Utility trailer for wood hauling

[Tim Thomas]

I have an old pickup truck that doesn't get enough use to justify keeping it. Every time I try to start it up the battery is dead and I have to wait and charge it. The only thing I really use it for is the occasional trip to my local lumber yard or for getting bulky items from the BORG. Anyway, I'm thinking of getting rid of the truck, putting a trailer hitch on my SUV and getting a utility trailer for hauling stuff. Does anybody here have experience with hauling wood this way and is there anything in particular I should look for in a trailer? Pretty much my only criteria is I want something big enough to hold full sheets of plywood laid flat.

This one I think would do fine:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/trailer...pacity-1090202

And this one might work if the drop gate is removable. Plywood would hang out the back by about 16 inches, but I would think that would be OK as long as I put a good strap around it.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/carry-o...pacity-1000231

Anybody got a strong opinion on this or is it pretty much a no-brainer and I'm over-thinking it as usual.

[Kirk Poore]

Get something with at least an 8' bed. Loading will be much easier and you won't have to worry about stuff sliding off the back. Also, I borrowed my neighbor's 8x4 several times, and the mesh bottom always seemed flimsy. When I bought a 10 x 5 I went with a wood floor, and it's much better. It's stronger, and water from wet roads won't get your stuff wet--or at least not through the floor.

Get a spare tire. It's the best way to be sure you won't have any flats.

Many trailer places sell hardware for additional tie-down points. They're cheap, and really handy.

Kirk

[Dave Wagner]

Any of the 5'x10' trailers would work good. A solid floor is much nicer, especially if you have to slide something.

[Jim Rimmer]

I don't have personal experience with utility trailers but have seen a few things here in the greater Houston area i would watch out for:

1. Overloading - I have seen more than one trailer with a broken axle because they were overloaded. Sounds like you won't be hauling heavy loads but the trailers you posted were only rated at 1650#.

2. I see a lot of folks hauling down the highway at 70 MPH with those little bitty tires and it just doesn't look safe to me. Either get bigger wheels or hold your speed down.

[Stew Hagerty]

+1 on 8' bed. You don't want to end up kicking yourself for getting the shorter one.

[Steve Vaughn]

I would check Craig's list. You can get more trailer for the same or cheaper. Here's an example I just searched in your area.

http://bham.craigslist.org/for/1875565990.html

Steve

[Jeff Gunter]

When my truck hit end-of-life -- I went the same way, trailer behind some sort of family/person hauler. Built the trailer rather than bought. Some things I would throw into the mix:
1) two axles is generally a good thing -- even if you have a flat you can limp along to get safely off the road. Even if you have heavier axles you can generally register a trailer for lighter loading (for example, I have a 3,000# registration, but the axles will go much heavier than that). Check your state to make sure they don't care about that. I've never registered a trailer and had any question about the actual axle capacity. That being said, if you register at 3,000 don't go over that on the road. And yes, having two axles and two sets of tires will reduce the load you can carry w/o being over. But nobody cares about your weight if you are moving things around your own property if that matters (firewood from the woods to the wood pile etc).
2) Build or find a trailer with sides that match the size of a common model pickup. Then if you stumble across an old truck topper you can clamp it fast to the trailer and have covered hauler. If you need to haul something tall pull topper off. Old toppers can often be found cheap or free, and long-box toppers will cover 4x8 sheet goods. If you don't want to have a flat bed and an enclosed trailer then IMHO this is a good compromise.

[Tim Thomas]

Lots of good advice on here. Thanks for the input everyone.

I went to Tractor Supply at lunch to see their trailers for myself, and each one had its advantages/drawbacks.

The one that is only 4 x 7 will not work because it doesn't look like I could easily remove the drop gate for hauling full sheets of plywood, so that is out. The 5 x 8 model looks OK, but is getting a bit pricey.

They did also have a "No Floor" trailer that is 4 x 8. Looks like it is designed for you to build your own box for it. This might be the way for me to go as I think I could put a solid wood floor on it and build some sides for much cheaper than the 5 x 8 and I would have a solid floor, not the wire mesh.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/trailer...railer-1000215

Of course, I will look at the used market too, but I like to look at the new stuff first to give me an idea of what I am even looking for. That Craig's list posting is already gone. Must have been a good deal.

So, final question (I hope): Does anybody have experience with building a floor/sides for a trailer frame like the one in the link above. It seems like it would be pretty straightforward.

[Jim Rimmer]

I have always been very leary of used utility trailers. Why are they getting rid of it? Overloaded and cracked the axle? Cracked tongue? New ones are so cheap that the ued market is dubious at best.

[David Nelson1]

I recently bought a used utility trailer with 10.000 TGVW. It has the electric brake set up but no controller or back up battery. My truck is a F350 single rear tire configuration. The curb weight of the truck full of gas is 7200 lbs. and has a heavy duty braking system.

I recon my point is don't buy something that weighs (when loaded) more than your tow vehicle and if you do make certain it has brakes. I have scrared myself more time than once before I learned this.

[Luther Oswalt]

"two axles and two sets of tires will reduce the load you can carry w/o being over" ... I think you mean to say ... Tandem Axles normally increase the capacity of the trailer ... because they will and that is why you see them used so much. ... as stated above the heavier you get the requirements change ... Brakes ... Tow Vehicle capabilities etc., There is a cut off point before getting into all of this so it is best you contact your state Dept. of Transportation since they are the ones most concerned about this. Trailer Dealers don’t always have the correct answers. Electric brakes are good, but bring on other items, such as controllers. Remember, as the trailer capacity increases the trailer gets the more involved! With the trailors you have indicated an interest in you should not have any problems with an SUV towing them.
Leo

[Dave Lehnert]

If you don't use one much rent one from U-Haul.
I ran a retail garden center for years and customers would rent pick up's and trailers from U-Haul and I remeber the cost was almost nothing for the day. ($35)
But if you don't have one close to you that would be more trouble.

[harry boyer]

I bought the 4x7 trailer from Tractor Supply. They were on sale around father's day. It has the same grosss wt. cap. of most of the other samller ones they sell. In hind sight I would think about length more than floor style. I just carried some 12ft 4x4 walnut . Problem was that I couldn't get too close to the back of the car to make a turn radius, and had a bunch of weight way back on the trailer. It was fine until I got up to about 35 mph and started to bounce a little. Then the hitch seemed to ride at the top of the ball and the trailer started to wobble pretty bad. Scared the heck out of me. I also don't like how the liscense plate is attached on the small trailer. I'm sure I'll bend it if I'm not real careful.

I think I'll be fine now that I've learned how to use this trailer. Gonna take a saw with me when I go to the lumber mill. As an aside I bought 23 4x4 12 ft. long walnut posts for $150 ( no pic. no wood, I get it!) The saw man there used a chainsaw to give me a hand on the 2nd loar. !0ft. is just ok with me. I'm making chairs and benches. Lots of times the mill guys have a shed where they store and air dry a bunch of really nice stuff. I happen to like figured walnut and find it more in the #1&2 common rather than the clear grade. I also bought poplar (junk to them) @ $.30 per sq ft. I'll get a bunch of clear out of 90 ft. Play dumb and pull that trailer on up. Buy in rags and sell all dressed up.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I'll echo other's sentiments- get a wood bed. You can nail or screw down your load, and it handles point loads better than mesh.

I have a 5x8 with a 2000lb axle, ramp tailgate, and 12" wheels. I've used it for a lot of stuff, and its always treated me well. All I've had to do to it is replace the taillights- because I broke them by backing into stuff, and I repack the bearings every year. I've probably put 5000 miles on this trailer. I'm on my second set of tires.

Get high speed rated trailer tires and get them balanced, and you won't have a problem. Balancing makes a huge difference. They don't come that way.

[Jim Becker]

I opted for a 5' x 8' Loadrite utility trailer. It can handle 2100 lbs of load over it's own weight and without sides, etc., it's easy to get materials on and off it. (I can put removable sides on if I decided I want them. This trailer wasn't one of the inexpensive options on my short list, but I liked it the best overall of everything I looked at.