can someone explain the purpose/benefit of this design?

[dusty3030]

Looks more to be an ATV / UTV type trailer. Probably to let you squeeze two ATV's on. ATV bumper will usually hit the rail on a straight up and down design before the tires do.

 

[Fallon]

I can't imagine why the trailer is built that way other than they could. The piping on the wall looks like a compressed air cooler/dryer but I should see a drip leg there but don't.

I'm pretty sure thats correct. Big zig zag of copper to function as a radiator & cool off the hot air from a compressor. As the air cools, it looses moisture. Somewhat common as a DIY air dryer. Odd that there is no drain or drip leg though.

 

[Dftodd]

My guess is that it allows whatever is driven onto there, more space to move forward.

When I load my tractor onto my trailer, I drive it all the way forward until I hit the front railing. With this set up, I would be farther forward and not have my bushhog tailwheel hanging off the back of my 16ft trailer.

I always backed on with my small tractor and brush hog. I have a tailgate ramp so the brush hog had to be far enough forward that I could raise it. The ramp is easy to remove but takes two people to line up the hinges to get it back on.

Driving all the way forward put too much weight on the tongue. Backing on put the weight in the sweet spot on my trailer over the axles.

After installing the loader on the tractor it took up even more room. But I would just drop the wheel of the brush hog over the front rail, and the loader bucket back just enough to close and latch the ramp.

 

[Xfaxman]

From the link that newbury posted, probably the 4K model:

 

[CADplans]

If you ever haul a few round bales for your wife's horse,, you will soon learn the advantage of the sloped front.

That sloped area can be the difference between fitting the round bales,, and not,,,

 

[Cat_Driver]

My Guess would be so you could pull a vehicle, tractor, side by side up to that front bar it would give you a couple of feet extra to the trailer

 

[Ford850]

I saw an aluminum trailer last week that had the front and side rails angled out like that.

 

[crazyal]

I had a snow machine trailer like that. Most are enclosed or just a flat deck but that design allowed for a shield to be mounted to it to stop a lot of the road grime from the tow vehicle from getting on the cargo. I'm sure they did it for the person who'll be loading something with wheels (or a jon boat but wants to be able to use it as a utility trailer as well). Since it's galvanized and sold in Miami I'm thinking that they expect it to see salt.