If I Were Gonna Buy a Trailer......

[Neale Behm]

Ok....so it's gotten to the point that I need a trailer to haul engines to the shows.

I know I want tandem axels and I AM going to get brakes on one axle but......Should I go with 16 foot or 18 foot? "Tailgate" type mesh ramp or removable ramps? Standard used tires and wheels or new tires and wheels? Anything else I'm forgetting or should at least consider??

Thanks for your opinions and....

Thanks Harry
.

[Steve Barr]

Neale

When I got my Trailer, it had normal car loading ramps (stolen while at an auction). They worked fine with a board on top to load any engine. I now use 6" c-channel (50 lbs each,but they will handle anything i can put on the trailer and then some) with a piece of angle iron at the top to hold it in place when I load. I can now load or unload any engine by myself and not worry that it might fall off the ramps. Mesh is nice, but easy to damage if moving a larger engine that might dent and deform it. It also is a wind drag which could lower fuel mileage (depending on how the load is setup).

I would go with brakes on both axles. You never know when you are going to need them. It might not be the law where you live, but more and more states are requiring that on all new trailers. It doesn't add that much to the cost for the added safety factor.

Length - Depends on what you are hauling and how much growing room you want. My trailer is 16' + 2' dovetail. (and i have hauled items on the dovetail.)

[MoRo]

Any "store bought" trailer, especially tandem axle trailers will have brakes from the factory because of all the laws pertaining to them. It'll be up to you to select from electrically actuated or surge-type brakes.

[Doug Kimball]

Removeable ramps with storage underneath, electric brakes on both axles(hydraulic surge brakes if cost is not an object), new tires & wheels at least LT's(light truck) not MH's(mobil home) tires. It's nice to have removeable sides 10 to 12" high so that loading/unloading can be done from three sides, 2" pressure treated decking, plenty of tie downs. Braced steel headboard about 24 to 30" high. Electric or hand winch is also handy for loading. Good sized lockable box on vee tongue. Two removeable jacks near rear & at least one near front if you are going to run engines on it.

[Dick-CT]

neale make sure you get good tires on the trailer and stay away from them little wheel barrow tires i have standard 14 in auto wheels and tires on mine
my 2 cents worth

[FarmallJeff]

Go with Electric brakes on both axels don't get surge-type brakes alot of states won't let you use them.

[midpw]

Mine is a 16 foot trailer that includes a 2 foot dovetail. I bought that style specifically because at the time I was more interested in tractors than engines and it really makes loading/unloading easier. I would suggest that if you are only hauling engines that you go a flat 16'. As far as the landscapers fold up ramp with the diamond mesh I would council you against that. It probably is nice around town with a bunch of lawnmowers but you DO NOT want it down the highway. HUGE air brake.

Sometimes I wish I had an eighteen foot trailer......but not very often.

My three cents.

[BDMelon]

electric brakes on both axles all the way , with 205 75 r 15 tires,(c)rated I they called them that, on torsion axles, if you don't have a $ concern, drop gate also, this is a good combo. Have had bad(board) ramp concerns before,when its rained or little muddy. size of trailer is up to you, but 16 ft sound good. later neale

melon

[Ironman]

When shopping around for a trailer, keep in mind that you will be hauling your valuable iron around. Don't skimp on quality- spend a little more money to get a good trailer. Whatever you do, DON'T buy one of those cheapo trailers that is made up mostly of angle iron. You can stand on one corner of one of those trailers, and the whole trailer bed will flex. Get yourself a good heavy trailer with the framework being made of channel iron. I looked at a lot of trailers before I bought mine. After looking at countless brands of trailers, I narrowed it down to two different manufacturers. One was Diamond D which were built in Texas, and the other was MacLander which are built in Iowa. First preference was Diamond D, but it was going to take too long for the local dealer to get just what I wanted because he only placed orders for trailers when he could get a whole load hauled in one shot. There was a MacLander dealer about 80 miles away that had just what I wanted, so I bought the MacLander trailer. It came with brakes on both axles and new Goodyear tires. It came with a warranty on the axles, a warranty on the brakes, a warranty on the tires, etc. It has seen many miles of roads and has hauled a lot of iron. I am very happy with the way it is built, and it pulls nicely down the road.

[Rob Skinner]

Originally Posted by Neale Behm

I know I want tandem axels and I AM going to get brakes on one axle but

Hi Neale,
Get brakes on both axles. What's the saying? You can't be too rich, too thin, or have too much braking power.

Originally Posted by Neale Behm

"Tailgate" type mesh ramp or removable ramps?

I use removable ramps, which are a pain to deal with, but they're rock solid. I'd be concerned about turning a "factory tailgate" into a pretzel. I guess it depends on what you intend to load. With steel wheels, the load is focused on a very small area, so ramps must be extra stout.

Originally Posted by Neale Behm

Standard used tires and wheels or new tires and wheels?

By all means get new. Make sure they're trailer tires, and are adequate for the capacity of the trailer. Check them often and replace them before they're worn out.

Capacity? You can fit a lot of iron on a 16-18 foot trailer. 7,000 should be a minimum, but a 10,000 pounder would probably allow you more flexibility.

Rob

[Will S. Minnesota]

Ironman- I noticed your trailer handled pretty well when I pulled it out of the mud in LeSeuer a few years ago. Just kidding.

To the original poster; As others have said, electric brakes on both axles, actual trailer tires, cheap tires are not fun to fix late at night on the highway.
Plenty of hold downs. Engines are awkward to tie down.

[Neale Behm]

You folks are being a tremendous help here! Thank you very much.

If anyone has come up with a great way to secure engines I'd really appreciate pictures.

I just realized I need to be thinking about a control unit for the electric brakes too. Anything I need to look for or steer clear of? I know I don't want the pendulum/inertia type of control.

Thanks again to all and.....

Thanks Harry

[BDMelon]

neale , mail cwc through stak he has a great brake set up on his rig, but not sure what it was called

melon

[Will S. Minnesota]

For a brake controller, I use Tekonsha. The last truck I got, all I had to do was plug the wires from the controller into a receptacle under the dash and it was good to go. No wires to run.

[Bryan Brooks]

See if you have a BigTex trailer dealer in your area. They are the largest producer of trailers in the U.S. and have a huge selection of types and options. We have been using BigTex trailers on our ranch and in business for years without a problem. They are built right. We have both bumper pull and gooseneck trailers of various sizes but the one I use the most for engines is a BigTex 18' 12PI. It has two 6,000 lb. axles, 16 in. tires, and will carry most anything I have. I operate our family steel fab shop and I can tell you that you can't over build a trailer. If we ever decided to build trailers, I would use a BigTex as a pattern.

[Dick Webber]

Hi Neale--

The car hauler I have used for 20 years is a 16 ft wood floor flatbed. This is a Big Bee trailer, has side rails (square tube) and is very solid. The side rails are an occasional disadvantage for loading engines from the side, or cars, and a great advantage for securing or tying down cargo. It has heavy removable ramps. It came with 2 wheel brakes, and I have purchased retrofit brakes to be installed soon on the other axle. Axles are 5 bolt 3750 lb units (I think). The wood floor lends itself for drilling holes to secure engines or whatever. I have never felt the need for 18 ft length or a beaver tail. My control unit is a Draw Tite Activator, installed 6 yrs ago, and works well. As a non commercial unit I do not license it in Kentucky. I think breakaway brakes are probably necessary as well. My engine show trailer is a single axle custom built 5 x10, holds 5 small engines (1 1/2 to 2 hp). Also put brakes on that one. You may remember seeing it at Portland.

Good luck, Dick

[Andrew Mackey]

I have a sta-rite, single axle, used for small engines. It has 15" trailer tires, 6 ply. Make sure to use the rated tire pressure, and check every time you hook up. I had a tire De-laminate (tread seperation) due to low air (nail in tire), and it made a mess of the heavy guage fender well, as well as tearing off my license plate and bracket (this was 1/4" thick steel!). 6" or 8" Channel iron ramps - at least 8' long are a must, especially if loading heavy equipment. Mine Have a 1" hole bored at the top end, that is padlocked to the trailer to prevent them from being 'permanantly borrowed' A Warn, or similar brand winch, with remote controller and at least 3 ton capacity, is a good idea as well. It will really simplify loading. As for loading engines - If you are going to transport the same engine all the time, you might think of bolting it to the trailer. If the engine is on a cart, make a set of 4 'J' bolts, of at least 1/2" diameter. Place the cart where you will usually put it, and mark where both sides of the wheels contact the trailer floor, Drill 8 5/8" holes, and make your 'J' bolts to match the holes. If the engine is skided, or you are simply hauling, buy a good set of ratcheting Nylon (or similar) tie down straps. You wasn 3 ton or better load capacity( the higher the better). Strap the engine as follows: From solid connection on trailer, across the engine bed - right behind the cylender (make sure that the strap does not contact moving parst - such as exhaust pushrod, sideshaft, governor lonkage, ETC. Latch down securely! I also use several smaller tiedowns, at corners and stratigic points, to prevent front to back movement as well. DO NOT strap down to flywheels Especially if engine is haevy, you could end up warping, or even breaking a wheel! You can however strap to the crank, at the flywheel hub (NOT THE SPOKES!) Protect the straps (and your paint), with clean rags, where contact is made. Do not let iron touch iron. I lost a neat pump, when it shifted in transit, and the flywheel from my 5 HP Hercules made contact with it. The smaller piece will always lose.
Andrew

[Andrew Mackey]

I have a sta-rite, single axle, used for small engines. It has 14" trailer tires, 6 ply. Make sure to use the rated tire pressure, and check every time you hook up. I had a tire De-laminate (tread seperation) due to low air (nail in tire), and it made a mess of the heavy guage fender well, as well as tearing off my license plate and bracket (this was 1/4" thick steel!). 6" or 8" Channel iron ramps - at least 8' long are a must, especially if loading heavy equipment. Mine Have a 1" hole bored at the top end, they are padlocked to the trailer, with a stainless steel trailer hitch pin, to prevent them from being 'permanantly borrowed' A Warn, or similar brand winch, with remote controller and at least 4 ton capacity, is a good idea as well. It will really simplify loading. As for loading engines - If you are going to transport the same engine all the time, you might think of bolting it to the trailer. If the engine is on a cart, make a set of 4 'U' bolts, of at least 1/2" diameter. Place the cart where you will usually put it, and mark where both sides of the wheels contact the trailer floor, Drill 8 - 5/8" holes, and make your 'U' bolts to match the holes. If the engine is skided, or you are simply hauling, buy a good set of ratcheting Nylon (or similar) tie down straps. You want a 4 ton or better load capacity (the higher the better). Strap the engine as follows: From solid connection on trailer, across the engine bed - right behind the cylender (make sure that the strap does not contact moving parts - such as exhaust pushrod, sideshaft, governor lonkage, ETC. Latch down securely! I also use several smaller tiedowns, at corners and stratigic points, to prevent front to back movement as well. DO NOT strap down to flywheels Especially if engine is heavy, you could end up warping, or even breaking a wheel! You can however strap to the crank, at the flywheel hub (NOT THE SPOKES!) Protect the straps (and your paint), with clean rags, where contact is made. Do not let iron touch iron. I lost a neat pump,several years ago, when it shifted in transit and the flywheel from my 5 HP Hercules made contact with it. The smaller piece will always lose.
Andrew

[Keven Withers]

I would go with a oak deck I didnt and wish I had will be replacing the decking sometime soon. 16 ft is plenty long I have torsion axles with 16" light truck tires and had them build it as close to the ground as they could trailer is only about 14" from ground. The best pulling trailer we have owned. Keven

[Benny Mckheean]

What ever you get be sure and buy a spare tire and carry a jack with you.If you can find a old tool box off a truck and mount it on the V of the trailer to haul all the things you need when you go to a show.