Thanks for all the advice fellas. I知 going to focus on getting a single axle 12-14ft trailer in the 1000-1200lb range with a 3000lb GVWR that can be legally and safely towed with my Ridgeline.
The laws in Virginia state that any trailer over 3000lbs requires brakes. And secondly, if a trailer has brakes it requires an annual state inspection. Going to keep it simple for now....low cost and free of state inspections.
Lot to be said for keeping it simple..... a very smart mechanic friend of mine stays with single axle basic trailers for himself, for similar reasons..... AND, he is someone who could easily/legally certify a larger trailer himself.
Spend time on here and it's easy to get talked into an F550 and a tri-axle float
One thing I like about trailers for dump runs is if it takes me multiple days (an hour here and there) to get brush cutting or whatever done, I just pile things in as I go. With a regularly used truck, I don't like having trash piled up in it, so for how I use both, the trailer saves me dump runs... :2cents:
OK... I'll add 4cents...... a lot of low-cost trailer tires (ST class) are pretty sketchy, so keep a close eye on them, and keep them inflated to Max pressure, or close to that. If you can, park the trailer on cement or pavement for storage - if not, park the tires on 2x6 or larger PTreated boards. Many tires don't do well parked on dirt - service life gets shortened dramatically.
Rgds, D.