Rig Sleds (The Trailer Thread)

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Originally Posted by colman

if i were to buy another trailer i would get one a little longer, mine is 18 and often i could use another foot or two. so 20 or 22 but probably not 24. then agian i haul alot of random stuff around

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The reason you lost 2ft is because of your winch/toolbox configuration. cant bring anything all the way up to the front. Or at least i don't because the winch always doubles as a tie down. a 20ft set up like you have would be perfect.

mine is 18, the tool box is on the tongue so it doesn't take any deck space and the winch is removeable and any truck can pull up over it if it has to, still wish i would have gotten a 20 or 22

Mine's 12', you have 15" more wheelbase, so the next size up is 14'.

Mine is 16'. Of course my tool box is on the tongue. I can fit regulat cab long beds or extended cab shot beds. Anything else is too long. It is perfect for jeeps, reg. cab short beds, and any car.

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Originally Posted by JBrown89

You could probably get away with an 18ft car hauler with 3500lb axles. BUT, i would suggest 5200lb or 6000lb axles. When I was looking a few years ago, the price seemed to jump when you went to the 7k, but the one posted above seems to be reasonably priced.

I like to lean towards the 'overkill' side so that you don't put as much stress on the equipment. Bigger axles should have larger bearings that will not wear as fast, but they may cost more to replace. You can go too overkill though, and that is what I am running into w/ my GN. It is great for texas trips, but it is a heavy mother in places like Co where you are pulling some good hills. I use it at the ranch though, so I need that extra strength. It gets called into Bus hauling duty now and again too, so you never know when you need that little bit extra. :D

Brakes on one axle works fine for me pulling the heavy Bronco with a half ton, but some will insist on both axles. I have heard rumor that brakes on both has caused inconsistent tire wear, but that could be a myth.

I have never heard of the 2 brake/tire wear, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Again, 'overkill'. With the stop and go traffic in Dallas/Houston, you want all the 'whoa nelly' you can get!

Make sure whatever you buy has new trailer tires, and not retreads.

Here is where I disagree somewhat (or just want to elaborate more I guess). If it doesn't have new tires, or has retreads, just make sure that you account for that in your purchase price. Good true trailer tires are hard to beat and pay for them selves pretty quick when you don't have blow outs on I-35 w/ traffic roaring past you and a ruined rim under the trailer. To me, this is very important especially when I haul other peoples vehicles, as I feel responsible for them while they are back there...

Steel deck v. wood deck is a toss up. You could hear arguments for both, but a treated wood deck is going to be a little lighter.

2x12 treated lumber is roughly 6.6 pounds per square foot. 1/8" plate (0.120") is 5.1 lbs. You don't save any weight until you jump to 3/16's, but I don't know how well 1/8th will hold up.

At 80inches wide, you are not going to need to worry about drive over fenders. My trailer is 83" between the fenders and I sqeeze all 86" of Bronco through them.

I would look for a 20' trailer, treated wood deck, dovetail, 2 6lug axles with brakes on one, 2 5/16th bulldog, good beefy tiedowns, LEDS, and new tires with a spare.

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see above for thoughts. (JB, I don't want this to seem like I am calling you out, but you just had a lot of what I wanted to comment on.) :beer:

Weight breakdown of Wood vs. Metal on a 84" x 20' trailer (140 square foot).

2"x12" pressure treated= 924 lbs.
1/8" plate = 714 lbs. (-210 lbs)
3/16" plate = 1078 lbs. (+154 lbs.)
1/4" plate = 1428 lbs. (+504 lbs.)

Information gathered from these two sources.
http://brownlumberservice.com/PDF/lumberweight.pdf
http://www.chapelsteel.com/weight-steel-plate.html

that weight for wood sounds like wet pressure treated i bet it gets alot lighter as it dries out. also steel plate is slick as hell when it gets wet and things like to slide around alot on the metal decks

once the deck is dry it will be closer to 600 lbs

and if you have to work on something and it is sunny out steel sucks, that and the coeficient of friction is higher on wood is why i got wood

I would rather have a steel deck any day off the week for any job. treated southern yellow pine(what most smaller trailer shops use) is not what real trailer decks are made of it crackes and splinters with any real concentrated weight. with a steel deck d rings can be put down almost anywhere so the load can be properly secured using straps no way i am relying on the decks friction.

who said anything about not using straps. thats just plain stupid

I think what he is trying to say is that if you are having to factor in the 'friction coefficient' of the deck then you are not strapping the load correctly to begin with.

it was also refering to when you are working on something when it is on the trailor and not totally strapped down

So you work on your trailer when it's sitting at a 45% angle??? :flipoff2:

Someone also mentioned using a winch as a tie-down earlier in this thread as well...

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Originally Posted by bburris

Someone also mentioned using a winch as a tie-down earlier in this thread as well...

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Across town, or a real short trip I can see. Not on a cross country trip though. Maybe to suck the suspension down on a flexy rig. To each his own though.

http://collegestation.craigslist.org...597771559.html