Cargo Trailers - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

[Tensaw]

No one may care anything about this, but I continue to be somewhat amazed at how often posts regarding mundane life-related stuff intersect what I have going on at the moment so maybe this helps someone out.

In early November 2020, I purchased a brand new 14-foot enclosed cargo trailer. Turns out that even the purchase was a bit of a challenge. I am located in coastal Alabama. When I started actively pricing trailers what I found was, there were no trailers that met my (very pedestrian) specs to be found. Finally after calling all around, I was on the phone with a trailer outfit in Montgomery. When I asked the nice lady why no one had any trailers, the answer was a lack of plywood, and axles/hubs sitting on docks on California. Nobody had materials to build any. Too, we just had two hurricanes hit this region and a lot of trailers got bought up in connection with clean-up efforts. For a variety of personal reasons, I was under the gun and really needed to find a trailer, so I persisted. Ultimately I found one not too far away and bought it. Since getting this trailer, I have made four (maybe five?) 1,200 mile round trips hauling furniture and what not. Here is what I discovered about my trailer to this point. Hopefully this might give folks something to look at while shopping for theirs.

It has a lot of fancy LED lighting - which is nice. But the wiring, man... Wires hanging loose underneath the trailer and inside you have small wires routed over sharp metal edges with no sort of conduit or other protection. Sooner or later something is going to wear or tear and a short will happen. The little marker lights on the fenders are crap in that the ground is a cheap little plate that is supposed to contact a flat metal surface, but the fenders are diamond plate and these lights don’t have good contact. The paint on the frame is cheap and thinly applied. I already need to go back with some rustoleum. The box, which sits in the frame and constitutes the body of the trailer is not square with the frame. This can be observed at the back end of the trailer looking at how the body aligns on the rearmost crossmember of the frame. Across the seven foot width of the body, it is at least one inch out of square. Most all of this would be hard to observe on the trailer lot (for instance, the wiring is hidden behind paneling), but one thing I should have caught was some of the really crappy welds on frame crossmembers. Some are in plain view. Mine has a ramp-style rear door (more on this later) which has/has about a 12-inch wide piece of plywood that folds out to smooth the transition from the ground to the tailgate. That piece of plywood let go on, I think, my second trip. The screws were inadequate to hold the weight of the plywood. The plywood should have been bolted to the piano hinge instead of being screwed. Lastly, and arguably most important, I completely lost the nut on the bolt that attaches the axle equalizer to the frame. I was gearing up for a trip and was checking air pressure in the tires when I observed that the bolt had backed out of the hanger by an inch or so. The bolt had worked out of the inside of the hanger. That would have been a show-stopper on the upcoming trip as, among other things, I was loading an 1,100 pound safe (on that side of the trailer as it turned out) as well as a squat rack and lot of free weights - in addition to a whole bunch of other stuff. It makes me shudder to think about that bolt working its way out at freeway speeds with that load onboard. At a minimum, it would have been a colossal inconvenience, but it could have also killed some folks. I can only assume that BoBo who attached that nut failed to run it on to the bolt far enough for the locking part of the nut to engage the threads on the bolt. The other bolts were fine. When I emailed the manufacturer, I got no reply.

My most recent revelation occurred this morning when I just happened to notice that the cover for the upper side vent is gone. It is possible that a branch took it off at the other end of my round trip and I am checking into that, but damn...

So, all that kinda takes the fun out of it and creates all kinds of doubts regarding other unseen/undetected defects. I had every intention of going with a Lark (or another brand whose name escapes me), but as I said, they were nowhere to be found at the time. Those might be some things to try to pay attention to when either purchasing a trailer or after getting it home/trip prep.

My overall takeaway is to approach the purchase of a new trailer knowing that it is likely that the builder is using the cheapest components and the cheapest labor (probably with a lot of turnover) to churn these things out. My understanding is that this applies to RVs as well. Come at the shopping process with that in mind and you might do better than I did.

Other considerations. A standard cargo trailer comes in at just a hair over six feet from the floor to the roof. I’m 6’4” and have intentions of eventually converting this to a camper, so I got a 7 foot tall one. It makes a lot of difference when loading and is just more comfortable to be in, but that extra foot of height catches a lot of wind. It stands quite proud over the back of my pretty tall Ram 2500. Just something to consider. Also, on level ground the top is about 8’6” tall. This won’t make it thru some drive-thru’s - ask me how I know.

After a good bit of debate, I went with the ramp door in the back. I now wish I had gotten barn doors. I could build or buy stand alone ramps for use when needed - and there would be a hassle factor associated with that. But the ramp, while handy at times, hasn’t saved me a ton of hassle and the barn doors would probably be better for the eventual camper conversion.

Despite the other shortcomings of the trailer, at least the hubs seem to be well-lubed and adjusted correctly, as are the electric brakes. The trailer pulls fine and it is properly balanced when empty.

I bought a back-up camera from Amazon. This after I twice got jammed up at gas stations and had to back up with traffic and people walking around. The back-up camera was money well spent. The addition of a bunch of e-track was also a must-have.

The only other semi-pro tips I have for you are to check and max the trailer tire pressure before every trip lest you experience a blow-out. Carry a jack that will work with your trailer. (I just store my full sized floor jack in mine.) Check the lug nuts for tightness as well. Once you begin hooking the trailer to your tow vehicle, finish the job without interruption. Don’t do it part way and then walk away for a bit. And make damn sure the trailer hitch settles completely on the ball before latching. Have at least one, if not two, spare tires for the trailer. Keep an eye on your hubs. I generally walk back and touch each hub checking for excessive heat during fuel stops. You will know if they are getting too hot. Use a tow vehicle that is adequate for the job - in terms of power, suspension, and braking. (Take the terrain into consideration.). Finally, a checklist for all this stuff is your friend.

ETA: When pulling a trailer, don’t try to drive like you are driving a Corvette. My truck will haul my trailer just as fast as I want to go, but I find going 65 on the interstate gives me fantastic margin of safety. I have also observed on several occasions that I will have the same drivers blow past me multiple times during the same trip which tells me they aren’t really making better time than me. On my last trip, I was passed by a murdered-out Cadillac SUV three or four times over the course of a few hundred miles.

So there you have it. That’s my trailer story (for now). I hope this helps.

[hufnagel]

In Good times inexpensive trailers are made like shit. In these bad times, there may even shittier. I've long been trying to find an eight and a half by 20 for various reasons. Now is definitely not the time to buy one. And any of those cheaper or unknown name outfits in Georgia are making things that are flat out dangerous to go down the road.

[Malamute]

Ive read many similar accounts of sharp edges where wires pass through, and general poor construction in trailers. It seems that its best to pull inside paneling and perhaps the floor to be positive they did adequate work on unseen parts. Most found out about stuff while building camper rigs and they were adding wiring, insulation and other things. Price doesnt seem to guarantee the level of quality at this point. Maybe in normal times it may be.

A friend had an Elk Mountain custom camper built on a double axle rear ramp door trailer. It was very well built and designed, I regret not buying it when he sold it. I plan to build something similar to haul my motorcycle and sidecar rig, with camper stuff up front like basic bath/shower, and kitchen, with electrically raised/lowered bed over the bike/sidecar. In m y case, I dont want a 7 wide, but a 6 would be a bit tight getting the rig between the cables and door frame. Somebody somewhere makes a 6 1/2 wide, which may be the answer.

[Duelist]

We rented an RV trailer a couple of summers back. It was fun to discover that the brake wiring wasn’t done correctly and had to be repaired in the middle of Kansas. The tech just got on a crawler and hooked up everything, and didn’t charge me a dime. He got a 6pack from the grocery next door.

I have a utility trailer in my driveway. Some jack wagon stole the spare tire off it - might be good to figure out a way to secure such things.

[JCN]

If a dual axle trailer, get a block of wood. You can drive over with one axle and it lifts the flat off the ground so you can change it without a jack.

[fly out]

Pros and cons of putting anything on the wood on the inside of an 18-month old cargo trailer? That "new-trailer smell" is mostly gone, so I figure whatever was in the wood has mostly gassed off by now.

I don't really want to paint it, but if it's a good idea to put down some sort of stain or water sealer, I'd consider that. The dealer told me most everyone leaves them as is. The floor is 3/4-inch plywood. The walls are plywood over aluminum.

It might from time to time haul a wet UTV or motorcycle or tractor, but nothing intentionally covered in mud. It's had a pretty pampered life so far - furniture and bulky items - and that's likely to continue.

And on the subject of e-track, I was thinking of running three horizontal tracks down each wall. One three inches off the floor (along the top of a thin trim piece), another at about 36" and one just below the top of the wall. Anyone have an alternate layout that's proven particularly useful for general purpose attaching? I had the dealer sink an array of recessed d-rings in the floor, so I have the attachments points for vehicles fairly well covered, I believe.

[Tensaw]

In Good times inexpensive trailers are made like shit. In these bad times, there may even shittier. I've long been trying to find an eight and a half by 20 for various reasons. Now is definitely not the time to buy one. And any of those cheaper or unknown name outfits in Georgia are making things that are flat out dangerous to go down the road.

Damn dude. It’s like you are reading my mail. Mine was built outside Atlanta with one, maybe two, other trailer outfits very nearby per Google maps.

If a dual axle trailer, get a block of wood. You can drive over with one axle and it lifts the flat off the ground so you can change it without a jack.

Good gouge right there. I’ve seen the commercially produced ramps for this, but I like your block of wood (4x4?) mo’ betta.

Pros and cons of putting anything on the wood on the inside of an 18-month old cargo trailer? That "new-trailer smell" is mostly gone, so I figure whatever was in the wood has mostly gassed off by now.

I don't really want to paint it, but if it's a good idea to put down some sort of stain or water sealer, I'd consider that. The dealer told me most everyone leaves them as is. The floor is 3/4-inch plywood. The walls are plywood over aluminum.

I’m not sure I would fool with coating the inside with anything. It’s out of the weather and replaceable if it comes to that.

It might from time to time haul a wet UTV or motorcycle or tractor, but nothing intentionally covered in mud. It's had a pretty pampered life so far - furniture and bulky items - and that's likely to continue.

And on the subject of e-track, I was thinking of running three horizontal tracks down each wall. One three inches off the floor (along the top of a thin trim piece), another at about 36" and one just below the top of the wall. Anyone have an alternate layout that's proven particularly useful for general purpose attaching? I had the dealer sink an array of recessed d-rings in the floor, so I have the attachments points for vehicles fairly well covered, I believe.

E-track placement is tricky and kind of a crapshoot. I like the very low height approach and the mid-line as you suggested. For the top level, I would think about the tallest thing you are likely to need to strap to the wall and come in just under that. I have been running straps horizontally high and low when needed, and everything has ridden very well despite hitting some horrible patches of pavement at interstate speeds as well as tooling through some mountains. Do not buy the cheapest E-track clips that Tractor Supply or Harbor Freight carry. Get at least the second-tier stuff.

[ST911]

No one may care anything about this, but I continue to be somewhat amazed at how often posts regarding mundane life-related stuff intersect what I have going on at the moment so maybe this helps someone out.

Yup, and if you don't mind me hitching my wagon to your thread... Looking for a cargo box for a 12'x6' flatbed dual axle trailer. Think small conex, but something roll on/off that can be managed with a winch and ramps not a forklift. 6-8' tall would be ideal, capable of a variety of useful things.

[Malamute]

I don't really want to paint it, but if it's a good idea to put down some sort of stain or water sealer, I'd consider that...

It might from time to time haul a wet UTV or motorcycle or tractor, but nothing intentionally covered in mud. It's had a pretty pampered life so far - furniture and bulky items - and that's likely to continue...

I once used something called varathane, not specifically the brand name, but the product name, I believe its a marine grade polyurethane. I put it on a cabin floor over pine t&G, when I went to sand it for the second coat, the sanding discs I had would hardly touch it, it was WAY harder than ordinary polyurethane. I had to get some specialty aggresive high grade sanding discs to scratch it for the second coat to adhere. It didnt discolor the wood, I prefer the wood to amber out, this stayed looking new-ish.

[DDTSGM]

I probably don't have a lot of trailer towing experience compared to others, but here is what I've found:

Wouldn't have a barn-door trailer unless I was working out of the trailer - think home improvement contractor. My cargo trailer is a 14' HaulMark Transit with a whole lot of hundred (plus) mile round trips on it. We raced out of it three weekends a month for seven years - the closest track was right at a hundred miles - so around 200 miles round trip.

Interior/paint: Shortly after I got the trailer and had kind of figured out what I wanted, I stripped off the interior luan paneling and went back with 1/2" plywood on the sides, and 1/4" curved for the bottom half of the front. That way I didn't have to worry about hitting the ribs when mounting tie downs and racks for gears, tires and engines.

I primed the plywood and painted the walls with oil-based porch paint. (Don't remember brand - pretty sure I got it at home depot). I let the floor get 'oiled' up before I got around to painting it - so it remains bare wood.

Ramp style rear door: I have a friend with a sheet metal company and I got him to bend me some metal diamond plate to cover the transition from floor to open ramp. He also did a piece to cover the transition from door to ground. For some reason I thought I needed to do those with Herculiner bed liner, so I did, it has lasted. The plywood on the ramp itself was painted with the same porch paint as the walls, again it has held up well.

I also used the trailer to haul food for our Church when we were doing something called 'Angel Food Ministry.' This was bulk food picked up at a location where several churches met at a central location and split a semi-trailer of food. This involved a lot of trips in and out of the trailer with two-wheelers, or just folks carrying cases of food. As I mentioned, the oil-based porch paint has held up well.

Tires: I think one of the smartest things I did was replaced the standard bias-ply tires on the trailer with radials. Made it a lot pleasurable to tow. Most of my towing was on 65mph roads leading to either 1-70 or the Kansas Turnpike. I make it a point to drive with the flow of traffic, if possible, so I have a lot of miles at 75 to 80 on the trailer with those radials - as I said tows nice. The only ouch was buying spares - that hurt compared to the bias-ply.

Electric: We used a generator at the track, so I rigged the trailer for inside and outside lighting plus a couple of plug-in boxes inside. I ran everything in conduit and used a generator plug-in on the right rear of the trailer - I chose this location for two reasons - I felt it was less likely to get munged up from crud thrown from the tires of the truck, and also since it was right by the rear ramp, I would be less likely to run off and leave my generator at the track. The only thing that I wish I would have done is put an outside outlet at end end of the trailer.

If I were to stay in the trailer overnight I would place another 'hook' on the outside to lock the outside door bar on the side door open so someone couldn't trap me inside, or, simply remove the bar. I have not been in a situation to do that yet, unless I had a rooftop A/C unit that would be a last resort.