Looking for input on trailer choices

[meburdick]

I've been looking around for a trailer to haul my JD 2520 on the rare occasion when I need to have it "someplace else". The used market has a lot of options, but it seems that people want an AWFUL lot of money for these things used. I had one go across my screen briefly that seemed a great deal (10k, 18', beavertail, fold-down ramps, light use, a handful of years old, everything in good working order) at $2,500 and it was sold before I could even get to the guy's house.

I'm looking at my options and have started giving serious consideration to buying new (because everyone wants so darn much for their used ones). I'm looking for input on which trailer you might choose if price WASN'T the issue...

Some things common to all: Wooden deck, breakaway system, electric brakes on both axles, and fold-down ramps (except as noted), top-wind jack.

- Big Tex 10cc (The fold down ramps are about a $400 option... Worth it, or are the slide-outs fine?). 10k, 16'

- CAM Superline, 10k, 18'

- Anderson, 10k, 18'

- Maxum, 10k, 18'

- Kaufman, 10k, 16'

- Carry All, 7k, 16'

- Quality, D18, 18', 8k

The last two are used, the rest are new. I'm interested in WHY you would choose one over another. I get the whole thing with brand loyalty and loving what you own, but tell me what it is about yours that you value it for.

Thanks in advance!

 

[case245]

I've been looking around for a trailer to haul my JD 2520 on the rare occasion when I need to have it "someplace else". The used market has a lot of options, but it seems that people want an AWFUL lot of money for these things used. I had one go across my screen briefly that seemed a great deal (10k, 18', beavertail, fold-down ramps, light use, a handful of years old, everything in good working order) at $2,500 and it was sold before I could even get to the guy's house.

I'm looking at my options and have started giving serious consideration to buying new (because everyone wants so darn much for their used ones). I'm looking for input on which trailer you might choose if price WASN'T the issue...

Some things common to all: Wooden deck, breakaway system, electric brakes on both axles, and fold-down ramps (except as noted), top-wind jack.

- Big Tex 10cc (The fold down ramps are about a $400 option... Worth it, or are the slide-outs fine?). 10k, 16'

- CAM Superline, 10k, 18'

- Anderson, 10k, 18'

- Maxum, 10k, 18'

- Kaufman, 10k, 16'

- Carry All, 7k, 16'

- Quality, D18, 18', 8k

The last two are used, the rest are new. I'm interested in WHY you would choose one over another. I get the whole thing with brand loyalty and loving what you own, but tell me what it is about yours that you value it for.

Thanks in advance!

i to was looking at used a few months ago i end up choiceing cam super lines maxum 10k 20 foot i went with that because of the it was made and the finish of it its was 500 more then the appleatchain trailer THE TRAILER HAS A 1 YEAR WARRENTY i hUALed my L3800 AND A FEW OTHER THINGS IT DID FINE OH MY OLD TRAILER HAD NO BRAKES WAS PULLED WITH A 3/4 TON THAT ONE REASON I BOUGHT ANOTHER ITS NOT WORTH GETTING IN ALL THE D.OT. HOT WATER NOW I HAVE A 1 TON SRW

 

[Diamondpilot]

Personally I would not want a Beaver Tail, Dove Tail. I like a flat deck for a flat surface and less chance of ground clearance issues. I also prefer slide in ramps versus stand up. You can let things a few feet longer hang over like a bush hog tail wheel. I am on my 3rd trailer and this has been my experience.

Other than that look at wiring, paint, and spring for led lights.

Chris

 

[meburdick]

i to was looking at used a few months ago i end up choiceing cam super lines maxum 10k 20 foot i went with that because of the it was made and the finish of it its was 500 more then the appleatchain trailer THE TRAILER HAS A 1 YEAR WARRENTY i hUALed my L3800 AND A FEW OTHER THINGS IT DID FINE OH MY OLD TRAILER HAD NO BRAKES WAS PULLED WITH A 3/4 TON THAT ONE REASON I BOUGHT ANOTHER ITS NOT WORTH GETTING IN ALL THE D.OT. HOT WATER NOW I HAVE A 1 TON SRW

I hadn't realized, until seeing this post, that Maxum is a division of CAM. From what I can surmise, the Maxum trailers are the more "Economy" class of trailers by being built to a spec with few options (so they can be mass produced). They appear to be heavy duty but without the possible upgrade choices you get from a CAM.

The CAM is about $1,000 more than the Maxum for 18' trailers, but it has the pallet fork rack, a chain basket with locking cover, and is a 18' flat deck (the Maxum is 18' with a 3' beavertail).

Let's bring cost into this (relative numbers):

The Maxum and Anderson are available to me at the same price. The Maxum is 18' with a 3' beavertail while the Anderson is a flat deck.

The CAM is plus $1,000 (has the chain basket with locking cover, full 18' flat deck, and fork lift rack).

The Big Tex is plus $600 and has a full 18' flat deck.

The Kaufman might be minus $200 or so, but requires a 1-5 week wait while it's manufactured and shipped. And, I would need to find a lumber yard or similar place with equipment big enough to raise a 2400 lb trailer off of the delivery truck.

The Carry All (might actually be Carry On) and the Quality are both used and roughly $2500 less. The Carry All is a 16', 7k trailer and everything else is 10k.

 

[meburdick]

Personally I would not want a Beaver Tail, Dove Tail. I like a flat deck for a flat surface and less chance of ground clearance issues. I also prefer slide in ramps versus stand up. You can let things a few feet longer hang over like a bush hog tail wheel. I am on my 3rd trailer and this has been my experience.

Other than that look at wiring, paint, and spring for led lights.

Chris

Thanks. I believe all of the new trailers have LED lights. I can't comment on the used ones. The problem I have with slide in ramps (aside from having to muscle them around to use them) is that they do not bring any level of "support" when loading. By that, I mean that the trailer may well dip in the rear and put undue stress on the suspension of my truck when loading / unloading. I understand your comment about when things need to extend past the gate, but that's part of the reason I'm looking at 18' in the first place...

The CAM uses PPG paint, and I believe the Maxum uses that as well (their site doesn't specifically say it, but I believe that there are stickers on the trailer). The others are simply "auto grade polyurethane" paints.

One thing I didn't care much for with the Big Tex is that all of the trailers on the dealer's lot had some sort of rust already showing somewhere on the trailer. That's either poor workmanship or lack of caring in either transit or on the lot. Either way, if I want a trailer that "includes rust", I'll go to one of the box stores. You can bet that, if I'm putting out that kind of money, I expect a perfect paint job.

 

[KennyG]

For occasional use with a 2520, a 16 foot 7K trailer with brakes on one axle is enough. That will save you some money and it will be lighter to tow than a 10K trailer.

As has been discussed in other threads, don't depend on the ramps to support the trailer when loading, just use a couple of jack stands. I've got an old 16 ft 7k landscape trailer that I bought for $850, spent a couple of hundred beefing up the tail gate/ramp and adding lift assists and it does fine for local hauling. I leave a pair of jackstands on the trailer and now I don't have to search all over the pole barn to find them.

 

[meburdick]

For occasional use with a 2520, a 16 foot 7K trailer with brakes on one axle is enough. That will save you some money and it will be lighter to tow than a 10K trailer.

As has been discussed in other threads, don't depend on the ramps to support the trailer when loading, just use a couple of jack stands. I've got an old 16 ft 7k landscape trailer that I bought for $850, spent a couple of hundred beefing up the tail gate/ramp and adding lift assists and it does fine for local hauling. I leave a pair of jackstands on the trailer and now I don't have to search all over the pole barn to find them.

I've thought about a lot of those same items, and here's how / why I've ended up where I am.

CT law requires brakes "on all wheels", so I need dual axle brakes.

While jack stands, timbers, or drop-down supports on the trailer will all help with stabilizing, I'd much prefer having the fold-down ramps because they are also unable to tip side-to-side. And, given that loading / unloading may well not be on flat asphalt all of the time, that could be important to me.

A used 7k trailer around here, now, STARTS at $1500. New ones are the same prices as a 10k. The difference is trailer weight is about 800lbs, which to my Tundra is negligible. I also don't have the time or possibly the tools to do some of the resto work or repairs that would be necessary (I don't own a welder, nor do I know how to weld - so repairs or increasing strength is impossible without hiring someone to do it for me).

 

[meburdick]

Update / Correction...

The Anderson is a 2' Beavertail and not a full flat deck. Also, the CAM is a 16' deck, but is flat (no beavertail).

 

[Diamondpilot]

Thanks. I believe all of the new trailers have LED lights. I can't comment on the used ones. The problem I have with slide in ramps (aside from having to muscle them around to use them) is that they do not bring any level of "support" when loading. By that, I mean that the trailer may well dip in the rear and put undue stress on the suspension of my truck when loading / unloading. I understand your comment about when things need to extend past the gate, but that's part of the reason I'm looking at 18' in the first place...

My ramps can be brought out or stored in under 1 minute easy. More like 30 seconds. Being a flat bed trailer they slide in right from the rear so there is no heavy lifting. My 7 year old has helped me take them in and out.

As for the rear of the trailer dipping I have loaded 30 or more different cars, trucks, SUV's, and tractors with no issues. If this is enough to damage your truck you need a different brand of truck. I do use a single jack stand for the heavier loads.

Like I said I am on my 3rd trailer. I had a 7,000# GVWR 16' flat deck landscape trailer first. Then I had a 25+5 25,000#GVWR GN. My current trailer is my most useful and handy one. Its all flat 18' Car Hauler with a wood deck, 5' pull out ramps, and 7,000# max GVWR.

Chris

 

[s219]

Used trailers are tough. The good ones are nearly as expensive as new. The lousy ones are usually in bad shape, and you may need to repair wiring, replace tires, etc. I bought new after spending a few weeks looking around at the used stuff.

I think you're jumping the gun looking at brands already. Think about the implements you carry, the length of the tractor and/or implements, the tow and tongue weight capacity of the vehicle, the type of rear ramps/gate that would serve you best, etc, and use that to guide you to a trailer type. Then start shopping local dealers to see what they have.

Myself, I did not like the dovetail since it effectively wasted about 2 foot of length for my needs, which is a good chunk of extra weight to be carrying around. For my Kubota B2920, I found that deck length was the most important factor, and I needed a 16' deck in order to have enough room to load the tractor and implements and keep a few feet of space for balancing the load. The weight capacity was a lesser factor for that tractor and my implements, since the 7000# gross of my trailer is more than enough for me.

In the end I got a 7x16 landscape trailer with reinforced gate and side tie-downs. It was a lot lighter than the 7x18 dovetail equipment trailer that was my alternate choice, and I wanted to maximize payload for my tow vehicle's capacity. So a lighter trailer was a bonus.

Your needs may be different, but your tractor is a similar size to mine and so I'd be looking into the 16-18 foot range, pending the types of implements you have. Go longer if you get a dovetail unit.