Trailer Advise

I wanna open up by saying I've looked around my immediate area and have read articles/forums online and still have a few direct questions about trailers and what I should be looking for in my particular setup.

Haul rig: 2010 Tacoma, 4L with 6MT on 285x70x17 with 3" suspension lift.
Ideal trailer: 6-7' wide by 12-14' long, flat bed with sides and gate in the back.
Purpose: Hauling a Polaris RZR 1000 plus any small gear IE coolers, totes with camping gear, etc.

I've decided to go with steel rather than aluminum because of $$$, strength, and weight. That being said, 1) Channel tubing or angle iron? Is the extra cash for tubing a better investment long-term than angle iron? 2) I'm going single axle, 3500lb, should I get brakes? Do I honestly need them with what I've said I'll load above? 3) Any other advise/tips/tricks would be appreciated.
I've pulled small boats, up to 16' with the Tacoma with no problems and no trailers with brakes. I know tongue weight is important along with trailering safety and grew up pulling trailers, just never owned one.

Here are the two I've had my eyes on, better deal?
http://riversidetrailerscaldwell.co...x12-single-axle-utility-trailer.html?___SID=U

https://boise.craigslist.org/trb/5983457256.html
Thanks in advance!

 

Speaking from a RATIONAL point of view, you don't strictly need brakes on the trailer when you're at a maximum of 3500 pounds. LEGALLY speaking, make sure that you are aware of the trailer weight related laws in ALL of the jurisdictions where you will be operating. Some states require brakes for ALL loads over 1000 pounds.

Having said that, my boat will weigh in at about 2500 pounds WITH the trailer, and its harder to stop than my flatbed with my tractor on it (around 7000 pounds total). Difference of course, is that the flatbed has brakes. Specifically, hydraulic disk brakes on the front axle (not both).

Regarding your material choice, the only one of your reasons that actually applies is $$. Aluminum (for this application) is stronger PER WEIGHT than steel, which means that you could make it both stronger AND lighter by using aluminum. But obviously, you'll be paying a hell of a lot more for it.

Channel tubing vs angle... couldn't answer that without knowing your designs. Perhaps a combination?
For instance, the rails on my flatbed are made out of 4"x6" angle, with 2x3 rectangular tube ribs running side to side (could substitute for channel here). The springs are mounted directly to the rails. The tongue is a 3x3 square tube with a couple of 4x4 angle braces, all mounted to the bottom side, with the tongue touching 4 of the ribs, and the braces touching 3 ribs and the rails. 2x10 planks are mounted lengthwise over the ribs. This would be serious overkill for what you're planning to move, but you could go with a similar design using lighter materials. Maybe 3x4 rails and 1x2 square or channel ribs?

 

Legally, I have no clue what the law is regarding trailer weight/brakes in the area I live. I went ahead and ordered one with brakes though...seems a lot safer and won't wear out my trucks brakes nearly as fast.

I couldn't justify the price compared to weight..the only real advantage I saw with that small of a trailer is no rust whatsoever. But if you take care of any steel trailer it shouldn't be a huge issue.

I have friends with angle iron utility trailers and they're just garbage in my opinion. Dealers make em cheap and they make a killing from all the steel they save. I went with a 2x3 rectangular tube frame with rectangular tube side rails as well. I got a pretty good deal considering I added electric brakes, swivel jack w/ wheel for moving manually, steel constructed decking instead of wood, and a full size spare.

http://echotrailers.com/EA-13-14-Advantage.html

The downside to this purchase is I have to pick it up in Ogden, UT...which is quite the drive from Boise, ID. Dealer's down there are near the manufacturer and sold it for nearly $800 less than any dealer in my area.

 

I always will say get a trailer made out of tubing. I work at a steel mill making tube so I am biased.

Angle works well is some places but usually it is to save weight. Problem with angle or channel is if they get overstressed they bend and once they lose their geometric shape they become flimsy.

Tube is heavier for a similar size due to 2 extra sides but it is also much stronger geometrically. It also doesn't collect salt and crap like angle or channel does which adds to rust issues. My neighbor passed away and his wife traded his 3 year old angle trailer to another neighbor for some handyman work. Strong enough but flimsy at the same time. We had to reinforce it so the tailgate wouldn't fall down in transit like it was known to do. Tie downs would pull the sides in and you couldn't flip up the tailgate.

So do your research. Any type of material can be made right.

 

Picked it up earlier today. One question though..I'm using a 2" drop ball and the trailer angles slightly up, should I get a 3" drop? Sorry in advance for the sun glare.

 

Given that its a single axle trailer, it won't be all that sensitive to whether or not it is sitting perfectly level. If it makes you feel better, you could drop it down a bit, but also keep in mind that when you load it up, its going to compress the truck's suspension somewhat and come closer to level.

Also one thing to keep in mind is that the "mesh tailgate loading ramp" is about the worst kind of tailgate known to exist. Despite the appearance of having air passage ways through it, the reality is that when you get it up to speed, it might as well be just a big sheet of plywood. If you want a loading ramp for it, you would be much better off adding a tray to slide it into beneath the trailer bed, so that it doesn't cause severe drag.

Multi-axle trailers is where you really need to pay attention to keeping it level, since having the trailer out of level will mean that one of the axles will be sitting closer to the bump stops than the other(s), potentially already bottomed out. If one of the axles of a multi-axle trailer is bottomed out, then you could actually be placing all of your load on just THAT axle, which could cause severe instability and equipment damage.

 

You know, tubing can be overstressed as well, and once they get overstressed, they buckle, which is pretty bad.

I don't agree that angle is used to "save weight". Angle can actually be much heavier than tubing, obviously, since you can select a different thicknesses and overall dimensions. When your objective is simply to save weight, you can do so whether you are using angle OR tubing.

Tubing is actually WORSE for collecting salt than angle. Angle can be sprayed off and is then clean. Get some moisture and salt into your tubing, and you have a serious rust problem from the inside out. It is also extremely difficult to coat the inside surfaces of tubing to protect it from that salt and moisture that it is bound to be exposed to, which means that the inside surface is really going to be fully exposed steel, whereas angle will be easily coated with a sprayer.

Well there is the contradiction... "Any type of material can be made right". In other words, neither is superior "in general", but what it comes down to is correct engineering. As I've mentioned above, my flatbed uses both angle and tube. And believe me, if I replaced the rails with tube, it would be much more difficult to make it as strong as it is with angle.

 

You really think the ramp will make much of a difference? I know unloaded it probably does, but loaded with a Polaris rzr will it still add that much drag? I thought about the ramp choice quite a bit and concluded I wanted the tailgate type ramp because I'd almost never be hauling the trailer unloaded and didn't wanna deal with moving ramps in/under the trailer.

 

Big difference.
But now that I think about it, another option you could implement, is to cut the ramp in half and put hinges on it.

 

Been thinking and posting in the towing Bible thread but want some opinions. In the above picture I have six 70# sand bags on my axles plus the tool box with roughly 100-150# of tools/misc stuff inside. That being said, when I remove the sandbags my suspension will lift even higher (had them in for winter driving).

Ok so my question is, with that weight removed, is my trailer loaded to roughly 3500# going to sag my suspension enough to warrant air bags? I've already had the rear leaf tsb completed. Also note, the truck has a 3" suspension lift on 285's with 17" wheels.

 

Don't waste money on balloons. The truck can hold a hell of a lot more weight than most people give it credit for. Problem most people have is that they seem to believe that if the suspension compresses at all, then its inadequate. This is just plain FALSE. Don't worry about it. I've pulled 8000 pound trailers WHILE carrying about 1400-1500 pounds in the truck bed, factory springs, factory bump stops. NOT riding on the bump stops.

 

So in your opinion I won't have enough sag to warrant air bags/new leaf pack with that much weight on my hitch? I have the trailer but have yet to buy the rzr so I can't just test it and plan accordingly.

 

8000 lbs trailer + 1500lbs payload ...... in a Tacoma?

 

No, trailer loaded is between 3200-3800#'s. He was describing his towing experience.

 

The mesh ramp does cause a lot of drag with empty trailer, but most will let the ramp fold all the way down flat when no load. When it is loaded with a RZR, it won't matter that much, as the RZR won't be the most aerodynamic thing back there. You're gonna wish you had a tandem, a RZR is heavier than you might think and the weight distribution on them is terrible for loading. It will definitely have a "sweet spot" on the trailer.

 

I've hauled them before, just not with this trailer, but I have on a single axle trailer before. Will definitely have to find the sweet spot but that's to be expected with nearly any medium-to-large load on a single axle.