No trailer - How do you guys haul your toys?

[dragoneggs]

I generally dont loan out my gear. My tractor, truck & trailer still roll out to help friends, but I'm behind the wheel unless it's a very select group with a track record of taking care of equipment & operating it properly.

Yes, that is the key.

 

[goeduck]

I generally dont loan out my gear. My tractor, truck & trailer still roll out to help friends, but I'm behind the wheel unless it's a very select group with a track record of taking care of equipment & operating it properly.

Same here, and that list has about zero people on it. Glad to help, but I am going to be the one operating the equipment.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I'm in Pa., so insurance is thrown on the trailer as soon as it is hooked to your insured vehicle. That covers anyone/thing that you may hit or damage with your trailer. That does not cover the trailer itself for damage, nor the items on the trailer.

I couldn't imagine not having my trailers, I find myself using it once a month at least for my Jeep, my tractor or lumber. Mine is a 25' car hauler with 2 x 6,000 Dexter axles and 4 brakes. I have it downgraded to 9,990 lbs gross (2,600 trailer weight) to save cost, going to 10K or above changes things here in PA pretty significantly. My father bought this thing new in 1999 and we have used ever since with minimal repairs. Tires are the biggest cost now days since I broke the rear axle tube hauling far above what should ever be on the thing. I had a road construction crew help me weld it on the side of a construction zone and then I got it home and sleeved it with schedule 40 pipe and welded it... but I did not have the 2 halves straight so now the rear axle is toed outward and cuts the tires. It's been like that for the last 10 years, not a big deal. Just monitor and replace a tire or 2 every summer. At least I never have rotted tires!

The dump is an Appalachian 7'x14' that me and my buddy split. I really don't overly love it being that it is to short. I'd like it to be a 20' minimum, but they just don't make that in a bumper pull dump. A tractor/loader/backhoe or any rear implement needs way more than the 14', and forget about bringing an extra implement wit you. With my 25' I can chain on to a 3-point implement and set it in the front, then have another on the tractor and drive on. 25' is cats patudy! I would never buy less than the 25' deck, if anything I'd go up to a 28' or 30'.

 

[Tractorable]

I currently don’t own a trailer. I’m limited in what I can do and it’s no fun. We bought our place about three years ago. We came from an apartment with two econobox cars to an eight acre place in the country. The property values in my area are high (northern Virginia) so the mortgage ain’t cheap.

It’s been very expensive to buy all the stuff we need to live the country life but we’re slowly working towards attaining it without going into major debt. Off the top of my head we’ve needed to buy: Truck, riding mower, tractor, chainsaw, weed eater, push mower, implements for tractor, hand tools, new commuter car, and a bunch of other stuff I can’t recall. Not to mention furnishing our home, making home improvements, and maintenance.

It takes time and buying a trailer hasn’t made it to the top of the priority list. I’m currently using a 1952 8N and I’d like to upgrade that first. We have at least a dozen dead trees that need to be taken down and hauled off. Since we don’t have a fireplace, firewood is if no use to me. In time I’ll buy a good trailer but I’m not willing to take on a debt to get one.

 

[nikdfish]

We seem to collect trailers as the need arises. First the little SnoBear (5'x8') single axle ATV tilt trailer to make up for losing the pickup (gave to our boy), but adding a Dodge Magnum AWD. Then came the 6'x12' 3.5K single axle box trailer for moving the young'n to & from college and later moving stuff to our retirement home. After getting the 3038e (& adding a Ford F-150) for use at the acreage, we got the 7K aluminum 20' tandem axle car hauler. Then, as we focused on cleaning the woods around the retirement place, we added a 7K 10'x5' tandem axle dumper. I had to clear some land at the house site & spread gravel to build a "trailer park".

One saving grace is buying NC permanent tags, one time $75 payment for the plate & no renewal required ...

 

[cphilip]

One, but not the top, reason for downsizing my tractor and its implements was to be able to move it around on my own if I chose to or wanted to with a standard truck. It doesn't happen often so far... but I feel a lot more free that I can if I wish. I'm not bound by that restriction from this point on.

So I bought a trailer that fit the set up once it was developed.

 

[RalphVa]

A local Kubota dealer, Beverage Tractor, over the mountain west of Charlottesville in Stuarts Draft has a deal on a Kubota. You buy the tractor, bush hog, FEL and I think one other implement, and they throw in the trailer to put it all on. Think it's a B2601 or maybe an L. Not sure. Price seems quite reasonable. Don't recall the number.

Ralph

 

[mykleh]

before I got all my trailers I had friends with them and I was always the guy that when borrowed they found the wiring fixed, inflation checked on the spare, greased, broken tail light fixed and a case of beer sitting on top.. but the problem was they weren't always available when I needed it.. then I got the trailer and no place inside to store it.. so then it was fixing my own stuff every time I wanted to use it maybe its just me but very seldom can I just back up to a trailer plug it in and everything works.. Pole barn later stored inside life is way better but cost of ownership gets way more....

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep... being able to store under cover and keep the rodents at bay is the way to go...

 

[clemsonfor]

I could not be without a trailer. I have a 16ft car hauler for big stuff and a 4x8 for small but wish it was 5x8 or 5x10 but not a light duty kind as the 4x8 is heavier duty than all those 5x8 you see at TSC or lowes.

We don't tag tailers here in SC for personal use and hauling if for you is covered under insurance and why would I insure a $1700 trailer for loss in my yard, I even think if a tree smashes it on my property homeowners covers it but I am not that concerned. Trailers will easily get half their initial cost decades later. Mine sits outside. crappy treated wood today rotted out at 7 years and cost me $165 to redeck but I haul between my two houses and I haul all kinds of other stuff on the trailer from firewood to supplies and stuff from the big box store and even a complete wood playset for my son I bought off CL this year. I even have hauled cars I have bought, or my own that broke down or haul a car that your going to sell from meeting someone on CL. You never want to be in the boat of not being able to haul any of your stuff when you want to.