Need a new trailer, any recomedations?

marcusicp

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Location
Tobaccoville
I just got a sammy and it will be a trail only rig, so I need a trailer. I want to get something big enough to put a fullsize long bed truck on just in case. What size do I need to look for? 16ft? 20ft? Also, are there any brands that are better the others? Any to brands to stay away from? I have a 7 pin round connector with a brake controller and a class 4 hitch on my cummins but all I have towed so far is a u-haul car hauler:shaking: Also how can I keep the trailer secure when it is parked in my back yard? Is there some kind of lock I can get for it? If you have any tips to a first time trailer owner please let me know. Thanks!
 
i have a 32ft. kraftsman, and am very happy with it so far. it was a bit of a wait for it to be built, but the quality, etc. is great.

i know a few other people here have kraftsman's and are happy with them for the most part.
 
search under my name in this section and you will see pics of my 22' tag from kraftsman. I bought at the beginning of this year and am very happy with it.
 
18' tag Kraftsman and it works, 10 K.........
Towed a CTD LB CC DRW on it 250-300 miles, little long for it but it worked.
 
as for locks... the one that goes up in the tongue is the best.. if you really want it locked you could put a lock through the latch in the tongue, and also maybe chain the back or a wheel upto a tree... any of these could be croken probly... put itd take em a while to do it, and youd probly hear em
 
get brakes on both axles. not much more money
and well worth it.
mines a 20ft tilt and i like it a lot.

dawgtoy
 
Go to kraftsman. Very nice quality and service from them. I have probably put 3K miles on mine since the beginning of the year with no problems.
 
I checked out the Kraftsman trailers and went with Kaufman instead for a couple of reasons.

Kraftsman had one close to what I wanted on the lot, but it had some issues -- weld quality, etc wasn't up to par (some welds literally looked like they were starting out a new guy and giving him something to practice on). Told me I didn't need or want brakes on two axles as it was nothing but added trouble (I think they told me this because the one on the lot only had brakes on one axle and he wanted to sell it).

When it came time to price a trailer, the guy worked up a price, caught a mistake, gave me another price (higher), called to me as I was getting into my truck, as he had forgotten something else, and added again to the quoted price. Got a call on the way home, yep, yet another error, this time he had added it up wrong and gave me yet a third price. Three different prices within fifteen minutes, they should have their act together better than that.

I priced my Kaufman off the website, went there in person and salesman gave the exact same price, ordered it, and it was built and ready to pick up 12 days later.

FWIW, Kaufman is a much larger operation, and appears to much better managed from my experience.

Also you won't regret going with 20'. Not too much extra weight or cost, no real difference good or bad in towing. Pays off when you pick up 20' sticks of steel.
 
I've got 10 year old Hudson Brothers ("No Thanks! We're trying to cut down.... mmmmm") 10k# tag. Upgraded axles, brakes on rear set, and fold downs... at 2200#, it ain't a lightweight.

OTOH, if the monkeys that owned it didn't @#$% it up, doubtfull I ever will! Plus I figure I can sell it at anytime for what I have in it.

They have an operation near Charlotte and have been ultra helpful/courteous to me (2nd hand owner of a 10 y/o trailer that'll never make them another nickle) confirming GWR... even sent a new VIN/GWR tag!
 
Your pretty much on par with Kraftsman when it come to what you mentioned, they are a smaller operation, they have some issues with some aspects.. But for me, I wanted a non-standard trailer.. (not just a few things added/removed)

I wanted a 22' open center, car hauler with 6k axles, 16" radials, etc. Stamped for 9990# Kraftsman didn't question any of it.. We discussed what steel was going to be used, how long and much drop on the dove etc.. I did call Kaufman for the same quote and the sales man tried to sell me a 10k equipment trailer and said "You can take some of the center boards out" Ummm ok..

This isn't to say one place is better than the other. Kaufman has a nice web site and their pricing on standard sized trailers is really attractive. FWIW, I've also owned a few different size trailers and that helped me to know exactly what I wanted..

my point is - Do your homework.. Go to URE (Eldorados) one weekend, walk around and ask people about their trailers, ask about weights, axles, ramps, side/rear/flip down etc.. take pictures etc..

Caver - My 22' is 2750 empty, with spare.. but if you calculate the per foot weight and factor in the 6k axles, its actually pretty good.. Most 18' are in the 2200# range.. I had trouble understanding why they were 'so heavy' but then when you see lighter trailer, if they aren't custom or built for a specific load they tend to flex a lot..
 
yep, like yager said one of the main reasons i went with kraftsman was because they were willing to do custom options. kaufman wasn't. so, if you don't need anything other than a basic trailer kaufman could be another good option.

kraftsman and kaufman are much the same as far as build quality. iirc the owners are brothers, or somehow related.
 
As far as length goes, my reg cab long bed fits on an 18 foot trailer, but it places a lot of tounge weight on the truck (sagged my old mans 1/2ton dodge about 4 inches) with no room for adjustment. This might be less of a problem on your CTD, but something to consider.

Duane
 
marcusicp said:
I just got a sammy and it will be a trail only rig, so I need a trailer. I want to get something big enough to put a fullsize long bed truck on just in case. What size do I need to look for? 16ft? 20ft? Also, are there any brands that are better the others? Any to brands to stay away from? I have a 7 pin round connector with a brake controller and a class 4 hitch on my cummins but all I have towed so far is a u-haul car hauler:shaking: Also how can I keep the trailer secure when it is parked in my back yard? Is there some kind of lock I can get for it? If you have any tips to a first time trailer owner please let me know. Thanks!
Click to expand...

You could buy my 32' open deck Gooseneck, then you can fit whatever you want.
I'll make ya a deal :)
 
FWIW, I'd get something as you as you might need but no longer. My current trailer has a 12' deck and I really like that it doesn't drag going in and out of my driveway, in the DPG field, etc. The trail to cracker's neck (now closed) is kind of like the mild trails at Uwharrie and I was happy to have a short trailer.

If you're going to possibly haul a full sized truck but not very often I'd think a 16' trailer would be about right. I wouldn't go 20' just to have extra room because that extra room comes at the cost of a large overhang in the back and large dip in the middle.

That's my opinion anyway, ignore it as you see fit. :)
 
I have always liked having "more" deck space so that I could position the weight accordingly. If you think you'll need 16ft, then I'd buy an 18ft.
 
FWIW, I bought a hudson trailer from southern farm supply in union grove, nc. I want to say it was 1600 out the door with one set of brakes. 16x7 flat with a wood deck. I'm sure theres better out there. But for the money it does all I need and the guys up there are really knowledgeable.

CJ
 
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