Big Tex and PJ Trailers

[finn1]

I was a big fan of Big Tex, but I need a heavier trailer to haul my new skid steer, and have moved Big Tex pretty far down the list.

The paint quality on mine is terrible, the wiring poor, Andy I had one deck support weld failure. Also, the inner fender liners developed streff cracks a good foot long that will require new metal to fix.

This is a car trailer that probably averages a thousand miles or less per year.

The subject came up just yesterday with my tractor dealer. His Big Tex deckover gooseneck is about a year and a half old and is developing severe rust because of poor paint quality. HE needs the trailer daily and can稚 really sideline it for a couple of weeks to have it blasted and repainted.

 

[bdog]

The discussion should be split into two groups. Those with salt and those without. We don’t have salted roads and the finish on pretty much any trailer holds up. It is a non issue. Up north it is a completely different story.

There are likely very good trailers with finishes inadequate for the north that work great in the south. I have owned PJ, load trail, big Tex, etc and they all work great for me and the finishes held up fine in Texas. Michigan might be a different story.

 

[troverman]

...There are likely very good trailers with finishes inadequate for the north that work great in the south. I have owned PJ, load trail, big Tex, etc and they all work great for me and the finishes held up fine in Texas. Michigan might be a different story.

I agree. While trailer companies could do more with their finishes, how much do you want to pay for a trailer? I place a lot of the blame on the owners for trailers rusting in the salt belt. You need to take care of the trailer to a greater extent in salty areas. That means more frequent washes, and more importantly, some type of undercoating like oil or fluid film. Annoying, yes...but largely solves the problem. I don't care which brand you run...you can find paint / finish / rust complaints online for basically every single brand out there. I chuckle when I read someone slamming a Big Tex for crappy finishes and stating how they are going to buy a PJ....go to the PJ forum and you read the same thing with the disgruntled owner headed out to buy a Big Tex, etc.

 

[finn1]

So, tell me, how do you wash a trailer in February when it’s ten degrees below zero?

These cheap trailers are built with absolutely no rust protection in mind. The paint flakes off the undercarriage within months.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I've had a PJ equipment trailer and currently have a Big Tex equipment trailer and a Load Trail dump trailer. As far as build quality goes, I do not see a toothpick's worth of difference among them. No salt here. So finish issues also non-existent.

 

[troverman]

So, tell me, how do you wash a trailer in February when it’s ten degrees below zero?

These cheap trailers are built with absolutely no rust protection in mind. The paint flakes off the undercarriage within months.

You can't wash a trailer in -10F, but there are days above freezing here and there. But more importantly would be to undercoat the metal parts. You live in the U.P.? Fine, I lived in northern Minnesota and now live in central NH. NH has a "bare roads" policy and they dump thousands of tons of salt to achieve that. I hate it, but vehicles are affected to. You can wash the vehicles in a carwash bay; the trailers are too long but you can undercoat in the fall, wash when you can in the winter, and re-coat again the next season. I do the same with my vehicles.

 

[ArlyA]

I agree with Finn. We have a BIG Tex trailer and its paint is coming off. Most people never wash there trailers but if it was properly prepped and painted in the 1st place, its worth the $$. If we ever wash it, that will be a summer job.

So, tell me, how do you wash a trailer in February when itç—´ ten degrees below zero? These cheap trailers are built with absolutely no rust protection in mind. The paint flakes off the undercarriage within months.

 

[troverman]

I agree with Finn. We have a BIG Tex trailer and its paint is coming off. Most people never wash there trailers but if it was properly prepped and painted in the 1st place, its worth the $$. If we ever wash it, that will be a summer job.

Do you never wash your truck or undercoat it and expect it to not rust out?

We have 10 year old pickups that have rust hole all the way through parts of the bed, cab corners, sills, etc. Even 5 year old trucks with scale and surface rust all over the frames. While I think trailer companies could do better with paint and finishes, the cost would rise considerably.

 

[cat fever]

I have a 30' PJ gooseneck. Very happy with it.

 

[AWSubie]

A year ago I was looking to buy a 20’ equipment trailer and was deciding between Big Tex and PJ. I went with the Big Tex 14 ET because it had all the features I needed and was readily available at a decent price (I didn’t need anything custom). I must admit I’ve grown fond of the mega-ramps!!