J
It is a crew cab, but a short box.
Anyone pulling a 28' Mirage Xtreme Sport with a 1/2 Ton??
- Thread starter Joes271
- Start date
M
I've had a Mirage 28' v-nose with the Highmark package for 10 years and other than some maintenance repairs it has been fine. I too, would like to know if other owners like another brand better. Mine has a steel frame which some have complained about because of rust, but the rust on mine is only cosmetic without structural issues. I like the heavier steel frame (aluminum is susceptible to corrosion too) as it keeps the weight/center of gravity down low. I have towed mine in heavy mountain cross-winds/blizzards and it pulls great.
J
Thank you for the feedback! Have you ever towed it with a 1/2 ton? If so, how did it do?
Years ago Mirage developed a really bad name because of a batch of horrible axles they received.
they have worked hard to overcome that for quite some time now.
I have had 5 Mirage trailers over the years and never had any really serious issues with any of them.
M
I've never towed my 28' Mirage with a half-ton; I believe current gas motors would be capable, but not like my diesel. My tow rigs have all been Ram 3500's, 4-door, 8' long beds with ~2,000 lb payload in the bed for a gross weight near 10,000 lbs. The truck weight, diesel motor, heavier suspension & longer wheelbase all add up to a solid/safe combination for towing (and stopping) here in the mountain west., especially in the wind.
I pulled a 8.5’ wide steel frame 24’ plus V Wells Cargo with a halfton for several years. It’s only 3 hours to the mountain for me. 2017 Crew Cab 6.5’ box 5.3 with the 6 speed. And air bags. I would never pull it without the air bags. Top speed was generally 65-70 wrapped out in 4th gear. Climbing the pass out of Laramie I could maintain 45 but it was working it’s butt off. If someone got in my way and I had to slow down it was 30mph to the top. I now have a Duramax. Way more solid. You can take the pass in whatever gear you want with the torque. I will never go back to this trailer and a halfton.
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This was my experience with my mirage trailer. Keep in mind it gets washed every trip, stored under cover during off season. I keep my stuff super clean, etc. it was a 2008, bought it new in sept of 08.
i Did have the axle problems, I had all axle hangers re-fabricated, all broke.
the front door about fell off, the hinges were super thin, and material supporting was also thin.
the electrolysis was ridiculous on that trailer, that’s why you see those trailers with about a ft of diamond plating around the whole bottom of the trailer to try and cover up the electrolysis.
if I was parked off camber at all, I couldn’t get back door shut because of all the flex in the trailer.
when I look at the new trailers, I see the same quality issues that I dealt with, that’s why I wouldn’t personally buy another. might be a good short time purchase if you buy new, keep it for a couple of years and sell it.
just my 2 cents. Good luck in your trailer search.
i did have friends tow with half ton pickups, it’s doable, the trucks just gonna be working hard at times.
You may want to do some research on these two. I’ve been reading online that bags and wd hitches counteract with each and make matters worse. wd hitches are made to be used without bags. I’ve seen videos that show the wd hitches working better by placing more weight on the trucks front axle compared to bags, but the tests could be leveraged by wd hitch manufacturers.
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If I was going to pull with a 1/2 ton I would use a 7 wide. I have a 7x25 look. I can get 4 in it, but if I was planning on 4 all the time I would have got it at least 2 and maybe 4 foot longer. Bought it to pull behind a 1/2 ton. They are lower decked so less effects from a cross wind and less wind resistance. I now have a 1 ton, but still love the way a 7 wide pulls.
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Bought a trailer a couple years ago, when I was shopping, from looks alone mirage was bottom of the list for fit and finish and quality of materials in my eyes. If you are after a cheap trailer and it is a good deal then it may be good for you.
There was also much better deals in the Midwest. Trailer prices are high here.
There was also much better deals in the Midwest. Trailer prices are high here.
B
Weigh distribution hitches and air bags work good together no different than a stiffer suspension but you must take the time to adjust your hitch to your ride height and run at the same pressure in your bags every tow
That weight distribution hitch is a bad set up for winter conditions . That trailer will do what ever it wants to a pickup on ice . Think about it , your locked in . Pulled up on a diesel with that set up laying inline with the trailer on it's side , sleds inside didn't look so good either . Warned the neighbor about using it one time too , he left on a goat hunt and when I seen him pulling back in I noticed he removed it , always wanted to ask but he salivates when you talk about hunting .
If the first instinct when something brakes loose and you find your foot on the brake this set up is not advised in my book , personally I want to be the one that can rag doll the trailer when there is no other choice for the safety all around .
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I’ve pulled a 24’ (24’ foot box with 7’ nose) Featherlite all over the West with a 1/2 ton Tundra. I put a 46 gal gas tank in it and air bags and it handled it just fine. Featherlites aren’t feather light either. They are very well built all aluminum but they are the same weight as a steel trailer. That trailer was insulated, had lots of cabinets, heat, a fueling system and weighed about 5500lbs full of fuel. With four sleds and gear it was over 8000lbs. I never felt under trucked. Keeping your truck level is key, if the nose gets light you are screwed so I would just run the air bags up to about 90lbs to level it out. I also had a good brake controller and adjusted it so the trailer was pulling on the truck not pushing when I was medium to hard on the brakes. I drive fast all the time bare roads or ice and snow and never felt like that trailer was too much. Gas mileage sucked but that truck was my daily and I am not a diesel fan. At most I towed 10,000 miles a year, more like 5-6000 but I drive a lot of miles and I really like how the 1/2 ton trucks drive over a heavier diesel. Those Featherlites are really well designed, they tow nice, they are easy to back up, the doors line up great and work well. I had it for about 8 years and never regretted spending the cash on it. Tundra is still going strong with 275,000 miles. FWIW. I also owned a 2006 Mirage and it was a bare bones steel trailer, it worked ok, was cheap to buy used and I sold it for almost the same amount I bought it for.
J
Figured I would share an update... I did pick up the trailer in CO and towed it back to Wisconsin with zero issues. I did add the Timbrens to my truck and made sure everything was level. I also purchased a good adjustable hitch with a built in tongue weight scale. The only time I was getting moved around was in a very hard crosswind or when a semi would pass me or vice versa. Either way, with some common sense and being set up correctly I would have no issues towing this thing all around. Trailer pulls like a dream compared to some other even half length trailers I have pulled.
My rule of thumb has always been "Never pull a trailer that is heavier than the vehicle pulling it" No matter what the spec says it can pull.
What’s the tongue weight? I have an older 24’ mirage and tow it with a 2500 Ram Diesel with air bags. 17,000 lb trailer tow rating but the trailer tongue weight is very heavy. No way would I feel comfortable with a 1/2 ton. But maybe the newer ones are lighter on the tongue?
I've got several miles with my travel trailer and 1/2 ton Tundra with bags and a WD hitch....it's no problem at all. That said, not sure the WD hitch in the winter is the right setup. It really depends if you're talking about high-speed interstate stuff, or twisty mountain roads. As Matte said...getting the whole truck/trailer situation level is the key to good handling. Bags let you do that.
Never had one issue and I live in WINDY Wyoming. To be honest, there's been times I've been glad I've had a WD headed to Laramie with my deckover.
Also when my vehicles break loose, I'm never on the brake peddle until it gets really bad. I let off on the gas peddle and counter steer appropriately.
There could of been a ton of driver error in you example.
Your probably correct about driver error and you do have a lot better roads than we do . They call our two lanes highways , and the infamous two lane Denali highway is 135 miles of gravel closed in the winter . Guard rails on switch back ? What's that 
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