doved trailer vs non doved?

dodgecrawler2011 · May 26, 2015

Plan to buy a 18 footer in the next couple weeks. 3500lb axles underneath it. Im debating if i want straight 18 foot or 16 foot with 2 foot dove. Ive always towed doved trailers. Besides being able to load a lower vehicle easier does a dove trailer pull better then a non doved. Bit of a dumb question i suppose.

TBItoy · May 26, 2015

I prefer a straight deck on a shorter trailer (under 20').

If you are ONLY going to use it for a car hauler, I'd probably get a dove. Kinda nice to just easily load the rig without putting the ramps down.

j-mox · May 26, 2015

Dove tail is nice for loading stuff but in a way you lose 2' of deck if you were to try to haul say, something on pallets.

Biggest problem I always ran into was the tail dragging out of parking lots or on uneven areas.

85toyo · May 26, 2015

My dove drags a lot. A bigger tire would probably help but I think my next trailer will be a flat deck.

xjmarc · May 26, 2015

I have a dove and it's great if I'm loading a car or non lifted vehicle. That being said it does drag from time to time. My next trailer will be a deck over just because even with 7' between the fenders I have to line up perfectly to fit between them.

al1tonyota · May 26, 2015

I've had both, like mentioned if your hauling anything low it can be tough to get the back of the trailer low enough to keep from hanging stuff. A dove is only 4-6" lower so if your not using ramps to load a 4x4 or tractor it doesn't make a ton of difference. No noticeable difference in how they pull.

highrolrcustoms · May 27, 2015

Another thing to consider is if you ever decide to sale. I think you will have better luck selling a dovetail trailer than a flat deck. the dovetail trailer will appeal to a larger audience.

gsell · May 27, 2015

I have used both types, If your loading crawlers or tractors either will work just fine, for the lower ground clearance loads I prefer the dove tail. I currently have an 18 ft trailer, 16 ft with the two foot dove tail and it is great for the crawler and for the occasional load of round bales of hay for the horses, as well as the occasional friend wanting to haul a car. I pull my neighbors 32 foot gooseneck dove tail trailer and it has always been a good fit as well if we are pulling a couple of the crawlers and a rzr. For what we do either one would satisfy my needs.

e4cutler · May 27, 2015

When I was looking I was dead set on getting a dove tail but got fed up with trying to find a good deal so I ended up getting a 20' flat deck. Jeep loads on it just fine with or without the ramps. I think resale on a dove tail might be a little easier but overall at this point I'm happy with the one I got.