If you were buying a new trailer
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jeffsw6
Gold Member
Stake pockets are a cheap, useful addition to any open trailer. LED lights are also nice.
After getting an electric tongue jack on my latest trailer, I will never buy one again without that option.
On a flat bed I would definitely get a winch, or a 2" receiver welded in a good spot up front so you can put a portable winch on it if you might use it on more than one vehicle.
After getting an electric tongue jack on my latest trailer, I will never buy one again without that option.
On a flat bed I would definitely get a winch, or a 2" receiver welded in a good spot up front so you can put a portable winch on it if you might use it on more than one vehicle.
joshuabardwell
Elite Member
Extra tie-down points, for sure. I like the ones that drop down flush and then lift out when you need to use them. You can always find places to strap down to if you really have to, but having three or four dedicated loops on either side of the trailer makes things a lot simpler.
Definitely brakes on both axles. No question. I don't think anybody ever complained about having too much stopping power, especially when towing a 7000 lb tractor on a 2000 lb trailer.
Some of the break-away emergency brake systems charge the battery off of the 12-volt line when the vehicle is running. Others don't, and you have to take the battery out of the box and put it on a charger. My current one is the latter, and I wish it was the former. I'd love to know that every time I took my trailer for a ride, I was also topping off that battery. I suppose it could be argued that the dedicated charger does a better job and preserving the battery, but the inconvenience of having to take the darn battery out every time is just silly.
I second what a previous poster said about a mount for the spare AND a lug wrench. I don't like having my spare on the front of the trailer because it sometimes gets in the way on tight turns and it makes it a little more clumsy to hop over the coupler to get to the other side of the trailer. I managed to get a bolt-on mount to work on the back of the side of my trailer, but a welded-on mount would be better. I still have to carry the lug wrench in my truck.
If you're getting a tandem trailer, I cannot recommend this item enough for tire changes and other maintenance. Much easier than jacking.
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-24-Black-Plus/dp/B001V8UKBY/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1336936025&sr=1-1]Amazon.com: Camco® Trailer Aid Plus: Automotive[/ame]
Definitely brakes on both axles. No question. I don't think anybody ever complained about having too much stopping power, especially when towing a 7000 lb tractor on a 2000 lb trailer.
Some of the break-away emergency brake systems charge the battery off of the 12-volt line when the vehicle is running. Others don't, and you have to take the battery out of the box and put it on a charger. My current one is the latter, and I wish it was the former. I'd love to know that every time I took my trailer for a ride, I was also topping off that battery. I suppose it could be argued that the dedicated charger does a better job and preserving the battery, but the inconvenience of having to take the darn battery out every time is just silly.
I second what a previous poster said about a mount for the spare AND a lug wrench. I don't like having my spare on the front of the trailer because it sometimes gets in the way on tight turns and it makes it a little more clumsy to hop over the coupler to get to the other side of the trailer. I managed to get a bolt-on mount to work on the back of the side of my trailer, but a welded-on mount would be better. I still have to carry the lug wrench in my truck.
If you're getting a tandem trailer, I cannot recommend this item enough for tire changes and other maintenance. Much easier than jacking.
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-24-Black-Plus/dp/B001V8UKBY/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1336936025&sr=1-1]Amazon.com: Camco® Trailer Aid Plus: Automotive[/ame]
RoMad
Platinum Member
I bought an old car hauler and converted it. After having it for a while here is what I would have on a custom built one. (some of these are on mine)
Drop axles so the deck stays low.
Brakes on both axles.
Dovetail so ramps dont have to be to long.
Room for an aluminum tool box on the front to store chains, straps etc.
Ramps that stay on all the time and can be adjusted side to side to load multiple width equipment
Plenty of tie downs on the sides.
Springs for the ramps.
Guards on the lights or built in so you don't break them easily.
I would not buy or build a trailer capable of hauling twice what I normally plan to haul. This is just my personal opinion, but I don't see any reason to haul around a bunch of extra trailer weight if I am not going to use the capacity.
Drop axles so the deck stays low.
Brakes on both axles.
Dovetail so ramps dont have to be to long.
Room for an aluminum tool box on the front to store chains, straps etc.
Ramps that stay on all the time and can be adjusted side to side to load multiple width equipment
Plenty of tie downs on the sides.
Springs for the ramps.
Guards on the lights or built in so you don't break them easily.
I would not buy or build a trailer capable of hauling twice what I normally plan to haul. This is just my personal opinion, but I don't see any reason to haul around a bunch of extra trailer weight if I am not going to use the capacity.
buck12
Veteran Member
Many of my suggestions have been covered. Here are a couple more: make sure the under side of the trailer is painted and I would really like a built in tool box on my trailer to hold chains and binders but I can't mount a full size tongue box because of the jack location.
OrangeToys
Platinum Member
Heres a few pics of mine i only wish it had come with a few more D-rings on the side. Also powder coat is the way to go not regular paint. Ive hit this trailer a couple times with the tractor bucket and it only left scuffs that im sure will buff out. Plus came with the tool box
RobertN
Super Member
I would mention again lots of rope hooks 
For every time I use the trailer for the tractor, it gets used 5 or 6 times for other stuff...
- hauled baled hay
- hauled Cub Scout floats in parades
- hauled pipe
- hauled lumber
- hauled 10 canoes for Boy Scout trip
- Hauled concrete retaining wall block
- hauled a 5' 3pt disc
- hauled a few different cars over the years
- hauled firewood
- hauled metal sculptures
- hauled a fountain
Have also used the spare tire I mentioned previously. and the lug wrench. The lug wrench from my truck is way to big.
The other thing I have found handy, is some various length 2x4. I have had to screw it down to the deck to make stops/bracing...
For every time I use the trailer for the tractor, it gets used 5 or 6 times for other stuff...
- hauled baled hay
- hauled Cub Scout floats in parades
- hauled pipe
- hauled lumber
- hauled 10 canoes for Boy Scout trip
- Hauled concrete retaining wall block
- hauled a 5' 3pt disc
- hauled a few different cars over the years
- hauled firewood
- hauled metal sculptures
- hauled a fountain
Have also used the spare tire I mentioned previously. and the lug wrench. The lug wrench from my truck is way to big.
The other thing I have found handy, is some various length 2x4. I have had to screw it down to the deck to make stops/bracing...
joshuabardwell
Elite Member
That adjustable-height coupler you've got there is pretty nifty. I switched trucks earlier this year, and the new truck is taller than the previous one, and my trailer doesn't ride level, even with a ... I think it's 5" drop bar. I'm not really inclined to buy a new bar, because they're not cheap, and anyway, I have a hard time finding ones with more drop than that, rated at more than 7k lbs.
jeffsw6
Gold Member
What kind of lug wrenches are you guys carrying in your trucks, the ones that come with the truck? I just carry a 4-way and it seems to fit everything.
I don't understand that Camco ramp, either. My floor jack has no trouble lifting my trailers high enough to put jack stands under it. For the $35 that ramp costs I would imagine you could buy a good bottle jack that stows easily and has more uses.
grnspot110
Elite Member
- Joined
- May 16, 2007
- Messages
- 2,673
- Location
- MO
- Tractor
- John Deere 1944- H, 1961 Cub Lo-Boy, 2016- JD 2025R, 2018- JD X580
My 16' trailer has 2" sq., swing down loading legs, extra springs on the ramp gate. I had the ramp gate put on after cancer treatments as it was too much for me to handle the slide-in ramps anymore. The gate will hold a 7500+ lb. tractor. Not real visible in the second picture, but it has 1/4" x 2-1/2" "rub rails" welded on the outside of the stake pockets, allowing tie-down at any point. "D" rings on all corners & front center. Receiver tube on left front to support hydraulic jack-type crane. "Y" on tongue is enclosed for lockable chain & boomer storage. Since I haul garden tractors a lot, I added a smaller "D" ring at each cross member down the center. ~~ grnspot
