Big Tex---Beware!

[Propjob]

Well; I picked up my new Big Tex 70CH Trailer this week after much reseach and information retrieval on the forums. Features that I liked are the slide out removable ramps which can also be used to load smaller tractors and ATV痴 from the side of the trailer. The surround rail in the front (which is not available on the 60CH) is a little extra protection and place to tie down smaller items such as tool boxes, tarps,ect. Stake down pockets are at very convenient locations on the trailer and leave no concern for tie down points for the large web straps that were purchased. The four wheels have electric brakes, and I needed to purchase a brake controller for my Tacoma, Now here is the downside! The wiring of this trailer, (also stated by other posters) is poor. I have spent more than thirty years wiring Public Safety vehicles and was astounded at the way these things are wired. To start, the wires are spliced with scotch locks and butt connectors. No silicon or sealant used. No loom is used on the wiring as it loops around the trailer and at points against the metal frame, which, will result in chafing. Although metal loops are welded on the frame utilizing plastic grommets, the wires on one side were looped over one of these, again a place of chafing concern. I have taken the time to seal the connectors with tape and also will use mastic. I have also put split loom on most of the wiring assuring the areas are protected from the elements and chafing. While under the trailer I noticed that the pine boards used were not of the best quality wood, definitely less than select with gouges in them and I am not sure if they are treated at all. These will get a coat of sealer or deck paint before it goes to far. The dealer, Joe, in Tilton NH was great, taking the time to show me the proper maintenance of the rig and going over the manual.
While on the outside, these trailers are well made, they are problems just waiting to manifest if not taken care of when bought. I knew what I was buying for the price and am able to ward off the seen problems. I caution all on their quest for a new trailer. Get under it! It is a shame that what is touted as one of the biggest manufacturers of trailers, has poor quality in such a critical area, as the electrical. Jim

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Prop, first off welcome to the forum. I'm a master electrician and when first getting into trailers was very disgusted about all the trailer manufacters wiring. I looked at all the major brands. I was also less than thrilled about the paint jobs. Brand new trailer rusting in the dealers yards. Being New Englanders doesn't help either with all the road salt. But after but about a dozen trailers of all types and brands I found that the standards for the manufacters are low and the places not seen are the places where corners are cut. The wood is always place bad side down to hide imperfections. The wire is also another out of site out of mind issue. Let me stress to you they all wire trailers in this way. Why well because it works, at least till you get it off the dealers lot. I'm a PJ trailer fan, they do about a good a job as anyone on the wiring and the paint. That said I still make wiring upgrade to my trailers. Any splices get soldier together and heat shrink applied. Any area's where wire is in contact with metal gets loom and the metal gets a small piece of poly tubing. I've yet to have an issue with wiring since overhauling on all my trailers. As for treatment of the wood I think the manufactures get a lesser quality of pt and that why the boards are ok at best. I always wait till the pt is dry then apply a quality stain to them. Post some pics of your new toy.


Matt T.

 

[DavidVT]

My Big Tex car hauler is still running after 12 years.
In the Big Tex photos it looks like a 60CH 16'. I don't recall the model.
The deck needs to be replaced and I have a twist in the rear deck frame.
I have lost track of how many times I have rewired it.
Also the unprotected brake light fixtures have been replaced countless times.
The ramps stow from the side behind the wheels. Bad idea, nothing but problems with that 'feature'. I got home one night and found the driver side ramp was 3/4 out into oncoming traffic for god only knows how long..... Also the storage tracks for those ramps hit the ground alot on rough roads. Both of mine are badly bent up.

Would I buy another one, probably.
Would I bring it home new and flip it over with my tractor and then paint the underside of it, OH YES.
Would I at the same time clean up the wiring, oh yes.

Would I never loan it out as I did this one, probably never again...
Would I always block the rear of the deck to the ground to support it when driving anything onto the trailer, OH YES!!!


Enjoy, we got what we paid for if you think about it....
I am ok with that when I look back to what I've done with it and how much abuse it has taken.....

 

[Legdoc]

Propjob, I think the wiring job you describe is just typical of what you get in a mass produced trailer today. I have a 32' PJ tandem dual gooseneck that has the worst paint job I have ever seen. I have had wheel bearing problems(Chinese) no Timkens of course.
Legdoc

 

[wkpoor]

I too have noticed about all mfg use the scotch locks and basically wiring is in general a weak spot.I don't know why they haven't come up in the world and started using weather pak connectors like cars and tractors. Lighting has improved but the wiring to it is still same old crap.
As for the decking my last trailer H&S used full 2" rough sawed pressure treated pine. After 6 yrs it looks as good as when I purchased it. My new trailer on order Better Built is supposedly got the same.

 

[hosejockey2002]

The reason for the mediocre quality is the same reason that Walmart exists- people (including me at times) will buy a product on the basis of low cost alone. Many folks figure that a trailer is just four wheels and a frame and will buy the cheapest one they can find. Having said all that, I have owned a trailer wired the same way for five years and my dad for 15, and neither one have ever had a single issue with wiring.

 

[shimp]

ive had a big tex,bought new,for 8 years

never a moments prob,wiring or nething else

ill buy another

 

[plowking]

I have a PJ trailer,it has te scotch locks,butt connectors,etc. that you have described. I noticed that my snowmobile trailers seem to be wired a little better,you know they are going to be in the salt,snow all the time. plowking

 

[DavidVT]

"2" rough sawed PT pine..."

I want to re-deck mine but getting southern pine here does not seem easy.
I was considering tamarak but will look for that 2" PT you mentioned

 

[QRTRHRS]

"2" rough sawed PT pine..."

I want to re-deck mine but getting southern pine here does not seem easy.
I was considering tamarak but will look for that 2" PT you mentioned

Can you even find rough sawn PT pine? I would think that if milled PT was hard to locate then rough sawn might be impossible?

If you do locate PT pine, you will want to beware of the quality and the treatment rating. The ratings have changed since the industry changed the process due to health concerns. Due to being out in the weather, I would want something rated for ground contact.

Also available but also hard to locate is tongue and groove PT pine. The T&G make a strong deck. Associated with horse barns for stall use, that is the type of area where it is often available.

I just happened to have purchased some the other day for my barn but I had to order in a "half pack" of 64 pieces. That is more than I needed but they will not break a pack.

If weight is not a big issue, can you locate a local mill that can supply you with rough cut oak?

There is a business in PA that along with other selling trailers, etc., offers a redecking service. They have a wood available known as Apitong though I personnally know nothing about it.

 

[shimp]

with the ratings on some of the pt, be careful, as it might corrode the metal flange it rests upon!

 

[ampsucker]

When i bought my trailer, locally made, i wrote the dealer/manufacturer with detailed specs that called out, among other things: final agreed on price; soldered and heat shrinked (shrank?) connections; looms; empty weight; type of hitch; hitch height for level towing with my specific vehicle; location and type of ramps and stowage; ramp length for correct approach angles; color; diamond plate instead of wood; rear fold down feet for loading heavy gear; spare tire; etc.

That accomplished two things. First, it gave him the opporunity to verify the price he quoted for what I expected to receive and the opportunity to change it before he accepted the bid. Second, it gave me the opporunity to inspect the trailer upon delivery against my written specifications.

When I arrived to pick up the "first" one, it was not near spec. Wiring was taped up and butt connectors, safety chains were not correct for weight, pin striping was horrible, and worst, the ramps were not set up so they could be hooked close enough together to load all my different size equipment. Oh, and it did not come in anywhere near weight, but was about 800 lbs over. It WAS a "solidly built" trailer. He finally admitted about all he could do was shave off a couple of hundred pounds and could not meet the weight spec. It was winter and it had surface rust all over it and had not even been driven off the lot yet.

Well, he was gracious about it after I wrote a letter referencing my initial specifications. He took it back, sold it to someone else, and made me another one. Second one, while not perfect, was much better. I am more or less satisfied with it and it tows well.

Moral: when ever buying something expensive, get you wishes in writing. This includes autos, tractors, trailers, computers, etc. Anything that is not spelled out or that might bug you later, you should make sure you document. No one else will do it for you. Had I not done that, I would have been stuck with a $2200 trailer that I couldn't even use for most of what I purchased it for.

amp

 

[wkpoor]

Apitong is the best wood to use if you can suffer the price. For my new trailer the deck alone would have been $1,000. Never will it need replaced though.
I have no idea where to buy PT southern pine rough sawn in 2" thick nominal size. I figure trailer mfg have it made special.

 

[QRTRHRS]

with the ratings on some of the pt, be careful, as it might corrode the metal flange it rests upon!

You are absolutely correct. I had not even considered that though I should have since I have been using hardware that is supposed to be compatible with PT on my barn.

There is an article in the latest issue of Fine Homebuilding magazine that shows a carpenter covering PT headers with peel and stick flashing prior to nailing joist hangers on.

Makes oak sound pretty good.

 

[billyvan]

I've had a Big Tex CH70 for a few years now. I don't use it all that often but so far the wiriing has held out. I too am an electrician and will likely rewire it with TEC cable some day if needed. The planking isn't the best quality for sure as there is a few on there that are twisted and weak but so far has done the job. Thought about planking another layer over top of them in the other direction but that would add a fair bit of weight. If I have to replace the wood some day I would likely use pressure teated 2X6 which is spruce or pine around here. The paint has held out very well compared to SWS or Darco trailers I see around here.
Would I buy another Big Tex. Yep, I think so.

 

[ampsucker]

for you guys thinking about using pine/spruce/fir etc. those are soft woods. treating them doesn't do anything to the cellular structure, just makes them unappetizing to insects and provides some protection against moisture penetration.

i would suggest hard wood planks like oak/hickory/etc. should be available rough cut form a local sawmill. soft woods gouge very easily but may be used depending on cross member spacing and load distribution.

if you can easily dent it or scratch it with your fingernail, it's softwood.

i wouldn't rest the back hoe of a full size tractor on a piece of soft wood without expecting a serious divot. get it vibrating while you go down the road and you'll have a hole or crack in no time. forget about any kind of track or steel wheel vehicle.

i have two trailers right now that are starting to look a bit sketchy. my dad decked them with treated yellow pine. they don't often get heavy loads, but just scraping out the mulch or manure with a sharp shovel scratches up that soft pine. they also didn't weather that well.

amp

 

[Soundguy]

I have similar observations, and will offer some opinions.

Yes.. the pin boards were/probably are untreadted.. My original ones ( 2000 ) lasted about 1 year and then rotted out onthe ends.. I repalced them with PT lumber and then painted them with black asphalt fence paint.. I've had those same boards on since 2001, and they are still good.

Yes.. big tex drilled holes in some areas and ran the wires thru with no grommets. Also check out the brake axle.. Mine quit, and I found dexter axles ( good ).. but the wires pass thru the axles with -NO- grommets.

I went back and used a couple feet of rubber gas line and made grommets anywhere wire passed thru a metal piece. And yes.. every but connector had a bad connection.. I soldered on new wires and used either grease filled crimp caps.. or used rtv to seal caps or splices. I did this about 2 ys ago and have not had a wire problem since.

On the plus side.. the actual frame and suspension on the trailer looks real solid.

soundguy

Well; I picked up my new Big Tex 70CH Trailer this week after much reseach and information retrieval on the forums. Features that I liked are the slide out removable ramps which can also be used to load smaller tractors and ATV痴 from the side of the trailer. The surround rail in the front (which is not available on the 60CH) is a little extra protection and place to tie down smaller items such as tool boxes, tarps,ect. Stake down pockets are at very convenient locations on the trailer and leave no concern for tie down points for the large web straps that were purchased. The four wheels have electric brakes, and I needed to purchase a brake controller for my Tacoma, Now here is the downside! The wiring of this trailer, (also stated by other posters) is poor. I have spent more than thirty years wiring Public Safety vehicles and was astounded at the way these things are wired. To start, the wires are spliced with scotch locks and butt connectors. No silicon or sealant used. No loom is used on the wiring as it loops around the trailer and at points against the metal frame, which, will result in chafing. Although metal loops are welded on the frame utilizing plastic grommets, the wires on one side were looped over one of these, again a place of chafing concern. I have taken the time to seal the connectors with tape and also will use mastic. I have also put split loom on most of the wiring assuring the areas are protected from the elements and chafing. While under the trailer I noticed that the pine boards used were not of the best quality wood, definitely less than select with gouges in them and I am not sure if they are treated at all. These will get a coat of sealer or deck paint before it goes to far. The dealer, Joe, in Tilton NH was great, taking the time to show me the proper maintenance of the rig and going over the manual.
While on the outside, these trailers are well made, they are problems just waiting to manifest if not taken care of when bought. I knew what I was buying for the price and am able to ward off the seen problems. I caution all on their quest for a new trailer. Get under it! It is a shame that what is touted as one of the biggest manufacturers of trailers, has poor quality in such a critical area, as the electrical. Jim

 

[Skyco]

Although a poor practice all the wiring methods sound about normal for most trailer manufacturers.
The only trailer I have that was done right is a Featherlite all aluminum, including the floor, enclosed trailer. All the wiring is automotive grade with plug in sealed connectors. Of course a Featherlite is about 50% more than the other brands

 

[Propjob]

Well, as one of you said we get what we paid for! Fortunately we have the technology and skills to correct it. You know, all it would take is one of the trailer manufacturers to make some of these changes, charge a fair amount and showcase that to the customer. JIM

 

[Rara Avis]

As a NewEnglander...you should check out DownEaster MFG Trailers page
built for our winters...