Trailer Buying Experience at Tractor Supply

RandyT · Feb 24, 2017

flyerdan said:
Unfortunately a lot of things these days need reworked right out of the box to be what, a good deal of us, would consider acceptable. It's really too bad that we can't get some of these things in a kit that needs assembled and wired, it would save having to undo all the shoddy.
If I didn't need one of these trailers immediately, I might be inclined to pick the worst one on the lot, see if I couldn't get a substantial discount, and do the repairs and necessary mods.

Back in 2002 I was at a TSC needing a bigger trailer, and they had a 2000 model 6x12 with the 4 foot gate they had broke all the lights on moving it around the lot, They sold it to me for half price. Installed new lights and wiring harness, and towed that trailer for 10 years.

buckeyefarmer · Feb 24, 2017

DrRod said:
First, let me say that I really like Tractor Supply. I know there are lots of comments in here to the contrary but they always have what I need at a decent price, the staff is genuinely helpful, and they are the only real store within 20 miles of my farm.

So yesterday I got up and decided that I couldn't live with all the half broken ATVs, mowers, and other stuff around the place and the only solution was to get a trailer so I could get them to the shop. Yes I could borrow one but I have to work within some tight time windows and borrowing get complicated. And loading this stuff alone into the rather high bed of my pickup was getting nearly impossible and slightly dangerous. So off to Tractor Supply I went.

The reviews of trailers on the TS website has plenty of cautionary tales. The mesh floors won't hold up to the weight of machinery, the single tow bar on smaller trailers aren't well centered and don't track well at speed, and the paint looks like it was put on under water -- oh yeah, prepare for rust next year. But at a sale price of $899 for a 6x8 with a wood floor I figured "good enough."

The reviews also mentioned that the quality of construction among individual trailers varies greatly and boy were they right. They had four of the 6x8's. One was missing end caps on the tubular rails. One had a dangling pipe holding wires across the back, which was supposed to be welded up to the frame. And one had a gate bracket that had been knocked askew -- interestingly there was no marring of the paint so I have to assume it was bad before they painted it [so much for QA at the factory]. As I pointed these out, the salesman openly agreed that these were not ok and cheerfully rearranged the trailers so we could get to the one remaining that appeared in proper order.

So today I'm happily heading to town to start getting my machinery fixed and feeling reasonably confident about my purchase. But bottom line, look closely at these things before you buy.

thanks for the warning. Been thinking of looking at a small trailer there to haul my utv.

charlton289 · Feb 24, 2017

I have been to the factory where they are made and I picked up a couple of fork lifts and seeing the way they build them I would be wary of them just letting everyone know about what seen and how they are shipped to the store for sale. Please keep in mind that not all manufacturers do a poor job of QC and some stand behind their product

Zerk · Feb 24, 2017

DrRod said:
F As I pointed these out, the salesman openly agreed that these were not ok and cheerfully rearranged the trailers so we could get to the one remaining that appeared in proper order.

Be interesting to know if they are back on the lot.

KYErik · Feb 25, 2017

I bought a little Tractor Supply 4'x6' trailer several years ago. I should have checked it more carefully as either it had the wrong springs on it (too "flat") or they had welded a cross brace on incorrectly- it only has about 1" of suspension before the axle bottoms out on the cross brace. Other than that, it looks/works fine. It was several months before I noticed the defect so I never took it back.

TractorGuy · Feb 25, 2017

RANDYT said:
Back in 2002 I was at a TSC needing a bigger trailer, and they had a 2000 model 6x12 with the 4 foot gate they had broke all the lights on moving it around the lot, They sold it to me for half price. Installed new lights and wiring harness, and towed that trailer for 10 years.

Buying broken stuff that you can fix can be a real value. I went to Sears one day and told the salesman I wanted a new lawn tractor but didn't want to pay for one. At first he kind of shunned me and walked off. I looked around out back and found a brand new, last years model, with the seat switch dangling and gas cap missing. I herded the salesman back up and asked him to get a price from the manager. They threw in a new battery and gas cap and pushed the non running mower into the back of my truck for $450. I was told it would have a new warranty so go figure. 15 minutes after unloading I had everything in order and a brand new mower.

Coyote machine · Feb 25, 2017

kcflhrc said:
Just some Hillbilly welding trailers in his backyard at the same time cooking Meth or making Moonshine.

sseelhoff said:
But it is Proudly Made in the USA.

Yep, can't wait for all the jobs to return so we can have more quality control on our 'GREAT' American made products. Proudly made in the USA. Hate to see what things would look like without all that pride spilling over....:confused3:

California · Feb 25, 2017

In addition to TSC and Lowes also look at Home Depot. They might have better quality control.

I bought my 4 x 8 at HD several years ago. The usability is excellent. Both the front and rear panels can be installed horizontal, and the tongue extended, making 12+ ft of flat floor. Additionally the rear panel has loading ramps bolted to it to drive on a riding mower etc after tilting the trailer. (Just pull a pin at the front of the deck). Taillights are boxed to stand backing into something without damaging them. In this photo I have the panel with loading ramps at the front of the trailer to make some tongue weight when empty.

Rated capacity one ton, its well matched to the Subaru Outback I usually tow it with. (Photo - bringing home my latest Yanmar).

And check Craigslist, you may find a local firm that builds a few dozen trailers per year. They would have lower overhead than a builder who ships trailers nationwide and likely could customize to match your use.

teejk · Feb 25, 2017

California said:
In addition to TSC and Lowes also look at Home Depot. They might have better quality control.

I bought my 4 x 8 at HD several years ago. The usability is excellent. Both the front and rear panels can be installed horizontal, and the tongue extended, making 12+ ft of flat floor. Additionally the rear panel has loading ramps bolted to it to drive on a riding mower etc after tilting the trailer. (Just pull a pin at the front of the deck). Taillights are boxed to stand backing into something without damaging them. In this photo I have the panel with loading ramps at the front of the trailer to make some tongue weight when empty.

Rated capacity one ton, its well matched to the Subaru Outback I usually tow it with. (Photo - bringing home my latest Yanmar).

And check Craigslist, you may find a local firm that builds a few dozen trailers per year. They would have lower overhead than a builder who ships trailers nationwide and likely could customize to match your use.

I think they are all essentially the same trailers until you get into the serious stuff (and even then I guess there is only so much you can do with a trailer). I looked at all the big box stores and the various farm supply outfits and that's what I found. I also found they are all priced within about $100 of each other. Given that I bought as close to home as I could.