Trailer

[tld]

I'm looking at utilility trailers. 5 x 10 is the size. is there anything I should be looking for in the way the trailer is constructed?

 

[MajMac392]

tld, You don't say what you will haul with it I assume it isn't your tractor. I prefer full size tires & wheels on trailers but you may not have a choice. If it is a small utility I would buy the largest 'little' tires that they have, not small wheels. They spin up pretty fast going down the road. Remember if the trailer is say a 2000 lb. trailer that is the gross weight that includes the weight of the trailer and whatever you have in it. Make sure you get one big enough GW to carry what you want. Safety chains from the trailer to the vehicle plus running lights on both sides of the back of the trailer. I also prefer a frame style hitch with at least a 1 7/8" ball. but like a 2" ball better. If it doesn't have sides already and you plan to put them on make sure it has pockets to put your 2X4s or whatever you would use for uprights. You also need tiedown rings or something to hook tiedowns or rope into.

 

[SnowRidge]

I would add a long tongue and a 2" coupler. Short tongue trailers are a bear to back up. They are also a sign, in my opinion, of a manufacturer cutting costs instead of building the best he can. It's just my opinion, but in general I have found that trailers that come with less than a 2" coupler tend to be lightly built.

Edit: Almost forgot -- brakes. Once you get to 10', no brakes starts getting a bit dicey.

I have a 6x10 cargo trailer that came without brakes. I made a couple of long trips without any brakes on it, then I had to deal with an idiot that pulled out right in front of me when I was fully loaded.

I installed brakes before that trailer made any more trips.

 

[tld]

To be towed with my F-150. Will haul lawn tractor and ATV.
The one I'm looking at has 2 x 6 pt floor boards, a 4 ft mesh ramp/gate with 2 x 2 square stock for support. The sides are about 16-18 inches tall and made of angle stock.
One thing I don't like about it is that it has a wind down jack that will not allow the tailgate to be let down. It is rated 3500 lbs and has 14 inch wheels. I would rather have 15.

 

[Bird]

That sounds a bit like the 5' x 10' trailer I had, except instead of the mesh ramp, mine was a tilt bed. I liked that much better. And as for the tongue jack, yes, it prevents opening the tailgate on the truck and that's sometimes inconvenient, but I don't think that's as inconvenient as not having a tongue jack. I guess the ideal situation is to have one of the folding tongue jacks, but my trailers did not. And my trailer came with 15" wheels, but when a tire came apart just this side of Pendleton, OR, on a Sunday morning before Memorial Day and I had no spare, the only thing I could find that morning was two new trailer tires already mounted on 14" wheels that fit just fine at Costco, so I kept the one good 15" one just for a spare and ran the 14" ones from then on with not problem. In fact, the next day after I got the trailer loaded, we ran it across the scales and had 2800 pounds on that one axle (I didn't check to see exactly what the tongue weight was), but we had no trouble with that load from Ellensburg, WA, back to Denton, TX.

 

[hhw]

I have owned several of this type. Each one seemed to have something unique about it that made it desireable. To date, I have yet to find one trailer with ALL of these individual traits, always looking though. A few things I look for now include;

1. Removable mesh ramp in rear, with a good solid set of locking pins.

2. I prefer a heavier frame model and the 2" decking, the thinner decking seems to flex too much.

3. These trailers tend to run 2999# GVWR. I like 14" wheels minimum, and prefer the bearing buddy inserts.

4. Even if the trailer comes with a stationary jack, I remove it and add a HD folding wheel jack. (stays out of tailgate way, and does not hang below when folded)

5. You need a mounting area for a toolbox for tie-downs, etc.

6. As long as it has angle iron sides and front there are numerous rack attachments available to mount at various locations later if you need to.

Just some thoughts.

 

[tncruzin]

The guys have made some good suggestions on what to look for. I have a trailer about this size too. Mine is a tilt trailer which eleminates the need for a ramp. Because I usually tow my trailer with a van, one disadvantage to no ramp is that you can't see the trailer behind you when backing. All you have to use is your side mirrors. I plan to remedy this problem with a drop-in tail gate with short post that can be added so that they stick up tall enough to see from the front of the van when backing. However a quick fix in the mean time is to just simply raise the rear door of the van when backing.

The folding jacks are great and will eliminate any problems with dropping the tailgate on a truck. It use to be that 1 7/8" was considered the "standard" hitch size. Over the years that has changed and now the 2" is standard. Anyone wanting to borrow your trailer will likely have a 2" ball on thir vehicle. Now if you don't want to loan your trailer, the 1 7/8" ball will give you an excuse. A word to the wise is to purchase a hitch lock and always lock the hitch in the closed position when parked somewhere. Regarding 14" verses 15" wheels, I don't think there's a nickle difference. Some automobiles have been running 14" wheels for years with no problems. You'll also realize some savings when it's time for new tires.

I've rambled on long enough...later guys! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[twinstackram]

If you can afford it I would go with a tandem axle trailer,it will pull better ,back easier,and for a few extra bucks you'll have a bigger trailer just in case you ever need it.
as far as tilt vs. a fold down ramp or ramps stored in the trailer,with the tilt trailer if you load something on it with any weight at all,and you want to load another item mower tiller or whatever it's hard to get the trailer to tilt back down to load the 2nd item if you have something already loaded on the front of the trailer,that's why I never bought a 2nd tilt trailer and went with a trailer with stored ramps.
From my experiances you always want more trailer than you think you will need. nothing worse than pulling a trailer and having to fight with it the whole time,I like not having to worry about my load or the trailer,load it secure your load and drive..

 

[hhw]

Excellent point on "over-trailering." I agree that it seems best to figure the most reasonable size you might need, then get a size up. I can't remember how many times in the past I have said to myself; "I shoulda gone larger."

The other side of the coin is; it's always nice to have a smaller utility just for the "little jobs."

Now I have several trailers of different sizes, solves the problem(s). In PA. once the GVWR exceeds 3000# the requirements for road operations change; trailer requires annual safety inspection, brakes are required on each axle and an "operable break-away system" must be present. And, of course, registration costs increase as does GVWR.

 

[twinstackram]

my Dad just got a small trailer to haul mowers (his new hobby) he has a 32' gooseneck but that's a little overkill for a cub cadet.
when I was looking for a trailer I looked for a used trailer first and found that I could buy a new one for what people wanted for their used ones,and at that time I wanted it to just haul my mower to our property,it was a Honda RT5000 and I got a 16' tandem axle with pull out ramps,but I can haul my Dads farmalls on it if I want and I have.
my brother-in-law had an old single axle camper,and was pulling it to a campground in front of my Dad,a semi passed both of them and my brother-in-law almost lost control,ended up loosing a bike off of his bike rack on back of the camper,what I'm trying to say is that the tandem trailer seems to be more stable when being pulled down the road.
If you have a full size truck,and your financially able I would definiately go with the bigger tandem axle trailer.
just my opinion,from my time spent trailering.