Cargo trailer build quality spectrum.

[debit.servus]

I searched "cargo trailer quality" and "cargo trailer quality spectrum" on all open forums and came up empty. 

We need to make a "cargo trailer manufacturer quality spectrum" Sticky thread. 

Can anybody list the builders in order of build quality for enclosed cargo trailers, in a tiered fashion like has been done here for RV & travel trailer builders? Especially differentiating builders of 16 foot and larger if they have double standards (say the same builder makes "quality small trailers but junk large trailers"). 

This is to help people looking to buy enclosed cargo trailers for conversion. For those who have done extensive research for their cargo trailer conversion can you please share what you found?

 

[masterplumber]

I think the problem with doing this is, the quality changes with time. I personally know for example of people who have bought Haulmark trailers that were every bit as well built as a Wells Cargo, and others who's Haulmarks had glaring errors. And to compound it, many of us bought our trailers used, so we had to settle for the best of what was available in our area at the time. There really is no substitute for going and actually looking a trailer over thoroughly from top to bottom, whether new or used. Take a knowledgable friend along if need be. Fortunately in an empty trailer at least, there isn't to much hidden. Unlike a motor vehicle where the engine or trans can be fine for a short test drive, and give up the ghost a couple weeks later.

 

[GypsyDogs]

(not laughing.. thought I had bought from a reputable dealer and of a reputable company... sigh)

 

[ArtW]

I didn't know we had a sticky for TT and RV build quality, where's it at?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I have two rules of thumb:

Good trailers don't use z shaped or hat shaped wall frames, they use four sided tubing.

Good trailers use Dexter axles.  If they're cutting corners on THAT, they're cutting corners everywhere they think they can get away with.

Right now, Bravo trailers and Homestead trailers look pretty good.

 

[johnny b]

As stated in previous thread....
one piece roof....no seams loaded with goop.
get underneath with a strong flashlight...make sure there is no open floor gap in the corners going up behind the walls...may not be evident from an interior inspection.
with the mergers and acquisitions so prevalent these days, past reputations may be obsolete.

Seek out your mechanically minded friends for help learning the ropes...if you're heading out on your own, knowledge is your friend...in the boonies, logical thinking and twisting a wrench or two may be required of even the most novice of adventurers. Soon, you will be advising those more inexperienced than you.

Stay in range to access this forum (and others) for help when needed.  

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

You really just have to look at how they're built.

The more box steel (or aluminum) they use the better......Look for boxed steel in the floor framing vs Ibeams, boxed tubing in the walls instead of Z channel or hat channel, one piece aluminum roofing, then look at spacing of flooring, wall and roof members, the smaller the spacing the better. 12" is better than 16", 16" is better than 24" etc. Dexter Axles, Load D or E tires, aluminum wheels vs steel, LED lights vs incandescent. Plywood flooring instead of chipboard. 3/8" walls instead of 1/4" on the basis if someone that uses 3/8" is more concerned with quality. All aluminum framing costs more than steel, but it's lighter weight and won't rust. You can order them with out walls from a lot of dealers if you want to insulate and add your own. If they require the interior walls for overall structural stability, you're looking at a lower end trailer.

Keeping in mind price will reflect your choices. A 7x14 cargo trailer can go from the lower end around $3500 all the way to $10k plus. Depending on your usage and expectations you might do perfectly fine with a lower end model.

If someone needed to make a quick decision and didn't want to do any research, I think you can't go wrong with a Wells Cargo.

 

[SalsaDog]

I have two rules of thumb:

Good trailers don't use z shaped or hat shaped wall frames, they use four sided tubing.

Good trailers use Dexter axles.  If they're cutting corners on THAT, they're cutting corners everywhere they think they can get away with.

Right now, Bravo trailers and Homestead trailers look pretty good.

^^^ +10

Four sided tubing is called square or rectangular tubing and is much stronger than pressed/stamped z shaped studs.

I purchased an Aluma cargo trailer. It's not the cheapest, but it's build and fitment is top notch. For some, price will be
a dominating factor.

At 58, I always try to build/buy once and never need to contend with it again. After I'm dead, her next husband can deal with it.

 

[squatting dog2]

maybe a helpful pic of the difference between square tube and Z type.

 

[debit.servus]

Thanks so much. I like what Wells Cargo & Homestead offer, I have no problem paying $10,000 for a tough, well built cargo trailer; considering I plan to live and travel in it for decades. What gets me is Wells Cargo & Homestead don't show the prices, as the saying goes if you have to ask it's too much. Even if I have to finance it for a few years at single digit interest.

 

[masterplumber]

Debit, I'd highly recommend not going into debt to buy one if at all possible. Debt is a shackle that is really hard to break away from once you head down that road. Because​ you are always making payments on that debt, it seems you can never save for the next thing you might need or want. Especially if you have an unsteady income because your say self-employed like I am. And because you're always have to make those payments, it also makes it hard to travel for any length of time.

 

[rebar]

Hello new around here and found this discussion on a google search..

I'm disgusted in the fit and finish of the new trailers Ive looked at.

Second..  When did the industry shift away from rounded or curved one piece roofs?
It doesn't help to have a one piece roof if the seams are on top and in my case with a featherlite,  Lower then the roof and edge pooling the water at the caulked seam?

Anyway..  Im disapointed that I have to search for a older used trailer because they "don't make them like they used to"

 

[tx2sturgis]

....When did the industry shift away from rounded or curved one piece roofs?

Cost.

Lower tier (consumer level) cargo trailers are now just a commodity, not a premium item with a large profit margin. 

There are dozens of brands that all sell a 6x12 single axle, ramp door trailer for right about $2500 to $2700 or so. 

If a certain manufacturer upgrades his product, and raises the price $500, he won't be able to sell them, because these trailers are sold on features, size and price, ONLY. Not on quality. So the customer, Joe Toolbox, will just go to the next place 10 miles away and pay $500 less for what looks like the same exact trailer. 

What was really scary on my brand new trailer was the shoddy, and I mean SHODDY way the internal wiring was routed and I only found all of that mess when I took the inner paneling off mine to install insulation. 

As the wiring passed thru frame pieces, where the holes were blasted out with a torch, the edges were very rough, and sharp, and the trailer wiring was tight against those sharp edges in most of the holes, as whoever wired the trailer pulled the wires tight and there were no grommets or insulating sleeves to protect the wires. They would have shorted out sometime in the future if I had not found that problem. And there would have been no way to fix it on the road...since the wiring was all concealed. 

Mine also has the multipiece, 'galvalume' roof...and yep, it has the silicone sealer along the top seam. 

I plan to reseal and coat the roof soon. Hopefully, that will help.

 

[Almost There]

Y'all have convinced me to hang on for dear life to the 20 year old Wells Cargo trailer that I already own.

Since it sat for almost 10 years before I needed it to move across the country and will probably sit for a few more years to come before I ever need it again, I had seriously considered selling the thing and either renting or buying if I ever needed a trailer again.

I'm keeping mine. The wiring works just like it was new and the roof doesn't leak. The tongue needs a paint job and I need to wax the darn thing but it paid for and it won't give me grief!

 

[tx2sturgis]

Y'all have convinced me to hang on for dear life to the 20 year old Wells Cargo trailer that I already own.

Wanna sell it?

 

[rebar]

What was really scary on my brand new trailer was the shoddy, and I mean SHODDY way the internal wiring was routed and I only found all of that mess when I took the inner paneling off mine to install insulation. 

As the wiring passed thru frame pieces, where the holes were blasted out with a torch, the edges were very rough, and sharp, and the trailer wiring was tight against those sharp edges in most of the holes, as whoever wired the trailer pulled the wires tight and there were no grommets or insulating sleeves to protect the wires. They would have shorted out sometime in the future if I had not found that problem. And there would have been no way to fix it on the road...since the wiring was all concealed. 

Trailer manufactures must be hiring "day labor's" from the unemployment office or out front of lowes.

Keep in mind, just because its a featherlite or other reputable brand doesn't mean anything anymore.  It depends on the group of jack asses who put it together and how hung over they are that particular morning.

 

[John61CT]

My plan is to take delivery of the bare-metal frame exposed, maybe roof/floor/doors/windows, but no wiring, insulation or enclosing walls.

Extra anti-corrosion proofing on all framing.

Most likely I'll need a custom frame anyway and will just DIY the rest.

 

[rebar]

My plan is to take delivery of the bare-metal frame exposed, maybe roof/floor/doors/windows, but no wiring, insulation or enclosing walls.

Extra anti-corrosion proofing on all framing.

Most likely I'll need a custom frame anyway and will just DIY the rest.

Wow, that would take allot of work and talent skinning a enclosed trailer.  Looking forward to the build thread.

My plan is to buy the used 7x12 H&H in my picture.  Then modify it with a narrower axle and new wheel wells to match my truck track.  Maybe lengthen the tongue as well.

 

[highdesertranger]

don't lighten the tongue to much, that will cause trailer sway. the tongue weight should be 10-15% of total trailer weight. anything less then 10% will cause handling problems. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

Then modify it with a narrower axle and new wheel wells to match my truck track.  Maybe lengthen the tongue as well.

I don't question lengthening the trailer tongue (I've done that myself) but narrowing the axle?

I assume you know that means either a deck-over design, or major modification of the frame. Either way you would lose stability. 

There is a good reason that the narrow, leaf-sprung, single-axle, trailers all have wheel tracks that are wider than the body of the trailer.