Buy a trailer (instead of a pickup truck)

[user removed]

I should have my 4X8 harbor freight 950 lb capacity trailer completely installed tomorrow. A $300 Sentra and a $175 trailer replaced the Ranger and Fiesta. Just picked up the 4 pin connector for the car, everything else came with the trailer package.
Just need to check to see if it needs a state inspection in Virginia.

A chunk of cash in the bank and monthly costs cut by better than 60%.

regards
mech

[freebeard]

Woo hoo! More for the tadpole.

[adam728]

While having a light trailer to pull behind a car is great, it cannot always displace a pickup, or at least a stout trailer with a heavy tow vehicle.

I like my 4x8 Harbor Freight because it lets me save a ton of gas when hauling small/light loads.



But it would fold like origami if I put ~2400 lbs of tractor/mower/weights on it. Truck works far better.


Plus I maintain the private road we live on (8 homes). I can get >3K of sand, gravel, etc in the truck, that'd be 4 trips with the trailer. Life could be doable without the truck, but it's a lot easier with it. Except for fill ups, those are tough. Although I've only been putting about 2500-3000 miles per year on the truck, and it's only that many because it's the kid's favorite vehicle to ride in (they get to sit up front).

If things get bigger I borrow dad's trailer. It can haul the Astro without even thinking about it.

[user removed]

My youngest brother has a 10k capacity hydraulic dump trailer and a big block GMC truck to tow the trailer. He is a contractor and I can use the truck-trailer anytime I need it as long as I return it with more gas than it left with. I have used it once in 10 years to haul roofing to and from a house we restored.

And yes, the trike is now fully funded.

regards
mech

[Xist]

"And yes, the trike is now fully funded."
--Old Mechanic

Yes!

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

I should have my 4X8 harbor freight 950 lb capacity trailer completely installed tomorrow. A $300 Sentra and a $175 trailer replaced the Ranger and Fiesta. Just picked up the 4 pin connector for the car, everything else came with the trailer package.
Just need to check to see if it needs a state inspection in Virginia.

A chunk of cash in the bank and monthly costs cut by better than 60%.

regards
mech

You are in VA, and if its a "home made trailer" may god have mercy on your soul. Registering a home made trailer there sucks.
I had my trailer for about 4 years when I was in Virginia and there is a reason I did not register it there.

[freebeard]

In another thread I was challenged to illustrate a trailer I designed in Arch 101 in college. I'm putting it here where it's more on-topic.

One of the profs was from Minnesota and he described the ice fishing process and they turned us loose. The requirement was two seats on either side of a 12" square hole in the floor. Some other's designs involved 8 or 10 4x8 panels that had to be dragged onto the ice and bolted together.



Mine was a light trailer that could be hand pushed onto the ice. The center of gravity was to be near the seat level so it would rotate on the axle until it rested on the bottom of the frame, then an additional push would stand it on it's end. The frame does double duty as the door frame and the seats are anchor point for the suspension upright. There is a rack for poles opposite the door.

[Xist]

We do not do much ice fishing in the Phoenix area. The idea is to out of direct weather? The corrugations are for strength? I keep wondering how wind would sound as it played the washboard.

[adam728]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

You are in VA, and if its a "home made trailer" may god have mercy on your soul. Registering a home made trailer there sucks.
I had my trailer for about 4 years when I was in Virginia and there is a reason I did not register it there.

Nope, the Harbor Freight trailers come with "VIN" numbers and a title. It's a manufactured trailer, no hoops to jump through.


That fishing shanty idea is pretty cool. My only "but" would be the center of gravity thing mentioned. Trailers need some amount if tongue weight to keep from wagging. Suspension design and load help dictate how much that might be. I had an enclosed trailer that was very balanced and it was horrific to tow if empty. Always had to keep something in there to keep tongue weight or else it would get out of hand quickly (I've pulled 8 times the weight without issue, but all my "oh shhhh...." moments were with that trailer).

[user removed]

I already made one home made trailer in Va for hauling a fixed keel sailboat. There was a process to get a title but it was not any insurmountable issue.

The HF trailers are not considered home made and the one I bought used came with a title. The tiny DMV I go to does not do drivers licenses, just titles and tags.

They usually take care of me faster than most fast food restaurants.

No state inspection required for under 4000 GW trailers that do not have brakes. Title, registration and PERMANENT plates were not cheap, about $160, but that is the end of fees and charges forever.

regards
mech