nikdfish
Platinum Member
We have been talking about getting a trailer since we bought the 3038e in 2010 to use at the "farm" after moving back to NC. Then this year we picked up a 1025r FILB for use at the house & have already run into jobs where transportation of tractors/attachments between the two locations would be nice (tiller/backhoe/chipper/finish mower/etc). We have some things still going on in WV where it would be helpful to have something bigger than the 12x6 box trailer for hauling stuff between WV & NC. Based on the loads we have in mind & our tow vehicle (2008 F-150 supercab w/tow package), a 16+ foot tandem axle 7K utility made sense.
Our first impulse was to go with the best price we could find on something local, but reading some of the stories out there & considering our own experiences had us considering that what might be OK for the short run might bite us later with maintenance and repair issues.
We kicked around the alternatives, but finally decided to bite the bullet & go with something good for the long haul. From what we had looked at, the Aluma's seemed our best bet for payload, long life & value retention (even though the up front cost is about double). We first saw a 14 foot version in VA while traveling between WV & NC, but they didn't have anything larger that would be available in less than 6 weeks (plus we would end up having to pay VA tax + NC road use). I finally found what we were looking for in NC - a couple of hours away, but ready for pickup. Although 16' would have been adequate for 90% of our uses, it wasn't that much more to go with the 18' and it still only weighs 1100 lb., giving us a 5900 lb. max carrying capacity.
We changed the truck plates over to 13K weighted plates and are driving down tomorrow to pick up the Aluma 7818B. It has a 16' flat bed & 2' beavertail, slide out 5' ramps, front & side rails, stake pockets, 4 D-rings on the bed, 3500lb torsion axles w/brakes on both axles plus the breakaway kit. It also comes standard with rear leveling stands and 14" radials. I do think I will want to add some additional tie down points for chains after we get it home.
I'll try to remember to do the pics thing...
Nick
Our first impulse was to go with the best price we could find on something local, but reading some of the stories out there & considering our own experiences had us considering that what might be OK for the short run might bite us later with maintenance and repair issues.
We kicked around the alternatives, but finally decided to bite the bullet & go with something good for the long haul. From what we had looked at, the Aluma's seemed our best bet for payload, long life & value retention (even though the up front cost is about double). We first saw a 14 foot version in VA while traveling between WV & NC, but they didn't have anything larger that would be available in less than 6 weeks (plus we would end up having to pay VA tax + NC road use). I finally found what we were looking for in NC - a couple of hours away, but ready for pickup. Although 16' would have been adequate for 90% of our uses, it wasn't that much more to go with the 18' and it still only weighs 1100 lb., giving us a 5900 lb. max carrying capacity.
We changed the truck plates over to 13K weighted plates and are driving down tomorrow to pick up the Aluma 7818B. It has a 16' flat bed & 2' beavertail, slide out 5' ramps, front & side rails, stake pockets, 4 D-rings on the bed, 3500lb torsion axles w/brakes on both axles plus the breakaway kit. It also comes standard with rear leveling stands and 14" radials. I do think I will want to add some additional tie down points for chains after we get it home.
I'll try to remember to do the pics thing...
Nick
