# Trailer



## Graybeard (Dec 28, 2015)

Not sure if this is in the right place so move it if not please.

I have a trailer home made by a local fellow.(14 ft. long by 8 ft. wide) The axle is the rear axle out of a truck and the frame is all angle iron with a wood deck. I've loaded it down with logs and recently hauled home a Toro Dingo I rented from a local big box store. The trailer trailed just fine and the tires weren't flattened. The wt. was about a ton. When we took it back we left the stump grinder on the unit which brought the total wt. up to about 2200 pounds. Again everything worked fine. We did take the arch out of one of the al. ramps loading the unit.

When I look at trailers in the big box stores and farm supply stores they look much less sturdy. Tires are smaller and the frames look weaker than mine.

Where do you get your heavy duty trailers I see in so many of the pictures? What do you look for when buying them?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sidecar (Dec 28, 2015)

I have a couple of trailers one from way back in the seventies , its a flat bed rated at 10,000 # gross and a Prostar 12,000 # dump bed which is the berries , Ol CWS just this fall got a real nice hauler at a local farm consignment / social meeting auction , since we rattled his chain he might tell ya a bit about it .
Just depends on what you have in mind for it.


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## Schroedc (Dec 28, 2015)

A couple things to think about, 

How big can you tow with whatever truck/car/van/bicycle you plan to tow with? That will dictate how big a trailer you want to buy

New/Used? Newer trailers are generally lighter for the same load capacity because of advances in materials/design. I can get an aluminum welded trailer that weighs 1/2 of what my steel frame one does and still has the same load capacity.

Not to slam the big box stores but most, if not all of the trailers they carry are usually mass produced, light duty for occasional hauling and home use. I'd recommend looking up a dedicated trailer dealer and seeing what they have in stock new and used, also, Craigslist occasionally has deals on trailers around here and probably in your area as well. You may end up paying more up front but I tend to think of a trailer like a tool, buy good, buy once.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Graybeard (Dec 28, 2015)

Great information Colin. I have a Nissan Frontier that I pull with. What do you think the heaviest load is I should safely pull? I don't have any electric brakes.


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## Kevin (Dec 28, 2015)

Graybeard said:


> I don't have any electric brakes.



If your trailer does not have electric brakes you don't want to haul very heavy loads. I wouldn't own a medium+ duty trailer without them. I have a little 8 x 5 which is my welding trailer and it doesn't have them but if I hauled it around on the highway any I would install some even on it. 

Down here anything over 4500 gross is required to have them if it will be towed over 30MPH. You're asking for trouble if you do not have them and are hauling heavy loads. 




Graybeard said:


> What do you think the heaviest load is I should safely pull?



Your axle/s have a rating. Add the weight of the trailer and the weight of the load that is your gross weight and it cannot exceed the rating of the axle/s. But you also do not want to exceed the gross tow eight of the vehilce pulling so you have to choose the lower of the two. And without brakes you don't want to even push that.


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 28, 2015)

The big factor for towing is not necessarily whether your truck will pull it, but more so whether your truck will stop it. Electric brakes are a must have for any decent load IMO. My current trailer doesn't have brakes, but my next one certainly will. That small of a truck isn't going to safely pull a very big load without brakes. 

You need to look at a trailer lot. Just like a car lot, but with trailers. Look on Craigslist, they usually post them. Gatormade is one of the more popular brands these days, but lots of companies making nice trailers that put those cheap junky big box trailers to shame.


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## Kevin (Dec 28, 2015)

Oh and one other thing David what is the most overlooked aspect besides trailer brakes? TIRES! People often put the cheapest ass tires they can get on them. On my goosenecks I run 14 ply tires and believe me it is worth every cent.

Reactions: Agree 4


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## Schroedc (Dec 28, 2015)

Trailer brakes are definitely recommended. The only thing I don't have them on is my little 5x10 utility trailer. Check with a local parts store, you can usually find a plug in kit to add the brake controller to your truck for under 100.00


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## Graybeard (Dec 28, 2015)

My truck actually has the harness already wired but I'm not sure I want to be pulling anything that heavy anyway.

I see farmers around me pulling loads of hay with a 4 wheeler and the Amish with two horses. I just hope they don't have to go downhill. Like you say, it may pull it up hill but try and stop it coming down.

Actually saw that in action with my neighbor who logs with a horse. When he first pulls he stops and lets the log settle. He said sometimes if you keep going it can buck and get you. He also walks uphill of the log which makes sense. When he was here he had a young fella working the horse and he was below the log, darn did John give him a few choice words. He learned the easy way.


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## sprucegum (Dec 28, 2015)

Most states require breaks on trailer over a certain weight. I could be wrong but I think we are required to have breaks if the trailer and load exceeds 1500 lbs. Unless you have Ag. plates on your truck in which case you can haul whatever you can pile on hang a orange triangle on back and hope for the best.


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## justallan (Dec 28, 2015)

If you don't know what trailer is right for you Pathfinder, I would go to the most reputable trailer sales lot in your area and ask what they say is right for your rig. They can look up all of the important stuff for any particular vehicle and should be willing to do so, if for no other reason than to protect their name.
Due to the size of a Pathfinder your tongue weight limit, gross towing weight, axle placement and even the height of the trailer come into play.
ANNND, I fully agree with the idea of having the right tires and brakes. I'm willing to bet those two things alone have caused as much grief as everything else combined.
Hope this helps a bit.


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## woodtickgreg (Dec 28, 2015)

Your vehicle owners manual will also tell you towing weight limits and with what class of hitch. If you search craigslist for trailers also do a search in the farm and garden section.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Brink (Dec 28, 2015)

Nissan owners manual will state the trailer load and tongue weight capacities.


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## Graybeard (Dec 29, 2015)

I checked the specs. and for a 2009 Nissan Frontier V-6, crew cab, 4WD. the trailer capacity is 6,100 lbs, the tongue wt. is 610 lbs. and the combined wt. of the truck and trailer load is 11,133 lbs.

As long as I stick to 2,000 pound or less I think I'll be ok with the trailer I have.


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## JR Custom Calls (Dec 29, 2015)

I would not feel very safe pulling a ton without brakes. I pull with a full size v8 Tahoe and when I get up near a ton, I have difficulties stopping.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kevin (Dec 29, 2015)

Graybeard said:


> As long as I stick to 2,000 pound or less I think I'll be ok with the trailer I have.



As long as you don't have to make an emergency stop. But if you do it could mean the difference between barely stopping int time or having a minor collision, or having a serious one. Not trying to be dramatic but I am a huge beleiever in trailer brakes. 

Here's my suggestion. Next time you get your trailer loadd as heavy as you ever will, chain it all down like you normally do. Then take a drive on a deserted road where you can get up to the fastest speed you drive with such a load. Then when no cars are coming from either direction. JAM the brakes on as fast and as hard as you can. Do it that way because that's exactly how you will react if someone runs a stop sighn or a deer bolts out in ffront of you - you are going to react instinctively by jamming on the brakes to the floor. 

You don't need to do the same thing in your truck beforehand without a load to gauge the difference but you could the next time you're out driving - you don't need to measure you'll know instinctively about how much more that weight behind you increases your stopping distance. You might not know the actual difference in feet, but you'll know.


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## Mr. Peet (Dec 29, 2015)

Graybeard, I lost trailer brakes once. The trailer pushed me into the intersection. I was flying before, doing 40 in a 35, ooh. I had a small load on, people in front stopped at a green light I hit the brakes as normal then to the floor. I bumped them as they turned without signal. Tires squealed everywhere, my heart filled my ears with the pounding of fear. I was very lucky.

Your trailer has an old truck axle. What brand? Go to your garage and have them install new brakes on the trailer axle and wire it to work for you, with you and for those around you. In PA, any trailer rated to handle 2,500 lbs or more needs brakes on every wheel. Huge help. The break away kits run $50-60 dollars, brake assembly about the same, so for $200 an upgrade with brakes is worth it. P.S. winter is coming, helps then too...

Reactions: Great Post 1


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## sprucegum (Dec 29, 2015)

Mr. Peet said:


> Graybeard, I lost trailer brakes once. The trailer pushed me into the intersection. I was flying before, doing 40 in a 35, ooh. I had a small load on, people in front stopped at a green light I hit the brakes as normal then to the floor. I bumped them as they turned without signal. Tires squealed everywhere, my heart filled my ears with the pounding of fear. I was very lucky.
> 
> Your trailer has an old truck axle. What brand? Go to your garage and have them install new brakes on the trailer axle and wire it to work for you, with you and for those around you. In PA, any trailer rated to handle 2,500 lbs or more needs brakes on every wheel. Huge help. The break away kits run $50-60 dollars, brake assembly about the same, so for $200 an upgrade with brakes is worth it. P.S. winter is coming, helps then too...



Had a similar situation once had my tractor on early one morning needed coffee bad hit the brakes a few yards from the only coffee stop open that time of morning. The place is located near the bottom of a long grade had to pass it by as I could not get slowed enough to safely make the turn . Bad ground caused my brakes to fail, no good place to turn around so no coffee that morning. I did find a place ways down the road to pull over and solve the problem. I really needed that coffee.


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