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Posted: 3/3/2016 9:27:43 PM EDT
Another title change cuz we're coming up on the season and there's so much to learn!
 Pictures of anything you're hauling and how you strap it down would be awesome.
UPDATE: Trailer purchased early summer 2016. Now...the adventure continues with trailer management.  I grew up with tractors and wagons...which are a different kind of animal. I've pulled trailers--used a bunch of them in school and for work many years ago..but they were OTHER people's trailers, and I never paid them much attention beyond learning how to operate the tow mechanism and the little crank thingy that the tongue sits on when not in use. Now I'm faced with buying one for myself, and shocked to realize I know NOTHING much about trailers really. I'm looking at everything from the $600 mesh trailers I see on the lot at TSC, to heavier trailers I'm seeing on Craigslist. I don't need anything big. Just something to haul my mower around or pick up sheets of drywall or plywood, etc. I'm seeing a lot of 5 X 8 trailers, which would probably be fine. Some with the mesh, some with wood beds, but that have no visible way to replace the wood when it rots, without cutting apart the trailer frame. And some with solid metal beds. A couple of trailers that represent the sort I'm looking at, used, which APPEAR at first glance to be more trailer for my money than the mesh kind. But I dunno. This one looks like it used to have a ramp, but the ramp is not there, which may account for the low price.  This one is close to me, which is nice.. 
 Whatever I end up with, it will sit OUTSIDE in the weather, year-round. We get about 60" of rainfall per year. This is not a dry climate. There is rot and there is rust, adn both are aggressive and evil when it comes to equipment. What would you all tell a new trailer buyer about buying, owning, and using a small utility trailer? Thanks in advance.. Kitties |
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Posted: 3/3/2016 10:03:53 PM EDT
[#1]
Top one looks home made due to wheels, most come with wheels like #2. Check the welding to make sure it was done by someone who new how. If you can get them for 3-5 it is probably a fair deal. #2 saves you from having to put sides on it. #1 will put more weight on tongue from looks of axe location, load accordingly, will probably tow at speed better.
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Posted: 3/3/2016 10:38:52 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Top one looks home made due to wheels, most come with wheels like #2. Check the welding to make sure it was done by someone who new how. If you can get them for 3-5 it is probably a fair deal. #2 saves you from having to put sides on it. #1 will put more weight on tongue from looks of axe location, load accordingly, will probably tow at speed better. The bottom one is 375. (but I would have to add ramps or some way to load, as it's not a tilt that I can see) the top one is 6, which is the cost of the wire mesh trailers around here. Are you saying that having the wheels/axle more to the rear is a good thing? |
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Posted: 3/3/2016 10:50:10 PM EDT
[#3]
Here's mine. Mesh bed, but I put ply down on it, held down with fender washers and carriage bolts.
Road legal (once I replace the lights!) and great around the farm. Bought at Lowes for about $400 maybe 10-12 years ago. Carry-On 4x6 model  DSC_6625-ATV Firewood Trailer by FredMan, on Flickr
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Posted: 3/3/2016 10:54:21 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Here's mine. Mesh bed, but I put ply down on it, held down with fender washers and carriage bolts. Road legal (once I replace the lights!) and great around the farm. Bought at Lowes for about $400 maybe 10-12 years ago. Carry-On 4x6 model <a href="https://flic.kr/p/DAUpuB" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1589/24680186135_ff4d225001_c.jpg</a>DSC_6625-ATV Firewood Trailer by FredMan, on Flickr So you bought a mesh trailer and bolted wood to the mesh? Why? I mean, did you buy mesh because that's what was available within your budget? And then, something happened that made you bolt wood to it? Please elaborate. I really don't know anything, and need to understand the options. ETA: I am also interested in your carport construction (or whatever that is behind the ATV in your photo) That's on our list too. |
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Posted: 3/3/2016 11:17:59 PM EDT
[#5]
I would buy a name brand IF you can afford it you know what you are getting then. I've seen plenty of homebuilts with bent axles that eat tires. Led lights are great! And so are brakes dependinf on size.
I have been eyeing trailers for a while but have never pulled the trigger yet. Also beware some of the discount TSC trailers can flex if not loaded correctly causing issues. And the paint on them is low quality so plan to touch up as needed |
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Posted: 3/3/2016 11:29:28 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would buy a name brand IF you can afford it you know what you are getting then. I've seen plenty of homebuilts with bent axles that eat tires. Led lights are great! And so are brakes dependinf on size. I have been eyeing trailers for a while but have never pulled the trigger yet. Also beware some of the discount TSC trailers can flex if not loaded correctly causing issues. And the paint on them is low quality so plan to touch up as needed Honestly? I won't be touchin' up anything. The TSC wire mesh trailers have been in my face for two years, and I have not pulled the trigger. I need a trailer that is built to survive. I won't beat the shit out of it. But I won't be babying it either. It needs to work, and keep on working. I have no interest in a homebuilt trailer. But I don't know how to recognize one. Lack of fenders or "teeny weeny" tires..yeah, I would notice that. Otherwise? I don't know how to tell. AND...what are name brands for trailers? I don't see any brands at all on most of them. 
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Posted: 3/3/2016 11:31:44 PM EDT
[#7]
My complaint with mesh metal trailers is twofold. First, they let road debris blow all over your load. Sometimes this doesn't matter, but other times maybe you don't want crud all over your stuff. Second, they can bend/warp from strapping a load down.
Were I forced to guess, I would say he put down a sheet of plywood on his mesh trailer to deal with both of these issues. Diamond-plate decks are slippery as heck when they are wet, or if you have any sort of oil involved. Of course, the same can be said for pressure-treated wood decks as well. Wet traction is probably the only place where mesh excels. You could solve that with some non-skid I suppose. More random tidbits...If you don't have a ramp then a tilt-deck is nice for loading a mower. LED lights are great. If you properly seal up your wiring connections then you won't have to worry about having a light out when you go to use the trailer. |
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Posted: 3/3/2016 11:37:39 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My complaint with mesh metal trailers is twofold. First, they let road debris blow all over your load. Sometimes this doesn't matter, but other times maybe you don't want crud all over your stuff. Second, they can bend/warp from strapping a load down. Were I forced to guess, I would say he put down a sheet of plywood on his mesh trailer to deal with both of these issues. Diamond-plate decks are slippery as heck when they are wet, or if you have any sort of oil involved. Of course, the same can be said for pressure-treated wood decks as well. Wet traction is probably the only place where mesh excels. You could solve that with some non-skid I suppose. More random tidbits...If you don't have a ramp then a tilt-deck is nice for loading a mower. LED lights are great. If you properly seal up your wiring connections then you won't have to worry about having a light out when you go to use the trailer. Don't go! I have questions. 
Can I replace the regular lights with LEDs in some simple way? And what is the way to properly seal up the wiring connections on a trailer? Same as in a home? (that's what I know about) What is "non-skid"? Is that something I put down on the surface? Y'all are talking in code here... 
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Posted: 3/3/2016 11:59:21 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Don't go! I have questions.
Can I replace the regular lights with LEDs in some simple way? And what is the way to properly seal up the wiring connections on a trailer? Same as in a home? (that's what I know about) What is "non-skid"? Is that something I put down on the surface? Y'all are talking in code here...
You can buy entire assemblies, either online or at TSC. Amazon/eBay will be much cheaper than TSC! Or if you prefer, you can buy LED bulbs and use the existing housing. The housings are just held on with a pair of bolts usually, leaving you to just splice the wiring harness. Heat shrink tubing is what you want to use to seal up your connections. Keeps water out, keeps it from corroding, makes it last much longer. Again, this stuff is usually cheaper online. I bought a bulk pack from eBay to do some wiring and its something like 50 cents for three feet of the stuff. Non-skid is sold in different forms. I built a ramp for my shed and bought a gallon of paint from Lowes, I had them add the grit/sand to make it non-skid. It gives traction, think sandpaper or skateboard grip tape. You would paint it on the deck to keep it from being slippery when wet, or just slick in general. Just looking on eBay real quick, here is an example of the lights. A whopping $22 to never replace bulbs again: 
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Posted: 3/4/2016 12:02:20 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You can buy entire assemblies, either online or at TSC. Amazon/eBay will be much cheaper than TSC! Or if you prefer, you can buy LED bulbs and use the existing housing. The housings are just held on with a pair of bolts usually, leaving you to just splice the wiring harness. Heat shrink tubing is what you want to use to seal up your connections. Keeps water out, keeps it from corroding, makes it last much longer. Again, this stuff is usually cheaper online. I bought a bulk pack from eBay to do some wiring and its something like 50 cents for three feet of the stuff. Non-skid is sold in different forms. I built a ramp for my shed and bought a gallon of paint from Lowes, I had them add the grit/sand to make it non-skid. It gives traction, think sandpaper or skateboard grip tape. Just looking on eBay real quick, here is an example of the lights. A whopping $22 to never replace bulbs again: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bFEAAOSwZ1lWc8Sj/s-l500.jpg Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Don't go! I have questions.
Can I replace the regular lights with LEDs in some simple way? And what is the way to properly seal up the wiring connections on a trailer? Same as in a home? (that's what I know about) What is "non-skid"? Is that something I put down on the surface? Y'all are talking in code here...
You can buy entire assemblies, either online or at TSC. Amazon/eBay will be much cheaper than TSC! Or if you prefer, you can buy LED bulbs and use the existing housing. The housings are just held on with a pair of bolts usually, leaving you to just splice the wiring harness. Heat shrink tubing is what you want to use to seal up your connections. Keeps water out, keeps it from corroding, makes it last much longer. Again, this stuff is usually cheaper online. I bought a bulk pack from eBay to do some wiring and its something like 50 cents for three feet of the stuff. Non-skid is sold in different forms. I built a ramp for my shed and bought a gallon of paint from Lowes, I had them add the grit/sand to make it non-skid. It gives traction, think sandpaper or skateboard grip tape. Just looking on eBay real quick, here is an example of the lights. A whopping $22 to never replace bulbs again: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bFEAAOSwZ1lWc8Sj/s-l500.jpg SO...a kit for turning my lights into LEDs and sealing them up.. AND....a bucket of paint from Lowe's, with sand added, to make my surface non-skid so I can load my mower when it's raining... Do I have that right? |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 12:13:22 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
SO...a kit for turning my lights into LEDs and sealing them up.. AND....a bucket of paint from Lowe's, with sand added, to make my surface non-skid so I can load my mower when it's raining... Do I have that right? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't go! I have questions.
Can I replace the regular lights with LEDs in some simple way? And what is the way to properly seal up the wiring connections on a trailer? Same as in a home? (that's what I know about) What is "non-skid"? Is that something I put down on the surface? Y'all are talking in code here...
You can buy entire assemblies, either online or at TSC. Amazon/eBay will be much cheaper than TSC! Or if you prefer, you can buy LED bulbs and use the existing housing. The housings are just held on with a pair of bolts usually, leaving you to just splice the wiring harness. Heat shrink tubing is what you want to use to seal up your connections. Keeps water out, keeps it from corroding, makes it last much longer. Again, this stuff is usually cheaper online. I bought a bulk pack from eBay to do some wiring and its something like 50 cents for three feet of the stuff. Non-skid is sold in different forms. I built a ramp for my shed and bought a gallon of paint from Lowes, I had them add the grit/sand to make it non-skid. It gives traction, think sandpaper or skateboard grip tape. Just looking on eBay real quick, here is an example of the lights. A whopping $22 to never replace bulbs again: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bFEAAOSwZ1lWc8Sj/s-l500.jpg SO...a kit for turning my lights into LEDs and sealing them up.. AND....a bucket of paint from Lowe's, with sand added, to make my surface non-skid so I can load my mower when it's raining... Do I have that right? Before I get anyone else jumping on me here, let me say that you can leave the trailer as you found it and maybe not have a single issue ever. Some people are lucky like that, I am not one of those people. My suggestions are based on personal experience and preference...that's my disclaimer of sorts. I may have slid on a wet trailer deck and fell down busting my shin open before. I also may have gone out to my trailer only to have the bulb not work because the contacts had rusted out completely because I leave it sitting in the open all the time and moisture ruined them.
Were I buying a trailer and it didn't already have a set of LED lights I would be replacing them along with the harness. I would solder my connections and seal them up with some good adhesive heat shrink before tucking it all inside some wire loom and securing it properly to the trailer. After that I would get Lowe's to mix me up some paint that matched and have them add the grit/sand so I would have wet traction and hopefully help protect it from the elements. Sort answer...yes. I'll check out the thread tomorrow and see if you got any more questions.
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Posted: 3/4/2016 12:30:17 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Before I get anyone else jumping on me here, let me say that you can leave the trailer as you found it and maybe not have a single issue ever. Some people are lucky like that, I am not one of those people. My suggestions are based on personal experience and preference...that's my disclaimer of sorts. I may have slid on a wet trailer deck and fell down busting my shin open before. I also may have gone out to my trailer only to have the bulb not work because the contacts had rusted out completely because I leave it sitting in the open all the time and moisture ruined them.
Were I buying a trailer and it didn't already have a set of LED lights I would be replacing them along with the harness. I would solder my connections and seal them up with some good adhesive heat shrink before tucking it all inside some wire loom and securing it properly to the trailer. After that I would get Lowe's to mix me up some paint that matched and have them add the grit/sand so I would have wet traction and hopefully help protect it from the elements. Sort answer...yes. I'll check out the thread tomorrow and see if you got any more questions.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't go! I have questions.
Can I replace the regular lights with LEDs in some simple way? And what is the way to properly seal up the wiring connections on a trailer? Same as in a home? (that's what I know about) What is "non-skid"? Is that something I put down on the surface? Y'all are talking in code here...
You can buy entire assemblies, either online or at TSC. Amazon/eBay will be much cheaper than TSC! Or if you prefer, you can buy LED bulbs and use the existing housing. The housings are just held on with a pair of bolts usually, leaving you to just splice the wiring harness. Heat shrink tubing is what you want to use to seal up your connections. Keeps water out, keeps it from corroding, makes it last much longer. Again, this stuff is usually cheaper online. I bought a bulk pack from eBay to do some wiring and its something like 50 cents for three feet of the stuff. Non-skid is sold in different forms. I built a ramp for my shed and bought a gallon of paint from Lowes, I had them add the grit/sand to make it non-skid. It gives traction, think sandpaper or skateboard grip tape. Just looking on eBay real quick, here is an example of the lights. A whopping $22 to never replace bulbs again: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bFEAAOSwZ1lWc8Sj/s-l500.jpg SO...a kit for turning my lights into LEDs and sealing them up.. AND....a bucket of paint from Lowe's, with sand added, to make my surface non-skid so I can load my mower when it's raining... Do I have that right? Before I get anyone else jumping on me here, let me say that you can leave the trailer as you found it and maybe not have a single issue ever. Some people are lucky like that, I am not one of those people. My suggestions are based on personal experience and preference...that's my disclaimer of sorts. I may have slid on a wet trailer deck and fell down busting my shin open before. I also may have gone out to my trailer only to have the bulb not work because the contacts had rusted out completely because I leave it sitting in the open all the time and moisture ruined them.
Were I buying a trailer and it didn't already have a set of LED lights I would be replacing them along with the harness. I would solder my connections and seal them up with some good adhesive heat shrink before tucking it all inside some wire loom and securing it properly to the trailer. After that I would get Lowe's to mix me up some paint that matched and have them add the grit/sand so I would have wet traction and hopefully help protect it from the elements. Sort answer...yes. I'll check out the thread tomorrow and see if you got any more questions.
so you know...it's not that kind of forum. Nobody is going to jump on you for stating your experience. You are not in General Discussion, so don't worry. :0) |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 12:47:55 AM EDT
[#13]
One thing to consider on the 8' trailers make sure you have atleast 8' when closed. My FIL bought one that is 8' and the door/rear gate takes 1" off that so you can't close it if you have sheet goods in it.
I personally only have a 16' car hauler with ramps. It has 2x wood slats that can be changed out when they go bad. If I need to stack anything loose on it I put a big tarp down and then cover once loaded and strap it down. I am going to pick up something smaller to haul dirt bike and quad so maybe a 6x10 or so in the near future. I will get something with a 24-36" sides and and closed bottom. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 1:01:13 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Before I get anyone else jumping on me here, let me say that you can leave the trailer as you found it and maybe not have a single issue ever. Some people are lucky like that, I am not one of those people. My suggestions are based on personal experience and preference...that's my disclaimer of sorts. I may have slid on a wet trailer deck and fell down busting my shin open before. I also may have gone out to my trailer only to have the bulb not work because the contacts had rusted out completely because I leave it sitting in the open all the time and moisture ruined them.
Were I buying a trailer and it didn't already have a set of LED lights I would be replacing them along with the harness. I would solder my connections and seal them up with some good adhesive heat shrink before tucking it all inside some wire loom and securing it properly to the trailer. After that I would get Lowe's to mix me up some paint that matched and have them add the grit/sand so I would have wet traction and hopefully help protect it from the elements. Sort answer...yes. I'll check out the thread tomorrow and see if you got any more questions.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't go! I have questions.
Can I replace the regular lights with LEDs in some simple way? And what is the way to properly seal up the wiring connections on a trailer? Same as in a home? (that's what I know about) What is "non-skid"? Is that something I put down on the surface? Y'all are talking in code here...
You can buy entire assemblies, either online or at TSC. Amazon/eBay will be much cheaper than TSC! Or if you prefer, you can buy LED bulbs and use the existing housing. The housings are just held on with a pair of bolts usually, leaving you to just splice the wiring harness. Heat shrink tubing is what you want to use to seal up your connections. Keeps water out, keeps it from corroding, makes it last much longer. Again, this stuff is usually cheaper online. I bought a bulk pack from eBay to do some wiring and its something like 50 cents for three feet of the stuff. Non-skid is sold in different forms. I built a ramp for my shed and bought a gallon of paint from Lowes, I had them add the grit/sand to make it non-skid. It gives traction, think sandpaper or skateboard grip tape. Just looking on eBay real quick, here is an example of the lights. A whopping $22 to never replace bulbs again: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bFEAAOSwZ1lWc8Sj/s-l500.jpg SO...a kit for turning my lights into LEDs and sealing them up.. AND....a bucket of paint from Lowe's, with sand added, to make my surface non-skid so I can load my mower when it's raining... Do I have that right? Before I get anyone else jumping on me here, let me say that you can leave the trailer as you found it and maybe not have a single issue ever. Some people are lucky like that, I am not one of those people. My suggestions are based on personal experience and preference...that's my disclaimer of sorts. I may have slid on a wet trailer deck and fell down busting my shin open before. I also may have gone out to my trailer only to have the bulb not work because the contacts had rusted out completely because I leave it sitting in the open all the time and moisture ruined them.
Were I buying a trailer and it didn't already have a set of LED lights I would be replacing them along with the harness. I would solder my connections and seal them up with some good adhesive heat shrink before tucking it all inside some wire loom and securing it properly to the trailer. After that I would get Lowe's to mix me up some paint that matched and have them add the grit/sand so I would have wet traction and hopefully help protect it from the elements. Sort answer...yes. I'll check out the thread tomorrow and see if you got any more questions.
This part right here. Regular heat shrink is not going to do much other than keep your solder joints from shorting out. The adhesive type has a glue that releases with heat and seals the joint and the ends of the heat shrink. It can be found at most boating supply stores but can get expensive. The LED kits can be found at most auto parts stores also (O'Rileys, Advance, Autozone) they may also have the good heat shrink. One way to tell about the shrink is to look at the inside, if it is slick looking likely not the good type. If it has a gummy appearance it is the good stuff. Another way is to roll it in your fingers, if the sides of the shrink roll or slide easily its not the good stuff, if it won't slide it likely has the adhesive in it. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 1:36:33 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
One thing to consider on the 8' trailers make sure you have atleast 8' when closed. My FIL bought one that is 8' and the door/rear gate takes 1" off that so you can't close it if you have sheet goods in it. I personally only have a 16' car hauler with ramps. It has 2x wood slats that can be changed out when they go bad. If I need to stack anything loose on it I put a big tarp down and then cover once loaded and strap it down. I am going to pick up something smaller to haul dirt bike and quad so maybe a 6x10 or so in the near future. I will get something with a 24-36" sides and and closed bottom. How do you choose a trailer that allows the replacement of the wood? That's what I can't figure out. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 2:48:37 AM EDT
[#16]
I may be able to help here. On the farm, we have a shit ton of trailers. I now personally own 3 I built myself. I also used to drive truck, and was a yard switcher for over 4 years, so ask away
 First, stay away from homemade. Unless you know what to look for, it could be a great over-built trailer, or a piece of scrap iron.
All I've got off the top of my head. Of course, feel free to ask any questions. I don't like getting trailers too small, but I've found that having a variety of trailers for different uses is great. I even have a trailer built from a 25ft camper that I made specifically for hauling lumber and building materials. It has no deck, just cross-members. Infinite tie-down points, and I can easily haul anything 22ft long! Only downside is I can't haul stuff in the rain I don't want getting wet. I have a pic of when I loaded it down with hay. I'll try to get it on photo bucket tomorrow. It was, shall we say, full  |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 3:20:26 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
How do you choose a trailer that allows the replacement of the wood? That's what I can't figure out. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
One thing to consider on the 8' trailers make sure you have atleast 8' when closed. My FIL bought one that is 8' and the door/rear gate takes 1" off that so you can't close it if you have sheet goods in it. I personally only have a 16' car hauler with ramps. It has 2x wood slats that can be changed out when they go bad. If I need to stack anything loose on it I put a big tarp down and then cover once loaded and strap it down. I am going to pick up something smaller to haul dirt bike and quad so maybe a 6x10 or so in the near future. I will get something with a 24-36" sides and and closed bottom. How do you choose a trailer that allows the replacement of the wood? That's what I can't figure out. Most are bolted down with carriage bolts or similar from what I've seen. I have seen some that are made where the 2x6's are slid in from the rear and kinda locked in with the ramp, sort of like the wood beds in old trucks. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 7:58:39 AM EDT
[#18]
Sold my old truck Wednesday after 14 years...
time for her to go....now driving a PILOT
need a trailer as well and going to see a used on today..thanks for the mention of checking welds.. this one is 50x96 interior measure..just refinished with new floor on trailer, drop down tailgate, new LED lights etc. Was used to "haul a mower and stuff"... seeing it in an hour...$350 V 700.00 for comparable??? thinking its a done deal |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:02:04 AM EDT
[#19]
Another thing you want to do is check your hitch height with the trailer connected. It should be level, or as close to it as you can get. This means you might be buying a short drop hitch, but it will keep it from swaying around. For some reason the small utility trailers really get sketchy if they are towed at an angle. Probably because they are so short and there is not a lot of room for adjusting the position of the load.
The tires are something else you want to pay attention to. Chinese tires will dry-rot really fast. I actually have a set of Carlisle tires on my pop-up that have only been on the trailer for a year and they have dry rotted to the point that I don't trust them to leave the yard. I hear really good things about the Goodyear Marathon tires. Eventually I would like to get a small tractor, and the current trailer can't handle the weight. I have seen one of these tandem-axle trailers out in the wild hauling a side-by-side UTV and thought it would be perfect for the small tractor. Anyone have experience with one of these? They look sturdy enough to haul quite a load but are still only 8' so they are still easy to use for small jobs. If I had to guess they are just as expensive as the 16' cousin just half the length. 
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:51:56 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Another thing you want to do is check your hitch height with the trailer connected. It should be level, or as close to it as you can get. This means you might be buying a short drop hitch, but it will keep it from swaying around. For some reason the small utility trailers really get sketchy if they are towed at an angle. Probably because they are so short and there is not a lot of room for adjusting the position of the load. The tires are something else you want to pay attention to. Chinese tires will dry-rot really fast. I actually have a set of Carlisle tires on my pop-up that have only been on the trailer for a year and they have dry rotted to the point that I don't trust them to leave the yard. I hear really good things about the Goodyear Marathon tires. Eventually I would like to get a small tractor, and the current trailer can't handle the weight. I have seen one of these tandem-axle trailers out in the wild hauling a side-by-side UTV and thought it would be perfect for the small tractor. Anyone have experience with one of these? They look sturdy enough to haul quite a load but are still only 8' so they are still easy to use for small jobs. If I had to guess they are just as expensive as the 16' cousin just half the length. http://armadilloautomotive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0204.jpg |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 11:19:35 AM EDT
[#21]
They may be a little spendy around $1500 but you will not be disappointed with PJ or LoadTrail trailers out of Texas. They sell them everywhere through local dealers. http://www.pjtrailers.com/comparisons/utility-trailers/
I have a PJ 5x10 and used to borrow the same size Loadtrail. I like the 10' as it allows a bit more wiggle room with materials. I can haul 12' lumber without a flag and I can stick 16' through the front rails over the tongue and still not need a flag or worry about load balance. A little 8 footer will not be as fun with a dozen 16' 2x10's. After 8 years the front vertical rails have worn the powder coat off from road debris/sand and started to rust but an easy fix with some paint. It has easy lube axles so you can remove the axle cap and hook a greasegun to the zirk(sp?) fitting rather than remove the whole wheel assembly to relube bearings. I did not utilize this feature however and recently replaced the axle due to bearing disintegration.  Complete new factory axle with bearings and hubs, $100 and an hour of my time.
A 5' also shares the same wheel track as my tow vehicle so towing is less worrisome than a trailer that sticks out a foot further. I can drag it through any drive through that my truck will fit. Exhausted after loading 2 tons of dirt on the trailer I don't want to have to get out and stand in line to get lunch.
It's easy to move around the yard if you push down on the tail of the trailer and shove it where you want it. An 8' deck tilts rather steeply compared to longer beds. If it's wet, you probably will not be able to drive onto it. I prefer wood decks. Normally you can slide the deck piece past the deck retaining flange to get both ends under the flange then screw them down to the cross channels. If need be, you can screw anchors anywhere you need them on a wood deck. if you want to keep something from sliding screw a temporary cleat down. Supposedly the PJ family was a big happy unit then one day one of them moved across the country road from the fabrication plant in nowhere TX and started a competing company. PJ has a round tube(instead of angle iron) 5x10 tilt deck with removable side rails. With the rails removed it can still haul the rated load. Nothing special about it other than it looks nicer with the tubing. Although I have the full 60 inches of deck on the trailer, my 44" cut mower deck is a close shave between the fenders. Measure your mower deck to insure it will fit. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 4:39:18 PM EDT
[#22]
A lot of folks who can weld will put new wood down and then weld a piece of metal across the ends to hold them in. I don't have a welder and would cut this off when replacing and then bolt the metal back down, might have to add metal to it to do so.
Pressure treated wood has a life expectancy. But I do tend to prefer a wood deck to a solid metal deck cause metal gets awfully hot in the summer. A lot of folks with mesh floors will keep some marine grade plywood around, or just bolt it to the trailer, so something like a mower won't put pressure on the same exact mesh area all the time. It can weaken the mesh and then the mesh sags and when mesh starts breaking you now have sharp metal. This does kind of depend on how stout the mesh is. I bought a used trailer with some really weak mesh but where a mower or 4 wheeler would place its weight the trailer has wood planks for the tires to ride on. The mesh keeps anything from falling through the trailer, like if a strap came loose or something. I think I have 3 trailers right now that are mine, got half of one at an uncles. One of mine tracks with the little wrangler perfectly. Another one a bit bigger tracks with the f150 perfectly. Another one is due to be a parts trailer soon due to it just being scrap metal for the most part. I would not worry what lights come with a trailer even if buying brand spankin new. LED lights for a boat trailer are waterproof and you can get em at amazon or wally world. Wire it up and go. Run the wire under the trailer and use conduit, garden hose, or old pvc or something to protect the wires from road debris. If you do not already have some serious ratchet straps, do some reading and looking before buying cheap stuff. Tractor supply had some rated at 3k or so lbs, think it was 3300 maybe, for 10 bucks for one strap. The ends are soso cause I don't like the hook design but it was a decent price for a big strap and I like straps. I have some smaller 2k rated straps that I got at sams club in a 4 pack. Was 20 bucks for 4 and I expect the price has gone up. Walmart had a 2 pack for almost 20 bucks as well. On a ratchet strap I want a larger size so it actually can ratchet and get some tension on things, I want a comfortable grip for doing this, and since I buy multiples of the same thing if I lose a part or a strap gets cut I can still have spares. I have some really short straps that are from me not paying attention to how I ran a strap and it got worn on something and weakened. I prefer a 15 inch tire, walmart had mounted spare tire on a rim for 100 bucks a while back. Not best price or tire but I like an actual spare tire for my stuff. Pirate 4x4 has a whole thread on their towing section for trailer tricks or something like that. It is little custom stuff people did with their trailer to make it work better. Expedition portal has a whole section on trailers and you can read up on various axle weights and reasons why people want some stuff. My jeep won't tow a trailer actually needing a 3500 lb axle, but that axle having larger bearings and being set up how I want works better for me than a tiny 1k lb axle. Read up on security. Trailers are easy to steal and easy to sell. When you are looking at used trailers look for a vin plate. Home made will have no vin or a home made something or other on the vin plate. Not sure how your state does it. In tn I don't even need a license plate if I stay in state with my little trailers so it is amazing what folks will tow. read up on safety chains and good and better ways to hook them up. Also learn how far you can jack knife the trailer with your vehicle. I bought some adjustable height hitch inserts so I don't care about trailer tongue height that much, simpler to just adjust to it so things are level since I tow with more than one vehicle. For something like a little wrangler lots of folks still put brakes on the trailer even though it is not legally required. Little wrangler that tows a lot can benefit from it. I have usually had larger vehicles and most of them did not even notice the trailer unless it was huge. My stuff currently has really steep ramps. But I have some 2x12s with actual 2x12 aluminum ramp ends for loading stuff in my pickup and these make loading stuff in a trailer easy. I might buy another set this year and cut it down for each trailer perhaps, trailers all sit lower than the ford f150. There is stuff like skateboard tape you can buy in a roll and add to ramps or a trailer or whatever, just like glueing sand paper down on it. For ramps like this make a way so the ramps can not just kick out on you, make a way to pin them to the trailer or whatever. I find the ramps useful for all sorts of silliness, I have backed the truck up to a porch and used the ramps for loading or unloading stuff on the porch. Or a muddy spot in the yard that was more of a ditch and I wanted to mow on the other side. Measure your mower carefully and have a couple inches for the deck to move side to side. They tend to not be very rigid. For people planning to keep their trailer long term I highly recomend taking apart the bearings and greasing them with synthetic grease for boat trailers, I just like the water proof aspect. This year should see me actually getting some of those lovely bearing caps with the grease fitting. Makes greasing easy. Go ahead and run some searches for trailer dealers in your area. Lots of them will pop up most likely and should beat lowes prices. Unless you have a coupon or lowes has a sale they seem high down here. Trailer I went half on with an uncle was for his zero turn mower. Needed a quality ramp and did not want to mess with wooden ramps like I do so we got a 6x10 with a big flip up ramp. It is nice but it also cost more than I have in my 2 used trailers. If I had to do everything with one, I could see doing that but it is a bit big for the little tj so the tj got a mini me trailer. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 5:17:52 PM EDT
[#23]
I thought you meant these types of trailers
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:04:17 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Sold my old truck Wednesday after 14 years... time for her to go....now driving a PILOT
need a trailer as well and going to see a used on today..thanks for the mention of checking welds.. this one is 50x96 interior measure..just refinished with new floor on trailer, drop down tailgate, new LED lights etc. Was used to "haul a mower and stuff"... seeing it in an hour...$350 V 700.00 for comparable??? thinking its a done deal I'm wishing for a deal like that! But I have a 54" deck, so I need a wider interior. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:22:13 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
A lot of folks who can weld will put new wood down and then weld a piece of metal across the ends to hold them in. I don't have a welder and would cut this off when replacing and then bolt the metal back down, might have to add metal to it to do so. Pressure treated wood has a life expectancy. But I do tend to prefer a wood deck to a solid metal deck cause metal gets awfully hot in the summer. A lot of folks with mesh floors will keep some marine grade plywood around, or just bolt it to the trailer, so something like a mower won't put pressure on the same exact mesh area all the time. It can weaken the mesh and then the mesh sags and when mesh starts breaking you now have sharp metal. This does kind of depend on how stout the mesh is. I bought a used trailer with some really weak mesh but where a mower or 4 wheeler would place its weight the trailer has wood planks for the tires to ride on. The mesh keeps anything from falling through the trailer, like if a strap came loose or something. I think I have 3 trailers right now that are mine, got half of one at an uncles. One of mine tracks with the little wrangler perfectly. Another one a bit bigger tracks with the f150 perfectly. Another one is due to be a parts trailer soon due to it just being scrap metal for the most part. I would not worry what lights come with a trailer even if buying brand spankin new. LED lights for a boat trailer are waterproof and you can get em at amazon or wally world. Wire it up and go. Run the wire under the trailer and use conduit, garden hose, or old pvc or something to protect the wires from road debris. If you do not already have some serious ratchet straps, do some reading and looking before buying cheap stuff. Tractor supply had some rated at 3k or so lbs, think it was 3300 maybe, for 10 bucks for one strap. The ends are soso cause I don't like the hook design but it was a decent price for a big strap and I like straps. I have some smaller 2k rated straps that I got at sams club in a 4 pack. Was 20 bucks for 4 and I expect the price has gone up. Walmart had a 2 pack for almost 20 bucks as well. On a ratchet strap I want a larger size so it actually can ratchet and get some tension on things, I want a comfortable grip for doing this, and since I buy multiples of the same thing if I lose a part or a strap gets cut I can still have spares. I have some really short straps that are from me not paying attention to how I ran a strap and it got worn on something and weakened. I prefer a 15 inch tire, walmart had mounted spare tire on a rim for 100 bucks a while back. Not best price or tire but I like an actual spare tire for my stuff. Pirate 4x4 has a whole thread on their towing section for trailer tricks or something like that. It is little custom stuff people did with their trailer to make it work better. Expedition portal has a whole section on trailers and you can read up on various axle weights and reasons why people want some stuff. My jeep won't tow a trailer actually needing a 3500 lb axle, but that axle having larger bearings and being set up how I want works better for me than a tiny 1k lb axle. Read up on security. Trailers are easy to steal and easy to sell. When you are looking at used trailers look for a vin plate. Home made will have no vin or a home made something or other on the vin plate. Not sure how your state does it. In tn I don't even need a license plate if I stay in state with my little trailers so it is amazing what folks will tow. read up on safety chains and good and better ways to hook them up. Also learn how far you can jack knife the trailer with your vehicle. I bought some adjustable height hitch inserts so I don't care about trailer tongue height that much, simpler to just adjust to it so things are level since I tow with more than one vehicle. For something like a little wrangler lots of folks still put brakes on the trailer even though it is not legally required. Little wrangler that tows a lot can benefit from it. I have usually had larger vehicles and most of them did not even notice the trailer unless it was huge. My stuff currently has really steep ramps. But I have some 2x12s with actual 2x12 aluminum ramp ends for loading stuff in my pickup and these make loading stuff in a trailer easy. I might buy another set this year and cut it down for each trailer perhaps, trailers all sit lower than the ford f150. There is stuff like skateboard tape you can buy in a roll and add to ramps or a trailer or whatever, just like glueing sand paper down on it. For ramps like this make a way so the ramps can not just kick out on you, make a way to pin them to the trailer or whatever. I find the ramps useful for all sorts of silliness, I have backed the truck up to a porch and used the ramps for loading or unloading stuff on the porch. Or a muddy spot in the yard that was more of a ditch and I wanted to mow on the other side. Measure your mower carefully and have a couple inches for the deck to move side to side. They tend to not be very rigid. For people planning to keep their trailer long term I highly recomend taking apart the bearings and greasing them with synthetic grease for boat trailers, I just like the water proof aspect. This year should see me actually getting some of those lovely bearing caps with the grease fitting. Makes greasing easy. Go ahead and run some searches for trailer dealers in your area. Lots of them will pop up most likely and should beat lowes prices. Unless you have a coupon or lowes has a sale they seem high down here. Trailer I went half on with an uncle was for his zero turn mower. Needed a quality ramp and did not want to mess with wooden ramps like I do so we got a 6x10 with a big flip up ramp. It is nice but it also cost more than I have in my 2 used trailers. If I had to do everything with one, I could see doing that but it is a bit big for the little tj so the tj got a mini me trailer. This is great information. Some of it I'm not sure about. Like the height. I'm actually buying a trailer before I have the vehicle roadworthy that I plan to use to tow it. I've gotta do some work on our old Isuzu Trooper which is already set up to tow. BUT...... One interesting thing I came across today... I've been trying to follow the rules--pay attention to the towing capacity of the vehicle I was using. I was adding up my mower weight, and trying to figure trailer weight....etc... Then a friend who drives a tiny little green car said he's getting a trailer hitch. I was like, "you're sh***ing me" and he's like, "nope." He doesn't care. He's hooking up a trailer and going. Apparently I need to quit worrying about it, because I'm guessing any of our cars will pull a decent 8' trailer with an 800 lb mower. (Okay maybe not the CRV) We have a van and a highlander. Basically I'm going to be towing this mower into town (with all my other mowing/trimming gear strapped on the trailer too) twice a week in the summer to mow a property I now manage. Plus towing it to the shop when it needs to go. And hauling sheet goods or lumber when necessary. the mesh trailers at Lowe's and TSC around here are about $600 when they go on sale (normally priced at $700 so they can lower it for sales I'm guessing...what they want out of it is $600.) Every time I look at them I go, "that mesh is going to rust through in about three years, then I'm out a trailer." I get the "bolt wood to it" and it seems like I could do that with any trailer and it's probably a good idea. We don't get a whole bunch of snow USUALLY here, so these are not going to have a big snow load sitting on it for months every year. Normally it snows and it melts. Two weeks is a long time for a snow to lay on where I live. The hot metal in the summer...yeah, that's a factor. I guess I could lay a sheet of plywood on the metal bed, though that seems like it might hold moisture and encourage rust. Talked to the guy who owns teh solid metal bottom trailer in the photo above. He says his 54" deck will "just fit" and there's not a lot of wiggle room, but that's what he used the trailer for. Rat Patrol, above, says tilts are a pita. What is your take on this? Seems to me like it's a good idea. so if you also think it's a pain, why? |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:24:03 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Another thing you want to do is check your hitch height with the trailer connected. It should be level, or as close to it as you can get. This means you might be buying a short drop hitch, but it will keep it from swaying around. For some reason the small utility trailers really get sketchy if they are towed at an angle. Probably because they are so short and there is not a lot of room for adjusting the position of the load. The tires are something else you want to pay attention to. Chinese tires will dry-rot really fast. I actually have a set of Carlisle tires on my pop-up that have only been on the trailer for a year and they have dry rotted to the point that I don't trust them to leave the yard. I hear really good things about the Goodyear Marathon tires. Eventually I would like to get a small tractor, and the current trailer can't handle the weight. I have seen one of these tandem-axle trailers out in the wild hauling a side-by-side UTV and thought it would be perfect for the small tractor. Anyone have experience with one of these? They look sturdy enough to haul quite a load but are still only 8' so they are still easy to use for small jobs. If I had to guess they are just as expensive as the 16' cousin just half the length. http://armadilloautomotive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IMG_0204.jpg Wow, that's a pretty trailer. Nothing I'm looking at has two axles. *drools* |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:27:05 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I may be able to help here. On the farm, we have a shit ton of trailers. I now personally own 3 I built myself. I also used to drive truck, and was a yard switcher for over 4 years, so ask away
First, stay away from homemade. Unless you know what to look for, it could be a great over-built trailer, or a piece of scrap iron.
I don't like getting trailers too small, but I've found that having a variety of trailers for different uses is great. I even have a trailer built from a 25ft camper that I made specifically for hauling lumber and building materials. It has no deck, just cross-members. Infinite tie-down points, and I can easily haul anything 22ft long! Only downside is I can't haul stuff in the rain I don't want getting wet. I have a pic of when I loaded it down with hay. I'll try to get it on photo bucket tomorrow. It was, shall we say, full
Why don't you like the tilt trailers? I've used one before and liked it, but I'm interested in your reason, as one-time use is not the same as dealing with something constantly. As to size...I admit that a 10' trailer is really appealing. I could not hail 12' sheetrock on an 8' trailer, I don't think...not without some thought to a plywood extension of some sort. However, for the first trailer, I will likely stay with the little one. Getting my feet wet, and there seems to be an abundance of used 8-footers and 16-footers on Craigslist here (and a lot of goosenecks) and I don't see any tens. The twelves are a LOt more expensive. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:30:52 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My complaint with mesh metal trailers is twofold. First, they let road debris blow all over your load. Sometimes this doesn't matter, but other times maybe you don't want crud all over your stuff. Second, they can bend/warp from strapping a load down. Were I forced to guess, I would say he put down a sheet of plywood on his mesh trailer to deal with both of these issues. Diamond-plate decks are slippery as heck when they are wet, or if you have any sort of oil involved. Of course, the same can be said for pressure-treated wood decks as well. Wet traction is probably the only place where mesh excels. You could solve that with some non-skid I suppose. More random tidbits...If you don't have a ramp then a tilt-deck is nice for loading a mower. LED lights are great. If you properly seal up your wiring connections then you won't have to worry about having a light out when you go to use the trailer. Dude with the metal deck trailer above has one person ahead of me looking at his trailer. If that person doesn't take it, I will go and see it. If y'all have advice as to "HOW TO INSPECT A TRAILER" please give it to me now... |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:36:02 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Before I get anyone else jumping on me here, let me say that you can leave the trailer as you found it and maybe not have a single issue ever. Some people are lucky like that, I am not one of those people. My suggestions are based on personal experience and preference...that's my disclaimer of sorts. I may have slid on a wet trailer deck and fell down busting my shin open before. I also may have gone out to my trailer only to have the bulb not work because the contacts had rusted out completely because I leave it sitting in the open all the time and moisture ruined them.
Were I buying a trailer and it didn't already have a set of LED lights I would be replacing them along with the harness. I would solder my connections and seal them up with some good adhesive heat shrink before tucking it all inside some wire loom and securing it properly to the trailer. After that I would get Lowe's to mix me up some paint that matched and have them add the grit/sand so I would have wet traction and hopefully help protect it from the elements. Sort answer...yes. I'll check out the thread tomorrow and see if you got any more questions.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Don't go! I have questions.
Can I replace the regular lights with LEDs in some simple way? And what is the way to properly seal up the wiring connections on a trailer? Same as in a home? (that's what I know about) What is "non-skid"? Is that something I put down on the surface? Y'all are talking in code here...
You can buy entire assemblies, either online or at TSC. Amazon/eBay will be much cheaper than TSC! Or if you prefer, you can buy LED bulbs and use the existing housing. The housings are just held on with a pair of bolts usually, leaving you to just splice the wiring harness. Heat shrink tubing is what you want to use to seal up your connections. Keeps water out, keeps it from corroding, makes it last much longer. Again, this stuff is usually cheaper online. I bought a bulk pack from eBay to do some wiring and its something like 50 cents for three feet of the stuff. Non-skid is sold in different forms. I built a ramp for my shed and bought a gallon of paint from Lowes, I had them add the grit/sand to make it non-skid. It gives traction, think sandpaper or skateboard grip tape. Just looking on eBay real quick, here is an example of the lights. A whopping $22 to never replace bulbs again: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bFEAAOSwZ1lWc8Sj/s-l500.jpg SO...a kit for turning my lights into LEDs and sealing them up.. AND....a bucket of paint from Lowe's, with sand added, to make my surface non-skid so I can load my mower when it's raining... Do I have that right? Before I get anyone else jumping on me here, let me say that you can leave the trailer as you found it and maybe not have a single issue ever. Some people are lucky like that, I am not one of those people. My suggestions are based on personal experience and preference...that's my disclaimer of sorts. I may have slid on a wet trailer deck and fell down busting my shin open before. I also may have gone out to my trailer only to have the bulb not work because the contacts had rusted out completely because I leave it sitting in the open all the time and moisture ruined them.
Were I buying a trailer and it didn't already have a set of LED lights I would be replacing them along with the harness. I would solder my connections and seal them up with some good adhesive heat shrink before tucking it all inside some wire loom and securing it properly to the trailer. After that I would get Lowe's to mix me up some paint that matched and have them add the grit/sand so I would have wet traction and hopefully help protect it from the elements. Sort answer...yes. I'll check out the thread tomorrow and see if you got any more questions.
Okay. If I end up with this trailer (my fingers are kinda crossed because it looks like a good get. It looks like it's built heavier than some of the others at the same price) I will poke at you for specifics for anything I don't understand. No need to go into detail until there's a reason. Really appreciate the advice. I was looking at that deck and going, "Is my mower going to have enough traction to even climb that metal bed when it's at a tilt?" (I struggle with traction with this mower) The sanded paint is a GREAT idea. And if I take a little time, I can figure out the wiring. |
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Posted: 3/4/2016 10:37:34 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
One thing to consider on the 8' trailers make sure you have atleast 8' when closed. My FIL bought one that is 8' and the door/rear gate takes 1" off that so you can't close it if you have sheet goods in it. I personally only have a 16' car hauler with ramps. It has 2x wood slats that can be changed out when they go bad. If I need to stack anything loose on it I put a big tarp down and then cover once loaded and strap it down. I am going to pick up something smaller to haul dirt bike and quad so maybe a 6x10 or so in the near future. I will get something with a 24-36" sides and and closed bottom. I suspect I'm going to have this issue....I think with the wood inserts, the trailer I'm getting is not going to be 8' long. So I may be figuring out some way of fudging a back gate when I haul sheet goods. |
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Posted: 3/5/2016 9:40:02 AM EDT
[#31]
If you are having trouble with traction have you tried airing down the tires? I have a hill in my front yard that my mower struggles to go up at times, so I aired down my tires and it really helps. Its a traction issue, not a steepness or angle issue. When the current regular turf tires are useless I plan to replace them with some ATV tires...unless I fall into a pile of money beforehand. Then there will be something orange and diesel powered replacing them!
One thing about a ramp on a small trailer I enjoyed was being able to see exactly where the trailer was in my mirrors. Sometimes the small trailer just disappears behind the truck and that ramp is like a flag. What I did not like about having a ramp on a small trailer was hauling something just a shade longer than the deck, then being unable to close the ramp. And of course it is always too heavy or awkward to prop up at an angle.
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Posted: 3/5/2016 10:40:19 AM EDT
[#32]
One thing that can cause problems with loading a mower is the breakover angle at the top of the ramps. Some mower decks don't have much ground clearance. That is where the tilt deck trailers can help. Longer ramps can also help. A one piece full width ramp is probably safer for loading a mower, especially when it's slippery.
I have a zero turn that had issues with traction on my wood ramps and with the breakover angle. I pull the trailer with a full size truck that has an adjustable height hitch, so what I do is raise the tongue height, that reduces the steepness of the ramps and reduces the breakover angle. I haven't had any issues with trailer stability. One major safety factor when pulling trailers that I didn't see mentioned was make sure you have at least 10-15% of your gross trailer weight as tongue weight. If you have less than that the trailer can start swaying as you're going down the road. It's like the tail wagging the dog and it can be very dangerous, it can put you in the ditch or into oncoming traffic. That's also where a heavier tow vehicle with a longer wheelbase is always better than the opposite. |
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Posted: 3/5/2016 11:54:30 AM EDT
[#33]
Like dairyfarmer said the break over can be a problem. I have a set of ramps that I use for loading m mower into my truck. Similar to these. Which makes it much more easy to load, the arch in the ramp lets the mower deck clear the break angle easily.
Sorry about the typo. |
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Posted: 3/5/2016 12:09:04 PM EDT
[#34]
Tilt trailers are generally not as heavy of a frame or deck. It basically takes 2 people to load a mower or ATV on a tilt trailer, unless the trailer has struts to keep it up, as they naturally want to fall down.
You may want to consider a 16' if it's an option for a couple reasons: It may seem counter intuitive, but longer trailers are easier to back up. You will find lots of stuff to haul all of a sudden that need a longer trailer. Unless the 8 foot has a single axle and low weight, they cost the same to maintain. Check local regs though. |
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Posted: 3/5/2016 12:16:50 PM EDT
[#35]
I own six trailers ranging from 14k gross down to 1k gross.
If I were to own one trailer for your describe uses, it would absolutely be made out of aluminum, would have a 3k axle, and would have power brakes. Something im the 6x10 range, with a drop down ramp. That would be the lightest, most universally capable configuration I can think of that would suit many uses well. I always talked shit about aluminum trailers until I owned one. They are so easy to move around. Can be used by lawn tractors and vehicles alike. My next favorite is my 21ft, 14k wood hauler. Ive had over 20k worth of red oak in it on several occasions. It's a beast. Eta: whatever you do, do not buy any of the box store trailers. H&H, Aluma, or another reputable maker from an actual trailer sales store will serve you far better. |
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Posted: 3/5/2016 4:10:40 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm wishing for a deal like that! But I have a 54" deck, so I need a wider interior. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Sold my old truck Wednesday after 14 years... time for her to go....now driving a PILOT
need a trailer as well and going to see a used on today..thanks for the mention of checking welds.. this one is 50x96 interior measure..just refinished with new floor on trailer, drop down tailgate, new LED lights etc. Was used to "haul a mower and stuff"... seeing it in an hour...$350 V 700.00 for comparable??? thinking its a done deal I'm wishing for a deal like that! But I have a 54" deck, so I need a wider interior. me too...but, If my mower needs to go to town, the mowers broke...I keep the deck going and the only place I"d use it is our church and we have a Deere there aleary so, for 1/2 the money, I got good enough..hauled 2 loads to the dump from the garden, a load of building material and back home with no worries for $350!!!! I did OK!! |
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Posted: 3/5/2016 11:15:59 PM EDT
[#37]
I didn't see where you mention what your tow vehicle is? Makes a difference....
Lots of good info on lights but I didn't see anyone mention paying attention to the LOCATION or mounting of the lights. I've seen a lot of trailers with busted lenses or the entire assembly busted off. I've also seen mfrs try welding shields around the lights which once someone inevitably busts out the lens is too small to house a new fixture. My point is you should consider trailer lights to be "consumables" and pay attention to ease of repair or replacement if needed. Something else to pay attention to is if the wheels and tires are a standard size. On the road with a trailer blowout is NOT the time to discover the wheels are from a 1955 Studebaker! As previously mentioned, short trailers are usually harder to back and narrow trailers are hard to view using your side mirrors. I like to be able to see that my trailer is still following me with a quick glance at a side mirror. I expect once you have a trailer you'll find yourself saying "I should have bought a bigger trailer!" |
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Posted: 3/5/2016 11:57:31 PM EDT
[#38]
Some people tow with a vehicle that is overloaded. For short distances on flat ground at times when there is no traffic this is not a big deal.
You plan to tow on a regular basis and it is for a rental unit so you have to do the work. Having a vehicle rated for what you tow means the transmission and brakes are sized for the load and the suspension can handle the tongue weight. A one time thing or not caring is what it is. You have a business to cover with your stuff so you need it to work. in summer when it is really hot. In bad weather. All the time basically. You want the vehicle to be able to handle the trailer and load in an emergency stop or swerve to avoid a wreck. I noticed a difference towing with my jeep when I went from some soso tires that were worn out to some actual light truck rated tires, just c load range cause it is a little jeep. The tires handle the weight better in stopping and turning. I consider a hitch receiver on a tow vehicle to be a tool. Buy one of the clevis inserts for 30 bucks and now you can hook up a strap or winch or something and get dragged backwards or drag something forwards. I have some little hitch carriers that are nice for smaller loads, lot easier than driving a trailer around. An adjustable height hitch, buy a good one if you get one, lets you rent or borrow a trailer or use a different vehicle with your trailer. My thing with tilt trailers is age and a wreck. That tilt is what connects your deck to the frame. I load and unload in yards and on slopes and all sorts of stuff. I don't want to play with a tilt trailer not wanting to tilt or being annoying. I strap my stuff down enough it won't go anywhere in sudden stops or turns. I could get by with some of the more sturdy tilt trailers but after helping a neighbor with his several years back I got to where I want ramps. My wooden ramps let me have a low breakover angle for something like a mower with a deck that drags easy. Something like a 4 wheeler can handle a steep ramp. Having short ramps is fine by me, I tend to attach my big ramps to them when loading and unloading. Look at how tailgates come off. My uncle has had the tailgate off my half of a good trailer when hauling some long sheetrock. Think he bought 12 foot and trailer is 10 ft. So take gate off and he had some wood underneath to support that 2 foot. Sheetrock would be something to be careful strapping in but if hauling plywood or something a strap going across the plywood on the end top to bottom will get it. Basically imagine making an X across the end of whatever is sticking out with a couple straps. Something like plywood will usually do fine that way, but I don't buy expensive and flimsy stuff so maybe this would not work for cabinet grade something or other cause it would hurt the edge a tad. In which case you find something sacrificial like a 2x4 or something to protect your plywood. I agree with protecting the tail lights, it is why I mentioned that pirate thread. Think I did. Those guys did a ton of custom work and some is way beyond what I want to mess with but some is nice and common sense and not hard to do. Once you have a trailer look at it and how you can attach straps and like I said, buy some good ones. For specific loads, like your mower, you will learn where to park the mower for decent tongue weight and how to strap it down in very short time periods. I rather like the angle iron on a trailer instead of some of the round stuff cause I stick eyelets in where I want em. Use some big washer and keep in mind your load limits for something like this and you can set up your trailer for exactly what you need. I just got in from working a double shift so I am done unwinding for now and will check in later. On the trailer you want even tire wear, take it for a spin or let him drive it around so you can watch for anything odd. You want to look at the lines and see if anything looks bent or dented, not uncommon to use a big strap and bend in some of the smaller support rails on a trailer. Suspension of trailer can vary but if you see grease fittings they should look clean and used now and then. Make sure the lights work or not. If it is a wooden deck check how good the wood is, I have some that looks awesome and you can walk on but it is soft if you poke it and overall it is close to being shot depending on how I want to use the trailer. Right now a piece of plywood can be used to spread out the load, but that plywood can let things move if you don't strap it down well. |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 1:40:22 AM EDT
[#39]
Posted by biere:
I consider a hitch receiver on a tow vehicle to be a tool. Buy one of the clevis inserts for 30 bucks and now you can hook up a strap or winch or something and get dragged backwards or drag something forwards. I have some little hitch carriers that are nice for smaller loads, lot easier than driving a trailer around. An adjustable height hitch, buy a good one if you get one, lets you rent or borrow a trailer or use a different vehicle with your trailer. Okay I feel really stupid, but I don't know what any of this means and it sounds really important.
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Posted: 3/6/2016 3:23:45 AM EDT
[#40]
Okay y'all..
look at this builder. This is the page that pulls up on Craigslist. I can totally drive over there and look at these triailers, but I won't know how to judge what I'm looking at. I have read and listened to everything y'all have said, but not sure I'm getting it, so here's a real-world example with specs. I would be getting a 5' X 8' or maybe a 5' X 10' at the largest. What would you look at and say yay or nay based on his specs? Trailers in Russellville, KY |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 9:16:20 AM EDT
[#41]
5x10, do it.
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Posted: 3/6/2016 12:35:10 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Posted by biere: Okay I feel really stupid, but I don't know what any of this means and it sounds really important. Quote HistoryQuoted: Posted by biere: I consider a hitch receiver on a tow vehicle to be a tool. Buy one of the clevis inserts for 30 bucks and now you can hook up a strap or winch or something and get dragged backwards or drag something forwards. I have some little hitch carriers that are nice for smaller loads, lot easier than driving a trailer around. An adjustable height hitch, buy a good one if you get one, lets you rent or borrow a trailer or use a different vehicle with your trailer. Okay I feel really stupid, but I don't know what any of this means and it sounds really important. This is what is bolted on your tow vehicle. Once installed, does not leave the vehicle. D shackle accessory Handy accessory. Makes hooking up a chain or strap easy, used to pull or be pulled. Adjustable ball mount Lets you easily adjust the height of your trailer tongue. Ideal where you pull multiple trailers. Fixed height are cheaper (albeit not by too much) if you pull the same thing over and over, or some of us with different trailer ball sizes have multiple so no switching the ball is necessary. Standard ball mount Standard, fixed height, not adjustable. Most important, what is your tow vehicle again? On those trailers you posted, does your state to permanent trailer tabs on small trailers? If so, I would consider a 10' model with ramp. You would be surprised how hard it is to back up an 8' trailer, ramp version. 10' won't be too much better, but it will be better. You will never kick yourself for buying a bigger trailer. Make sure you get a spare tire and keep it on the trailer. Since you don't have tandem axles, you cannot chain up the axle with the flat. How critical is a smooth ride for the trailer for you? Single axle trailers (unless they have a very generous suspension, which these do NOT) will bounce like crazy, and give a very rough ride compared to dual axle designs. To be honest, those trailers don't look overly built, but if you don't plan on putting more than 1000 pounds in them, they should work fine. |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 1:23:09 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Receiver hitch This is what is bolted on your tow vehicle. Once installed, does not leave the vehicle. D shackle accessory Handy accessory. Makes hooking up a chain or strap easy, used to pull or be pulled. Adjustable ball mount Lets you easily adjust the height of your trailer tongue. Ideal where you pull multiple trailers. Fixed height are cheaper (albeit not by too much) if you pull the same thing over and over, or some of us with different trailer ball sizes have multiple so no switching the ball is necessary. Standard ball mount Standard, fixed height, not adjustable. Most important, what is your tow vehicle again? On those trailers you posted, does your state to permanent trailer tabs on small trailers? If so, I would consider a 10' model with ramp. You would be surprised how hard it is to back up an 8' trailer, ramp version. 10' won't be too much better, but it will be better. You will never kick yourself for buying a bigger trailer. Make sure you get a spare tire and keep it on the trailer. Since you don't have tandem axles, you cannot chain up the axle with the flat. How critical is a smooth ride for the trailer for you? Single axle trailers (unless they have a very generous suspension, which these do NOT) will bounce like crazy, and give a very rough ride compared to dual axle designs. To be honest, those trailers don't look overly built, but if you don't plan on putting more than 1000 pounds in them, they should work fine. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Posted by biere: I consider a hitch receiver on a tow vehicle to be a tool. Buy one of the clevis inserts for 30 bucks and now you can hook up a strap or winch or something and get dragged backwards or drag something forwards. I have some little hitch carriers that are nice for smaller loads, lot easier than driving a trailer around. An adjustable height hitch, buy a good one if you get one, lets you rent or borrow a trailer or use a different vehicle with your trailer. Okay I feel really stupid, but I don't know what any of this means and it sounds really important. This is what is bolted on your tow vehicle. Once installed, does not leave the vehicle. D shackle accessory Handy accessory. Makes hooking up a chain or strap easy, used to pull or be pulled. Adjustable ball mount Lets you easily adjust the height of your trailer tongue. Ideal where you pull multiple trailers. Fixed height are cheaper (albeit not by too much) if you pull the same thing over and over, or some of us with different trailer ball sizes have multiple so no switching the ball is necessary. Standard ball mount Standard, fixed height, not adjustable. Most important, what is your tow vehicle again? On those trailers you posted, does your state to permanent trailer tabs on small trailers? If so, I would consider a 10' model with ramp. You would be surprised how hard it is to back up an 8' trailer, ramp version. 10' won't be too much better, but it will be better. You will never kick yourself for buying a bigger trailer. Make sure you get a spare tire and keep it on the trailer. Since you don't have tandem axles, you cannot chain up the axle with the flat. How critical is a smooth ride for the trailer for you? Single axle trailers (unless they have a very generous suspension, which these do NOT) will bounce like crazy, and give a very rough ride compared to dual axle designs. To be honest, those trailers don't look overly built, but if you don't plan on putting more than 1000 pounds in them, they should work fine. At present I plan to tow with an ancient Isuzu Trooper because that vehicle already has the towing system set up, though I may have to change something out. It's a POS vehicle now and will be used ONLY for towing. I'll probably just leave the trailer hooked up to it most of the time. |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 1:44:16 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: At present I plan to tow with an ancient Isuzu Trooper because that vehicle already has the towing system set up, though I may have to change something out. It's a POS vehicle now and will be used ONLY for towing. I'll probably just leave the trailer hooked up to it most of the time. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: Posted by biere: I consider a hitch receiver on a tow vehicle to be a tool. Buy one of the clevis inserts for 30 bucks and now you can hook up a strap or winch or something and get dragged backwards or drag something forwards. I have some little hitch carriers that are nice for smaller loads, lot easier than driving a trailer around. An adjustable height hitch, buy a good one if you get one, lets you rent or borrow a trailer or use a different vehicle with your trailer. Okay I feel really stupid, but I don't know what any of this means and it sounds really important. This is what is bolted on your tow vehicle. Once installed, does not leave the vehicle. D shackle accessory Handy accessory. Makes hooking up a chain or strap easy, used to pull or be pulled. Adjustable ball mount Lets you easily adjust the height of your trailer tongue. Ideal where you pull multiple trailers. Fixed height are cheaper (albeit not by too much) if you pull the same thing over and over, or some of us with different trailer ball sizes have multiple so no switching the ball is necessary. Standard ball mount Standard, fixed height, not adjustable. Most important, what is your tow vehicle again? On those trailers you posted, does your state to permanent trailer tabs on small trailers? If so, I would consider a 10' model with ramp. You would be surprised how hard it is to back up an 8' trailer, ramp version. 10' won't be too much better, but it will be better. You will never kick yourself for buying a bigger trailer. Make sure you get a spare tire and keep it on the trailer. Since you don't have tandem axles, you cannot chain up the axle with the flat. How critical is a smooth ride for the trailer for you? Single axle trailers (unless they have a very generous suspension, which these do NOT) will bounce like crazy, and give a very rough ride compared to dual axle designs. To be honest, those trailers don't look overly built, but if you don't plan on putting more than 1000 pounds in them, they should work fine. At present I plan to tow with an ancient Isuzu Trooper because that vehicle already has the towing system set up, though I may have to change something out. It's a POS vehicle now and will be used ONLY for towing. I'll probably just leave the trailer hooked up to it most of the time. |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 2:53:02 PM EDT
[#45]
So you bought a mesh trailer and bolted wood to the mesh? Why?
I mean, did you buy mesh because that's what was available within your budget? And then, something happened that made you bolt wood to it? Please elaborate. I really don't know anything, and need to understand the options. I bought mesh because that's all they had and I figured the mud would wash through easier (original intent was as an ATV trailer. That's why I modded the ramp, to allow more tail-end clearance). Then, I had to move a gunsafe about 10 miles. To make things easier I didn't want to untie the safe from the hand truck I was moving it out of the house with, and was worried about the hand-truck top ripping through the mesh. Put plywood down to distribute the weight and have never taken it off. |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 3:07:56 PM EDT
[#46]
ETA: I am also interested in your carport construction (or whatever that is behind the ATV in your photo) That's on our list too. That's what I call the wood shed; it's a 12x20 pole shed. Posts are 4x4 treated, 2x10x10 headers (doubled) and 2x4x14 (untreated) rafters on 16" centers (rafters tied to the posts are (each end and center) are 2x6 treated). I used those metal hangers on the rafter so I wouldn't have to notch each one. Roof is metal panels; 4x12, ordered at the local lumberyard. I used 1x2 purlins to screw the roof down and did some minor blocking on the rafters where the purlin dimension wouldn't span. Pitch is about a little shallower that ideal, but good enough for my purposes (drops 3 feet over 14 foot run). Then just dumped gravel on the dirt to provide drainage and more or less level the floor. |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 5:01:37 PM EDT
[#47]
Someone covered the definitions but they are things you want to learn and learn well anyway.
Lots of folks misuse the terms, either through confusion or ignorance or stupidity. When looking at a hitch for your vehicle or vehicles I highly recomend looking at 2 inch stuff. For lightweight stuff they make something smaller and for super duper weights they make something like a 2.5 inch size I guess. My hitch carriers all came with 2 inch inserts for the hitch. While there are adapters out there, adapters tend to add length and floppiness to the setup. My hitch insert for a clevis is by warn and was from back when they first came out and they were the only ones I saw. These days most everyone seems to make one and many are probably the same thing with a different name and color on it. Pay attention to ratings. Same goes for the hitch and hitch insert and straps and everything, ratings are a big deal in my opinion. I have a locking cross pin or bar or whatever you want to call it for my hitch and I have some various stuff for locking up the trailers. The hitch pin/bar/whatever has to get cut off to get it off, or if there is room a properly sized pipe can be used to bend it and snap it. The stuff for locking the trailer tongue is sometimes just going to keep honest people honest. There was a decent thread in general discussion about a stolen trailer and it turned into methods of locking stuff, so run searches on it. I have some pretty decent chain, big and rated for serious stuff, and padlocks that are decent but not astounding. So running the chain through some wheels and the frame of the trailer and around something at the house that won't move, lots of folks dig a hole and pour some concrete and set a locking ring or something into it for chaining stuff down. The backing up part will come with time. If you can't see the empty trailer out your back window a lot of folks put some lightweight flexible poles or something on the trailer so it is easier to see. Also easier to back the vehicle up to it and be close to the tongue. The jeep is a short wheelbase so it backs stuff ok, the ford is a regular cab shortbed so it also backs stuff ok. The jeep has a nice low gear and 4x4 low, so it really makes it easy to put the trailer where I want it. The ford has a highway gear setup and reverse is not the low so some clutch slipping occurs if I want things perfect. Generally I give up on perfection early. I like stuff that tracks with the vehicle cause it makes it easier to tow, I sometimes tow my junk long distances and having a trailer wider than the vehicle's track means I am more likely to clip curbs and stuff. Not that big a deal, but if possible I take the trailer that matches the vehicle. |
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Posted: 3/6/2016 10:08:10 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Someone covered the definitions but they are things you want to learn and learn well anyway. Lots of folks misuse the terms, either through confusion or ignorance or stupidity. When looking at a hitch for your vehicle or vehicles I highly recomend looking at 2 inch stuff. For lightweight stuff they make something smaller and for super duper weights they make something like a 2.5 inch size I guess. My hitch carriers all came with 2 inch inserts for the hitch. While there are adapters out there, adapters tend to add length and floppiness to the setup. My hitch insert for a clevis is by warn and was from back when they first came out and they were the only ones I saw. These days most everyone seems to make one and many are probably the same thing with a different name and color on it. Pay attention to ratings. Same goes for the hitch and hitch insert and straps and everything, ratings are a big deal in my opinion. I have a locking cross pin or bar or whatever you want to call it for my hitch and I have some various stuff for locking up the trailers. The hitch pin/bar/whatever has to get cut off to get it off, or if there is room a properly sized pipe can be used to bend it and snap it. The stuff for locking the trailer tongue is sometimes just going to keep honest people honest. There was a decent thread in general discussion about a stolen trailer and it turned into methods of locking stuff, so run searches on it. I have some pretty decent chain, big and rated for serious stuff, and padlocks that are decent but not astounding. So running the chain through some wheels and the frame of the trailer and around something at the house that won't move, lots of folks dig a hole and pour some concrete and set a locking ring or something into it for chaining stuff down. The backing up part will come with time. If you can't see the empty trailer out your back window a lot of folks put some lightweight flexible poles or something on the trailer so it is easier to see. Also easier to back the vehicle up to it and be close to the tongue. The jeep is a short wheelbase so it backs stuff ok, the ford is a regular cab shortbed so it also backs stuff ok. The jeep has a nice low gear and 4x4 low, so it really makes it easy to put the trailer where I want it. The ford has a highway gear setup and reverse is not the low so some clutch slipping occurs if I want things perfect. Generally I give up on perfection early. I like stuff that tracks with the vehicle cause it makes it easier to tow, I sometimes tow my junk long distances and having a trailer wider than the vehicle's track means I am more likely to clip curbs and stuff. Not that big a deal, but if possible I take the trailer that matches the vehicle. Good information. I expect I'm going to read back through this whole thread a few times. The Isuzu also has an extra low and is 4WD. I had been going to sell it until I realized that this year I needed a trailer and have nothing to tow with. So instead of selling it, I'm going to throw money at it to get it in road shape. I actually like the vehicle a lot. It's just beat to shit and has no A/C now. But I kind of like having a vehicle that is pure tool, and that I don't care if I screw up and ding it, for work like this property management. I'll throw my tools in the back of the trooper, strap my yard machines onto the trailer, and go.
ETA: You have all made me really want a two-axle trailer, but they are so much more expensive, I'm getting the OMGs when I go looking. One thing I liked about the bottom trailer in my photos was that it appeared to be HEAVIER, which I was hoping meant not only built solidly, but wouldn't bounce all over the road. I think that trailer must have sold to the first taker though, and now y'all have me thinking ten-feet instead of 8. |
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Posted: 3/7/2016 12:29:21 AM EDT
[#49]
Some additional thoughts. I dislike trailers with tailgates or attached ramps. I have things loaded with a forklift often and disconnecting the attached ramp is problematic.
Side rails that are bolted on rather than welded can be replaced with any height sideboard or rails you prefer. |
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Posted: 3/7/2016 12:46:39 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Some additional thoughts. I dislike trailers with tailgates or attached ramps. I have things loaded with a forklift often and disconnecting the attached ramp is problematic. Side rails that are bolted on rather than welded can be replaced with any height sideboard or rails you prefer. The options are starting to get overwhelming.
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