Opinions on different brand trailers

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
I am looking at buying a car trailer soon, and I want some feedback on various manufacturers. I am looking at Gatormade, Hudson, and a Load Trail.

Opinions on them? Any other manufacturers I should look into?
 
Looks at specs and price more than brand name. Minimum 6 lugs nuts but 8 is better. 16" rims are much easier to get tires for. A dovetail will really make life easier in the long run. Look at how the fenders are attached as that is a common failure point. Non treated wood will have to be replaced, so steel or treated is better. Make sure you get a spare and there's lots of points to attach straps. Also look at how the tag attaches as most use a plastic bracket to the tail light that breaks easy. Oh - make sure the tail lights are in a good spot so they don't get busted.
 
Awesome info, thanks GubNi!


Anyone else?
 
trailer options

dont forget about what kind of ramps......flip up or slide in, i prefer slide in, im sure you will have a 2 5/16 coupler, so check out how many moving parts it has if its going to be in the weather constantly, and the jack.........if you want to lower your tailgate, be sure to get a jack that folds up along the frame, or is set back far enough your tailgate will clear it.

thats all i can think to add, but GUBNI made some very valid points......and i like to think that if it has brakes, it has a break-away box also...(one more edit) nice to know safety chains are adequate, and are long enough with a nice hook on the end of them

HTH
 
SolarYellow05 said:
It took me almost a year to find the one I wanted. I finally decided on a Kaufman and I couldn't be happier with it. Here is the model I have. 18' 8k lb.
http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/heavy-equipment-trailer-store/Single-Car-Haulers/18-Ft,-8,000-lb.-Diamond-Single-Car-Hauler-p65.html
Click to expand...

yea a guy down the street from me works at kaufman and he talked good of them (take it the way you want), and another nieghbor owns a kaufman gooseneck, along with everyone else i've talked to plus these two i've never heard a bad comment about kaufman.
 
central09er said:
yea a guy down the street from me works at kaufman and he talked good of them (take it the way you want), and another nieghbor owns a kaufman gooseneck, along with everyone else i've talked to plus these two i've never heard a bad comment about kaufman.
Click to expand...

The only bad thing I had to say about the trailer was the way the front cross member was put on with the C part of the channel facing outward but since I bought mine in 08 they have fixed that and turned it the other way on all of the new ones. Mine also has the rub rails which is a must have.
 
Any one want to sell their Kaufman? :D
 
x3
 
When I went looking for a trailer I just looked at specs only. I ended up buying a hudson but was also contemplating a bri-mar. The bri-mar had a lot of extra features, but was also more expensive. I've very happy with my Hudson purchase. The trailer is very well built. Also, Hudson trailers are built locally in Indian Trail and I really like supporting NC vendors.
 
cltdba said:
I've very happy with my Hudson purchase. The trailer is very well built.
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Judging the rest of the POs equipment (could break an anvil with a featherduster :lol:) and the condition of the 10K Hudson I bought from them... it's a sturdy pc of equipment!

Edit: I also had several conversations with *one* of the Hudson Bros... sent me a new "VIN" plate, offered to up the GWR (uh, no thanks! 10K# is enough!), and said that for a ridiculously low price (IIRC, $250? :eek:), they'd sandblast, paint, re-sticker it! THAT'S customer service, considering it was 10+ years old and I'm not the original purchaser...
 
i just bought a 28' pro-trac GN 2 weeks ago. Had the choice of it or a PJ that was sitting beside it, decided on the load-trac cause of price, the dove tail was 4-5" taller, and it was built just as solid as any other tralier on the lot. The higher dove prevents dragging and makes it easier to load forklifts/cars with, and keeps the ramps out of the dirt when you fold them over. These were my my selling points, maybe not applicable to yours. Just my .02
 
Yeah what he said. I got mine through Kaufman. It is 18 foot plus 2 foot dovetail, steel deck, stake pockets and rubrails, removable fenders, brakes on both axles, stare tire (although I do not like thier mount), and upgraded wiring. I have been very happy with it and it pulls my suburban very well.
http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/
 
gmcjimmy88 said:
Yeah what he said. I got mine through Kaufman. It is 18 foot plus 2 foot dovetail, steel deck, stake pockets and rubrails, removable fenders, brakes on both axles, stare tire (although I do not like thier mount), and upgraded wiring. I have been very happy with it and it pulls my suburban very well.
http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/
Click to expand...


So if your trailer is 18+2 (advertised as 20ft on their site) has room for your Suburban, what size would you think we be good for my Grand Cherokee?
 
BigClay said:
So if your trailer is 18+2 (advertised as 20ft on their site) has room for your Suburban, what size would you think we be good for my Grand Cherokee?
Click to expand...

16' should be fine but for difference in price it's worth paying a little extra and getting 18'. There's minimal weight difference, and a longer trailer pulls better and gives you more room to adjust the load where you need it. I would have bought a 20' but I have a 26' gooseneck so I thought the 18' would be about right. I've hauled a 4 door dodge dually on my 18'. Kaufman is my first choice in a car hauler. It is also built in NC as is Hudson. Hudson makes a high quality trailer. My dad has one of their equipment trailers and it is probably the toughest equipment trailer I've ever seen. I just didn't like their car haulers.
 
Yes, go with an 18'. I'm very glad I did. I haven't tried it yet, but I think I can squeeze two rigs onto my trailer. Wouldn't recommend that on a regular car hauler though as it may exceed the weight limit. But still, if you get the 18' you can put your rig on there plus a four wheeler, gear, or whatever else would fit.

EDIT: Also, my 18' is easier to back up than my 16'.
 
I had my trailer built by kraftsman (in Ramseur on Rt64) They built it more/less to my specs. There were some small minor things they fixed when I picked it up. But I'm very happy with it and still get compliments on it.

Not to say what you should or shouldn't do but I'd weight your rig first. I think you will be surprised at how much bumpers/skids etc can add to a vehicle. Then do the math on what the trailer weighs vs its max and total capacity for the axles and wheels.

Example:
2 x 3500# axles = 7000# TOTAL capacity.
- ~2000# empty trailer weight for normal 16-18' car hauler
= 5000# payload

Ok sounds great ? Your at MAX capacity of your trailer.
While the trailer itself isn't probably physically overloaded (gonna bend or break etc)
But, I will bet your tires are...

I spec'd my trailer with 2 6k axles and 16" radial trailer tires.

I don't worry about tire problems and if i do I have a spare, if I have more issues I can sub in truck tires in a pinch. While your at or near 100% capacity on a smaller trailer I'm maybe at 60%. Tires and bearings always run cool.

Just something to consider other than manufacture. Honestly any of the ones mentioned can build a good trailer.

If your not careful when talking to the trailer people they will send you out the door with a 12-14k equipment trailer because they make those and probably have one on the lot ready to go. That's fine if that's what your after but your trailer will be build like a tank and weigh 3500# empty. They may steer you into a car hauler with 5500# axles which is fine, but you may not be able to get the 16" wheels and IMHO is the important reason for stepping up in size. (not to mention the big brakes)

Good luck
 
hey Gubni, to give you an idea of what Rigsby has, (since i cant send it in pm)
rigsby.jpg
ALL of these are there as of 2 weeks ago. Many different lengths from 8-40ft, enclosed, flat, dovetail, goose, bumperpull, singles, tamdems, he's prolly got one for ya. had a few 28 footers on the side row and at the back. I know there's a PJ flat deck and a dovetail, 1 PJ tandem, and 3 more like mine. (black red and grey)
 
BigClay said:
So if your trailer is 18+2 (advertised as 20ft on their site) has room for your Suburban, what size would you think we be good for my Grand Cherokee?
Click to expand...

I originally bought my 20 footer to hual my K5. I would go with an 18 at least but a 20 footer comes in handy. I use my trailer more to hual other stuff more than my burb though. I even used it to hual an F-250 crew cab long bed. Not sure how much the price has gone up for the steel deck but I suggest it. Also spring for the stake pockets and rub rails. I got a spare tire assembly from a chevy truck to mount my spare under the deck. Also get the heavier 10K jack. I can leave my burb on the trailer when it is not attached to the towrig. Get brakes on both axles as well. I made a set of railings the slip into the stake pocket which comes in handy when hualing other loads.
 
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