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The search for a utility trailer
- Thread starter cp1969
- Start date
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Update--
I did not get to see the Texas Bragg today, but did get to see another brand which I thought was quite an improvement in quality over the others I'd seen. The brand is H&H, out of Braddyville, Iowa. It is of generally the same frameless construction, but the workmanship seemed to be much better. Also, their sides are solid 12(?) gauge sheet instead of an angle iron structure, and they put 6 ply trailer tires on them, not car tires. Not a bad looking trailer, but still what I would call light duty. Their painting left a little to be desired, as the red trailer was oxidizing like crazy. The sides are not removable, and probably for good reason. Like the trailers with angle iron or pipe railings, I suspect the sides or railings provide the strength lost due to not having a frame.
Their website is http://www.hhtrailer.com
I did not get to see the Texas Bragg today, but did get to see another brand which I thought was quite an improvement in quality over the others I'd seen. The brand is H&H, out of Braddyville, Iowa. It is of generally the same frameless construction, but the workmanship seemed to be much better. Also, their sides are solid 12(?) gauge sheet instead of an angle iron structure, and they put 6 ply trailer tires on them, not car tires. Not a bad looking trailer, but still what I would call light duty. Their painting left a little to be desired, as the red trailer was oxidizing like crazy. The sides are not removable, and probably for good reason. Like the trailers with angle iron or pipe railings, I suspect the sides or railings provide the strength lost due to not having a frame.
Their website is http://www.hhtrailer.com
cowboydoc
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cp,
If you're up Iowa way maclander makes probably the best trailers around. I beat, overload, and generally abuse mine to no end and it has stood up to everything. I have had to replace a few wheel bearings but I was really overloaded. You would have really bought one if you would have seen what I did with it last weekend. I hauled over a grain storage sile bin to the new place with it. I was by myself, of course, and needed a full proof way to stand up the bin without killing myself. Well I got the 4030 tractor with loader and lifted the trailer up vertical and then climbed the trailer and unhitched the grain bin once I had it on the cement slab. It worked really good and that trailer didn't bend one bit. I'm pretty happy with mine. I do still want a gooseneck though that is 14,000 lbs. Next year.
If you're up Iowa way maclander makes probably the best trailers around. I beat, overload, and generally abuse mine to no end and it has stood up to everything. I have had to replace a few wheel bearings but I was really overloaded. You would have really bought one if you would have seen what I did with it last weekend. I hauled over a grain storage sile bin to the new place with it. I was by myself, of course, and needed a full proof way to stand up the bin without killing myself. Well I got the 4030 tractor with loader and lifted the trailer up vertical and then climbed the trailer and unhitched the grain bin once I had it on the cement slab. It worked really good and that trailer didn't bend one bit. I'm pretty happy with mine. I do still want a gooseneck though that is 14,000 lbs. Next year.
Turfman
Gold Member
I got a 16 footer that was rated for 10,000 lbs earlier in the year. Great trailer. It does not have sides, that way I can haul pallets of sod. The sides allow the builder to make the trailer lighter and still have the weight rating. Most are rated at 7,000 lbs.
Mine was custom built locally. He put on 7 foot ramps, heavy jack, made the deck the legal maximum width and put 7 substantial "D" rings on it so I can chain my tractor down.
The trailer is great. I haul it all over the place and am very happy with it. The 16 ft works for me, and makes it easy to park in the subdivision. The extra 2 feet on an 18 footer would be nice, but getting around with a 16 footer is enough trouble.
Good luck, I looked for several months before having this one built.
Mine was custom built locally. He put on 7 foot ramps, heavy jack, made the deck the legal maximum width and put 7 substantial "D" rings on it so I can chain my tractor down.
The trailer is great. I haul it all over the place and am very happy with it. The 16 ft works for me, and makes it easy to park in the subdivision. The extra 2 feet on an 18 footer would be nice, but getting around with a 16 footer is enough trouble.
Good luck, I looked for several months before having this one built.
patrickg
Veteran Member
A few months ago I had a trailer built for me by Holt Trailer in Asher, OK (ships widely). It was a custom variant of their "Heavy Duty Car Hauler". It is HD tandem axles with 16 inch wheels with load range "E" tires and 4 wheel electric brakes. It is rated for 12,000 lbs gross wt. I got tread (diamond) plate max width deck with stake pockets but no side rails (flat bed), two 5ft ramps that stow athwart the rear (under). I got one floating "D" ring on centerline at front in case I need to use come along, winch, or??? The fenders are treadplate and there are small treadplate steps at the end of the fenders. As the shop ran out of 6 inch "C" channel to build my tongue and frame forward of axles, so they substituted 7 inch (tremendously strong). There is a pipe rail across the front. The tongue is extended a foot over standard to allow room for the FEL bucket to go over the pipe rail and rest on the tongue and not hit the pickup in the tightest turn possible.
It has a bulldog hitch, breakaway switch for the brakes, and a non-folding 7,000 lb tongue jack (don't like to baby tongue jacks).
Some folks prefer longer ramps, these are as heavy as I want to wrestle. the deck is 18 ft long and will take my L4610 with FEL and 6ft brush hog. The spare carrier is mounted on the right side (away from traffic) at the right front corner (not in the way too much).
I got stake pockets around the periphery vice "D" rings because I can use the stake pockets just fine for a "D" ring substitute but "D" rings don't work for stake pockets. I can build custom sideboards in just about any material and configuration. I can make a serviceable stock trailer (with planks on the open design ramps). I can use 4x8 ply to make 4 ft sideboards on wooden stakes or even a 8 ft high fully enclosed trailer with 8 ft high doors at rear from a few sheets of ply, some 2x2's in the corners and some drywall screws for easy assembly/dissassembly and still reuse the ply later. (Been there done that).
Not everyone "needs" 12000 lb capacity or 18 ft length all the time but I have more versatility than a "Transformer Toy" and except for one minor fact I would not probably ever need another trailer. A couple weeks ago when only a few months old, it was taken from behind my shop where it was not in view of passers by on the highway. Further I used a tongue lock all the time, but once. I used the trailer to haul my dune buggy to the shop for the tranny swap and on my return got sidetracked (OK a "senior moment" if you will) and did not put the lock on the tongue. It was gone within 24 hours. A fan of Sherlock Holmes, I don't believe in coincidence very strongly but have no proof just ideas and suspicions.
What will I do different with next trailer? Spare tire carrier will go forward on tongue to give more clear zone for easier loading of stuff from side with forklift. Prev trailer did not have "Dovetail" as I was concerned with off road clearance with 18 ft bed but with no dovetail and fairly short ramps loading a very short wheel base tractor made me feel like I was going vertical. Longer ramps as heavy duty as I want would be too heavy so going much longer is not an option so... I will opt for about 1/2 the dovetail drop that is usually used (I think, the jury is still out) maintaining fairly good off road clearance and reducing the pucker factor loading short wheel base tractor (as a tractor neophyte maybe I just scared way too easy, I'll check some before turning in my order.
Will try to be religious with tongue lock!!! Will probably loop a multi conductor multistrand wire through the tongue area and run it to the shop bld. One of the conductors will be an extension from my alarm system so if the cable is ripped in two as the trailer is moved the alarm will sound and I will be alerted by an air horn and the monitored alarm pannel will summon the law. The bad guys probably aren't electrical engineers but even if they are they have to guess which wire in the bundle to jumper. Jumping one of the wrong wires (red herrings) will also sound the alarm. cutting everything will sound the alarm. Picking the right wire out of 20 or more is a 5% chance or less but you have to know something the average thief doesn't to get those good odds. This will cost me about $20 and make me feel better. I already have some motion detecting security lights to install above new trailer to make thieves uncomfortable. Given that the trailer is absolutely unique, I will probably be on the look out for it for the rest of my life.
Hope someone can learn from my trailer experience, good and bad.
Patrick
It has a bulldog hitch, breakaway switch for the brakes, and a non-folding 7,000 lb tongue jack (don't like to baby tongue jacks).
Some folks prefer longer ramps, these are as heavy as I want to wrestle. the deck is 18 ft long and will take my L4610 with FEL and 6ft brush hog. The spare carrier is mounted on the right side (away from traffic) at the right front corner (not in the way too much).
I got stake pockets around the periphery vice "D" rings because I can use the stake pockets just fine for a "D" ring substitute but "D" rings don't work for stake pockets. I can build custom sideboards in just about any material and configuration. I can make a serviceable stock trailer (with planks on the open design ramps). I can use 4x8 ply to make 4 ft sideboards on wooden stakes or even a 8 ft high fully enclosed trailer with 8 ft high doors at rear from a few sheets of ply, some 2x2's in the corners and some drywall screws for easy assembly/dissassembly and still reuse the ply later. (Been there done that).
Not everyone "needs" 12000 lb capacity or 18 ft length all the time but I have more versatility than a "Transformer Toy" and except for one minor fact I would not probably ever need another trailer. A couple weeks ago when only a few months old, it was taken from behind my shop where it was not in view of passers by on the highway. Further I used a tongue lock all the time, but once. I used the trailer to haul my dune buggy to the shop for the tranny swap and on my return got sidetracked (OK a "senior moment" if you will) and did not put the lock on the tongue. It was gone within 24 hours. A fan of Sherlock Holmes, I don't believe in coincidence very strongly but have no proof just ideas and suspicions.
What will I do different with next trailer? Spare tire carrier will go forward on tongue to give more clear zone for easier loading of stuff from side with forklift. Prev trailer did not have "Dovetail" as I was concerned with off road clearance with 18 ft bed but with no dovetail and fairly short ramps loading a very short wheel base tractor made me feel like I was going vertical. Longer ramps as heavy duty as I want would be too heavy so going much longer is not an option so... I will opt for about 1/2 the dovetail drop that is usually used (I think, the jury is still out) maintaining fairly good off road clearance and reducing the pucker factor loading short wheel base tractor (as a tractor neophyte maybe I just scared way too easy, I'll check some before turning in my order.
Will try to be religious with tongue lock!!! Will probably loop a multi conductor multistrand wire through the tongue area and run it to the shop bld. One of the conductors will be an extension from my alarm system so if the cable is ripped in two as the trailer is moved the alarm will sound and I will be alerted by an air horn and the monitored alarm pannel will summon the law. The bad guys probably aren't electrical engineers but even if they are they have to guess which wire in the bundle to jumper. Jumping one of the wrong wires (red herrings) will also sound the alarm. cutting everything will sound the alarm. Picking the right wire out of 20 or more is a 5% chance or less but you have to know something the average thief doesn't to get those good odds. This will cost me about $20 and make me feel better. I already have some motion detecting security lights to install above new trailer to make thieves uncomfortable. Given that the trailer is absolutely unique, I will probably be on the look out for it for the rest of my life.
Hope someone can learn from my trailer experience, good and bad.
Patrick
patrickg
Veteran Member
Oh yeah, $2300 and it looke like this...
patrickg
Veteran Member
Turfman
Gold Member
Sorry, no digital camera.
Richard and Patrick, thanks for your thoughts. Theft is a concern with me, too, but the only thing I know to do is carry insurance, because I don't really know how to prevent someone who really wants it from taking it.
I tried to look McLander and Holt up on the 'net, but didn't have any luck. At any rate, Holt is pushing 350 miles from me; probably a bit too far to travel for a $2500 purchase.
Question: Did you consider a tilt-bed? They seem (to me) like the best way to haul equipment, if that's all you're hauling.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by cp1969 on 09/16/01 10:45 AM (server time).</FONT></P>
I tried to look McLander and Holt up on the 'net, but didn't have any luck. At any rate, Holt is pushing 350 miles from me; probably a bit too far to travel for a $2500 purchase.
Question: Did you consider a tilt-bed? They seem (to me) like the best way to haul equipment, if that's all you're hauling.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by cp1969 on 09/16/01 10:45 AM (server time).</FONT></P>
