trailer size

[bababooie]

i have a 10ft. trailor,i'm thinking either 14.or 16ft., do the tires really get worn that fast on a 16.i would like to get dual wheels, unless its unnecessary.

[T-Bone]

bababooie

I think what your asking is does a tandem axle trailer wear tires that bad. The answer is NO

[bob]

bababooie, I had a 14ft. trailer and wound up sell it 2 years later and got a 16ft. trailer. The lesson is get the biggest trailer you can afford. I noticed that the original tires seem to wear out faster than the aftermarket ones. My 16ft. is a 1999 and I just put 4 new tires on. Tire wear also depends on how you disperse the load weight. Too much weight over 1 axle will cause a set of tires to wear out faster than the other set.

[Island Lawn]

No matter what she may say...size matters!!!
Choose wisely.
Don't end up in group counseling over "trailer envy"!
(the seat in the back, by the window, is mine.)

[lee b]

I agree with the others get the 16'. If you don't and your business {and machinery} grows you'll have to replace a smaller trailer that much sooner. A 16' trailer ain't that big, doesn't cost much more and with dual axles will be much more useful. The dual axles make it ride much better and it won't bounce your equipment nearly as much.

[plow kid]

Let me know if you want to sell that little 10 footer, ill be more then happy to buy it off of you

[Mid Rivers]

I just went from a 10' to a 14'. I would have went longer but due to sub-division by-laws I can't have a trailer outside, so 14' (actually 13'-6") is a long as I could fit in my garage. Get the longer one!

[Davis TLC]

I'd go with the 16 footer. I have seen no more wear on tires on a tandem trailer over a single. If you going to be hauling much in the way of mulch or debris from cleanups, go with the bigger trailer. Be sure to get brakes on both axles, yes it cost more but it will save the brakes on your truck, and your butt if you have to stop quick some time. Also be sure to get a breakaway control on the trailer, in case it shoud come loose from the truck while going down the road.

[GrassMaster]

Hello Everybody:

A 16 footer dual axel the way to go!

Yes, if it is poorly made it will wear tires faster. I ran across this when I got my first 16 footer. Mine did fine, but I had others asking me about tire wear.

LOL, most of them asking had the trailers from same manufacture. You would think they would figure it out after a while.

I think it depends on the manufacture lining up the dual axles a certain way or it will flat out wear those tires out.

Mine had a pivot in the center between the front & rear leaf springs. It road so smooth it was unbelieveable. The single axle trailer will actually beat your equipment to death. You could pull the dual axle over a curb & not even feel it.

I could never drive the single over about 50 mph, without it going all over the road & yes I had plenty of weight on the tongue.

The dual axle well I shouldn't say this, but I had it up to 85 mph one time on a open stretch of 4 lane & no traffic. It was so smooth it was unreal!

Make sure it has good electric brakes too & do not let anybody tell you that they tear up all the time & they are no good. If properly set up you should get plenty of years on it without any maintenance. Unless you are a world traveler? LOL :-)

You take your time & set up the brakes right it will stop quicker than a unloaded truck. It don't matter about weight. Example: my trailers were made out of 2" square tubing & weighed 1 ton empty. I carried 2 Yazoos with Grass cathers on there that weighed 1800 lbs. each without cathers, 4 - 5 gal gas cans, 2 Honda Commercial 21" mowers. Way over 3 tons, probably closer to 3 1/2+ tons.

I hauled them with 84 Chevy & I drove most of the time a 87 Chevy with Parts & Supplies in it, no trailer. We got to fussing one day on it stopping. We tried it & even switched vehicals. The 84 loaded with trailer stopped quicker than 87 with no trailer.

You needs those brakes bad & working right because of all them fools that never pulled trailers before, that pull out in front of you all the time. Most folks percieve that a truck pulling a trailer is going slow & always pull out in front of you. Or maybe I'm just a target for lawsuits!

Then you got those low lifes that pull out in front of you hoping that you will run into back of them. So they can pick up a quick $25,000. Yes Insurance companies now will get off of that amount in a heart beat without ever going to court. Ask me I know?

My daughter is the Queen of rearend collision. She ran into the back of a lady a few months ago, #3 lawsuit against me since 1995 2 hers & the other one of my employees, owning your own business has it's privleges & this is just one of them. This lady my Daughter ran into has been rear ended 5 times in last 14 months, this lady seems to have a pretty good income. LOL, we pay for it & I mean all of us.

BTW, Sorry for getting off topic, Butt I needed a couple extra paragraphs to meet my quota? LOL, :-)

If you pull trailers do your transmission & the rest of you truck a Big Favor. Buy a Spring loaded hitch reciever, they not much some El Cheapos are under $100 & if they were $500+ they worth every penny & then some. Smoother ride & saves the transmission, u-joints & rear end.

I have more info at my website about trailers & there used to be very good info about this at I think http://www.wellscargo.com go to support & then Safety.

Oh, I carry $500,000 on collision on my 4 vehicles & on my home too incase someone gets hurt there. 50 to 100K on collision is nothing & you could still pay money if they want more. #2 lawsuit, I will not disclose figures butt the man totaled 1 year old Lincoln Town Car & not hurt but when he got to top of ditch, he had massive heart attach. In the next 31 days in hospital he had to get pacemaker & he had to have 9 months of daily physical theropy. How far do you think $100K coverage went? LOL, not far. Thank god I'm paranoid.

The difference between the $100K I used to have & $500K was less than $70 every 6 months. Worth every penny. LOL, I don't even have a company vehical, Butt I'm still a target because I own a business? I'm covered now & have piece of mind!

I do not make many post, but I try to cover all facts & I'm one of the oldest members here with fewest post. Most of the time I'm last post on the thread because I seem to take my time & explain things very well. :-)

[AltaLawnCare]

16 Footer With Brakes !

Very good advice from Grassmaster and all above. I'm getting ready to purchase a 6 1/2 x 16 tandem, shop around the prices really vary on these trailers. I also agree its worth the few bucks to use a "spring" or cushioned reciever.
One point not mentioned, I'm planning on rotating the tires often, because I know my load will be front heavy until I get more equipment. I rotate the tires on my truck every 6,000 miles and they are wearing great.

[Edited by AltaLawnCare on 02-04-2001 at 11:03 AM]

[DMC300]

My advice,listen to Grassmaster!

[pcs]

I'm getting a 6 1/2 x 16 built for me know. I have one queston. The guy who is building it for me wants to know if I want the trailer to be lower. He said you can get a certian axle that will make the trailer 4" lower than normal. What should I get?

[65hoss]

I had a 14' but sold it 3 days ago. It wasn't big enough. I have an 18' that was my race car trailer, but I'm having it upgraded to serve as both for the time being. Only problem is I think its to much for my short wheel base F150 to pull all day everyday. It was fine for pulling to the drag strip once a week (10 mile trip). This trailer is extremely heavy due to NO angle iron anywhere on it. :)

PCS-Ask the guy if you will be able to use a regular size tire or if it will need a shorter tire. My neighbor has one that was lower and he couldn't put a standard car tire on it. He had to go to very short tire. Otherwise, its not a bad thing unless you need to back into driveways.

[beck]

last fall I bought a 7X16 enclosed. it is a nice size but when i started looking at the 72" mowers i realized that it would not fit through the doorway.

I have been talking with the trailer dealer about trading in for an 8ft wide trailer. It has the same stance(or distance between the wheels) but the 8 ft has the wheel wells on the inside of the trailer where as the 7 ft has the wheel wells on the outside. The 72" will fit in the doorway and fit between the wheel wells, with a few inches to spare. With the extra width you can turn walk behinds sideways.

The only problem is I cannot see around it with my side mirrors so i will be looking at telescoping mirrors.

I need to be making a decision soon, since it takes a couple of months to get the trailer once ordered. or maybe i will just forget about the 72 and go with the 60 decisions decisions

[Randy Scott]

Hey beck, I purchased a new Haulmark a month ago. It is an 8.5 x 20. Most places are weeding out the 8 wide and going to the 8.5 wide. I checked into this quite thoroughly so in a couple years I wouldn't be having to get a different trailer if my business takes off. If you get the 8.5 you can drive a 72" Lazer with the new and bigger Ultra-Vac on, right into the trailer, no stopping and taking it on or off. If you were to go with the 8 wide, you'd be about a half inch shy of getting it in there. Of course a 60" with the Ultra-Vac would fit in the 8 wide. There isn't really any price difference, like I said, there's getting to be more demand for the 8.5 wide. I have a new Ford with the telescoping mirrors so that helps me see around the trailer pretty decent, you're still somewhat limited. Just some info. for you to think about.

[bababooie]

thanks for all the replys.you made the answer alot easier for me.big nate i'm going to keep the 10 footer.