Time to buy a trailer?

[greg13]

7000# GVW. I'm not a fan of 3500# axles so I wouldn't think twice about using 6000# axles. It's too easy to bend a 3500 axle.

 

[mking7]

7000# GVW. I'm not a fan of 3500# axles so I wouldn't think twice about using 6000# axles. It's too easy to bend a 3500 axle.

I'm with you but my 14k trailer is not half ton friendly. Empty it's okay but not loaded. A trailer built with 14k (2x7000lb axles) weighs a LOT more dry than a 16' with tandem 3500's. That's all I was trying to get across.

 

[lukem]

16' dual 3500 with brakes and a reinforced ramp gate. Will do just about anything you need and/or your tow vehicle will handle. Firewood is heavy...single axle trailer isn't much better than hauling in the bed.

 

[amateur cutter]

16' dual 3500 with brakes and a reinforced ramp gate. Will do just about anything you need and/or your tow vehicle will handle. Firewood is heavy...single axle trailer isn't much better than hauling in the bed.

Agree, I've got 2 of em, one with a ramp gate, & one without. Short of a dump trailer, they're great for hauling wood & other stuff. Can you store the trailer @ the woodlot safely? A C

 

[MasterMech]

Storage issues? 12ft Tandem axle, 2x 3500lb axles, brakes on both (your state may already require this) with HD ramp for the tractor (some trailers are sold with ramps I wouldn't run a wheelbarrow up). Wiring for the brakes is cake on newer trucks (plug & play) and great brake controllers are not very expensive. $130 buys a lot of controller. Don't waste your time with the cheap time-delay type boxes that are typically installed with a hitch. Better than nothing but a real PITA to keep adjusted well.

Won't take up any more room than a single axle, helluva lot easier to back-up, and will keep a lot of weight off the truck suspension while towing nicer than a single axle to boot. Going rate for one new around here from a top tier mfg is roughly $3200.

Should be able to get that 855 w/FEL on that with no 3pt hitch implements. 14ft would guarentee it.

 

[HDRock]

I would look long and hard to try and find a double axle, that U can live with the price, U would never regret it,big difference how much U can haul

 

[Ashful]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. I guess I can hide it behind my barn. Two neighbors will have to look at it, then, but they're not two neighbors known to be particular about things like that.

Gotta measure the length of the JD 855 with the loader and ballast box installed, and the width of my ZTrak mower, and then it's off to visit a couple local trailer shops. I'll price out a single 3500# plus a few rentals per year when I need something heavier vs. just buying a dual 3500#. If I go single 3500#, I'd go with a smaller box, and plan to use it for hauling stuff around the yard. That could actually be very handy for me, as my current utility trailer is always too small for hauling branches, etc.

In PA, brakes are required on any trailer more than 3000# gross, or more than 40% of towing vehicle weight. Brakes must be applied on all wheels, not just one axle in a tandem. Furthermore, a break-away system must be present on all trailers over 3000 lb.

edit: I gotta ask... why not a single 5200 lb. axle? Seems like that would be the best compromise for all my needs. Could handle the tractor or mower, a decent amount of firewood, and could still be used on the lawn without tearing things up. Did I mention I have a lot of lawn?

 

[mking7]

edit: I gotta ask... why not a single 5200 lb. axle? Seems like that would be the best compromise for all my needs. Could handle the tractor or mower, a decent amount of firewood, and could still be used on the lawn without tearing things up. Did I mention I have a lot of lawn?

I won't cover my thoughts on tandem axles again as I think several of us have made that point. I honestly don't ever see single axle trailers around here with anything bigger than 3500lb axles. Somebody looking to haul more is usually going to go with a tandem. I'm all for bigger is better so if you're just set on a single axle trailer and can find one (I'm sure you could order one/have one built) with a bigger axle then go for it.

FWIW - I pull my tandems through yard all the time. I do leave some tire marks but that's gonna happen with any trailer that's loaded down. I don't tear up my yard. I don't do when it's wet though. Did I mention you should really consider a tandem axle trailer?

 

[lukem]

Unless you are making really tight turns that would drag the rear wheels, a tandem will be just as easy if not easier on the turf because the weight will be spread over 4 tires instead of two....

Things get pretty hairy pretty quick when a single axle has a blow-out...I would hate to haul my high dollar equipment on one...or have my tow vehicle drug into a ditch when hauling a heavy load of wood. They are also harder to get the right amount of tongue weight, which is really important when you get a good amount of weight on there (tractor or wood).

Even though you might not need the length of a tandem for hauling wood, you do need the capacity and redundancy they offer. My opinion...

 

[mking7]

Things get pretty hairy pretty quick when a single axle has a blow-out...I would hate to haul my high dollar equipment on one...or have my tow vehicle drug into a ditch when hauling a heavy load of wood.

Even though you might not need the length of a tandem for hauling wood, you do need the capacity and redundancy they offer. My opinion...

 

[gzecc]

Get two used ones. They retain their value and each have benifits. I have a single axle. I don't over load it, to take it easy on my xterra. I also need a single axle because the dump nazis at my town will not allow dual axle trailers.
Singles only have two tires to maintain/replace, no brakes, much easier.

 

[Ashful]

I hear you, guys. I've had tandems and I've had singles over the years, and for long hauls, I always appreciate the added safety of tandems. I did once lose a wheel on a 3000 lb. single axle trailer (guy at a service station where we stopped to have a tire repaired failed to tighten the lug nuts... lost the wheel 10 miles down the road!), and that was quite exciting.

The question here was primarily aimed at going smaller, and using it around the yard, while still having some capacity for heavier loads. Will consider tandems.

In my experience, though, I think you're wrong about being more sensitive to tongue weight on single axle. While you need to get the tongue weight into a good range (~10% GVW) on a single-axle, you need to worry both about tongue weight and leveling with tandems. I speak from experience hauling both. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to getting it right with tandems, because I usually have something much heavier on them.

 

[BrianK]

Any recommendations?

Search CL and be patient. Wait for a dual axle with brakes, and use them. Store it off site if necessary. I searched CL for several months last winter and found this 2004 16x6 dual axle trailer with brakes for $1000. It was in the Poconos but the owner drove out to Danville to meet me. It was still a long round trip from Johnstown but its been a great trailer so far:

 

[flyingcow]

A single axle trailer, will it really hold much more than your half ton dodge? I normally run 10 ply tires, and get a good load of wood on a half ton pickup. But that being said, it's much easier to load and unload off of a trailer.

Nothing beats taking your time and getting the correct trailer for your needs. Sounds like you're not a newbie to trailer and pulling loads. And you know your regulations on what you need to have for brakes, tongue weight etc. You'll get the right one.

But if you need a big pull. you buy the fuel, be down in a few days.

 

[flyingcow]

BTW...if you find any used trailers that are older than a 7 or 8 yrs old, figure your pricing on installing new brakes. just seems like anything used I've found, needs a complete brake job.

 

[Ashful]

Cool! Yep... I pulled trailers as a summer job in college, have had a few boats, and rent or borrow trailers frequently for moving wood, tractors, machinery, etc.

Right now, I'm evaluating two plans:

Single axle: good behind the CUT, picking up sticks in the yard, and picking up smaller loads of wood. Might be big enough to cram the mower or CUT on, to get to dealer for service (I currently do all service and repair myself). Would still load some wood in the pickup, since tongue weight will not be enormous. Plan to rent or borrow a tandem axle when I need to move anything big.

Tandem axle: good wood and tractor hauler. Could even move tractor with FEL and snowblower installed (not that I've ever had need to do so). Would not use a tandem axle on my golf course-like lawn, but I can live with my FEL and current small utility trailer for that. Also, would not want wood in the bed of the pickup with 600+ lb of tongue weight from a loaded tandem.

I'm leaning toward the tandem.

 

[greg13]

I have to laugh at the new Toyota commercial, "It can pull the Space shuttle"!! But can it STOP it???

 

[JustWood]

I looked for about a year at different trailers before I bought one. These are the best built trailer for the $ I found .
(broken link removed to http://www.toolshedofamerica.com/Trailers/landscape/NNTTrailers.htm)

 

[Bigg_Redd]

So, I have access to all the free wood I ever need, but it's located about 9 miles from my house. I've tried everything for moving it over the last year... a half-dozen trips in one day with my pickup, renting a trailer, borrowing a trailer...

A lot of that wood is BIG stuff, as in rounds bigger than 40" diameter. This is because the guy who owns the wood lot processes the small stuff for himself and a neighbor, and leaves to me anything too big for him to handle himself. That means rounds that require a tractor to load and unload from a pickup (no problem... got that). The few times I've used a landscape trailer with a drop tailgate, I've found it pretty easy to roll these big rounds right up the ramp onto the trailer, and then back down again when I get home. A trailer, even a light one, can also haul more weight than my Ram 1500 pickup.

So, I start asking around, and it seems the going rate for a single-axle landscape trailer is about $1000, depending on size. Then I start thinking, if I'm going to lay out for a trailer anyway, maybe I should get something that can haul my tractor or mower. Mower is a JD 757 ZTrak, only about 1200 lb., if I recall. Tractor is a JD 855 with 52 FEL, roughly 1900 lb. unloaded, or 3000 lb. carrying the front end loader and ballast.

I suspect the need to move the tractor and mower would be more often for service than for hauling the tractor with implements somewhere to use it, so my current thinking is get a single-axle trailer that can haul at least 2000 lb., and just rent when I need something heavier.

Any recommendations? The weight of the big rounds I haul adds up quick, with only a dozen rounds often putting the average landscape trailer overweight.

This is going to sound crazy, but, have you considered splitting these big rounds in place?

 

[Bacffin]

So, I have access to all the free wood I ever need, but it's located about 9 miles from my house. I've tried everything for moving it over the last year... a half-dozen trips in one day with my pickup, renting a trailer, borrowing a trailer...

A lot of that wood is BIG stuff, as in rounds bigger than 40" diameter. This is because the guy who owns the wood lot processes the small stuff for himself and a neighbor, and leaves to me anything too big for him to handle himself. That means rounds that require a tractor to load and unload from a pickup (no problem... got that). The few times I've used a landscape trailer with a drop tailgate, I've found it pretty easy to roll these big rounds right up the ramp onto the trailer, and then back down again when I get home. A trailer, even a light one, can also haul more weight than my Ram 1500 pickup.

So, I start asking around, and it seems the going rate for a single-axle landscape trailer is about $1000, depending on size. Then I start thinking, if I'm going to lay out for a trailer anyway, maybe I should get something that can haul my tractor or mower. Mower is a JD 757 ZTrak, only about 1200 lb., if I recall. Tractor is a JD 855 with 52 FEL, roughly 1900 lb. unloaded, or 3000 lb. carrying the front end loader and ballast.

I suspect the need to move the tractor and mower would be more often for service than for hauling the tractor with implements somewhere to use it, so my current thinking is get a single-axle trailer that can haul at least 2000 lb., and just rent when I need something heavier.

Any recommendations? The weight of the big rounds I haul adds up quick, with only a dozen rounds often putting the average landscape trailer overweight.

I use this 12000gvw dump trailer. Where you are only 9 miles away, just cut what will fit and what the tractor can handle and load it up, bring it home, dump and go back for more. Might work well in your position.

 

[greg13]

Dump trailers are made for just that, dumping. They do not work well to haul equipment for a few reasons. First their height, the ramps need to be long or they are too steep to SAFELY climb. Second, the axle location usually is too far back to properly load equipment and distribute weight (too much tongue weight). Third, many lack proper tie down points and side height can make securing a load hard at best.

I see people trying to use dump trailers for equipment all the time and have seen more than my share of accidents of people just loading /unloading in our yard.

 

[MasterMech]

BTW...if you find any used trailers that are older than a 7 or 8 yrs old, figure your pricing on installing new brakes. just seems like anything used I've found, needs a complete brake job.

Anybody buying a used trailer or needing to do work on their trailer needs to discover www.etrailer.com Did new hubs, brake assemblies and a full LED lighting conversion on my shop trailer. Prices were unbeatable, parts were top notch.

 

[Como]

I was driving back tonight and went past this one:

(broken link removed to http://denver.craigslist.org/rvs/3451205258.html)

Now down to $1500. I have been buying wood by the semi load but this would allow me to get my own.

 

[nate379]

That doesn't look very heavy duty at all.

This is my trailer, compare 12k rated....

(edit)

Those pics aren't the best for showing size. The C channel is 6", .25 wall, so the front section is 12"

The first pic is loaded with 2 cords of wood. I have never run across the scales, but I would guess it's around 10,000lbs. I know the trailer gets a bit "tweaked" when it's loaded down, so it's some pretty decent weight.

 

[Ashful]

Thanks, guys. Buying by the semi load would actually be a lot easier for me and my schedule, but hauling wood out of this lot 9 miles from home gives me a chance to help the old man who owns it, a close friend of mine. He needs these big trees felled when they go unhealthy, or more often cleaned up when they fall.

Splitting on site would not help much. Usually felling, bucking, and hauling one of these monsters is about as much work as I can fit into one day, and whether I'm moving six or eight big rounds or a cord of split wood, it's the same weight on the trailer. Got good tractors at both sites, so loading/unloading is not a big issue.

Had another 3+ cord ash come down in Sandy, waiting to be moved, as soon as the wet fields firm up. Diameter must be about 50" at base, with two trunks over 100 feet. That will test whatever trailer I get!