Greenlight Hitch and Tow: the newest trailer updates

Sorry if I’ve been a bit tardy to the party, but I have finally compiled the newest trailers from the Hitch and Tow series in the past few years, and there’s been a lot of cool and interesting ones that come out along with increased weight that probably prompted demand for the one-ton dually trucks. Here’s the update on the latest six trailers and their associated trucks as of currently from the last review:

1969 Ford F-100 and Bale Wagon

The 1969 Ford F-100 has gotten a lot of use in the Greenlight line and this 1969 uses the Farm and Ranch special that comes with larger chrome mirrors and wood trim paneling to increase the height of the long bed, along with a cool two-tone green and cream paint and nice hubcaps with black inserts. Despite the nice details, there are a few problems with this Ford truck: The blue engine under the hood looks right but still looks like a square block with barely any details, the frame bends too easily during assembly causing the banana bent-look to the frame and affects the alignment of the cab and bed, and finally the rear axle is pushed too far out back; this was done for the Camper Special models that have this rear axle pushed farther back for better weight distribution, but used on any other trim model and it looks out-of-place. The bale wagon is a new addition to the family of farm tractors that Greenlight has released and that’s where it should be as it looks a bit large and awkward next to the Ford truck. The cage has all of the right details despite not having any opening parts or function worth noting, and the wheels are nice and thick with the only front-axle that swivels from left to right. Another problem encountered between the bale hauler and the Ford is the bent frame on the Ford causes the hitch on the trailer to pop off of the ball easily. Again, a better pairing should’ve been used here.

Rating: Ford= 3.5 out of 5 stars, Bale trailer= 1.5 out of 5 stars.

2016 Ford F-150 and Livestock Trailer

The one thing that I love about this set is the matching blue colors as the blue on the F-150 matches the horse trailer perfectly. The F-150 is a well-known truck to the line and you’ll see it a few more times later: the blue is monochromatic aside from the chrome front grille and sharp 6-spoke wheels, the handling is great though interior space could be roomier, and has lots of power for hauling with the 5.0L V8. The Livestock trailer has been around as a single vehicle before finally coming into the Hitch and Tow line. The thing that I like about the trailer is that it is metal on metal body construction with smooth corners and a rear gate that swings wide to the right instead of down like the horse trailer. Also unlike the horse trailer there is no divider bar to separate the two vertically, but there is a divider to separate the animals from the front storage section accessed by a side door even though that side door does not open. A great pairing with identical colors!

Rating: Ford: 4.8 out of 5 stars, Livestock Trailer: 3.5 out of 5 stars

2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 and Enclosed display car hauler

The next setup uses the same red and red color, but this time to the Chevy Silverado and a rather odd, but cool display trailer. The Silverado is also no stranger to the Hitch and Tow line, but adopts the new 2016 updated front-end with new headlights with LED signal lights and updated front bumper with vertical foglights. It looks like they just revised the grille and painted over the previous square headlights, but the metal body also got the new hood design for the 2016 model. Other than the blacked-out 6-spoke wheels this looks the same as the 2015 version, which is rather ordinary compared to the revolutionary Ram and Ford. The trailer is the same as the enclosed car carrier, but with a taller metal body that features panel windows on the sides so that everyone can see what’s inside; while not as popular today this was a common feature in the 1950’s and 1960’s to advertise new models at dealerships or to showcase that wild custom ride. The new trailer does have one advantage over the enclosed car hauler: the taller height means that the trailer can now accept larger trucks like the Ram 2500 Power Wagon, for instance! The added weight does mean it will tax the power on the trucks and would probably fare better with the dually trucks than the 1500 trucks, and while I’m at it the wheels on the trailer are a bit of a letdown.

Rating: Chevy: 4 out of 5 stars; Display car trailer: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Ram 2500 and Gooseneck trailer

Another area needing another advancement in size would be the flatbed trailer as now there’s a need to haul two vehicles or heavy machinery and this Gooseneck trailer comes into play with a heavy-duty Ram 2500 to also come into play. The Ram is one of my favorite models and the 2500 model just brings it up a notch more with taller ride height and Power Wagon models for more off-roading and an optional Cummins to haul the heavier loads. This slightly dark green or gray model has the Power Wagon look with the large wheels and tires, but this is a regular Laramie model with two-tone paint, chrome front crosshairs grille, and a tan interior with a detailed dashboard and seating for five. The extra lift is added by lowered black axles and the cargo area also adds the benefit of the RamBox storage system. With a Cummins turbodiesel I-6 it has the power to move heavy loads like whatever can fit on the gooseneck trailer with a fifth wheel hitch located in the bed. The gooseneck is narrower, but longer than other flatbed trailers and this allows the capacity to fit two vehicles or one large vehicle depending on size and length. The gooseneck hovers over the bed of the truck and allows tight turns without hitting the corners of the truck, but the adjustable neck does not stand up on its own stands when the trailer is not in tow. The rear ramps are individual units that do not work as smooth as the longer ramps and the ramps have a steeper ramp though some of that is taken up by the slight dip of the rear section of the trailer. Configured just right this gooseneck trailer will make a great display piece.

Rating: Ram: 5 out of 5 stars, Gooseneck trailer: 4 out of 5 stars

2016 Ford F-150 and Utility Dump Bed trailer

Yet again the Ford F-150 makes another appearance, but this time it uses a darker blue paint called Blue Jeans to reflect the color of blue jeans and adds a brown lower two-tone, but otherwise looks just the same as the blue F-150 with Livestock Trailer. The trailer, on the other hand, is worth mentioning here as it is the most versatile trailer unit in this line so far. What you see is a white dump bed with a spare tire on one side and full metal construction, but the added weight is more than just metal when you get to see it in action. The bed can tilt back with a scissors arm that can lock in full tilt position, the rear gate opens up dutch panel design for easier loading and unloading, and the trailer even comes with two ramps that ease loading machinery into the bed and when not in use cleverly tucks under the bed. Want more room? No problem as the bed comes with a wall extension to increase the amount of volume in the dump bed, and as you can see in a few of the pictures this bed will fit in a 1:64 scale car that is narrow enough to fit in the bed. This is one clever trailer and has lots of useful and unique functions!

Rating: Ford: 4.8 out of 5 stars; Utility bed trailer: 5 out of 5 stars

2018 Dodge Durango SRT and Aerovault trailer

This last trailer setup is a bit of a mix-up as the Aerovault trailer originally came with a Ram 2500, but I wanted the new Durango casting so I took the Durango hooked up with the display trailer and switch places with the Ram to create this duo and to be honest these two make more sense together than without. New for 2018 is the Dodge Durango SUV that will have lots of uses from a stock SUV to a police SUV, and even this hot-rodded SRT model complete with a 6.4L HEMI V8 making 475 hp. Through an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. The chassis is shared with the Jeep Grand Cherokee offering independent four-wheel suspension and lots of room for seven inside with familiar controls with other Dodge models. Greenlight nailed the look on this model with the fierce blacked-out grille, hood scoop, and lower bumper with LED foglights up front, the taillight bar with dual exhaust out back, and those sleek blacked-out wheels. Despite the size and weight this was one fast and fun truck on the track with plenty of grip and barely any oversteer or understeer; one of the best handling SUV’s I’ve tested of this size range! Towing is not a problem and the Aerovault fits in perfectly with the Durango’s mission of speed. Designed by Peter Brock, the legendary race car driver wanted a trailer that look streamlined instead of boxy and when he couldn’t find a trailer close enough he created his own called Aerovault. What separates this from the other trailers is that the roof is lower and angled higher at the rear for an aerodynamic look that does not hamper cargo space inside, with a fin in the middle to aid in trailer stability. The lower body is metal to the upper plastic roof and combines with the aero-covered wheels for a smooth and streamlined look that looks good, if a bit controversial to some. The trailer is a bit long, but not as heavy as a few others with access by a rear door that comes down and inside is room to fit a car, and I mean a low-slung car as the low roof prevents taller vehicles like trucks or SUV’s to fit into the Aerovault and some taller and longer cars might have issues as well. Still this trailer looks like nothing else and blends in well with the Durango compared to the Ram offered originally with the trailer set.

Speaking of Durango Greenlight has also released a few more single releases like the SRT in black with red stripes and the police version. The latter has a flat hood with normal crosshatch grille that is blacked-out, stock front bumper, front push bumper and roof lights, yet it still shares the SRT’s wheels (in silver), dual rear exhaust, and six-passenger interior. The engine is likely to be the 5.7L HEMI V8 with 390 horsepower or the 3.6L DOHC V6 making 290 horsepower, both with 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. Despite the more civilized look the police version still has that fun-to-drive handling that I found in the SRT version.