Is a Tilt Trailer the right way for me to go?

[Firemediceric]

I overcome this issue by using the ramps usually used for oil changes where you drive the front of the vehicle to gain ground clearance to work on the vehicle. I place these just under the rear of the trailer and drive or tow the vehicle to be loaded up these ramps onto the trailer.

Great tip. Thank you!

 

[dodge man]

I just brought my trailer up to my shop to coat the wood deck. I bet it’s been a year since I used it. It’s about 15 years old and I actually could sell it for what I paid for it or more.

A word of warning about mice. If you have any mice at all they can destroy the wiring. In my case they would get into the boxes the taillights are in and eat the wires. It was probably advice I got from this forum but I packed those areas with steel wool. Nor problems since. I towed the trailer a few miles and everything was good including the brakes. I always keep my fingers crossed when I first use it again.

 

[Firemediceric]

I packed those areas with steel wool.

Another piece of great advice that I would not have come up with on my own. Thank you.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Yeah but the trailer weighs 8K plus. I love my 32 foot PJ hydraulic dovetail, but the trailers are heavy. Mine is rated at 22K and I am close to max when I put my 12K fire truck on it.

It's almost unavoidable to have a trailer with a higher load capacity weigh more, unless going with aluminum or a well engineered one. My 32' PJ weighed 10K, the 35' Diamond C weighs just over 8K. Both basically identically equipped.

A trailer's weight doesn't really bother me. If I want to move a vehicle that weighs 16-17K it takes a certain amount of trailer to do it. And with air suspension it doesn't matter if the trailer is empty or at max capacity, it still rides nicely.

The one I wish I had kept was a small one with 7K axles. It was very light, and there was room for a third axle to make it more useful, but I foolishly sold it for cheap.

 

[Kenduro]

I finally broke down and bought a trailer this spring myself, got tired of borrowing trailers. I went with a fairly expensive trailer it is an Nordtek 14K aluminum 22 ft. deckover full power tilt, up and down.
I went aluminum as it takes away much less capacity from the truck, with an empty weight of 2900 pounds. Also the full tilt trailers have the axles further forward then ramp trailers, which I prefer as it's easier to center the loads over the axle.

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Actually unless going deck over,a tilt trailer meant for car hauling (most of them) will have the axles set way back to facilitate exiting the vehicle. Only drawbacks to that are more tongue weight and more cheating on cotners. Also a little bit harder to back into some locations If loaded right on the right tow vehicle hoever, this can make for a more stable and enjoyable experience on a long highway trip. A longer hitch on the truck side coupling can help remedy some of the above.

 

[ning]

I'm in somewhat the same situation in the "would like a trailer but barely have need for one" and I've decided to wait for a unicorn (mythical creature: barely used inexpensive trailer) on craigslist or other swap sheet.

Considering how much a good trailer costs new, and the relatively low cost to rent if absolutely needed (equipment rental yard near here has a 20' flatbed - not tilt - for $100/day, which seems exorbitant until compared with paying $10k for a trailer I use once a year)... and with a wood deck, the need to keep it up or let it degrade (less concern with rot here but dry heat still isn't great for wood; op doesn't have a location stated so we don't know how long an untreated wood deck is going to last)... I personally can't currently justify buying new.

Renting definitely isn't my favorite thing; it's easily an hour (travel to the yard + wait in line + paperwork) each way if they've actually got the trailer available, and that uncertainty and inconvenience makes me want to buy one, but the price, place to store it (I have room but don't want to have something I barely use there) make me want to only get one if it's practically given to me. If I won the lottery, though, I'd buy one in a heartbeat...

 

[Firemediceric]

I'm in somewhat the same situation in the "would like a trailer but barely have need for one" and I've decided to wait for a unicorn (mythical creature: barely used inexpensive trailer) on craigslist or other swap sheet.

Considering how much a good trailer costs new, and the relatively low cost to rent if absolutely needed (equipment rental yard near here has a 20' flatbed - not tilt - for $100/day, which seems exorbitant until compared with paying $10k for a trailer I use once a year)... and with a wood deck, the need to keep it up or let it degrade (less concern with rot here but dry heat still isn't great for wood; op doesn't have a location stated so we don't know how long an untreated wood deck is going to last)... I personally can't currently justify buying new.

Renting definitely isn't my favorite thing; it's easily an hour (travel to the yard + wait in line + paperwork) each way if they've actually got the trailer available, and that uncertainty and inconvenience makes me want to buy one, but the price, place to store it (I have room but don't want to have something I barely use there) make me want to only get one if it's practically given to me. If I won the lottery, though, I'd buy one in a heartbeat...

I’m in the Tennessee Valley, so mold, mildew, and wood rot are truly a thing here.

As your post brings out, for me to purchase a trailer, it’s definitely sacrificing the economics in favor of convenience. No arguing though as some above have stated that the way the price of trailers is going up at a meteoric rate, I’ll probably be able to get a good amount of my money back out of this trailer anytime in the future should I decide to sell.

 

[LouNY]

Actually unless going deck over,a tilt trailer meant for car hauling (most of them) will have the axles set way back to facilitate exiting the vehicle. Only drawbacks to that are more tongue weight and more cheating on cotners. Also a little bit harder to back into some locations If loaded right on the right tow vehicle hoever, this can make for a more stable and enjoyable experience on a long highway trip. A longer hitch on the truck side coupling can help remedy some of the above.

Actually when I was shopping even the tilt bed equipment trailers have the axles much more centered then the ramp trailers do.
These are full tilt trailers as I had absolutely no desire for a partial tilt.

 

[ning]

I’m in the Tennessee Valley, so mold, mildew, and wood rot are truly a thing here.

As your post brings out, for me to purchase a trailer, it’s definitely sacrificing the economics in favor of convenience. No arguing though as some above have stated that the way the price of trailers is going up at a meteoric rate, I’ll probably be able to get a good amount of my money back out of this trailer anytime in the future should I decide to sell.

I made the same choice with getting a backhoe for my tractor. Renting would be economically better overall, but the reality is that I use the backhoe a decent number of times during the year and likely wouldn't do many of those chores if I didn't have the backhoe as I previously wouldn't rent a backhoe without a key job needing doing, and important small jobs got done with pick, pain and shovel.

I do see a significant difference between a trailer and a backhoe, though - as mentioned many current backhoe chores are small enough to do without it (with much more effort), but a trailer either is positively needed, or not, and much less often (for me).

The reality here is that this decision is all about your budget and desire.

 

[ernieatv]

About to commit to purchasing a 20'x7' manual tilt trailer rated for 10k pounds with brakes on both axles. I'm wanting this trailer to do everything I need and never be deficient for my purposes. Am I making a wise choice. Here's the back story...

I seldom need a trailer and it's even more seldom that when I do that my enclosed 12x7 won't work. After a headache renting a U-Haul car hauler, I'm thinking of purchasing a flatbed trailer for the sake of convenience, even though the economics don't make sense for how seldom I need the trailer. I'm of the mindset "Buy once, cry once" but I want to make sure there's not something I'm overlooking.

Initially I was looking to get a simple dual axle 16' utility trailer with rails around it like many lawn services use. That would address the few times I need to take my lawn mower to the shop. The mower just barely fits into my enclosed trailer, and anymore the enclosed trailer is used like a storage shed. It's a chore to unload it just to transport the mower. The simple utility trailer option would also be the answer when I rent a trencher (once in 5 years) and the equipment rental shop charges me extra to rent the trailer to transport the trencher. I ruled out the lawn care type trailer when I realized anytime I want to tow an automobile the railings will make opening the doors on the vehicle a challenge when it's on trailer. A true flatbed trailer without rails will also work better for any palatalized items I may have loaded with a forklift.

My next thought was to purchase a simple flat bed car hauler. That would work for everything mentioned above, but I want something rated for at least 10K pounds as I'm considering purchasing a compact tractor. A tractor is another item I would seldom put to use, but I won't wager that at some point I won't purchase a tractor with a loader. I want any trailer I purchase now to be more than enough for any tractor and implements I may purchase in the future.

Finally, the tilt trailer obviously won't have a dovetail as is so common on many of the car haulers. Not having a dovetail is a plus in my book as even on trailers without dovetails it has sometimes been a problem backing into an inclined driveway. I believe a tilt trailer will tilt down to the correct angle to load a compact car on to it without being so steep the front bumper valence gets torn up. Am I correct? A tilt trailer, I think, will also be better than a flat trailer without a dovetail needing longer ramps than what would be used with a dovetail. I believe 7' wide will be wide enough for anything I may haul. I don't believe I'll ever have a need for a deck-over to have a wider platform. I also think 20' without a dovetail should not only accommodate any vehicle I'd put on it but also will be plenty to fit a compact tractor with a front loader and even an implement on the back.

The only potential drawback that I see to the tilt trailer is that only one item can be loaded on it. Can't put one lawn mower on and then tilt it down to put a second ZTR or riding mower on it, but I don't see that as being an issue for me.

I will be going with a wood deck so as not to have to deal with a hot metal deck when securing loads. I also like the ease of adding tie down anchor points on a wood deck.

Please weigh in with your thoughts. Am I on the right track or is there something I'm overlooking?

Don't get Manuel trailer, believe me, you'll regret it. Also, if you were to change your mind after a year, you'll be stock with it.
Nobody would want a manuel dump trailer, I'm just saying