Buying a UTILITY TRAILER Need Advice? Also can a 12ft or 14ft Haul a Car?

[goodoleboy]

I am buying a new trailer and have to have it by this friday due to picking up a large air compressor..This is my 5th trailer in ten years but sold the last one due to an offer i couldnt refuse.

The trailer will be used for just general use around the house yard trash, various material, lawn equipment, etc Just stuff we men tend to buy. I want to use this trailer and get my moneys worth of use out of it. Which brings my questions.

1. What is the largest size to still be considered "handy to have around" instead of a pain in the Rear to hookup and tow.

2. Can a 12ft or 14ft dual axle trailer Long enough to Haul a car if needed? I doubt i will be hauling anything like that but if I would like to know..

3. How hard is it to move a dual axle, side to side, with a "wheel jack/caster" on the front by hand? NOTE: I will not be lifting the trailer just rolling it around, Before I welded a good large rubber caster with 360"turning radius on my old 5x12 and it moved real easy on that single axle trailer but no idea if a dual axle would be harder..I am trying to maneuver by hand and park it in the shop.

4. People with 16' or longer trailers...Do you ever use the entire 16' of the trailer much?
I don't think I have ever purchased 16' long lumber in the ten years i owned a house.

Here are my options as far as sizes I can choose from

All are 76" wide (6'4"wide)
76"x10
76"x12 choice of 1 or 2 axles
76"x14 choice of 1 or 2 axles
76"x16

 

[CrownHawg]

You never said what you would be pulling this trailer with. That would pretty much dictate what you can "handle", but I would think a 16ft trailer would be pretty short for hauling a car (unless it's a Mini Cooper). I've never complained about my trailer being too big, but I guess overkill can come into play. I have several trailers, but the one I use the most is my 21 ft dovetail car hauler, I can get 4 full sized wheelers, my JD 4120, or any car or truck made on it.

 

[BruceWard]

Most small cars are 14' long. A SUV or 1/2 ton Truck will be 18' to 20' long.

I would not consider any utility trailer shorter than 16'.

 

[ace10]

Moving a 2.0 to 2.5K lb dual axle steel flatbed trailer by hand is gonna be tough. Your 5X12 single axle probably weighed no more than 400-500 lbs.

It's two entirely different classes of trailers. Anything that can handle a car or tractor or whatever is going to have brakes and substantial axles. It sounds like you're looking at light-duty utility trailers.


You don't mention if the 76" width is between the fenders, or the max of the deck. You cannot drive a car between the fenders of a 76" wide trailer, unless it's a deck over.

 

[goodoleboy]

You never said what you would be pulling this trailer with. That would pretty much dictate what you can "handle", but I would think a 16ft trailer would be pretty short for hauling a car (unless it's a Mini Cooper). I've never complained about my trailer being too big, but I guess overkill can come into play. I have several trailers, but the one I use the most is my 21 ft dovetail car hauler, I can get 4 full sized wheelers, my JD 4120, or any car or truck made on it.

Hi I did have that information posted Ill post it again for you

"The trailer will be used for just general use around the house yard trash, various material, lawn equipment, etc Just stuff we men tend to buy."

I had a 8.6" wide x 20ft trailer I got and resold the same weekend and it was to big...Storage is a problem and moing it by hand would be the highest priority since it will be need to be parked and pushed with a caster wheel on the front..

 

[goodoleboy]

Moving a 2.0 to 2.5K lb dual axle steel flatbed trailer by hand is gonna be tough. Your 5X12 single axle probably weighed no more than 400-500 lbs.

It's two entirely different classes of trailers. Anything that can handle a car or tractor or whatever is going to have brakes and substantial axles. It sounds like you're looking at light-duty utility trailers.


You don't mention if the 76" width is between the fenders, or the max of the deck. You cannot drive a car between the fenders of a 76" wide trailer, unless it's a deck over.

the 6x12 trailer owned and i moved by hand had a weight of 1100 lbs according to the certificate of rogin/ title... I rechecked the manufuacuters website also and it says 1100 lbs also...The trailers I am looking at are of the same build except having a another axle adding to the weight and whatever the extra 2 -4 ft will add.

 

[ace10]

the 6x12 trailer owned and i moved by hand had a weight of 1100 lbs according to the certificate of rogin/ title... I rechecked the manufuacuters website also and it says 1100 lbs also...The trailers I am looking at are of the same build except having a another axle adding to the weight and whatever the extra 2 -4 ft will add.

When you wrote this...

...
3. How hard is it to move a dual axle, side to side, with a "wheel jack/caster" on the front? Before I welded a good large rubber caster with 360"turning radius on my old 5x12 and it moved real easy on that single axle trailer but no idea if a dual axle would be harder..I am trying to maneuver by hand and park it in the shop.
...

I was picturing something like this....

Carry-On Trailer Mesh Floor Trailer, 1600 lb. Capacity - 0190326 | Tractor Supply Company


Good luck with your decision.

 

[2458n]

I am pretty fair sized and a double axle trailer with normal sized tires - 15'' would be to much for me to handle. A trailer large enough to safely haul a car,truck,or tractor will be to heavy to handle as you describe.

 

[foggy1111]

I own a 16' dual axel "car trailer" with 15' tires and a wood deck. It has a two-foot beavertail. It will haul my tractor and loader...but I will have some overhang if I want to take a rear implement along. I suppose an 18' trailer would be better as an all-around trailer - if you have the right vehicle to pull it. Mine suits me just fine, as I have a medium size SUV to pull it.

I suppose my trailer weighs about 1500 to 1800 lbs....and with a front dolly wheel added.....I would not be able to locate it by hand without about two more people to help (and then the ground better be flat and hard).

I think a 16' is the minimum size for a car trailer. Mine is 84" wide at the deck and has removable aluminum fenders for car loading. I hope this helps.

 

[CrownHawg]

Hi I did have that information posted Ill post it again for you

"The trailer will be used for just general use around the house yard trash, various material, lawn equipment, etc Just stuff we men tend to buy."

I had a 8.6" wide x 20ft trailer I got and resold the same weekend and it was to big...Storage is a problem and moing it by hand would be the highest priority since it will be need to be parked and pushed with a caster wheel on the front..

I was actually referring to your tow vehicle not what you would haul ON it. An S10 pickup is not gonna like a tandem axle car hauler. For a standard 1/2 ton pickup, 18 ft tandem would be near capacity. You're not likely going to move a trailer that can haul a car around by hand either.