Did I purchase the right trailer?

[plowking]

I would just question the surge brake. I haven't seen much of them except for on pop up campers. I like the brake controler in vehicle,that way you can adjust the gain. On surge brakes,you might have to get out and put a pin in the surge controller when you back up, so brakes won't go on while backing. plowking

[sandman2234]

Due to the short wheelbase length of your tow vehicle, please be careful! I know 5,000 is 5,000 pounds, but when you put a 20 foot tail on a dog, sometimes the tail wags the dog instead of the dog wagging the tail.
David from jax

[radman1]

I too would pass on the surge brakes and go electric. 7K jack is probably overkill. For $300 more, I would go the 9500#, especially if you plan on getting a p/u later.

[aczlan]

Originally Posted by radman1

I too would pass on the surge brakes and go electric. 7K jack is probably overkill. For $300 more, I would go the 9500#, especially if you plan on getting a p/u later.

I agree on the surge brakes, electric is safer (IMHO) as you can control them from the cab.

Aaron Z

[George2615]

I'll agree on upgrading to 9500# for only $300 more and to go for electric brakes on both axles. Surge brakes can be a problem when backing up.

[AlanB]

I would definetely go electric brakes given the choice, and I have both.

[SamWalton]

We turned in the trailer for a full credit on a new 18 heavy duty equipment trailer. This trailer came standard with many features so we only added a few options. We removed the 2 dove tail since we will also haul material and could use the full 18 and having it flat at the rear gives us more options on positioning our B26 to balance the load. We also lowered the GVWR from 10400# to 9950# to eliminate the CDL requirement. This basically downgraded the load range of the tires. Other options were 5' Slide-N-Ramps, 8 D-rings, spare tire and LED lights. The standard features were two 5200# axles, 2 -5/6 bulldog coupler, 10,000# drop leg jack, heavy-duty diamond plate double broke w/drop fenders, 4 wheel electric breaks with break-away unit, Stake pockets, spare rack, 6" channel main frame, 3" pipe front bumper rail, cross members are 3"x4.1# channel 16" centers, 6" channel wrap tongue x 48" and a 3" flat channel tongue brace. The estimated weight is 2570 lbs. This leaves 7380 lbs for hauling capacity or with the 4200 lbs B26 with the trailer weight to total 6770 lbs. taking our Jeep liberty over its towing capacity by 1770 lbs. I am more worried about the tongue weight on the Jeep liberty. We will purchase a tuck if we plan on moving the B26 a lot but currently we have a 5 mile drive to the home site. We will store the B26 in a 40 HC sea container after we get some of the preliminary site preparation complete. Top Hat Trailers


Thanks for all your valuable opinions.

[plowking]

Nice choice Sam, or is that Sam's choice, sorry about the pun, What is the class or rating of receiver on the Jeep Liberty? Five miles shouldn't be bad if no big hills,otherwise might need a tranny cooler . There are load leveling hitches available but costs could make getting a truck a better option. Unfortunately just owning truck for towing can be an expensive deal, unless truck can have other uses. plowking

[radman1]

Only hauling it 5 miles with the Liberty should not be a big issue. Take it easy and you will be fine. Maybe the last trailer you buy, so your decision will last a long time and you made a fine choice. By the way, can I borrow it some time?

[SamWalton]

Originally Posted by plowking

Nice choice Sam, or is that Sam's choice, sorry about the pun, What is the class or rating of receiver on the Jeep Liberty? Five miles shouldn't be bad if no big hills,otherwise might need a tranny cooler . There are load leveling hitches available but costs could make getting a truck a better option. Unfortunately just owning truck for towing can be an expensive deal, unless truck can have other uses. plowking

Our Liberty came from the factory with a class III hitch max tongue weight of 500 lbs, max towing is 5000 lbs. If I can position the B26 as to keep the tongue weight down I think we will be fine.