Utility trailers - what should i know?

[Torvy]

So today I took Eddie's advice and stopped by Cokers in Tyler. I have been talking to them in their Tractor business about a T494H, but had never been in the trailer office. Mr. Coker (Sr) runs the trailer business. Jr runs the tractor side. They seem to be good people. Mrs. Coker (sr) had a great talk with my wife.

I placed an order for a 77" x 12' single 5200lb axle with brakes, 6 lug wheels, wood floor, welded fixed rails, 4' reinforced tailgate ramp with assist, spare wheel/tire, drop leg setback jack, 2" Bulldog hitch. The price was $1300 less than the best quote I got from the bigger brands. It will be a couple of weeks to be built.

I have a few days to make changes. Probably will change color from black. Leading candidates are red (matches truck and future tractor) or dark green to match our metal sided house/barn. I thought seriously about a 14', but ultimately wanted the slightly lighter weight so SxS can tow it on the property and still have some cargo. Any last minute tweaks?

Thanks for all y'alls advice.

 

[Gord Baker]

Happy Haulin'. LED lighting? A full length 3/4" pipe on top rail for tiedowns, front and sides. Spare tire mount at front, laying flat. In Ontario you must have Trailer Rated tires. Large Military type tool box that seals and a set of 7' ramps that slide under the rear deck for storage. I Used a round 'explosion Proof' junction box near the hitch where all wires meet. Great for testing faults. Run wires in conduit.

 

[ljjhouser]

Great - Sounds nice!

 

[bcp]

Add twice ss many tie-down points as you think you will need.

Then a few more.

Bruce

 

[jaxs]

I wouldn't let SxS towing ability run me off the longer trailer if it's really what you like. 4 wheelers and SxSs can tow unbelievable weight.

 

[jyoutz]

I wouldn't let SxS towing ability run me off the longer trailer if it's really what you like. 4 wheelers and SxSs can tow unbelievable weight.

Our Kawasaki SxS is rated to tow 1500 pounds.

 

[jaxs]

Our Kawasaki SxS is rated to tow 1500 pounds.

Okie dokie how does that play out with 2 feet difference in trailer length?

 

[jyoutz]

Okie dokie how does that play out with 2 feet difference in trailer length?

Probably every small single axle trailer is far less than1500#, and another 2’ won’t add much weight. Also how many pounds do you want to haul?

 

[mtretick]

So today I took Eddie's advice and stopped by Cokers in Tyler. I have been talking to them in their Tractor business about a T494H, but had never been in the trailer office. Mr. Coker (Sr) runs the trailer business. Jr runs the tractor side. They seem to be good people. Mrs. Coker (sr) had a great talk with my wife.

I placed an order for a 77" x 12' single 5200lb axle with brakes, 6 lug wheels, wood floor, welded fixed rails, 4' reinforced tailgate ramp with assist, spare wheel/tire, drop leg setback jack, 2" Bulldog hitch. The price was $1300 less than the best quote I got from the bigger brands. It will be a couple of weeks to be built.

I have a few days to make changes. Probably will change color from black. Leading candidates are red (matches truck and future tractor) or dark green to match our metal sided house/barn. I thought seriously about a 14', but ultimately wanted the slightly lighter weight so SxS can tow it on the property and still have some cargo. Any last minute tweaks?

Thanks for all y'alls advice.

Single axle is always a no-go for me. At least with a double you can get to the side of the road. Already tested that with a 12’ double!

 

[Blue Mule]

12' single with a 5,200 lb axle? That'll be an odd bird. I will say that I've had a 12' single in my fleet for 6 years without a single hiccup. The key is to keep your tires maintained properly and keep the bearings greased. If you keep a quality tire on the trailer the odds of a flat are much lower. Most of the guys I see on the side of the road were running 25 year old tires.

 

[LouNY]

I just read a great many pages of this thread. One thing I've heard repeated is that with the tandem axle you can always get to the side of the road. What in the heck difference does that make, single axle, tandem axle even triple axle they all can and will get to the side of the road. If you are contemplating hauling it a mile or two with a flat then multiple axles may make that easier. Otherwise it makes no difference. Does you truck stop immediately with a flat tire, or do you drive it off the side of the road to get to a place to work on it. You can gimp most anything off the road and to a bit of safety. Several years ago I got a flat while traveling it was on a very busy divided highway with construction going and the road narrowed with concrete barriers, I just drove slowly on the rim till I got to an opening in the barriers and pulled off the highway to change the tire, yes the rim was chewed up. When we stopped for the night I found a used rim and tire for a new spare, issue over and done with.

 

[Torvy]

I was using this as a guideline. I was looking at a PJ U7. They estimate the weight of a 12' at 1330 and the 14' at 1420.

Neither leaves a lot of room for much on a load, but an additional 90 pounds could be useful. Sure, I can use the Tundra or the tractor to move the wagon if it is too heavy for the SxS...but the SxS will be EV...I don't think fuel is going to be cheaper anytime soon.

The real solution is probably to have a smaller trailer for the SxS...an eventuality that Mrs. T will not be open to right now...hmmm....maybe if we have a 14' and she gets frustrated by the small limit, she would be more open to a cheapo that is just for the SxS. Spending money is a chess match in a relationship with equal partners. We are both frugal in different ways (why we can retire early).

As for LED lights, I am not 100% which type it comes with. Other than changing bulbs less frequently, why would I want them? In my head, trailer lights have a way of finding trees or other obstacles that mean broken lamps. Energy efficiency is not a big deal for our uses. The only time we will take a trailer out for more than an hour or so would be the first few months as we use it to move our 'stuff' to the new house. After that, it will mostly be on the 'farm' and making occasional runs to Atwoods or TSC (or similar places). I don't dislike LED, but they are not a feature I think I would spend any additional money on for this use. House or car, sure. I am open to changing my mind, though.

 

[Torvy]

I just read a great many pages of this thread. One thing I've heard repeated is that with the tandem axle you can always get to the side of the road. What in the heck difference does that make, single axle, tandem axle even triple axle they all can and will get to the side of the road. If you are contemplating hauling it a mile or two with a flat then multiple axles may make that easier. Otherwise it makes no difference. Does you truck stop immediately with a flat tire, or do you drive it off the side of the road to get to a place to work on it. You can gimp most anything off the road and to a bit of safety. Several years ago I got a flat while traveling it was on a very busy divided highway with construction going and the road narrowed with concrete barriers, I just drove slowly on the rim till I got to an opening in the barriers and pulled off the highway to change the tire, yes the rim was chewed up. When we stopped for the night I found a used rim and tire for a new spare, issue over and done with.

I had the misfortune of shearing my lugs on my left rear of my 200SX while driving across Utah. There is about 110 miles with no services. I was going about 65-70 mph. I got to the side of the road on my brake disk. Not optimal, but I'm still here and the lugs were repaired. Drove that car another 3-4 years.

The single axle vs double is for me to more easily move it by hand. Been there done that. If I had or wanted to haul a T494, the trailer would have to be a double axle...and I would have had to buy a bigger truck. That was a non-starter. The 5200 (supposedly a down-rated 6000 lb), is to make sure I have plenty of wiggle room to move the UTV and still have room for stuff. I also have a timber operation, so I can haul an extra tree or so vs the 3500 axle. In general, I don't like operating equipment at or above the limits. The longevity and safety are worth it and the axle upgrade was about $300.

 

[RjCorazza]

I don't like towing at the limits either. It's harder on the equipment, and just more stressful for me. I recently swapped my 7k landscape trailer for a 12k equipment trailer. I trailered my previous L3410 on the 7k trailer, and didn't like it at all - real marginal. With my current L4060 and 12k trailer I'm about 2k under my trailer's limit.

 

[ArlyA]

We are installing a cheap little "slide in" crane to back corner of our trailer asap. Loading or unloading things that don't like to slide bits.

 

[ArlyA]

2 axles is not inherently better that one. I'd make a trailer purchase on capacity needed and cost, not the number of axles.

 

[EddieWalker]

I disagree. I have a couple single axle trailers and a couple duel axle trailers. Two axles travel down the road a lot better. No sway, or moment like the single axle does. I'll add that the single axle trailers are shorter, and they serve their purpose, but they would be a lot better if they had two axles.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I disagree. I have a couple single axle trailers and a couple duel axle trailers. Two axles travel down the road a lot better. No sway, or moment like the single axle does. I'll add that the single axle trailers are shorter, and they serve their purpose, but they would be a lot better if they had two axles.

The suspension system on tandem axles tends to even out the bumps. So, they are felt as less severe. It is easier to move a tandem axle trailer by hand because the empty tongue weight is less.

General Advice: Get brakes. Where I am there are a lot of 6% and 5% grades, on twisty winding roads, leading to the areas where the public can cut firewood. In mountainous country brakes are a must.

 

[Torvy]

Haha..sure it is a little easier to move a two axle back and forth, but considerably easier to steer a single axle.

Since most of my trailer work will be short haul, I'm not too worried about a smooth pull.

 

[3Ts]

Try to plan for the future and what kind of trips/uses you may need it for in the future. I bought a trailer for local use never intending for it to ever be out of town. Since then it's been coast to coast several times and between Texas and Florida many dozens of times with loads I'd never anticipated.