Did I get too heavy a utility trailer

So a decent price (500) came up on a tandem axel utility trailer and I pulled the trigger...now i'm wondering if I screwed up and bought too heavy a trailer. It's 6.5'x10' and weighs 1400lb. It needs a new deck and I was thinking of re-using lumber I already have, but now i'm wondering if I should try to lighten it up or if I should ditch it and get a lighter trailer. I'll be towing with 2003 4x4 v6 tacoma, and uses will include harvesting my own firewood, hauling out some old concrete and wood from my property this summer, and then generally for hauling landscaping stuff to my lot and for dump runs (the dump btw is located 3 miles from my house and I don't have to go over 30mph). Since I plan on using it probably around 10 times or so a year and mostly within 30minutes to an hour of driving am I good with this? If I put a cord of firewood on it will I be good?

 

Does the trailer have brakes?

 

I was going to suggest making the new deck out of expanded steel but with your intended use you’d have to mess with plywood or tarps. You reckon you could clean it up and sell it for a profit and look for an alloy trailer? I’ve got a 14’ dual axle Aluma brand flatbed trailer and while it’s definitely light the downside is that I’m limited on tow capacity a bit compared to its steel equivalent.

 

So a cord of wood is like over 4k lbs if it is seasoned, probably more if green. So you are running a pretty heavy load. I wouldn't do it without trailer brakes. But that is just me

 

I'm kinda blown away at the weight. My 7x16 car hauler is 1400 pounds.

As long as you have a brake controller and the trailer has brakes you should be fine with how you plan to use it. I wouldn't want to max out the towing capacity though. Just be reasonable and don't overload it. That was a heckuva deal.

 

That is pretty heavy for a 6.5x10 trailer, even a tandem. I have a 6.5 x 14 tandem and it weighs about the same. A good question was asked, does your trailer have brakes? Mine does not, and let me tell you, with a load like you plan on having (firewood, concrete, etc.) you better go easy if yours doesn't. I used to haul about 2500-3000 pounds worth of tractor, or about the same amount of lumber and firewood with mine, and when I went to slow down, I better have a lot of room between me and whatever is in front of me. Overheating my front brakes was too easy, and I worried about the situations I couldn't control, like somebody pulling out in front of me.

I still have that trailer, but bought an 18x7 dovetail, it has brakes on the front axle, and it makes a world of difference. I have no issues with hauling 4K worth of stuff and don't worry about stopping it as quickly as I could my truck without the trailer.

The other question about your trailer is, what are the axles rated? 2000#, or 3500# each?