I am looking at a new car hauler and I like the way the rollback trailer design makes it easy to load lowered cars. I know that Texas Rollback is out of business so it makes me wonder if there were issues with the rollback design or implementation that caused the demise of the company. I have done some research on the design and it appears to me that the trailer deck is not held to the axle/wheel carriage very securely. Does anyone have one of these trailers and if so can you comment on how well it works for you and whether the trailer deck sits securely on the carraige?
Friend owns a rollback trailer, don't know who built it, but it is a factory built unit, definitely not home built. I borrowed it to go to FL to bring back an OT Z car another friend bought, about 500 miles each way, and pulled it with my '03 Silverado Duramax diesel. Took us about 12 hours total including fuel and food stops plus time to do the paperwork with seller. Loading and unloading was a snap and it pulled just as fast as you were willing to go with no wiggles. If you really need the brand name, I can call and get it. If this is the company you're referencing going out of business, price could have been a factor as I think it was an expensive purchase. Also the economy of the last few years has turned lots of good companies of all types tits up.
Check out Kaufmann trailers (manufactured near Charlotte, NC). They offer a rollback version in their extensive line of car trailers. I was at the factory with a buddy to pick up his new trailer and looked at the rollback version. It looked like a good design to load cars with low clearance. Jim
I just bought an H&H aluminum tilt trailer with the hydraulic tilt feature. I added an aluminum crossbed tool box with a Warn 8500# winch. Highly recommend that you order the remote controller for the hydraulic motor. Also recommend the wood deck. This is the best 20' car trailer I've ever owned.
I borrowed a Texas Rollback to haul my '56 Chevy and it loaded and towed perfectly. I would love to have one. On this one you pull a pin and then apply the trailer brakes as you slowly pull forward and the trailer tilts. Drive the car on, then get back in the tow vehicle and apply trailer brakes as you slowly backup and the trailer levels out. Replace the pin and strap the car down. I liked it because of no hydraulics or battery power to fail. I did'nt check out the undercarriage closely so I can't comment on construction.
I have a Sloan rollback trailer. Works and pulls great with one exception, if you are loading on wet ground. The tow vehicle needs good traction to slide the bed forward when loading.
I have the plans for a rollback trailer and I am considering building one using aluminum for the deck and steel for the axle carraige. I have noticed that one of the differences between the tilt and the rollback designs is that the tilt has a shorter "wheelbase" (ball to axle distance) to accomodate the bed angle when tilted. I am not sure if that really matters once a vehicle is loaded. All the specs I have read say that the tongue should have 10-15% of the unloaded trailer weight on it...with the axles closer to the ball I am thinking that this may be an issue.
I have a Texas Rollback and I really like it for lowered cars. The design of the axle cradle may not seem to be very secure to some people, but it does work well. It uses 2 spring loaded pull pins to secure the axles to the deck and the axles are designed into a cradle that uses sealed roller bearings to move it back and forth. With that being said, it does have its negatives. First and most importantly, It's axles are not very heavy and I try to limit it to a maximum of 4000 lbs hauling , so no big trucks. Second, there is no axle safety setup to keep the trolly setup in the frame and if it is not used properly the axle can derail. The only time I have seen this happen is when the tounge was too high and the guy didn't have the brakes hooked up on his truck. The last thing I will say stinks is the tool and strap/ chain storage boxes. They have no thought put into them to make them weatherproof, so up here in the PNW they are useless. It tows great and with the steel diamond plate deck and a winch I added, it is easy to load and unload parts or wrecked cars. The advantage of the axles moving to the front keep the tilt to a minimum and less steep of a deck than a conventional tilt trailer. In the end I'd buy another one if I was looking
This was the type of feedback that I was looking for...I am looking at the drawings and from what I can tell the only thing that holds the deck to the "trolley" is gravity. I see some "C" channel on the deck that provides a slot for the rollers on the trolley to ride in but nothing other than the spring-loaded pins to hold the deck to the trolley. hanginlow58 - can you measure the length of the channel on the underside of your deck for me? I am looking for the distance between the two stops...the one that is in the front that limits the travel of the deck when in the "loading" position and the one at the rear where the axle carriage locks when in the "towing" position. Thanks...
The Texas Rollback and a Sloan Rollback are basically the same design,,both started their manufacturing in Sherman Texas..there was a lawsuit at the time over the design..The Texas rollback was a vision of Harold Peeples..and the buiness was very sucessful until Harolds death..at which time his son took over and the usual happened...son was not as business minded as dad...as far as I know,Sloan is still making trailers in Howe,Texas..
I have used one a few times. It was ok. I have also used an Imperial wedge that I found to be much easier to load, didn't have to worry about the deck not sliding when the temp was cold or the tow vehicle spinning the wheels while trying to back the deck off. Also low car friendly and quite a bit lighter that the sliding deck. JMHO. Dave
I had never heard of an Imperial trailer before but I just looked at their website and they are really a nice looking trailer. Those self-storing ramps are tits.
I owned one of these trailers for years - loved it and it towed great behind my 1/2 ton Chevy p-up. Iv'e since sold it but if I ever wanted another trailer, this is the one I would get.
I have a Sloan Kwik-Load, my third, and I absolutely love them. The latest is a 10,000# capacity, 18 foot deck. My previousun its were 7000#, 18 ft deck. Dean Sloan, the owner, is fine gentleman to do business with. I contacted him directly and ordered this over the phone. They called about 6 weeks later when it was finished I went to the Sherman, TX area to pick it up. A previous poster mentioned damp/wet/slippery surfaces can be a problem. yes, that is true, but in 15 years of using my trailers, and I mean frequently, I have had very little problem in that regard. Knowing that can be a problem, I take measures to avoid it. Also, wheel chocks can go a long way to alleviate that. On several occasions I have towed heavy vehicles on long hauls, up to 1500 miles or so, at Interstate speeds and these trailers are as stable as you could ever want. I highly recommend the Sloan Kwik Load. Ray
I also have a Sloan Quick Load. Best trailer I've ever had. Pulls great at 50 or 75. Had this one about 10 yeas now. Great trailer.
A buddy of mine stopped by yesterday and we got to talkin trailers. He said why don't you take a look at the aluminum trailers at this place up in Ramona, they look good from the road. I thought, yeah I have heard that before. So I go up there today and saw one of the nicest aluminum trailers that I have ever seen. It is an Aluma tilt trailer and they had 2 18 footers on the lot, one was a 7K unit and the other a 10K. The decks on these trailers are made out of extruded aluminum...not diamond plate sheet. Wow they are rigid. The trailer place sells mostly horse trailers so the owner knew a lot about the livestock trailers as well. He said that the floor on this car trailer was the same floor used in the horse trailers. I have seen the kind of damage that a horse can do to a flimsy diamond plate floor so this has gotten me excited about this trailer. Time to sell off a project or two and get some cash together!
I'm set to buy a Sloan Kwikload trailer this weekend. Thanks for all the input and positive feedback. It will be my first personal car hauler.
I have a texas rollback and it works great. I will admit the rolling cradle with the axles was a worry and found out the hard way if it is not used as it was designed can be. I learned always plug the trailer into your tow vehicle and have the correct tongue height if you plan on tilting it. One time I got in a hurry and didn't follow those rules and the cradle launched out of the front of the trailer. I've never had a problem since that education.
JIM GLO did me right on mine. All aluminum ,tilt with an enclosed winch toolbox. Drive on loading. They are in Arizona. They go to Goodguys shows and deliverd it to me in FT Worth.
There was a company in Arkansas that was building a damned good trailer nottoolong ago. I wonder if they are still around. That would be an @arkiehotrods question as I don't even recall the name of the company but I'll bet he knows.
I have a 1993 18" steel rollback like you're talking about. It's a model 93D made by Peeples' Trailer Corp. Box 287, Whitewright Texas. 903-546-6215 Strangely enough on the title, the make is listed as EASY LOAD. I've owned probably 10 yrs or more. I got it cheap because the sliding/axel bogie was rusted out. I made a new one with ¼ angle. It has worked great for me. My only complaint really is that mine does not have the manual brake lock lever assembly. I have to use blocks behind the tires and hold the electric trailer brake to slide the trailer. The bogie/axels stays stationary while the trailer top slides back and down, or forward and up. Best trailer around for hauling lowered vehicles.
Dang, Billy your first post replies to a thread that died 8 years ago on July 14, 2016. Interesting trailer that you have though. An outfit still makes the airbag drop trailer but 17 K is out of the wheelhouse for a trailer that isn't going to make you money every day of the week for most of us. https://maxxdtrailers.com/drop-n-load-trailers/
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