Trailers with Drive-Over Fenders

A typical car hauler does not serve the hard-core 4×4’s and wide stance vehicles very well.  Certainly removable fenders help, but we can go one step farther.  Drive-Over Fender Trailers are a game changer for loading and transporting wide stance vehicles.  So, by request, we now offer these trailer plans.

Almost immediately after publishing the article introducing our new Car Hauler Trailer Plans, we were hit with questions about drive-over fender trailers.  Do we have them?  When will we have the plans?  Well, we deserve the questions, because we spoke about them in the other article, but did not give any further info.  So, here it is.

Yes, it is on the list for a while.  We have a road map of several trailers that will eventually fill many needs for transporting vehicles and equipment.  We offer 2 trailers in the “A” box including a 20′ 10,400 lb Car Hauler. and a slightly smaller, stouter 18.5′ 12,000 lb Hauler.  Since then – this article now introduces our newest trailer plans that fit squarely in the “C” box.

What are Drive-Over Fender Trailers?

As the name implies, Drive-Over Fenders are stout fenders that you simply drive over as you load a vehicle.  If the vehicle is too wide to fit between the fenders, simply drive up over the fenders.  These trailers fill a need for wide stance vehicles like hard-core 4×4’s, vehicles with dual wheels, buggies, and more.

Most cars and trucks fit within the typical 6′ 10″ width of a typical car hauling trailer.  (That is the typical width between the fenders.)  This is also true of most tractors, skid loaders, and other typical equipment.  So, the typical car hauler will do the job for most of these vehicles.  But, what about vehicles that do not fit between the fenders?

Watch this YouTube video, A Tale of Two Wreckers, for a great example of loading with drive-over fender trailers.  Fast forward and watch from 6:51 to 8:22.  At 7:27 you will see the front wheels go between the fenders.  At 7:55 it shows the rear wheels going up over the fenders.  It is a good example of how and why this drive-over fender style is valuable.

There are typically 2 options for the wider vehicles.  First, a deck-over trailer design like the trailers on this deck-over category page.  The second option is a car hauler with accomodations for the wide vehicles like the drive-over fender trailers.  A third option, though much less common, is the split track.  All 3 possibilities have their advantages.

Here is some good introduction with some background info about each of these options.

Deck-Over Trailers

Certainly Deck-Over trailers are a nice solution because the deck of the trailer is flat and supportive all across.  That make it easy for whatever vehicle or load you will carry.  We see these a lot for skid loaders, small tractors, as well as other equipment, even sometimes for multiple UTV’s or 4×4’s.

We do not see them as often used for cars, because the deck is high (over the wheels).  Deck height is one negative of the Deck-Over trailers, which usually means long or steep ramps.  Some vehicles cannot make the transition up and over the steep-ish ramps.  Also, the higher deck gives a higher center of gravity when rolling down the highway.

Along with the flat bed, Deck-Over trailers are popular because they can be long, at high capacity.  The deck is high, so there is room for strong supporting structure (main beams and such) without compromising the purpose.  Taller, stronger beams fit nicely for length at high capacity.  An example is our Truss Trailer, which is a long, light, Deck-Over trailer.

If you need Plans for Deck-Over trailers, we have them.

Split Track Trailers

These are not too common for non-industrial applications.  We see them frequently for over-the-road trucks like for carrying the huge farming equipment, large bulldozers, and the like.  These trailer decks have an open area where the wheel is exposed instead of a fender or deck-over.  When loading, the vehicle just drives over the exposed tires.  This works well for track vehicles (like a bulldozer).

These trailers have a slightly lower deck than the deck-overs, but they do have exposed tires.  That works well when the wheels of the trailer are at the back (like with a semi-truck), but it can conflict with wheel placement when the trailer wheels are under the tracks or wheels of the vehicle being carried.

These work well for many applications, but bigger, typically.

Car Haulers as Drive-Over Fender Trailers

The concept of drive-over fender trailers offers a lower center of gravity for the system, and a lower entry onto the deck.  Yes, in the end, the tops of the fenders are roughly the same height as a deck-over trailer, but the main vehicle platform is not.

Then, to support the wider vehicles, the trailer deck also extends out around the wheels (in front and behind), so the entire deck is wider.  This means for loading, the ramps go only up to the deck, so they have a lower rise, and a shallower angle (than with a deck-over trailer).

One negative to the drive-over fender trailers is for many vehicles, only a portion of the tire goes onto the fender.  That means it drives on the edge of the fender, which can be hard on the tire.  (They should shift it over so one tire is up, and the other down, but application is another story.)  Most 4×4 tires handle this just fine since the tires are tough and the vehicles are not super heavy.  That might be a little different for a dually truck, or a wide tracked vehicle.

If you are in the market for this style of trailer, it certainly serves an important purpose.  This is the style you (our customers) have requested, so plans for Drive-Over fender trailers are now available.

Trailer Plans Are Available

Plans are now available in the Car & Equipment Hauler Trailers category of the plans store.  Also, here are some direct links to the plans for drive-over fender trailers for hauling cars, or drivable equipment.  (The wide body car hauler trailers – as we like to say.)

• 18.5′, 12,000 lb. Drive-Over Fenders, Vehicle Transport Trailer Plans  (Has Lowest Deck, using drop axles).
• 18.5′, 12,000 lb. Drive-Over Fenders, Vehicle Transport Trailer Plans  (Mid Height Deck, for more ground clearance using straight axles).

These are very similar trailers, one with 4″ drop axles, and one with straight axles.  However, they are different plans because the parts to support the fenders are different – because the deck height is different.  The tops of the drive-over fenders are the same for both trailers, but the straight axles make the deck of the one higher, therefore the “hump” over the fenders is less.

Also, both of these plans have the option for 10,400 lb. capacity which offers a 2″ lower deck height.  Check out all the other options in the plans too.

The straight axles (Mid Deck) also offers 4″ more ground clearance for off-the-road access, yet the deck is still several inches lower than a Deck-Over trailer.

Both of the above Drive-Over Fender Trailers are great, stable and strong.  Both come with similar options for deck styles, tie-down locations, etc..  The geometry for the fenders is the big difference.  And, all of that information you need is in the CAD files that come with the plans download.

If you have a need for transporting a wide stance vehicle, then we have plans.  Both drive-over fender trailers will make loading easier for your wide stance 4×4’s or other wide vehicles.  We now have the Drive-Over Fender Trailers plans – available for you.

What Makes Our Trailer Plans Better?

Of course, fenders you can drive on are not new.  There are many trailers you can buy with this feature.  So, why are we introducing these plans?  There are 4 big reasons our trailer plans are the best.

1. DIY.  While trailers with the drive-over feature are available to buy, good plans to build them are not.  Now they are.
2. Strength.  In seriously studying car and equipment hauling trailers, we found that most are on the edge of what we consider acceptable.  Many are scary if you use them at the stated limits.  Read the article to see what we mean.  We do not want that for you, so we are offering a design that will do what it says.
3. Plans at Mechanical Elements are created by the Engineer, and they all receive the full engineering analysis before we offer them to you.  We know they are right, because we have been engineering trailers for 30 years.  Check out our history.
4. You Asked For It.  We are here to serve you and help you achieve your goals.  If that includes making the plans for drive-over fender trailers, then we are OK with that.  Let us know what you need.

There are many reasons for why our trailer plans are better.  Things like being the most complete available: we include far more options for you to customize with, engineering information so you can make choices, more pages, more views, and better detail.

Then, the simple things like including both the drawings and separate instructions, and extras like CNC files if the plans need them.  We include a bunch of tips about how do build, and what areas you can change (and where you should not).  It is not by accident that we provide the best.  We certainly put a lot more into making our plans great for you.

There really is not a good comparison with other trailer plans – and that includes plans for the drive-over fender trailers.  More info, more detail, more tips, more options, more complete . . . that is how we roll.

Good Luck with all your Vehicle Transport Adventures!