Looking for a trailer

[sediener]

I want something ~4'x8' that can handle at least 3500 lbs and is cheap.

Any suggestions?



I was thinking of this

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w..._465468_465468
plus this:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...7475_200317475

but don't know how good of an idea that is.

- Steve

[Glennbear]

I have had that trailer for a number of years and it has served me well. I did have to swap out the drawbar when I bent it due to overloading , the stock drawbar is u shaped channel and I replaced it with square hollow tube stock. The other thing I did was replace the stock tires/wheels with larger ones available as "spares" from HF. The stock tires give very little ground clearence. I do not know if that axle kit would bolt up to the trailer without too much of a hassle. I have one axle hub which still has a "list to starboard" from the overloading incident so the weight limit they give is not be ignored !!! This thread shows the corner of my trailer with the wood sides I made holding some old 'arn. http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/s...25732#poststop

[toolferone]

There is a guy who posts on the Raleigh craigs list who builds trailers. They look nice and his prices are pretty decent.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/for/569629010.html

[jerrye]

Got mine here:
A & B Trailer Manufacturing Inc

2044 George Pace Rd
Spring Hope, NC, 27882
(919) 269-4639

Best prices for the quality I've found. Bought mine several years ago & got 5x10, 3500# steel floor tilt deck for $565. I'm sure costs have gone up, but still where I'd go. NC Pete, I think, checked with them not long ago, and IIRC was going to get a price sheet from them. Call them & see what they can do. One nice thing is that they use pull-off 14" & 15" wheels & tires, so standard replacement tires are used instead of special, trailer-only sizes.

[sapwood]

Those are great prices Tom and Jerry really!

My thoughts:
1) 3500 lb axle is a good idea
2) 14" or 15" tires are a must. I have 14" tires but they require "special" trailer tires.
3) Tilt-bed is almost useless IMO. Height of trailer bed is low, therefore angle of tilt is useless for unloading dirt, mulch, etc. Of course, it can be helpful loading motorcycles, etc.
4) I paid $650 for 4x8 with ~18" metal box and tailgate and 3500lb axle in 1993. It has serve me well and been greatly abused.
5) Trailer is much easier to load/unload than 4x4 truck bed

Roger

[jerrye]

Originally Posted by sapwood

Those are great prices Tom and Jerry really!

My thoughts:
1) 3500 lb axle is a good idea
2) 14" or 15" tires are a must. I have 14" tires but they require "special" trailer tires.
3) Tilt-bed is almost useless IMO. Height of trailer bed is low, therefore angle of tilt is useless for unloading dirt, mulch, etc. Of course, it can be helpful loading motorcycles, etc.
4) I paid $650 for 4x8 with ~18" metal box and tailgate and 3500lb axle in 1993. It has serve me well and been greatly abused.
5) Trailer is much easier to load/unload than 4x4 truck bed

Roger

NOT the first time I've heard that!

1) My guys build them with a safety factor greater than rating. 3500# is rated capacity of mine, and they do up to 10,000# tandems if you want
2) Yep, this is a blessing when you're on the Beltline with a blown tire and can get a replacement anywhere DAMHIKT
3) Tilt useless for anything except equipment loading/unloading, but priceless for that
4) They'll do steel or oak floor. All have 1x6 PT sides/gates. They will do expanded metal fold down gate as an option. Mine has lived a hard life, but still goes on
5) MUCH easier!

[NCPete]

yup, when I spoke with them, they were doing 5*10 for $635 at 3500# ratings. Then I found a homebuilt trailer with a 16,000# axle for $225. It's in the back yard waiting for me to fix my truck so that I can take it to the landfill to empty its load. (and the one on the truck, too!)

[scsmith42]

Originally Posted by NCPete

Then I found a homebuilt trailer with a 16,000# axle

Pete, are you sure of that axle rating? You're getting up in the range of a tractor trailer axle with 22" tires if it's truly a 16K rating. Not to mention that it would be a dual tandem axle. The issue here is that high capacity axle's need to have high capacity tires, and until you get up in the 19.5" or larger rim diameter range, you're limited to about 3K load capacity per tire.

Keep in mind that if you want to put 3,500 lbs on the trailer, you're going to need at least a 4000 lb axle, because you have to factor in the empty weight of the trailer. A 5000 lb axle/tire combo would be even better for a 3,500 lb payload, because then you'd have a safety margin.

Also, a LT "light truck" tire is usually a much better option for a trailer, unless you're buying some of the very high quality Goodyear, Bridgestone, etc trailer tires. Most of the "ST" tires for trailers are fairly low quality, and they will suffer blowouts, tread separations, etc if you pull them at rated weight much over 50MPH.

Just some lessons learned from a fellow that owns a lot of trailers...

Scott

[NCPete]

mobile home axle.

[scsmith42]

I can promise you that it is not capable of 16K... More like 5 or 6K, which should be adequate for your needs. As I recall the tires are rated around 2,500 lbs, which matches up to the axle rating.

For $225, it sounds like it was a good deal and you got good value for your $.

[alleng]

i dont think that light frame will hold that much weight,even though you put a heavy axle under it. just wouldnt be safe

[NCPete]

maybe it is 6K, it sure is one big looking axle compared to all those other trailers. I've got a new light kit for it somewhere in the shop, at least I think it is there. need to fix the sides too, but it sure is one tough trailer.

[scsmith42]

Yeah, I know what you mean. The light duty utility trailers that you get from Northern and Harbor Freight usually have axle tubes that are around 1 - 2". 5 - 7K axle's are usually around 3" - 4" round tubing. 10K and above are usually around 4" heavy wall - 6" round tubing.

The other key item to look at is the spindle size - that's what is really carrying the weight.

I've got mobile home axle's on one of my trailers; I think that they are 5K axle's. The one maintenance item that you should consider is to repack the wheel bearings and replace the wheel seals. Be careful when taking the old seals out; some times the numbers on the seals can't be matched up and you'll need to obtain replacement from a seal and bearing shop, based upon axle diameter and hub inside diameter.

Whether it's 6K or 16K, for 225 bucks you got a steal! How many axle's does it have?

Post pix of it when you get a chance -

[jeff...]

Originally Posted by NCPete

mobile home axle.

Mobile home axles bearings and brakes are light duty at best and made for one time use. I have one trailer with a pair of mobile home axles and had to weld the axles to the frame in order to get it to track down the road right. There is no spring on that trailer and she makes for a rough ride when empty. I use that tailer to move the bobcat and an occasional car around one. But I would not even think about putting more than 2 1/2 tons (5000 lbs) on it even with dual axles.

Then I have another trailer with a pair of 5500 LB dexter torflex axles under it. I load that puppy to the hilt and she don't complain one little bit. what a difference axles and brakes make, it's like night and day...

[Nativespec]

Make sure the trailer is actually 8' long. I bought a 5' x 8' Pelt that was nicely made (but it rusted around all the welds eventually) but when you closed the gate in was less than 96" which is a huge problem if you plan on hauling plywood.

David