Tool trailer advice

Brian Peters said:

I have decided that before I invest much more in tools, I need a trailer. Checked at a local dealer here and have been looking online a bit and am a bit overwhelmed. So many manufacturers and lots of reviews, thought I'd ask here.
What should I look for as far as quality construction? Any brands to particularly avoid? I'm thinking a 7 x 14 or 16 but at this point just doing research so I'm open for advice.

Click to expand...

Gatortail trailers has the best deal on new enclosed trailers. They're out of Valdosta Ga I think and offer a factory price to the public.

All I'd look for is 3/4" plywood floors, 3/8" plywood walls with verticals 16 o.c. LED lights, brakes and twin 3500# axles with brakes. Other than that and you'll end up changing it anyhow to customize it to your style and trade, I've had mine for about 9 years and its evolved to my liking no less than once every other year. Plain is key to new. Also I have barn doors and wished I would have gotten a drop down with spring assist.

You really want to avoid the osb walls as a lot of them don't use quality material like Advantech and do it to cheapen the price. Those particular walls wont hold any fasteners for hanging stuff etc.

I've been looking for a trailer myself, I think I want a 12 footer. I figured they would turn up on craigslist and such, maybe as the off season goes on guys would be hurting for cash and a deal would pop up. No such luck yet for me. I would defiantly crawl underneath and check out the frame if you are buying used.

I went with trailers plus. I am happy with it. same as the 2nd poster said with 3/4" floor, etc. only 2 things i'll add is that I got the barn doors, and adding a u-haul style ramp to it soon. best of both worlds as I hate setting the ramp door down on, say, a curb, or unlevel/muddy surface. the last is trailer height. be sure you can get comfortable with the forehead to steel....lol. watch your head entering and exiting. Im only 6 ft tall, and got used to it pretty quick..... otherwise, opt for a taller ceiling/doorways

Definetly go for 16" on center floor, walls, ceiling. 3/4 floor will flex on 24" floor centers. I'm a fan of torsion axles over springs. Most trailers are about the same tin box, until you go for a trailer like an H&H, which in my opinion makes one of the best trailers out there. I have a continental cargo trailer, I wish I would have gone with upgraded floor joist. Most "contractor pkgs" include a upgraded floor.

I'm considering coverting from a 15' cutaway van to a 7x14 V-nose trailer. Unless I can drop some weight that I carry (which I don't really want to do), I figure I'll need 5200# axles on the trailer. That gives me 3400# more capacity than 3500# axles for around $400 extra. Two of the trailer dealers I've visited have strongly recommended this upgrade.

98crewcab said:

I went with trailers plus. I am happy with it. same as the 2nd poster said with 3/4" floor, etc. only 2 things i'll add is that I got the barn doors, and adding a u-haul style ramp to it soon. best of both worlds as I hate setting the ramp door down on, say, a curb, or unlevel/muddy surface. the last is trailer height. be sure you can get comfortable with the forehead to steel....lol. watch your head entering and exiting. Im only 6 ft tall, and got used to it pretty quick..... otherwise, opt for a taller ceiling/doorways

Click to expand...

Where are you getting the ramp? Salvaged from a cutaway van or some sort of custom build? I like that idea as everyone I know who has a ramp door has a messed up ramp door. One guy I know who has a trailer with barn doors bought a dock plate from a place that sells material handling supplies. He has a slot to store it at the back of the trailer. My cutaway van has the slide out ramp that stores under the floor of the box. If it gets nasty, it's not much of an issue.

I have a bifold aluminum handicap ramp that's 42" long.

We have a few at our Familey's warehouse and from worst to best were

Homesteader
Proline
Lark
Carmate

I ended up with a carmate my self after seeing how well the warehouse one held up. They ain't cheap but you def get what you pay for with trailers. if you are going for a 14ft trailer your gonna struggle to get it too the GVWR so bigger axle are not really needed. Maybe on a. 16ft+ model they would be a good idea.

BCConstruction said:

We have a few at our Familey's warehouse and from worst to best were

Homesteader
Proline
Lark
Carmate

I ended up with a carmate my self after seeing how well the warehouse one held up. They ain't cheap but you def get what you pay for with trailers. if you are going for a 14ft trailer your gonna struggle to get it too the GVWR so bigger axle are not really needed. Maybe on a. 16ft+ model they would be a good idea.

Click to expand...

The dealer I talked to sells Lark, what he told me about them sounded good...then I read a bunch of negative reviews online about them, so had some mixed feelings. This dealership is next door to me and he works on trailers too so I'd kinda like to get one from him.

Brian Peters said:

The dealer I talked to sells Lark, what he told me about them sounded good...then I read a bunch of negative reviews online about them, so had some mixed feelings. This dealership is next door to me and he works on trailers too so I'd kinda like to get one from him.

Click to expand...

The dealer I bought my carmate from also sold lark but it was quite a bit cheaper but still a ok trailer. The lark has held up ok but nothing like the carmate has held up.

I have a 6x10 pace american. I bought it from a friend of mine. Before I bought his I was looking at a wells cargo. I really wish I would've bought a wells cargo. The fit and finish is so much better then mine, and mine is not holding up the best to everyday use

Just looked at the Car Mate website... pretty impressive trailers...but yeah they are pricey.. and no dealers very close to me.

Brian Peters said:

Just looked at the Car Mate website... pretty impressive trailers...but yeah they are pricey.. and no dealers very close to me.

Click to expand...

They have the contractor edition which can't be beat. Well worth driving out of state to get.

BCConstruction said:

They have the contractor edition which can't be beat. Well worth driving out of state to get.

Click to expand...

I saw that...roofs to walk on, ladder racks...just not sure my small business can afford the best...

Brian Peters said:

I saw that...roofs to walk on, ladder racks...just not sure my small business can afford the best...

Click to expand...

What you can't afford is a trailer that falls apart after a couple years.

BCConstruction said:

What you can't afford is a trailer that falls apart after a couple years.

Click to expand...

Agreed. I'm not looking for the cheapest trailer out there, I understand what you're saying. I also know that you are one of those guys who buys only what you believe is the very best....truth is I'm tended that way too but my financial resources are limited so sometimes I have to make do with less than the best!

If you're careful with how you treat your trailer a cheaper trailer will hold up, as long as you know it's limitations. It's just like buying Festool... They're awesome tools, but you CAN use dewalts, makitas...etc to get the job done.

txgencon said:

Where are you getting the ramp? Salvaged from a cutaway van or some sort of custom build? I like that idea as everyone I know who has a ramp door has a messed up ramp door. One guy I know who has a trailer with barn doors bought a dock plate from a place that sells material handling supplies. He has a slot to store it at the back of the trailer. My cutaway van has the slide out ramp that stores under the floor of the box. If it gets nasty, it's not much of an issue.

Click to expand...

going to make it. I have 5' from the tail of the trailer to the last axle. planning on c channel steel to on both sides as a slot to hold it under there, then slide it out and attach much like the u-haul ones do. making it the width of my walkway, so approx 32" wide.....I guess they would be more like a car trailer ramp...

My wells cargo works... Just want a 16 v-nose. I understand the idea of buying the best bur we're talking about trailers, sturdy is the most important thing. The absolute best is a 28' x 8' custom with 16' x 6' enclosed and a double 7k axle but if you do that, buy a used flatbed and find an aluminum welder... Its cheaper.

I'm of the mind out of all the trailers I've had, as long as they move behind my truck, have brakes, lights work, and keep tools dry and locked up, I'm good.