Taking a poll...sizes and Brands...why are there so many???

[Mikedaub]

I am in the process of converting a cargo over to a camper (well buying a trailer to do so), but there are just WAY to many options in terms of sizes and brands. So, I wanted to take a quick poll to see what others are using.

For the sizes, I am pulling with a Jeep Wrangler, so a 6x12 would be the absolute biggest I can go. It seems like a 5x8, 5x10, 6x10, and 6x12 seem to be the best bet, but I was curious if any of you went with something and have regretted going that small or big later. For my own use, I plan on doing the beds in side, but the key part of my build is to be able to carry the gear needed to race mountain bikes with me to my venues. I was thinking a 6x10 was key but just curious..

Also, brands. It seems like there are a few bigger named brands out there and some be been recommended by people for their ability to haul heavy cargo. Since I won't be hauling anything super heavy, like a car or anything, is the brand as important?? As a mtb racer, we certainly don't make a ton of money, so cost is a big feature. Plus, it seems like a lot of trailer are made in IN, so are they all essentially the same thing??

Your help would be certainly appreciated.

Thanks

[rainjer17]

I went and got a 6x10 w/optional vee nose, 6' interior, 1 18x24 window, rv style door, and twin rear doors. I wanted something for light cargo hauling (kids stuff back & forth to college, mechandise for swap meets, ETC) and for use as a small cabin on wheels to go where I want when I want! Map out an outline of the different sizes you're interested in on the driveway, garage floor, basement floor, or lawn and try to put what you want where you want and see how much space you really need then go slightly bigger. Doing this will give you a good perspective of what you'll need/want.

[ERV]

I guess I would look at the weight difference between a 6x10 and 6x12. And then figure out what I was going to put in it. If you are going to cook inside or outside. How many people are going to be in it, mostly at night, unless it rains during the day. How much gear you have to take to the races, and so on. The more weight you can shave off the cheaper it is to haul around.
We have a tear that is 5x10. We get everything in it we need, but a 5x8 would have been to small. And later on we will end up doing a cargo trailer, or I will build a bigger tear, just for the comforts of being able to stay in side and cook on those rainy days. But just camping makes it a lot easier than what you are planing. Loading and unloading the bikes will be a factor too. Just my 2 cents, And it was free
Erv
PS. Everyone seems to like the v-nose for pulling. Might add a little to the price. But save you on gas and gives you some extra room.

[digimark]

It's like anything else -- you choose a brand based on reputation, price, features and availability. For instance, I would have rather purchased a Wells Cargo trailer, all things being equal, because they have the best reputation among cargo trailer people. But they are more expensive than most, and I was friends with a Pace-American dealer, so I bought a Pace-American. Other well-known brands include Interstate, Haulmark, CargoMate and Featherlite. And that's not to say that other brands and, frankly, no-name brands aren't equally as good. Trailers can be primarily steel-based, which are heavier, or primarily constructed of aluminum (Featherlite), which is lighter but much more expensive.

Within a brand, there's usually economy, standard and commercial-level build qualities. Economy trailers (P-A's Outback, Wells Cargo's TC Trecker, Haulmark's Light Cargo) usually have minimal features, flat roofs and light-duty components. The standard trailers (P-A's Journey model, Wells Cargo's Road Force, Haulmark's Transport) have upgrades like sturdier, rounded-top roofs and roof caps, better suspensions (torsion is usually better than spring axles, for instance.), thicker walls and floors, LED lights and upgraded tongue jacks. And of course the upper end trailers (P-A's CargoSport, Wells Cargo brand, Haulmark's Cub, Kodiak and Grizzly trailers) have more toys and goodies, plus more available options.

If you are ordering a cargo trailer to be used for both camping and cargo, some of the more useful factory-built options might be windows, insulation, RV-style side doors and electricity (AC ad DC). A 5'x8' and 5'x10' trailer may or may not have a side door standard; it can usually be added as an option. The 6' wide trailers usually come with a side door. Depending on your needs and wishes a pull-down ramp door in the back my be more useful than the standard swing-open rear doors.

5' wide trailers may pull easier because of their narrower profile on smaller or lighter tow vehicles (TV) like your Jeep. A 6' wide trailer has the big advantage that most people can sleep across the width of the trailer, which allows for more floor plan options. You also have to think about where you're going to keep the trailer when not using it -- my HOA has covenants preventing me from keeping it in my backyard or driveway, and it's moderately expensive around my area (Maryland) to store it in a facility ($100/month), so I had my custom trailer lowered a foot so it would fit in my garage. All other things being equal, and considering the ultimate weight of your built-out trailer, I don't think anyone ever regrets getting the biggest trailer they can afford. For instance, mine is a 6'x10', but I still sometimes question whether I would have been happier with the 6'x12' -- two extra feet can make a great difference at times.

Just looking at the albums and posting of the other people here, you'll see many other options and ways that people have worked around difficulties with existing trailers. For instance, insulating the trailer is pretty important to keep the inside cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If you can order a trailer with insulation, great! If not, or if you are acquiring a second-hand trailer, it doesn't take a lot of work to remove the interior walls and add your own foam insulation from Home Depot or Lowes.

That should be enough to get you going, but don't be afraid to ask more questions.

[Mikedaub]

That should be enough to get you going, but don't be afraid to ask more questions.

Thanks for all that info in the post, and to be honest, a lot of that I have thought of already, and want to do as much of it myself to save some cash. I have been thinking about this for a few months now, and am finally ready to pull the trigger on one.

I guess my one main question was, what is the name brands or even, I wonder if I will be disappointed with an "off brand" trailer. I do searches for trailer companies in my area and I probably come up with 25 different ones. The one brand I see everywhere is Haulmark, so I think that will be the direction I look first, but who knows. A killer deal on something else just might pop up.

About sizes, something I thought of tonight. For those with a 6X12, is it "too big". I don't mean the inside of it, but for putting it into some camp spots? I know here in New Hampshire and some of the places I have gone camping in Maine, it might be too big to fit in the camp ground spot, that is, if it is not a registered RV site. My thought now is that if I get a 6X12, it might take up the entire camp spot and not have room for anything else.....or am I over thinking things??

[digimark]

Most camping pop-up trailers have a 10'-12' long or more footprint anyway, so it shouldn't matter which one you choose in terms of whether it will fit into a campsite.

If the off-brand trailer has the features you want, and you are comfortable with your dealer and the warranty, I'm sure you'll be happy with it. You might want to talk to people have bought trailers from that manufacturer, to see what they think of them after having owned them for a while.

[Prem]

Mikedaub,

Congrats on going for it!

Shopping for a trailer: Cargos vary with the v-nose models. When you get inside and feel the volume of a deep v-nose versus a flat-front, it's considerable. Then you measure the v-nose versus the flat-front from hitch to rear. The v-nose will be up to 12 inches longer overall because the tongue is built longer. (On shallow v-noses, this usually won't be true.)

V-noses have flat roof (only slightly rounded) that mate to aluminum structural trim, so they don't come with easily-broken, fiberglass, curved caps on the front.

V-noses are usually (depending on brand) rated for their length on the length of their flat sides, not including the v.

Haulmark makes good trailers, especially v-noses.

Other things to consider about cargo trailers:
1. Aluminum chassis, ribs and exterior sheathing or steel combo?
2. Off-brands are usually made by major manufacturers and relabeled.
3. Rivets or screws? Are they aluminum or steel? Are they zinc plated steel into aluminum? If so they will rust from the electrolysis of dissimilar metals touching. Some trailers come with no screws or rivets.

If you're willing to go 6 x 12, step into a 7 x 12 and compare the feel; consider the building possibilities. No extra length for getting into smaller camp spots.

I have a 7 x 12 (all aluminum). We have towed it with my son's 4 cylinder Toyota pickup just fine. My son's 6 x 10 (steel chassis and ribs/aluminum sides/heavy plywood walls), shallow v-nose is slightly heavier than my trailer.

Hope that helps a little

Prem

[hunter535]

Mikedaub,
Prem's info is right on.

One of the things that I considered when I bought my trailer was the construction of the frame (walls, ceiling, floor and chassis). A lot of companies can keep their price down by using hatpost framing in the walls and the ceiling. The shape is also used for steel fence post designs. Depending on what your application is going to be might dictate what type of framing you may want.

I chose a square tubular construction because I plan on using my trailer for hauling stuff and for camping. I thought this might be a little stronger and it is easy to screw into with self tapping screws. Weight wasn't a big issue with me because I am planning on using my F150 to tow with.
Hope this info can help.

[Prem]

Thanks for the kind words there Hunter.

Hey, I see your cargo trailer doesn't have any rivets down the sides! Cool. Mine doesn't either.

Mine came with no side door, but there's a factory frame-in for the door anyway with a silly upright in the middle. (Not your favorite cross-section, but thick aluminum. lol.) So I had to cut through one short upright when cutting the door hole for the insulated RV door I wanted.

<<<Scary mutilating one's trailer like that! Better get it perfect right down to the 1/8th inch! Reciprocating saw wanted to wander, so I switched to a jigsaw for the skin-only part.>>>

Anyway, I set the cut-out aside and later tried to pry the aluminum skin off that piece of frame on a 100 degree day in the sun. NO WAY. (Well...a propane torch would get it to let go.)

That must be industrial grade Gorilla tape they use at the factory! Who needs rivets? I can't pull it loose!

Prem

[Prem]

Hunter,

We're late-comers here. I found our questions answered in a post quite a while back:

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... highlight=

Nobody loves scrounging more than me. And I used to love building from scratch and spending a month on the beaches of Baja in the rig too, but this guy wins for ingenious simplicity!

Meanwhile, I think I will add some more function and decorations to the inside of my factory cargo. I'm gettin' it ready to live in it this summer at the beach and in the mountains. Lots of miles and changes of scenery.

Prem

[hunter535]

Thanks for the kind words there Hunter.

Hey, I see your cargo trailer doesn't have any rivets down the sides! Cool. Mine doesn't either.

Mine came with no side door, but there's a factory frame-in for the door anyway with a silly upright in the middle. (Not your favorite cross-section, but thick aluminum. lol.) So I had to cut through one short upright when cutting the door hole for the insulated RV door I wanted.

<<<Scary mutilating one's trailer like that! Better get it perfect right down to the 1/8th inch! Reciprocating saw wanted to wander, so I switched to a jigsaw for the skin-only part.>>>

Anyway, I set the cut-out aside and later tried to pry the aluminum skin off that piece of frame on a 100 degree day in the sun. NO WAY. (Well...a propane torch would get it to let go.)

That must be industrial grade Gorilla tape they use at the factory! Who needs rivets? I can't pull it loose!

Prem

I spoke with a dealer who sells Mission trailers and they also use a double sided tape and she was saying that if I ever needed to replace a piece of the siding,I should take it to the dealer to have it removed.The tape holds so well that the aluminum skin would rip before the tape would let go. Hope that I never have to find out.

Day late and a dollar short on that last post.

That summer trip sounds like it will be a memorable time. Good luck with it.

[Prem]

Hunter,

Re: Glue / Rivetless trailer sides

I found a place on my trailer today where a small blob of that glue that holds the sheet metal to the skeleton was sticking out. I cut it with a sharp razor blade and dripped acetone on it. I thought, 'Surely this stuff will dissolve with acetone!' Wrong! It made the edges of it slightly crumbly, but it would not dissolve it. They must put it on at the factory with a caulking gun. Two-sided tape would not blob out like that.

I'm guessing that a heat gun would be the only way to get it to let go of the framework behind. That's the toughest adhesive I've ever encountered, bar none!

Prem

[hunter535]

Prem,
I've heard good things about the adhesive they use on these screwless trailer sides. But I can't help being skeptical about something you can not see. I guess if it ever came down to it, one could screw the sides of the trailer if there ever was a issue with the adhesive letting go.
I put my first major hole in the side of the trailer the other day when I installed the 30 amp power inlet.
My nine year old helped me out on the inside lining that side up for me. Turned out well. I couldn't have done it without his eyes. I usually work on stuff by myself just because nobody else is available but I'm glad he was there for that.

[Prem]

Hunter,

Well, I've seen it and I trust it. That adhesive is bomb-proof.

Some trailer companies went to the glued sides/no rivets because it was a selling point to have a smooth surface for vinyl signage advertising the owner's business. Featherlite featured that point in their brochure when I was buying mine.

I might have to put some graphics on the sides. eBay.

Prem