Back to Stacker Car Trailers

Stacker trailers are the most complex trailers to design and build. You definitely want a skilled dealer and a fully capable manufacturer behind you when considering stackers. Here are some of the major considerations when purchasing a stacker trailer:

1. Type of trailer. Stackers can either be built utilizing a tag trailer (bumper pull) or a gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailer.
   
   
2. Type of lift. The most common is an automotive drive-on style lift that is placed inside the trailer. The car is driven into the trailer via the trailer rear ramp door. When the lift is raised the car either stays on the lift or in some cases it can moved forward onto a loft and secured for transporting. The second lift style uses a lift gate that drops to the ground and raises either to the main trailer floor or to a loft area for transporting. This type of lift is much more complex and costly.
   
   Both types of lift systems require a trailer to be engineered to handle the critical points of inertia, leverage, and weight distribution.
   
   
3. Tow vehicle. Tag stacker trailers are normally towed with a motor coach, toter home or a super duty dually pickup truck. Gooseneck stacker trailers are usually pulled by a minimum super duty dually pickup, mini-semi truck, a commercial duty semi truck or a specially designed toter coach.
   
   
4. Vehicle specs. The type of cars, trucks, motorcycles, golf carts, sand rails, stock cars, and drag racers all have specific needs. Critical dimensions are required for width, length, height, ground clearances, and wheel bases.
   
   
5. Features. The two choices for frames are aluminum or steel. Exterior considerations could include matching the motor-coach height or color schemes; wedge nose or flat front designs; wheels, brakes and suspensions, and observation decks. Interior options are abundant, like finished walls, floor coverings, drive-on or storage lofts, 110 volt packages, workshops, entertainment centers, and cabinets, etc.
   
   
6. Manufacturer. There are a select few companies with professional engineers on staff, capable of designing sophisticated trailers such as stackers. There are also just a few companies capable of building durable stackers to do the job. Currently we have found ATC (The Aluminum Trailer Company) for aluminum frames. ATC specializes in building custom aluminum car, stacker, gooseneck, and luxury toy hauler trailers Every aluminum trailer built is completely engineered per customer applications and drawn with high tech engineering programs Every ATC customer will receive CAD drawings of their trailer showing the location of everything, down to the very inch. This will ensure your vehicles will fit & load properly, there will be room to walk under lifts and lofts, and that the features you ordered are in the right locations.
   
   Furthermore, ATC will not build a trailer unless all engineering tests are passed Third-party testing facilities have tested the ATC all aluminum tube frames and were astounded with the results Some of the tests involve strain gauge testing, moments of inertia, flex points, and breaking points One thing you can be sure of is that the ATC frame is built to last
   
   For steel frame stacker car trailers, we have found Pace American as an excellent choice. Pace American has a strong record of providing quality race car trailers including stackers. Their time in the industry, their research and development activities, and their understanding of the race car market gives them the edge on building durable steel framed stacker trailers.
   
   
7. The Dealer. Advantage Trailer, as the largest dealer for ATC, has trained and experienced trailer designers on staff able to help plan your stacker car trailer. We understand the complexity and exactness that is required to build a safe, functional, and great looking trailer that will serve your needs.