Let's talk trailers
- Thread starter lowell66dart
- Start date
I have several trailers that I use to haul cars and equipment such as tractors and my offroad forklifts. I have wood, diamond plate and steel grate decks. I prefer the diamond plate and steel grate over wood because they require less maintenance and I weld D-rings on the steel deck which allows me to secure various sized loads. The first thing I do with a new wood deck if treat it with linseed oil. It drys hard unlike used motor oil. I have a 30 yr old BigTex 7K car hauler with a steel deck. In the time I’ve owned it all I’ve done to it besides bearings is replaced the movable suspension parts and repainted the deck which is due again. I estimate that it has over 50K miles on it with many trips across the country. This is the first trailer I bought and I learned not to buy anything rated less than 10K and beaver tails suck offroad. A good quality trailer will last decades with proper care.
I built my own trailer using a dexter 10k dually. Entire trailer was hot dipped. Yes, its purpose built and some might argue if you party hard, good luck getting the jeep onto it but it has served me well, so far.
For what its worth, Kaufman also has a Flat Bed Utility category of trailer that has slide in ramps and stake pockets. I have a 16' 8k version and it has worked great in the limited time I have used it to tow my TJ. they have 16-20' 10k versions as well:
Folks tend to overlook one legal method to acquire a Uhaul trailer or similar. If it happens to wind up in a tow yard for any extended length of time, Uhaul tends to let it go to auction rather than pay the storage fees on it. I picked one up that came out of a tow yard lien sale, in very good condition.
I also wanted the smallest size trailer to comfortably haul my TJ with. I have a 16' (2' dovetail) and it fits a TJ with plenty of room. An LJ would fit fine on a 16' in my opinion.
Your picture brings up another point to consider Fenders. I learned after buying my BigTex car hauler, to buy trailers with sturdy enough fenders to step on.
Going to get some of those D-ring stake pocket inserts. Never knew they existed.
Yes they are not very sturdy to walk on. My nephew drive over a fender while putting his 63 Chevy pickup on it and bent the fender a bit. Over the years and all the miles they’ve developed stress cracks which I’ve had to weld up. Overall for the price I paid I’m happy with the years of service I got out of it but I wouldn’t buy a 7K trailer again. The empty trailer weighs 2K so it only has a 5K load capacity. There is also a lot of flex in the trailer when loading a vehicle.
A build with angle iron or channel will promote more flex. Look for one with rectangular tubing
alittleoff
TJ Addict
Also concerning fenders. My 20 year old Big Tex 14' has the 'Tear-drop' style for tandem axle applications.
It supports my #220 when I walk on it and still has the factory wood deck. It's treated with Thomson's because I already had some from a deck rebuild on our old house in SoCal.
It supports my #220 when I walk on it and still has the factory wood deck. It's treated with Thomson's because I already had some from a deck rebuild on our old house in SoCal.
I have a 2020 Big Tex Eq trailer 20' I never use it. Everytime I think I'm going to tow, I drive the Jeep instead.
Decided to go with a Kaufman equipment hauler. 18’ 10k axles. If anyone is interested in going with them and want a flat hauler with no dove tail, the sales rep said it’s a 4 week lead time.
After owning a steel trailer, I bought an Aluma 7816 many years ago. It weighs in around 1100 pounds and easily pulls either my TJ or LJ. That said, it's not a trailer to buy if you abuse them. The aluminum deck is easily dented, so care has to be taken. On the plus side, my Ram 1500 easily pulls the trailer, LJ, and a bed loaded with gear, even in the mountains. The weight savings and not having to worry about rust are the biggest pros for me. Plus, this model, at 16 feet long, is incredibly easy to maneuver.
For tail gate opening purposes? It looks like the one I’m getting had the jack stand away from the tongue. Not sure how far but probably far enough to open the tail gate
Keeping the jack away from the tailgate is a bonus but I like the 4' tongue to keep the trailer back far enough to keep from pinching the rear in a tight turn or reversing. It it is ever on the back of an RV, the overhang is more prone to pinching on a tight turn in a parking lot.
Nice trailer. It should serve you well. I like having the adjustable channel for the hitch. It makes it easy to keep the trailer level when switching between vehicles with different receiver heights. Also make sure you get an extra retainer nut for the ramp brace. They’ve been known to disappear. I tape mine to the tongue. Don’t skimp on the insert. Spend the $ and get a solid drop forged one and a corresponding 11/4” shank ball. Don’t forget plenty of good straps. You’ll find many other uses for it besides hauling the TJ.