Well here's my trailer story...
I had a 1992 F150 4.9L 6cyl 5sp 2WD that I bought in 2011 for $1,000 and had for about two years. It was a damn good truck, and I do miss it. I decided to sell it because it sat most of the time, at my parents house, and I couldn't justify paying the registration, insurance, maintenance, and fuel costs when I did drive it.
I sold the truck (for $1,300
) and promptly purchased a hitch and a trailer. I got a Curt Mfg hitch for my '02 Neon, cost was $225. Very good quality, install was a breeze, and it came with a draw bar- worth the $$ up-charge from the Reese or Hidden Hitch that I was looking at.
I picked up a PN 90154 4'x8' folding trailer from Harbor Freight for $232 including tax. Registration was somewhere around $60, and insurance is laughable at like $10/yr. Also at HF I got the 1 7/8" ball for $6.
Assembling the trailer wasn't too bad. I took my time. I read the reviews even before buying and it seems the thing most people had was with the wiring. I took extra care with that. I soldered and shrinked every connection. I ran convoluted tubing throughout, used grommets, p-clamps, and zip ties. I ran a ground to each light to avoid any grounding issues through the frame.
The other thing I took care with was the wheel bearings and seals. I replaced the "grease" with Mobil synthetic grease. I suck at removing seals intact, I ruined both of the originals. I had to do a bit of homework, but I found Timken replacements that I ordered from RockAuto, PN 223035. This is a 30x52x7mm seal. And they were $4/ea. I emailed Harbor Freight about replacement seals and of course they emailed me back like a week later, and 3 days after my Timken seals shipped. Here is an FYI for future reference for others:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Harbor Freight Customer Service Parts
The seals are available through our order department by dialing 800-423-2567. You will need to order SKU #27737. They are $5.99 per pack of 4.
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You are welcome.
Maiden voyage/load:
Folded up #1:
Folded up #2:
One more note: I used a gate latch to hold the trailer folded. It was only $3, works well, and looks pretty, too:
