ATV Trailer?

[GeorgeW]

My son just bought a Suzuki Vinson Quad Runner(500cc class) and is now looking for a trailer. What he would like is something that he can haul his ATV on and also be able to pull behind the ATV to haul brush, firewood, etc., around the farm.

Is this asking for too much? Seems like most of the trailers that are capable of on-road use would be too heavy to use behind the Suzuki. However, a neighbor was using his Honda Foreman to pull a twelve foot trailer for hayrides during Halloween. Seemed to do OK.

Thanks,

George

 

[George2615]

George,
Harbor Freight and I think TSC stores sells a couple trailers in the 4'x8' size. Can be a straight type or one that can fold in half and be stored in a corner of the garage. They can handle about 900-1000# weight and they are light enough that you could tow it with the wheeler. Last ads I received put the trailer cost at around $300.
George

 

[AL_Josh]

I have a 2000 Ranches ES and I pull arround my 5X10 utility trailer. I use it to haul the fourwheeler and then hook it up to the fourwheeler to haul stuff. I used it alot after Hurricane Katrina. It had some pretty good loads. The only problem I have is that the trailer has a fixxed jack and it hits the rear of the fourwheeler when I go through a ditch.

Just pay attention to the limits of your fourwheeler it will have a label near the hitch. So you do not tear anything up.

I admit I overload the trailer all the time. I bought my fourwheeler to use and I DO.

 

[DrRod]

Greetings,

I have a red cart with 22" ATV-type tires on it from Northern (Cabelas also has it in black). It won't haul your ATV but is great at following you through rough ground, streams, etc. Its well made and holds a good amount of firewood although brush is trickier -- we usually just pile it up and someone walks along to hold it on until dumping.

I also have a 12' utility trailer to haul two ATVs (and lots of other stuff, typically to the dump). I wouldn't want anything smaller because you need some margin to adjust the load -- i.e you want to be able to shift the ATVs around to get a good balance and hitch weight.

Now, these are two very different animals and I'm not sure you'll find a good solution that does both things. The utility trailer weighs about 1000 lbs. -- that's about the rated towing capacity of most ATVs. A big ATV -- even my Foreman 450ES -- will pull more if it can get traction.

But the problem is that it can't stop it. I cringe at the thought of your friend pulling a hayride with an extra 1000+ lbs of people on it. He'll never get it stopped if it gets rolling down hill and even on the level he's on shaky ground. You might want to discuss this with him for the good of all concerned.

Also, pulling excessive weight with an ATV puts excess strain on the transmission, axles, frame, etc. and can cause something to snap along the way.

So that's the view from the Rod-Scope.

 

[GeorgeW]

Thanks for the replies. A 5X10 like Al has might be a possibility. The red cart looks interesting also. Country Mfg. has some neat looking ATV trailers along the same line.

I have a homebuilt 12ft trailer but it is too heavy for the ATV. Might just keep it for hauling the ATV and get an ATV trailer for around the farm. Will keep kicking it around for awhile. This is our first ATV, so really don't know what we could expect from it.

I agree,DrRod, that the hayride thing was not a good idea.

George

 

[Will_C]

George, It may cost may than you want to spend, but have you considered a aluminum trailer? I would think a 5x8 trailer would weigh about 300 pounds, making it light enough to tow behind the ATV.
Will

 

[GeorgeW]

No, I haven't, Will, and have not seen any advertised. Will do a Google search and see what I come up with. Thanks.

George

 

[Bird]

I recently bought one of these Big Tex 15LT trailers, primarily to haul my little Toro ZTR, but occasionally for other things, too. The salesman wrote it up as weighing 500 pounds with 1,000 pound load capacity. I don't know how accurate that is, but it's so easy to roll around by hand, even off the pavement, that you could easily pull it with just about any ATV.

 

[Code54]

About a year and a half ago I bought a small 4x6 black mesh steel floored road going trailer from TSC for around 400+. IT only weighted in around 250lbs, so it was light enought I could stand it up in the garage to store it, easily pull it with the ATV, and it could tow the atv behind almost any car or truck without a problem. It had a 2" hitch and I think it ran on 12" tires. Nothing fancy but it would haul my Z400 or Prairie at the time without a problem (the Prairie was a bit tight but it would fit). Now I have a large trailer but for what your talking about these kind may work. Good luck

 

[GeorgeW]

My son and I looked at TSC the other day. They had a 5X8 that was pretty light and could probably work. We have a local Big Tex dealer and am going to check them out also. That LT15 that Bird has looks pretty good.

George