HAS ANYBODY USED OR WORKED WITH ONE OF THESE TRAILERS BEFORE.I'AM LOOKING INTO PURCHASEING ONE OF THESE FOR HAULING CARS.LOOKS LIKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH.ANY COMMENTS WOULD BE HELPFULL.

 

What is a roll back trailer?

 

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Aren't those tilt bed trailers? So, Texas Rollbacks = tilt beds? I learned something today.

When I hear "roll back" I think of those hydraulic roll back beds you see on the back of the FL60's hauling DOA's back to the shop for some work.

 

The axles on these seem to be on runners.
You stop, set the trailer brakes, then back up the tow vehicle to slide the bed backwards over the axle to drop the rear of the trailer bed.
Load the bed, then pull the tow vehicle forward to bring the bed/axle back up to "travel position".

How it Works
Different than a standard Tilt Bed where the bed flips up when the load pulls forward of the pivot point.

Interesting idea.
Too many moving parts for me though.

 

Well that is close. A tilt bed pivot's for a fixed place, usually the balance is off just enough to cause the rear of the bed to pivit down. A roll back takes a more "Hy-Tech" aproach. They generally have a way to lock the wheels so they do not turn, and as you back-up, the trailer bed moves backward. This allows the bed to lower itself to the ground and with a small ramp, the aproach angle is very small. Generaly only people that need this shallow angle buy these type trailers. If you had a sports car, hot rod that was very low to the ground, then this might be for you. I kind of think it I had a nice car I would not want to haul it on an open trailer, to worried about damage and theft. While they offer some advantages, they also have there draw backs. Mainly cost, they are at least twice the rate of a non-rollback. And they limit what you can do with the trailer, some like to mount items under trailer, like air or fuel tanks, ect.

To the thread starter, the trailer should reflect what it is that you want to do. If you are just after a everyday car hauler, then it seems over kill. If you have a low car, you can also get a more normal open trailer with a bever tail. And if you have a nice custom car, I would lean toward the enclosed trailer. When I first started sand racing, I went with a nice open trailer, but soon learned that an enclosed was by far the way to go. I could not even stay in a motel for fear that someone would steal, or vandulize my car, which at the time cost me $55,000.00. I got an enclosed very quickly.

 

I used one a fifth wheel model a few years ago when we used to run an off-road race truck. It was awesome.
Unlock the trailer bogey, lock the trailer brakes, back the truck up, simple as that. The unit we had was able to adjust the wheelbase depending on your load. Exactly the same maintenace as a regular trailer other than keeping the rails clean for the bogeys to slide on.
Don't have it anymore, but if I was in the market for a new car trailer, I would not hesitate for a minute to get another one!

 

Rollback trailers look awesome, aside from the price.

 

Had one until it was totaled in a wreck and I upgraded to an enclosed. Worked good. Only problem came one day when I was trying to load a car and the trailer was wet from rain. The car couldn't get traction and wouldn't make it all the way up. Like others have said, If you are hauling a show car, then look at an enclosed. They aren't much more (especially used) and offer more protection.

 

I know this post is a bit of a blast from the past but...

I was looking into these trailers myself, except for looking at a hydraulic tilt bed.

I'd be looking for a 1 car hydraulic tilt in a gooseneck.

Anyone have any experience with H&H :
http://images.hhtrailer.com/content/sheatrailer.jpg

The trailer looks nice, BUT, I have an issue with how it works. It basically has a pivot point between the gooseneck and the rest of the trailer. It looks like this puts a lot of stress on the gooseneck ball. It also lifts the front trailer axle off the ground when loading, so you may be driving a 5000# vehicle onto tires that are rated for 3500# and basically mashing them flat. Not sure if it matters though because of course once you put the bed back down, both wheels will be on the ground.

Here's more

http://www.hhtrailer.com/05GooseneckEX.asp

 

how bout somthing like this http://www.take3trailers.com/Power%20Lift%205.htm if yer lookin to haul more then one car

 

You might want to look at a Demco aluminum tilt trailer. Light but very rugged, they are used by many rental places. You can look at my photos to see one and the truck on it is heavy!