I love my wife.

[Sysop]

Your wife is a wonderful woman.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Well, thank you for the input everyone. I think I've got it narrowed down to a Reiser from a semi-local dealer. Everywhere within 3-4 hours of me that I have been able to find, doesn't have what I want in stock. Since I need to order, I built a list of things I wanted whether they were standard equipment or options. Reiser came in with the most reasonable cost and quickest ETA. The dealer had a good variety of their trailers in stock and the build quality seemed on par with everything else I've seen. Cuts, welds, finishes, all looked good. I've looked online and can't find anything bad about them as a company or manufacturer. Seems like a winner.

What I will be putting on order next week is a 20+2 dovetail, 14k, 6' channel frame with treated 2x6 deck. It has slipper springs, an adjustable coupler, 5' spring assist fold up ramps, rub rails, diamond tread fenders, LED lighting, and red paint (2 coats of auto-grade, not powdercoat), and the jack is mounted back so the tailgate on the truck is still accessible...

Any thoughts?

What about brakes? No brakes? Single or double axle brakes?

 

[Sysop]

What about brakes? No brakes? Single or double axle brakes?

Both axles have brakes. It is the law here that if the weight deems brakes necessary, all wheels must have brakes.

 

[fried1765]

Well, thank you for the input everyone. I think I've got it narrowed down to a Reiser from a semi-local dealer. Everywhere within 3-4 hours of me that I have been able to find, doesn't have what I want in stock. Since I need to order, I built a list of things I wanted whether they were standard equipment or options. Reiser came in with the most reasonable cost and quickest ETA. The dealer had a good variety of their trailers in stock and the build quality seemed on par with everything else I've seen. Cuts, welds, finishes, all looked good. I've looked online and can't find anything bad about them as a company or manufacturer. Seems like a winner.

What I will be putting on order next week is a 20+2 dovetail, 14k, 6' channel frame with treated 2x6 deck. It has slipper springs, an adjustable coupler, 5' spring assist fold up ramps, rub rails, diamond tread fenders, LED lighting, and red paint (2 coats of auto-grade, not powdercoat), and the jack is mounted back so the tailgate on the truck is still accessible...

Any thoughts?

2 part marine epoxy paint!
MUCH tougher than automotive paint, and MUCH more chip resistant.
I doubt that you can get anyone to do it though.
I would rather have a bare metal trailer,(prior to wood decking) and do the epoxy myself.

 

[Sysop]

Agreed, but I don't know of anyone other than boat makers that have ever used such stuff on trailers. I think the auto paint is better than the sheet-peeling powder coat most use as their standard finish.

 

[fried1765]

Agreed, but I don't know of anyone other than boat makers that have ever used such stuff on trailers. I think the auto paint is better than the sheet-peeling powder coat most use as their standard finish.

I love two part epoxy, but I suspect you could not get a trailer builder to do that for you.
Powder coating is the very worst!
I hate the stuff! When it chips, rust forms underneath the edges of the chip.
My trailer (14K equip.) is powder coated, and I have to keep touching it up (with epoxy) where it has chipped.

 

[Sysop]

I have a small 6.5x10 utility trailer and a 5x10 dump that are both powder coated. Either gets a chip, I just wait a few days for the rust and moisture to get back under it a little and can peel large sections of the powder coating off. I chemically treat the rust to stop it, sand or wire brush it clean, prime and paint with rattle cans.

The dealer I'm ordering the new trailer from said "red may not be the best color if you're concerned about touch ups matching". I told him the main reason I'm going with red is that it will be easier to see if I'm ever backing the trailer up in the dark. I've got two black trailers that you cannot see when backing up of a night time, not that any of the touchups I've ever done on the black has actually matched either. Powder coat is more dull than standard gloss paint, and flat paint is more dull than powder coating. So the color matching on my black trailers isn't even that great. I'm not going to get worked up about a red not matching when black cannot even be reliably matched.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would look into a set of fork pockets, a tool box, a reciever tube up on the front for a future winch.

 

[kevinwak]

Even though the tailgate clears the jack, still be careful about driving with the tailgate down. It will probably come in contact with the jack in turns. I found this out the hard way and it cost me a new tailgate.

 

[Sysop]

I once started to back up a trailer with the tailgate down, but immediately saw I had no turning ability and had to get out and flip up the tailgate. Since then I've never tried to move a trailer with it down. My only desire to get into the tailgate stems from the fact that my tonneau cover doesn't open unless the tailgate is open. All my chains, binder, tie straps, etc. ride in the bed of the truck. Too many times they've been needed and left at home, so they just ride with me all the time now.