# V-nosed trailer vs regular enclosed trailers....advantages and disadvantages?



## mehtwo

I'm planning on building my tool trailer from scratch. After talking to Cole82 the other day, v-nose is a consideration. Does anyone else out there have advantages and disadvantages for either?

Mike


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## woodchuck2

I opted for the V-nose as the trailer is actually longer. A flat nose 14' trailer will be from the nose to the tail, a V-nose 14' trailer will be from where the nose begins to narrow in to the tail so you have the length of the nose for extra space. I built shelves in the V of my trailer. I have also found that the V is nice as i can drop my tailgate and still drive around without crushing the gate or nose of the trailer. As far as wind resistance, i cannot tell the difference.


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## mehtwo

I also considered the "v" to be a good place to store an inverter and batteries. Is the "v" more on the tongue than a regular flat-front trailer?


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## Cole82

With this truck I could tell the v-nose was easier to pull than the square nose trailer it replaced. That only had the small 4.6l though. 










With the diesel it doesn't matter it pulls anything.

Can kind of see my vnose in this.


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## katoman

If the 14' V nose is longer than the 14' regular, then I could buy a 16' regular and still have roughly the same overall length. ???

One other thing I did when ordering my trailer was I deleted the side door. Never used it, and now I have more usable wall space. :thumbsup:


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## The Coastal Craftsman

There was a link on here before a while back showing pros and cons of both and it had a link to a site showing that v-nose makes zero difference to towing as the drag is caused by the rear of the trailer or something along them lines. If you do use the v area for storage you will have to watch how you load the trailer because you may go over the 10-15% ratings which causes the trailer to ride bad. ESP if you load the front up with things like batteries, compressor, generator ect ect

If you can find a way to make the v nose work well for layout then I would go for it as the extra space would be handy for sure. I would build a bench on one side that flows right into the v then make some alcoves so bits and pieces could be stored. Then use the other side of the v for storage bins.


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## clancrawford55

The V-nose is very nice on the highway, better mileage & just pulls nicer. My 10' V is actually 11-6 to the nose so I can slide the 10' brake in, handy. More important to me is independent torsion bar suspension, a whole better world than a straight axel. The trailer is always behind you, not swaying side to side.


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## mehtwo

BCConstruction said:


> If you can find a way to make the v nose work well for layout then I would go for it as the extra space would be handy for sure. I would build a bench on one side that flows right into the v then make some alcoves so bits and pieces could be stored. Then use the other side of the v for storage bins.


Great idea!:thumbup:


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## dougger222

I recall seeing a long debate on a Ford forum on this topic a couple years ago. Some say v tows better some say flat tows better.

One guy owned two exact same trailers one V the other flat. After thousands of miles his opinion was flat tows better than the V. His reasoning was wind at angles effecting the V were it wouldn't effect the flat.

I towed my father in laws 18ft V nose fish house and I'll tell you one thing it didn't tow as nice and I'd though for a "light weight fish house".

To be honest although I think a flat tows better than a V when I build my next wheeled house going to be very tempted to go V and use the front as a bathroom/closet.


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## csv

For recreational use a v-nose with front and rear ramp doors would be great but for work use I would much rather have flat of the same length. More usable imho


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## WildWill

I always thought that the V nose would be a great place for a tool chest with desktop for layout above that and cubbys for prints overhead.


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## woodchuck2

Here is a pic of mine when new and then a couple pics of the shelves in the V. Top shelf is the inverter and chargers, 4'level, some straight edges, some drill bits, sandpaper, assorted boxes of nails/screws, etc. Second shelf is tool boxes, drill bits, paints/cleaners. The bottom is the battery and many rolls of wire. Definitely nose heavy but handles great. The only issues can be the wind when behind or passing a big rig on the thruway at 75mph, then it gets a little loose and wanders.


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## mehtwo

woodchuck2 said:


> Here is a pic of mine when new and then a couple pics of the shelves in the V. Top shelf is the inverter and chargers, 4'level, some straight edges, some drill bits, sandpaper, assorted boxes of nails/screws, etc. Second shelf is tool boxes, drill bits, paints/cleaners. The bottom is the battery and many rolls of wire. Definitely nose heavy but handles great. The only issues can be the wind when behind or passing a big rig on the thruway at 75mph, then it gets a little loose and wanders.


This is a 14', right?


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## [email protected]

V-nose will help with gas mileage and technically, as stated above, will give you a little more room inside. The downside is that it is sometimes difficult as a contractor to make use of the extra space sine most people like to build shelves or a table at the head of the trailer. The v-nose makes it a little tricky to build a workbench or shelving, but it's nothing that can't be overcome with a little extra elbow grease. V-nose also will cost more initially but can pay for itself in the fuel savings over a period of time.


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## The Coastal Craftsman

[email protected] said:


> V-nose will help with gas mileage and technically, as stated above, will give you a little more room inside. The downside is that it is sometimes difficult as a contractor to make use of the extra space sine most people like to build shelves or a table at the head of the trailer. The v-nose makes it a little tricky to build a workbench or shelving, but it's nothing that can't be overcome with a little extra elbow grease. V-nose also will cost more initially but can pay for itself in the fuel savings over a period of time.


So do you own a v-nose as all the threads across numerous forums I see say the only people who say it saves you fuel is dealers. There's some sits online that have even tested if they are any better for mpg and they say it's make no difference as 95% of the drag comes from the rear of the trailer and the front of the trailer accounts for hardly any drag because of it being in the slipstream of the truck!


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## [email protected]

BCConstruction said:


> So do you own a v-nose as all the threads across numerous forums I see say the only people who say it saves you fuel is dealers. There's some sits online that have even tested if they are any better for mpg and they say it's make no difference as 95% of the drag comes from the rear of the trailer and the front of the trailer accounts for hardly any drag because of it being in the slipstream of the truck!


I am actually a trailer salesman. I browse the forums to help answer questions anyone has or chime in with my opinion. I do not own a v-nose but have hauled a both flat and v-nose trailers. Some people will never notice a a savings in fuel because they only travel a few miles here and there. You will notice the saving if you use it everyday and put a good amount of highway miles on it. The truck or tow vehicle will also make or break your savings as you have pointed out.

With all that said, personally, I would not buy a v-nose for the sole purpose of saving on fuel. It may help over the course of time but the only immediate benefit is the extra space without the overall length of the trailer increasing since the v-nose only takes up the empty space between the frame rails of the tongue.


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## C9CD

I personally am gonna go for the flat nose because it is easier to use the square space vs the triangular space. And I saw one flat nose trailer with a big short aluminum checkerplate box on the front which i think is a awesome idea for blocks or straps or recievers. And since I run a diesel the towing doesnt concern me too much
Quick Q tho about width of trailers. I seen a topic on here dealing with that once but cant find it even WITH the search button. Does anyone find it alot more of a pain to pull an 8.5 footer vs a 7 footer when it comes to the visuals? Im in the order of buying a trailer for construction but cant decide on extra room inside or ease of towing as I would be towing the trailer home each day in and out of fairly tight spots.


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## [email protected]

C9CD said:


> I personally am gonna go for the flat nose because it is easier to use the square space vs the triangular space. And I saw one flat nose trailer with a big short aluminum checkerplate box on the front which i think is a awesome idea for blocks or straps or recievers. And since I run a diesel the towing doesnt concern me too much
> Quick Q tho about width of trailers. I seen a topic on here dealing with that once but cant find it even WITH the search button. Does anyone find it alot more of a pain to pull an 8.5 footer vs a 7 footer when it comes to the visuals? Im in the order of buying a trailer for construction but cant decide on extra room inside or ease of towing as I would be towing the trailer home each day in and out of fairly tight spots.


7' and 8.5' widths will be roughly the same width overall because the 8.5' will have no fenders and the wheel wells will be tucked inside and under the trailer. Also, what length are you looking for?


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## C9CD

I understand that the overall width is the same. But looking in ur mirror that extra 6-12 inches of solid wall coming all the way up i imagine would block your visuals... I have been looking at 14 footers just to stay on the short side. But i did get a response from a dealer with a 7x12 with a vnose which is actually 14' to its longest point on the inside. and a torsion sprung rear door with NO CABLES. First time ive seen that. But than I think back to if I need to haul trim I should stick to a min 14 footer.


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## [email protected]

C9CD said:


> I understand that the overall width is the same. But looking in ur mirror that extra 6-12 inches of solid wall coming all the way up i imagine would block your visuals... I have been looking at 14 footers just to stay on the short side. But i did get a response from a dealer with a 7x12 with a vnose which is actually 14' to its longest point on the inside. and a torsion sprung rear door with NO CABLES. First time ive seen that. But than I think back to if I need to haul trim I should stick to a min 14 footer.



14' minimum would be correct. Visually, the 7' and 8.5' are solely up to you and your comfort level with towing. I do not see many contractors go with 8.5' width to be honest. 7x16' or 7x14' would be my choice if I were using it like you are. This judgement is based on the trailers I've sold to contractors and the ones I've seen traded in due to the size not working for them. Personally I feel that the 7x16' is most versatile. CarMate, one of our manufacturers, makes a very nice "Contractor" trailer that comes standard in 7x16' with ladder racks and some other features as well and our customers always seem to love that size and feature combination.

Also, 8.5x14 will most likely be a custom build for any manufacturer. 8.5x16' is a size that is more easily attainable.

Keep the questions coming!


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