Looking for input on open trailers?

[Gobblin Tom]

Like Streetisneat I also have an H&H 20' tilt bed trailer. It was manual tilt but I converted it to electric / hydraulic lift up and gravity down and added a winch. It has a wood deck. The tilt bed was a little more than your price range but if you don't need tilt they had many models in your range. Mine is a 2006 I bought in fall of 05. It came with stake pockets and I welded on my own D-rings once I knew where I wanted them. It has been a great trailer for me. In NY they use a lot of salt in winter and it takes its toll on paint. I have to repaint mine about every 3 years. I don't think PA uses salt so it should last a lot longer down there. A couple friends of mine have metal deck trailers and hate them in winter with ice on the deck, for some reason my wood deck doesn't get as slippery. Wood is still in great shape after 6 years.

It would be nice not to have to drag ramps out... My wife would probably kill me if I spent that much on a trailer... Although if it is a quality build it might be worth it! They use a lot of salt here also on our roads here so I don't think it would be much different than your location.

 

[Soundguy]

drag out are ok, as long as they are side to side adjustable a bit for laoding different width machines

 

[Diamondpilot]

My 2004 wood deck trailer still looks like new. It has no Dove Tail but does have slide out 5' ramps from the rear. Pull a pin that looks like a bigger version of the pin you use to hook the draw bar of you hitch to your trucks trailer hitch, and slide them out and adjust the width. I can have both ramps out or in in 30 seconds with no lifting.

Chris

 

[tractorski]

I have a 2010 brimar 18' equipment trailer for sale. see my ad in the classified section under private party or pm me for more info. it looks and works like new. 14000 gvw.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

You want an equipment trailer vs. a car hauler. They are built a little stouter for the same gvw and the ramps have legs to support the rear of the trailer as you drive on.

 

[Hematite]

Definitely wood flat deck. Wood deck is much more quiet and less slippery and easier to maintain. Flat deck has more level carrying room and has more ground clearance going in and out of driveways.
If you can pull the ramps out the back and NOT have to lift them, that's ok. If you have to lift them out from the side, get torsion loaded upright ramps. The uprights also have built in stands (big plus) for loading and unloading.

Two observations about steel decks. They may not look too bad on top but don't look underneath them, they tend to rot through from the bottom, not the top, especially stored on grass or dirt! Even the slightest amount of oil or antifreeze, literally drops, can cause you to slip and fall on that nice hard steel deck.

 

[Soundguy]

You want an equipment trailer vs. a car hauler. They are built a little stouter for the same gvw and the ramps have legs to support the rear of the trailer as you drive on.

tha't a pretty general statement.

when i bought my car hauler, you have choices onthe ramps, flip up, slide in rear, slid ein side, or with legs.

as for stiffness.

in 'genera;' car haulers and equipemnt trailers ar ethe heavier duty ones, and the land scape trailers with rails, especially, are the light duty one.

making general statemts like any of these those, fails when it comes to each individual manufacturer's designs..e tc.

'get a good one' is just as usefull advice in this case

soundguy