Trailer Advice

[GreeCguy]

Good morning all in Bitog land. Hope all are enjoying these beautiful, hot, humid, rainy sweltering days of August. On this bright and sunny morning, I find myself needing some wisdom and advice.

I'm wanting to put a trailer hitch on my 1995 Old's Cutlass and then buy a trailer so that when I do need to do some hauling, (i.e. riding mower, building supplies from Lowes or Home Depot, occasional trash to the dump), I can simply hook up my trailer and do what I need to do. I will not be using this on a daily basis but using it from time to time.

I looked at the trailers at Lowes. I like the 5 x 8 size with the fold down rear gate as it would be good for loading a riding mower and can haul things like a full sheet of plywood. One thing however that did concern me was the thin expanded metal bed. While on the one hand, I like the weight of the trailer, I'm wondering about the durability of the bed and it possibly bending. When I visited Home Depot and checked out their trailers, they had basically the same trailer, only with a bed made from pressure treated 2 x 6 lumber. It makes a nice, sturdy floor, but I'm wondering if the increased weight of the wooden bed would hinder me from hauling with the '95 Oldsmobile, (3.1 V-6 automatic transmission).

Price wise, both are about the same, size wise, both are the same. What I'm wondering, does anyone have any experience with these trailers? Are they a good quality trailer? What do you think about the heavier trailer with the wooden bed with my Olds being the mule that pulls it?

Thoughts, opinions, experience? Thanks in advance

 

[Hokiefyd]

I would seriously consider looking at the used trailer market. I have a 5x8 open utility trailer, but I bought it used for $300. It uses tubular steel instead of thin angle iron for frame rails, uses an A-frame front tongue instead of a single straight box section, and the metal grate flooring is much sturdier than what comes on a Home Depot trailer.

I don't think the weight of a wood bed would be prohibitive to you, but you may consider using 5/4 board instead of 2x6s. I've considered this myself, but the metal grate floor is so handy for tieing anything down anywhere in the trailer. I'm constantly towing lawn equipment with mine, so the ability to tie things down anywhere in the trailer is a real benefit.

Here's my trailer with a lawn tractor in it. It tows great.

 

[tig1]

I have that exact 5x8 trl. I have hauled heavy gas powered welders, riding mowers, refrig, washer & dryers, you name it. Also this trl has been pulled to Fl, all over Mo, up to Chicago, in short it must have 15K on it. Actually I'm on my second set of tires. The bed and tail gate are fine. The expanded metal holds up very well and makes for a lighter trl. to push around. Also 4x8 drywall or plywood fits right in.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Just make sure you have your 4x8 sheets tied down. I was traveling along side one of those trailers while passing on the highway and the gate came loose, and dropped down,then the sheet of plywood came out and slid along the pavement at 60 mph and after a few seconds it caught wind and flew at least 10 feet in the air. Thankfully nobody was behind them or they could have caught it in their windshield.

I would shop used as well. I'd go for the expanded metal assuming it is heavy and durable enough. Lighter and longer lasting. Eventually the wood will warp, crack, etc. and need to be replaced. I think your Cutlass with the 3.1L can haul either. I had a '94 Grand Prix with the 3.1L and hauled heavier stuff than your talking about in a heavier trailer more times than I could possibly count. I had added a trans cooler but it was still going strong at 212k miles when I sold it. All the towing never caused an issue.

 

[Donald]

I would look for used. Unless you fill it with stone or bags of cement you should be fine. Your Olds can pull most anything you can put in the trailer.

Don't be surprised if a used one has problems with lights. If so just replace them with LED, get a good ground and none of the cheepo blue connectors.

 

[Burt]

I always wondered why more people don't go this route rather than by a pick up truck? I guess its image and lack of space to store the trailer.

 

[tig1]

I pull my 5x8 with my Focus.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Burt
I always wondered why more people don't go this route rather than by a pick up truck?


We went this route, and sold our pickup truck to do it. We had a pickup truck as a third vehicle, and actually used it as a pickup truck (and only as a pickup truck). When a co-worker asked me if I wanted to buy his utility trailer (because I had used it before to haul a lawn tractor), it dawned on me that pretty much everything the truck is used for, the trailer can do it. I mow lawns on the side, and was using the truck a lot for hauling mowers and tools. The trailer does that much easier. I decided that I'd rather have the $2500 for the truck instead of it sitting in the driveway, and not pay the insurance on a vehicle that I drove maybe 3,000 miles a year.

 

[scurvy]

I have the Harbor Freight 4x8' folding trailer and have hauled countless loads with it behind my Golf - taking loads of recycling to the dump site, large runs to Costco, Ikea or Menards, rental gas tillers, 25 rolls of soaking wet sod (likely putting the trailer well over the limit), helping relatives and myself move house, 2.5 cubic yards of mulch, all kinds of stuff. Love the flexibility of having my own.

I built stake sides out of a couple 2x4s and 2 sheets of plywood which works out very well for bulk material like mulch. The kids also love to play in it - makes a great backyard playpen when I was staining the deck.

If you don't need it to fold up, get the non-folder. Put it together in an afternoon and bolt down a sheet of 4x8' plywood. Get the LED light set with it and run grounds to every light - did that when I put it together and my lights always work.

The red powdercoat fades to a very pretty pink after a couple years in the sun.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: Burt
I always wondered why more people don't go this route rather than by a pick up truck? I guess its image and lack of space to store the trailer.


I live adjacent to what is termed an "executive neighborhood". They simply share a few trailers and all have an SUV in family from CRV/Forester thru Suburban and use these trailers. Thankfully I have access to them which go from 5x8 all the way to one with battery powered dump.

Maybe an unwritten rule about no pickups there no idea. It seems to be a good idea if you have space.

 

[Donald]

They each have their place. A trailer is fine if your load is not that heavy. A pickup is needed if you have large trailers like a boat trailer to pull.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: Burt
I always wondered why more people don't go this route rather than by a pick up truck? I guess its image and lack of space to store the trailer.


Growing up on a farm, I've always had a truck - got my first one when I was 18 and have had one ever since up till about a year ago. That's when my son asked if he could "borrow" my truck. I thought "why not - it sits in the yard most of the time so it would be good for him to drive it around." It went from being "my" truck to "our" truck to "his" truck. Now it's like pulling hens teeth to "borrow" my truck back again. I thought about buying a used truck, but I got to thinking about another vehicle in the yard, insurance, tag, etc. That's when I thought, "why not a trailer?"

I went and bought a hitch today. Will install this weekend, (if anyone has any advice or wisdom on this, please feel free to throw it at me).

I looked at a few used trailers today as well but am not very impressed. So far what I've found (through Craigslist) are a few junky homemade jobs, (one even made from an old international pick up truck bed - it weighed a ton) or 16 foot landscape trailers, (way too big and way too expensive). Probably the worst one I looked at was an old trailer made to haul golf carts. What the owner had done was build a deck on top of this golf car trailer with 2 x 4's. It looked a little odd but alright, 2 x 4's will work. He wanted 200 bucks. Then I looked underneath. The way he had attached the 2 x 4 deck to the metal frame was to build little wooden 2 x 4 boxes around the frame and nail it all together with 16 penny nails. It was creative and made me think of the "Grapes of Wrath," but this ole Tom Joad will pass on that one.