Cargo Trailers

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Hey guys,

I'm in the market for an enclosed work trailer, 6x12 with at least 6' interior height. Budget dictates buying a used trailer.

1 - What are good brands/manufacturers to look for, and why?

2 - What are the ones to stay away from, and why?

3 - Torsion axle or leaf spring? My opinion is spring over torsion for durability/longevity

4 - Tire age - how old is too old, even if the tires look to be in good shape? My opinion is 5 to 8 years

As always, thanks for your thoughts.
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I know that most trailer tires are junk so I would leave room in the budget for a new set right off the hop if you travel far from home. If you're a contractor using it in the city you live in you can probably let it slide or at least feel them out.
 
I change my trailer tires every 4 years regardless of use. However I do put 3000 to 5000 miles on them a year.

Last set were Carlisle Radial Trail HD, rated to 81mph. I put 19,000 miles on them in 4 years. They were great. 50 bucks each for 14 inch 205 75 Load range C
This summer I put the same tires on with load range D. They are great!

But for safety I wouldn't run trailer tires more than 4 or 5 years.

I doubt you will find a lot of torsion bar trailers, but not sure. Even my 32 foot TT that weighs 7800lbs has leafs, they have been great for the past 7 years.
 
Can't answer all your questions, but I have an Aluma AE58. It's an all-aluminum 5x8', Made in Iowa. Build quality is pretty good. LED lights, torsion axle, aluminum wheels.

Expensive new, but if I needed another trailer I'd 100% look for something all-aluminum. Pretty much everything steel looks like trash before long in the salt states due to all the rust. Maybe look for something all-aluminum that's used?

I love the torsion axle. Rides much better when empty vs leaf springs.

Quite possibly this was the best purchase I've made in my life. I've towed it an estimated 7,000 miles and have had zero issues. I still chuckle seeing pickups loaded up with stuff getting rained on. My cargo stays watertight and locked. Or 4x8 sheets hanging out the back of a pickup bed. Mine fit fully inside.

My tires are ~7 years old, so I'll need new ones soon. Not worth the risk to go much longer.

Brand choice gets tough because cargo trailer makers seem to often be regional to avoid transportation costs all-over the country.

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Ask this on RV.net in the trailer section

A great forum for everything RV and related
 
I don't live in snow/salt climate, thankfully, I don't usually have to worry about rust or corrosion. I do watch for such things, since you never know where something originated from.

I have figured that new tires will be a necessity, simply due to age, sitting, and sun rot. I might get lucky, we'll see.

Because I'm buying used, I don't have a lot of choice in what kind of axle it has under it. Torsion axles have become the norm, not opposed to them short term, but would rather have leaf springs for durability and longevity. The trailer will be used for tools, materials, and debris, so ride quality isn't a big concern.

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone, keep 'em coming if ya got 'em.
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Budget is under $3000. I've seen several promising ones, nobody is returning emails though. I would love to go buy a new trailer, just can't swing it at the moment.
 
Used trailers are such a rip off, people ask way too much. If you do some searching, you might be able to find a new one really close to your budget. Then no tires to replace or wiring to mess with.

Here's a new one for $3,340
https://www.thetrailerspot.net/2019-pace-american-outback-6-x-12-enclosed-cargo-trailer-CkNg|P0e.html

And a 2018 for $2,699
https://www.trailertrader.com/2018-continental-cargo-tw610sa-enclosed-cargo-trailer-yQ6h|olg.html
 
Originally Posted by Nick1994
And a 2018 for $2,699
https://www.trailertrader.com/2018-continental-cargo-tw610sa-enclosed-cargo-trailer-yQ6h|olg.html


Thanks for the links.
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Looking at this Continental, it's 2 years old and only $150 less than a brand new 2020 trailer. Judging from the number on the tongue, it's either a dealer or an auction flipper selling it, not necessarily a problem in this case.
 
Search, search and search some more. I lucked out and jumped on the one I got. It's a bit of an odd one, 6x14 single axle, but $2,300 I wasn't going to argue. Previous owner used for moving his motorcycle. After using it a few times, if mine were to go away for whatever reason, I may very well buy new. I like it that much. It's way way better for moving stuff than using my truck. I can walk in and not bang my head (but I'm only 5' 8" on a good day); no high floor to deal with.

I decided I liked the barn doors instead of a ramp. I can always make a ramp but I can't add barn doors; a ramp may need more unloading space. One downside was that as a single axle it's a low weight capacity of like 2k (trailer is around 1,600 by itself, 3k GVWR supposedly but as a cargo trailer it's not overloaded until there's no space left!), and to keep the trailer light they used luan for walls. Which makes loading or hanging things from the walls problematic. Which is ok for me, whenever I use mine it's simply packed in, good and tight.

I did get radials for a reasonable price. I plan to keep them covered when not in use, keep some of the UV off them, and then I'll probably replace around the 5 year mark.

I don't feel the leaf springs are that bouncy. It's a heavy trailer by itself. Maybe if it was a dual axle it'd be different. IMO mine works fine as a single axle, no scrubbing while turning. But I'm not moving heavy weight for long distances either.

Supposedly there are a lot of cheap ones being made in GA. Cheap steel, construction, whatever. Not sure what you need, but IMO many of the lower end cargo trailers are like cars. They can age out as well as wear out. At this price point buying new may be better, but realize you may be tossing after 5 or 10 years anyhow.

Not sure why they "all" seem to have gone to flat roofs but mine has a rounded roof and I'd think that'd be better for rain and snow.
 
If I had the cash, I'd buy new and we wouldn't be having this conversation.
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I've seen a few decent trailers come across the block, but they have not been quite right or they've been scammer posts. Multiple checks a day to get on them as soon as they're posted, the good ones don't last long.
 
c'mon, this is a America, that's what credit cards are for.
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No, nothing good lasts long. Story of, well, everyone's life.

Are there any local lots/dealers? I'm wondering if any of them get trade-ins. People moving up in the world, getting bigger/better. I think some RV dealers might dabble in cargo trailers too. Could go there.

Off-beat thought: what about gutting a travel trailer? It'd have to be cheap to justify it, and you'd have to build up from there, but I'm not sure what you are after--how heavy your stuff is, etc. Plus most travel trailers get cheap after the water damage is done, and usually that is from a failed roof.
 
Originally Posted by supton
Are there any local lots/dealers? I'm wondering if any of them get trade-ins. People moving up in the world, getting bigger/better. I think some RV dealers might dabble in cargo trailers too. Could go there.

Off-beat thought: what about gutting a travel trailer? It'd have to be cheap to justify it, and you'd have to build up from there, but I'm not sure what you are after--how heavy your stuff is, etc. Plus most travel trailers get cheap after the water damage is done, and usually that is from a failed roof.


Yes, I've got several dealers in close proximity. A few of them might have something used, and I have thought about checking with a few of them. Will check with RV trailer dealers as well, good thought.

I've thought about both a cheap RV trailer or a horse trailer and modifying them for my use, but if I'm gonna spend the money, it might as well be on something that's a little closer to what I need. Both travel and horse trailers are going for about the same money as the cargo trailer that I'm looking for. The other problem with these trailers is that they are not professional looking, nor would they instill confidence in clients who see me working out of them.
 
Torsion axles last just as long as springs. IMO, they probably last longer, at least in rust belt areas.

I greatly prefer torsion vs springs. And would not buy a new small trailer with leaf springs.

Small trailers are built as cheap as possible. Not alot of profit margin in them. Grease the wheel bearings alot, and make sure it has radial tires. Fix anything else as it pops up.
 
Finally found a trailer today, after about 6 to 8 weeks of dedicated searching. It's a little larger than I wanted, but it will suffice for my immediate needs.

2012 Carry On, 7x16, tandem axle, in near pristine condition, even had new tires recently put on it. Build quality seems pretty decent, much better than the Haulmark and Car Mate trailers I've looked at, both new and used.
 
Jack up each side and spin the wheels, check each one for play in the bearings and listen for odd noises.

My brother and I just replaced all of the bearings in his car hauler trailer the other day.
 
Nice. Keep an eye on the tires, and I'd pull the wheels and do a brake and bearing check.

As for being too big, usually one's needs expands to some point past what their means is... or "always go bigger than you think you need".
 
I plan to go through the brakes and bearings ASAP. Other than a little crustiness inside the drums from sitting, I don't expect to find any issues.

Previous owner of the Burb put a Phantom brake controller in, took some fiddling to get things to work, but it's functional. Looked it up last night and apparently there is a secondary adjustment on the side of it to help dial in brake control. I was having a problem with one tire locking up with the controller turned all the way down. With the trailer empty, the Burb needs little to no assistance stopping it, hopefully adjusting the secondary adjustment will help with that. The trailer was also a little nose high, so I'm buying a drop hitch to lower it down about 4" which will level the trailer and equalize the load across both axles which should help with brake control as well.

I'm eager to get the trailer loaded to see how well both it and the Burb handle. Trailer weighs somewhere around 2000 to 2200 pounds empty and I can't even tell it's there. About a month ago I had 3500 pounds behind the Burb and other than stopping, couldn't really tell there was anything behind me.

FWIW, from what I found on line, the Burb supposedly has an 8K GVW tow capacity, its hitch is rated at 6000 GVW tow capacity. Personally, I don't really want to get close to either one of those numbers.
 
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