Cargo Trailer Purchase

[Ballenxj]

yes dexter is top of the line. made in USA. my buddy just got 2 of the 6k ones for his toy hauler. tired of bending the 3,500's. highdesertranger

So, maybe my trailer will gross out at 5K? It's stored at a friends right now, so as I said; I can't just run out and look at the plate.
I think I'll pretty much stick with the weights stated on the title, but I suspect it had an upgrade.
Sure would be nice to have the extra rating. ;-)

 

[highdesertranger]

no it will be maxed out at the gvwr, which you stated was 2990lbs. sorry if I made my reply confusing. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

That's one of the things I love about cargo trailers, there is really only one thing that can go wrong and the fix is relatively cheap and easy. And upgrading so it never happens again is even easier.
Bob

 

[gojo]

Any opinions on a single or dual axle for a 10'X6  or  12X6?

I also seen some older models, but I'm worried about weight?

I have a dual axle 16' lowboy, it's good at higher speed... I been told not to buy a single axle travel trailer... Because they'll walk all over the road with just a little jerk in the steering. I figure too much weight to the rear could cause this problem....

 

[Almost There]

Any opinions on a single or dual axle for a 10'X6  or  12X6?

I also seen some older models, but I'm worried about weight?

I have a dual axle 16' lowboy, it's good at higher speed... I been told not to buy a single axle travel trailer... Because they'll walk all over the road with just a little jerk in the steering. I figure too much weight to the rear could cause this problem....

That will depend on the quality and type of suspension done by the manufacturer.

I've seen a whole lot of cargo trailers that didn't track properly no matter how they were loaded.

I first investigated trailers 20 odd years ago and ended up with a Wells Cargo because of the quality. If you can afford the price difference, IMO they're well worth the extra money.

I'm on my 2nd one now thanks to a sleepy driver on I 95. The first was a dual axle 15' box, the second is a single axle 10' box and neither of them require(d) special attention to the weight distribution.

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

I know I asked (in a different thread) about brakes being necessary (wanted) on a trailer....but roughly how much would it cost to have brakes added ?
KinA

 

[highdesertranger]

if you do the work yourself. you could do it for around 400 bucks, about 240 for both brake assemblies and drums then a controller and wiring. this includes fuses and trailer plugs. if you are already wired it will cost less. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

I have a single axle 6x10 and it tracks perfectly, to my knowledge it has never wandered.

I have a friend who is going to put electric brakes on his and I'm under the impression they are pretty cheap.
Bob

 

[Ballenxj]

I have a single axle 6x10 and it tracks perfectly, to my knowledge it has never wandered.

I too have a single axle 6x10 trailer and it seems to track straight and true. No problems here.

 

[gojo]

Does anyone have a 6X12 with single axle. 6X12 is what I been looking for. Guess I shouldn't compare a travel trailer with a cargo trailer. The travel travels I been looking at are in the range of 18' o 21'. Some of them have single axles.

I've haul a 2000 lb. bull to a livestock auction in a 5X8 single axle, 30 miles away. And that was hell!

 

[Ballenxj]

I've haul a 2000 lb. bull to a livestock auction in a 5X8 single axle, 30 miles away. And that was hell!

Was that because the bull kept shifting his weight while doing the Bull Dance inside?

 

[masterplumber]

Does anyone have a 6X12 with single axle. 6X12 is what I been looking for. Guess I shouldn't compare a travel trailer with a cargo trailer. The travel travels I been looking at are in the range of 18' o 21'. Some of them have single axles.

I've haul a 2000 lb. bull to a livestock auction in a 5X8 single axle, 30 miles away. And that was hell!

I have a 6 x 12 single axle and it tracks perfectly. My last trailer was a 7 x 12 and I converted it to tandem axle, but that was mostly due to the weight I was hauling - it was basically a mobile shop. Most single axle trailers in this size range are rated at 3000 lbs GVW. Mine weighed right at 1000 lbs empty before I started the conversion so you do need to watch your weight if you go single axle. That said, I'm just about to max GVW with my KLR inside. I've towed it about 8000 miles over the last year, including flat highway and mountain passes in Colorado with no problems. I suspect the problems you had hauling the bull were due to it moving around so much. When I haul horses I can feel them move around even in a 35' gooseneck horse trailer.
I would definitely add brakes, even if towing with a full size truck or van. Besides the extra margin of safety, your tow vehicle brakes will last longer. And Ditto on the Wells Cargo, if you can afford it, or find a good used one, they are definitely built better than most.

 

[gojo]

Thanks guy, by what I get , it's how much weight you're planning on hauling. Adding an axle wouldn't be a problem for me, that's if I find a used one with a single axle.  On one of my trailers, I just replaced leaf springs, bushings and shackles.

I don't know why I brought up the bull. I guess it depends on what kind of pet you might be hauling.

 

[akrvbob]

I love it when my pets are between 40-80 pounds so they can sleep on the bed with me and keep me warm.

Bulls---not so much!
Bob

 

[Canine]

When I was but a young man I hauled 14 foot poles on a bunk trailer made from the back end of a pickup truck. When it was loaded correctly, it trailed great. I hauled about 4000 pounds with no electric brakes. Fastest I went was 55 because that was the speed limit at the time. 70 would've been too fast.

Mine had a longer tongue and that made a world of difference in towability. Many of those trailers made from pickups use the shortest (cheapest) piece of 2X2 they can find and use that. Very jerky, but you can back them into tight spaces; tighter than you would probably ever need.

Dual axles are nice because when you lose a tire, you have another to carry the weight until you pull over. This is your house, so that extra bit of safety could be quite an advantage.

 

[arizonatruck]

canine, thats why i like tandem axle trailers. The main problem, is that when you need to replace the tires, it costs about twice as much. You could do two at a time, but it's still twice as much. But, the twitchiness is the main reason why I don't like single axle trailers. Either way, I still like to pull through rather than back out.

 

[highdesertranger]

imo most trailer tongues are too short. I have a trailer building book can't find right at the moment. the author lays out all the formulas for axle placement, tongue length and angles, axle types, and on and on. the author doesn't say many good things about store bought trailer tongues. saying they are at the bare minimum as far as being useful, he states if they were any shorter they wouldn't tow very well. anyways I have followed his formulas and have built excellent trailers with great towing characteristics. with a longer tongue the trailer will not whip around, plus with a longer tongue the trailer is easier to back up and you can jackknife(on purpose) to make tighter turns, this is very important for off road driving were a lot of times you must maneuver in tight spots. however the longer the trailer also makes it hard to maneuver. my 2 cents. highdesertranger