Recommendations for buying an enclosed trailer

The wife and I are moving to Anchorage this January! And of course we're moving in the dead middle of winter. We own a decent amount of stuff, but not an overwhelming amount. I was thinking that something around the size of a 7' x 14' enclosed trailer should work for moving us up there. Don't worry Mom, I'll drive slow, be cautious, and keep it in ECT + S4.

Any recommendations on how to go about finding a deal on a trailer like this? We probably won't use the trailer for anything other than moving to AK, but considering that renting a U-Haul will be several thousand dollars, I'd rather put the money towards a trailer that we can probably sell to then recoup some of the cost.

I'd like to find a used one, but there don't seem to be a lot of options listed on Craigslist or Facebook. I'm on the Western Slope, and willing to drive many hours to pick up a trailer that's a good deal.

I appreciate any insight you can provide. Thanks!

 

My buddy drove down to Texas to buy his 7x14 ft trailer. I believe he saved over $2500 over the cost of a comparable one in the Denver area even after the cost of fuel, food, and a hotel.

This is the place he got his from. https://www.trailernut.com/

 

I would guess that the mark up on trailers up there is even higher than Colorado.

 

Check the market up there and see what you could get if you were to buy here or TX and then sell in AK. Could come out even

 

Dang, yeah I'm willing to do something like that if TX turns out to be that much cheaper. I mean, they all come up here to go skiing and drive OHVs, we should be allowed to go down there to buy all their cheap stuff.

 

When I bought my work trailer I searched hi and low on FB marketplace and Craigslist, people have this weird misconception that trailers are made of gold and charge accordingly. I ended up just buying new to avoid the headache and frustration.

The place I bought mine from has 7x14 tandems for about $5,300 bucks for reference.

 

Not to jump in.. Check out a web site called equipment trader.com.. refine your search for cargo trailers. Then adjust the milage search accordingly.

 

Nice, thanks for pointing me towards another outlet.

 

I just bought a used 5x8 enclosed trailer for a cross country move. New ones started around 2200... found one listed on OfferUp for $1000 and ended up paying $800, 3hr round trip to pick it up. Spent another 200 on new tires and bearing-buddies, and I think I'm about ready to go.

 

I realized when I went to buy my 5x8 enclosed trailer that people want new prices for their beat to hell trailers, so I bought new. I bought mine for the same reasons of a uhaul and a storage unit being thousands of dollars. Figured I’d recoup my money after I was done with it, but 5 years later, I still haven’t sold it.

 

I just sold a 6x10 for 1k. I bought it for 1k about 3 years ago, used it for 2 moves and countless projects and storage. Was happy to sell it for what I originally paid, i figure it had already paid for itself atleast 4 times over..

 

That's the kicker: you still have it. I'd rather get something for spending thousands of dollars instead of renting and returning.

 

Avoid Lark. H&H is a good brand. There's a reason there's a HUGE spread on prices, new, over the same size trailers.

I suggest:
1. Tandem axle w/ brakes on at least one axle. You'll likely only find it on one axle at the size you're looking for.
2. Tires. This is where most resellers/manufactures save money. Don't skimp on tires for the drive you're planning. And at least two spares of similar quality.
3. Skip the aluminum unless you have to have it. It is nicer and there are some advantages. For me, it wasn't worth the premium price.
4. Two doors seems to be better than a ramp door. Easier to get in and out of and a simple ramp will work as well as the ramp door. I know because I have a ramp door and usually only carry motorcycles. I'd probably get the dual doors instead if I were to do it again. Also might be easier to resell.
5. Just buy new. As you see and have heard, most used sellers want new prices. Unless you find a deal. But I'd go through the bearings and brakes.
6. For your trip, buy a pair of bearings and the correct tools. Better to have and not need than need and not have on your trip.
7. Bulbs unless all your lights are LED. You're gonna lose some incandescent lights on the trip you're taking.
8. Get bigger than you think you'll need. Unless you've done some math and geometry with the stuff you're taking and you're settled on what you're taking, you're probably gonna need more room. Better to have more unneeded room than not enough.
9. I bet you'll make money selling it in Alaska once you get there. Considering how difficult it takes to get shit there anyway. You might want to take some more stuff to resell with that extra room you'll have in the bigger trailer.
10. I use my trailer like a shed when I'm not using it. Which has been a lot lately. So it may be a replacement for a shed with a dual purpose if and when you need a trailer.
11. NO roof vents.
12. Airbags for your truck. I'm assuming you're pulling with a Tacoma. Airbags are a must. And cheap.

 

I really appreciate the thorough write up. I tow equipment and dump trailers from time to time so I'm familiar with driving with a trailer in general, but taking this beast 3,000 miles in the middle of winter is going to be a whole new ball game. Thanks for taking the time to put this much thought into helping an internet stranger.

And yeah, from my research so far, it looks like I'm going to buy new. Next thing for me to decide is, how far do I drive and still make it worth my while?

• If I buy local it'll cost about $6,000 pre tax.
• If I drive 16 hours to TX, I save $1,900, but also spend several days making this happen.
• If I drive 12 hours to TX, I save $1,100, but end up with an overnight.
• If I drive 4.5 hours to Utah, I save $900. I can do this in a single day.

Right now, it's looking like Utah is the happy medium of both price and location.

 

Curious why you say to avoid Lark trailers? Speaking from experience or?

 

When doing my research, they came up frequently as one to avoid. While visually inspecting new units, you could see the other manufacturers were built better. Shorter spans on side and roof supports, rivets vs. screws, treated deck vs. raw plywood, fbetter overall craftsmanship, etc. I do see a lot of them on the road though and they were a bit cheaper as well.

 

Here are some interior shots of my H&H. This is their "entry" level utility trailer IIRC. I added the wheel chocks and tie down rings.

 

I own one, 19k miles with zero problems added some LED strip lighting to the interior and did a VCT floor

 

Agreed on bearings. When I bought mine used i actually replaced both hubs, but kept them as spares and kept 2 spare tires as well. Airbags a must as well!

 

Do either of you have an opinion in regards to a weight distributing hitch vs airbags? From what I've read so far, they're a similar price, but the hitch seems like it will help the entire towing set up; not just the rear shocks of the truck. Plus, the wdh has a sway bar, and there's no modifications to the truck with a wdh.