How Does A Cabela Trailer Affect My Truck?
A trailer is simply an unpowered automobile towed by another powered vehicle. It’s commonly used for the transportation of materials and goods. It can be pulled by any type of vehicle, most often cars, trucks, tractors or buses. Depending on the laws in your area, you may also be allowed to drive your trailer without an automobile on it. A trailer will vary significantly in size, length, weight and engines from very small, lightweight trailers, to very large utility trailers capable of hauling several vehicles at once.
Generally speaking, there are two types of trailers: a travel trailer and a camping trailer. A travel trailer is one that is purposely designed to be towed behind a vehicle. For example, if you want to bring camping equipment along instead of keeping it in your car, a fifth-wheel travel trailer may be the perfect solution. Travel trailers differ largely in engine capacity, weight, shape and size. Common fifth wheel trailers range in size from a few hundred kilograms to four tons; the larger trailers are often used on trucks, and carry goods as heavy as 5 metric tons.
When buying a fifth wheel travel trailer, it’s important to consider the maximum length that your vehicle will legally hitch to it. Most travel trailers fall between thirteen and sixteen feet in length. The maximum length is strictly for convenience; trailers intended to carry goods over short distances are usually only eight feet long. Check your state’s laws before making any purchase, since most states have limits on the maximum length of trailers. It’s also a good idea to get a freight broker or someone who knows the area to help you determine the maximum trailer length that your vehicle can legally hitch.
Overall length is important because a longer trailer will cost more to tow. Ideally, the trailer should be no more than six feet in length, but many manufacturers list a maximum trailer length of over 101 inches. As with overall length, the distance between the cab and the hitch is an important consideration in determining the trailer’s capacity. A six foot trailer would have a maximum load of seven thousand pounds, which is just over twenty-five tons. The cab and hitch can’t exceed a combined total of twenty-two hundred pounds, or fifty-two tons. Of course, it is possible for a tractor-trailer combination to surpass these guidelines, but they tend to be much smaller.
Cabelas makes three classifications of trailers. They are the lightest, medium, and heaviest trailer available. The lightest, or grade A, trailers are suitable for carrying persons one to four; the medium, or grade B, trailers are suitable for carrying persons up to ten; and the heaviest, or grade C, trailers are suitable for carrying persons as heavy as twenty-five to thirty-five tons. Most trailer parts and accessories are compatible with all types of Cabelas trailers.
Not all tractor trailer companies sell a trailer to each and every person that asks for one. Some will not sell to individual buyers, while others will sell to retailers or people who specialize in Towables. For the most part, however, the large majority of the truck tractor trailer company stock is sold to professional drivers, or to those who need one truck to tow many trailers. Cabelas tractor trailers are sold direct from the manufacturer, so you won’t have to pay a retailer to sell you one. As always, be sure to check the dimensions carefully when choosing a trailer to tow your vehicle. You may need to add an extra box or two, or move the bed of the vehicle to increase the overall length.