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Utility trailer ... haul dirt, junk, equipment, lumber ... what to get?

Doc4

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
I need a utility trailer (to be pulled by V8 suv.)

I want something that will carry:
  • topsoil
  • manure
  • lumber
  • small engine machines to/from maintenance (snow blower, lawn mower)
  • junk to the dump (eg old washing machine &c)
Don't want a huge trailer, but do want durable and capable of highway speeds if need be. What to get? It seems like most trailers out there are either pointlessly single-purpose, or flimsy and not worth bothering with.

Looking for the B&B brothers to come through with some good info as usual!!
 
C

ColtRevolver

I built from a 1970s boat trailer over 30 years ago. I used 5/4" deck boards for the decking. All of the angle is old bed frames. Bed frame is strong plus comes with a rust proof paint allready on it. I left the tongue extra long to make backing easier. The tongue also has room for a tongue tool box. It's better built than any trailer at the big box/farm stores.
 
Old Hippie

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
Back in 2011 I bought a Big Tex 12-foot tandem-axle dump trailer. I have hauled many, many loads of dirt, manure, wood and also used it to bring home equipment that was too big to fit in the back of the truck. I pull it with a Toyota Tundra (5.8 litre V8). Don't know what they're going for now but I paid around $7k Canadian for mine. Probably cheaper in the US.

All I do to it is keep the buddy hubs pumped up with grease and use a solar panel battery tender when it's parked. You know it's there, but it pulls like a dream.

O.H.
 
Toothpick

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
I’ve seen more photos and watched more videos of guys modifying cheap utility trailers. Rather than buying specific to the task trailers.

For example, I picked up this 6.5x12 utility trailer. It was I think $1700 USD ($2300 CAD?). Perfect for hauling junk, small engine equipment, motorcycles, etc.

I’ve seen guys take these and for the price of a few sheets of plywood and some hardware have put walls on them, maybe 3-4ft high so they can haul the topsoil and manure you speak of. Perhaps be good to keep in lumber too, bags of garbage. And you can take the walls off if needed.

Snow now you’ve got a dual or triple purpose trailer for little money and a little bit of work.


IMG_0685.jpeg
 
Hopalong

Hopalong

Generally speaking a single axel trailer will not have brakes and will bounce around a lot. So I suppose it depends on your budget, your risk tolerance, how far and how fast you want to go, and what types of roads you travel on.
 
C

ColtRevolver

My home built is a single axle and is fairly light. It probably does bounce a bit at interstate speeds when unloaded. As far as loaded goes, I have hauled motorcycles on long interstate trips with no issues. True, it has no brakes. In my state brakes aren't required for trailers under 3k pounds.
 
Doc4

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
I see talk of the trailer having or not having brakes. I'm guessing brakes cost more.

What's the cut-off line for needing brakes? Hauling speed? Weight haulled?

I don't want to pay for overkill, but don't want to cheap my way into something inadequate.
 
Hopalong

Hopalong

Doc4 said:
I see talk of the trailer having or not having brakes. I'm guessing brakes cost more.

What's the cut-off line for needing brakes? Hauling speed? Weight haulled?

I don't want to pay for overkill, but don't want to cheap my way into something inadequate.
Click to expand...
I don’t know what the actual numbers would be, but speed and weight would surely factor in. The biggest thing though would be what is pulling the trailer. Your SUV should have some kind of towing rating.
 
K

kfd518

Questions for you to ponder,

1 what is the tow vehicle, what is its GVWR, and GCWR. Depending on size of the trailer and if said trailer has brakes, is the tow vehicle wired for or do you have the brake controller pig tail that probably came with it when it was new.

Texas trailer brake laws require any trailer rated over 4,500# to have brakes installed.

BC has some weird trailer brake laws.

Does the tow vehicle have a hitch installed already?

How much top soil and or manure will you be hauling, neither is light!
Make sure the trailer is weight rated and built for what you want to do with it. I recommend a pipe top for things like that because angle tops normally are built with much lighter duty frames that won’t last nearly as long.

Simple sides can be constructed with plywood and stored easily in a shed. Then put in place when you are going to get a load of either of the above.

Ease of loading and unloading , think ramp tail or will you be using towable ramps.
Ease of securing loads.
 
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H

hroshaan

nortac

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
I have a trailer the size of the one pictured by @Toothpick in post #4, but with a sturdier pipe frame. It has been adequate for hauling lumber, building materials, gardening supplies and a large zero turn mower. I have not used it to haul dirt, etc. There have been times that I have wanted a heavier dual axle trailer that could haul a Bobcat or small tractor, but those activities, if they were ever to happen at all, would not be frequent enough to justify the additional cost. In such a one time use, I'd just rent the appropriate trailer. I rarely take my trailer on the highway, but when I do, I keep the speed down and it rides just fine, I don't think I've ever had it above 70 mph.
 
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