Trailer?

Alright so I going to be doing a move across country and living in the midwest for three years then back to the west coast. that being said i have come to the conclusion i might as well buy an enclosed trailer the ram can tow and load it up with stuff when I move. I have little to no experience in selecting a trailer and what to look for. So some questions are listed below.

1. How big do you guys think i can go? mind you i will be going over the rockets so i don't want to be super heavy. so far leaning towards a 14 footer.

2. single or double axel? obviously the double can handle more of a load, but do I really need it considering i intend to fill my trailer with the light weight stuff from the house and let the military move the heavy crap.

3. Barn door or ramp door? I have a motorcycle, but its not a trailer queen.
barn door pro- needs less room to open the door.
ramp door pro- built in ramp....

Also any other advice on what to look for/get in a trailer would be greatly appreciated.

Anything under 8,000 pounds or so with your truck (assuming 3.73 gears) would be ok for the occasional pull like you're talking. 14' would be a great size in my opinion. Tandem axles would be a safer bet, but not necessarily a must with the weight you are looking. I would get the extra axle if the budget allows for safety sake and resale if it ever comes to that...

As far as the door goes, I would much rather have the ramp door due to the built in ramp. This will help load the bike, a riding mower or even the use of a two wheeled dolley while moving...

A longer trip like you are talking I would definitely look into a weight distribution hitch as well. When you hook up to a trailer the tongue weight is far enough behind the rear axle it actually uses the rear axle as a pivot point and lifts weight off the front end, creating a light steering sensation... A weight distribution hitch will distribute that weight from the tongue of the trailer back to the front of the truck. This will help with steering and can also improve your ride.

Here is a link to the hitch that i used to use and really liked it.
Fastway E2, 10,000 lbs Round Bar Hitch - RVWholesalers.com RV Parts and Accessories

Try to get one 7 foot wide if you don't have tow mirrors.

+1 on the ramp. If you don't mind having the wheel wells inside the cargo area then you can go 8 ft wide instead of 7ft (you can always wiggle it a little if you need to see what's behind you lol). If you think you'll ever want to haul your bike then look for a good tie down system, the trailer we got last year only has two tie downs in the back which I think is inadequate. One or two lights on the inside are nice and if you load the light stuff in front and heavier stuff over the axles that will also help your tongue wt.

A lot of has to do with 2 factors 1 your truck 2 how much are you trying to haul weight wise. I just looked up haulmarks web page they have a nice enclosed that's 7' wide 16'9" inside tandem with a gross trailer weight of 7k. Empty weight is 2390 that leaves you 4610lbs worth of cargo. If your a half ton running through the Rockies I would try to keep your weight below 6 you would have to look up what your truck is rated for. With 6k behind you, you should be good. The weight difference between the trailers is minimal so get the bigger one the 14'9 is 2230 and the 12'9 is 2070. The bigger trailer will be more useful later. And I would go tandem it will pull a lot better and get the ramp.

I will add you will want a brake controller if you don't have one. You get even 3k pushing you down the mountain will make your brakes very hot.

Thanks for the help guys. Truck has 3.92 rear end so it sounds like it should handle a 14 foot trailer just fine. Valid point about the dual axle in regards to safety/peace of mind. Also thanks for the input on the hitch.

Ok so brake controller.... How does it work, is it difficult to install, and how much do they usually run?

thanks again guys this all helps out immensely

Below is a link to one i found. Only a 12 footer, but i really like the set up of it. And i think I can get buy with a 12 footer. tell me what you guys think
CUSTOM Enclosed Trailer

This will have a lot of good information in regards to brake controller for your truck Installation of Brake Controller on 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 With Factory 4-Way | etrailer.com I'm not familiar with the brake controllers for the 07 I know the 4th gen has a oem that can be installed in the dash.

I'll drop my $.02.

As others have said. Really depends on how much weight you need to carry. Typically, mahood, states you will ALWAYS load more into the trailer than you think you will. It's like ammo, gun safes, horse power, etc. we always wish we bought bigger or better.than what we got Anyways, with your situation I would look at a 14-16' trailer. Most of these will probably be dual axle. The only proble, with dual axle,is that once the trailer is at your new location they are a giant PITA to have to move around your driveway by hand. Meaning, wheeled jackstand down and wanting to move it about when not hitched to a truck. Single axle trailers are a breeze to push around easily. One think I would look at is getting a trailer with a side door already installed. It make getting into the trailer so much easier than having to unlatch the rear ramp gate. With the side door it also make the trailer more usable for sleeping inside it if you wanted to go camping, etc. electric trailer brakes are a must. I like to have the ability to mount a small triangle trailer tonge storage box on the front outside of the box. One of the biggest things I will recommend is to make sure the interior walls are linked with either thick enough plywood or more than enough horizontal wood furring type strips to mount hooks and strap anchors to secure ratchet straps to.

Not sure Where in CA you are leaving from or where in the Midwest you are going but if you live anywhere South of Bakersfield I would absolutely take I-40 east and forget going through the Rockies while towing a trailer. Hope any of this helps.