack, spare rotors, tools, ect. And don't put anything heavy in the back of the car. I used to put a set of wheels in the trunk, now I put them on driver and passenger seat. the evo is 60/40 weight split, so you dont really have to pull it up as far.

 

Hmm, I understand the front heavy car and was kind of surprised as well. It just didn't seem like there was any tongue weight. Ill have to take a closer look next time.

 

Here's the tire rack I just had built for my Econotrailer out of 1.5" x 1.5" square steel tubing. Found the design on another forum and drew it up in Google Sketchup to get the needed dimensions.

Debating on whether or not to spend $300 for powder coating...

 

^ looks very nice. just get a can of truck bed liner and roll it on. cheaper and more durable.

 

Ohhhh, that's a good idea. My old pick-up had Line-X for the bed liner and I loved it.

I'll be at Palmer at the end of the month if you want to take a look at it.