Trailer Advice Requested

[AZRedhawk44]

I got fed up with my utility trailer this weekend and sold it with the full intention of getting a replacement almost immediately.

I just didn't like the balance of it, it was too light in the tongue weight when empty, it was too high off the ground for its primary task of carrying 3 dirt bikes from home to trail and back, and it is too heavy for the work it was doing.  Trailer was probably 1500 pounds empty, it was a beast.  And it never really pulled well behind my Jeep.

I'm considering 3 options to replace it.

1.  A Kendon 3-rail dirt bike trailer.  Extraordinarily light weight, around 500-600 pounds empty, about 8 feet long and just barely big enough to fit 3 bikes on it with them in a staggered triangle formation.  New they are about $3100, I've found one down in Tucson available for $1500.  Needs new tires and a little attention with a wire wheel and touch up paint, but that's maybe $150 and a weekend afternoon to save $1600 and several weeks of wait.

2.  A local company called Primo makes all aluminum utility trailers.  Price tag seems to be a bit steep, around $3500 or so for a trailer with a 6' x 12' deck and integrated bi-fold loading ramp.  Don't see any used available on Craigslist, but I did find an ad from the manufacturer for some scratch and dent factory seconds for a few hundred $$ off their regular asking price.

3.  There are several steel utility trailer brands to choose from, but I really want one with a bi-fold loading ramp rather than a single large one piece ramp.  The one piece ramps are sails in the wind.  I can save $1000 from an aluminum trailer if I go this route.


By and large my primary use of a trailer is to tote dirt bikes around.  My trailer sat in the backyard gathering sunlight and spiderwebs except for the 10-15 times a year it came out to carry bikes.  Maybe once a year, or every other year, it gets called on to take lawn waste to the dump or move a large piece of furniture or other truckish things since I don't have a truck bed.  It seems smart to me to get a trailer that is designed to fill my primary use case, rather than screwing around with a utility trailer that is larger and heavier than I need, taking up lots more backyard space and so on.  If I really need a utility trailer I can go rent one from U-haul or something for $20 a day, and get either enclosed or high walls or whatever works best for my purposes.

What says the hive mind? 

[Brad Johnson]

If I really need a utility trailer I can go rent one from U-haul or something for $20 a day, and get either enclosed or high walls or whatever works best for my purposes.

What says the hive mind? 

Sounds like a plan. Takes lots of $25 rentals to offset a $2500 purchase price.

I'd be tempted to go even further and simply rent an enclosed trailer with tie-downs for when you want to go wheeling.

Brad

[charby]

I would get the used one, do the repairs/maintenance and be happy with the $$ saved.

[AZRedhawk44]

Sounds like a plan. Takes lots of $25 rentals to offset a $2500 purchase price.

I'd be tempted to go even further and simply rent an enclosed trailer with tie-downs for when you want to go wheeling.

Brad

Renting would be kind of a pain in the rear when I go riding probably every other weekend, from September through April or May.  I take the summers off due to desert heat, but I'd like to be able to more conveniently trailer up into the cooler mountains in the summertime.  Current trailer is kind of nerve-wracking to tow that far on all those hills, I'd like it to be more casually accessible for us with less fuss.  Going through rent hassle every time we want to ride would end up making us ride less.

[Bogie]

Get a nice enclosed cargo trailer. Screw/bolt in e-track for tie-downs. They also make wheel things, IIRC... When you have to haul nasty, put a big ol' tarp inside.

[Brad Johnson]

Renting would be kind of a pain in the rear when I go riding probably every other weekend, from September through April or May.  I take the summers off due to desert heat, but I'd like to be able to more conveniently trailer up into the cooler mountains in the summertime.  Current trailer is kind of nerve-wracking to tow that far on all those hills, I'd like it to be more casually accessible for us with less fuss.  Going through rent hassle every time we want to ride would end up making us ride less.

Might see if they have a monthly or long-term rental.

Brad

[tokugawa]

I am going through the same decision, only for a two bike trailer. DR650 and a KLX250.
Thinking about a utility trailer because of dual duty for yard work.
Something like this- https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/fod/d/warren-5x10-utility-trailer-with-swing/7388213303.html
Aluminum seems like it adds about 2k to the price.
Are you seeing availability issues? In the spring up here they were very hard to find.

[AZRedhawk44]

I am going through the same decision, only for a two bike trailer. DR650 and a KLX250.
Thinking about a utility trailer because of dual duty for yard work.
Something like this- https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/fod/d/warren-5x10-utility-trailer-with-swing/7388213303.html
Aluminum seems like it adds about 2k to the price.
Are you seeing availability issues? In the spring up here they were very hard to find.

Yeah.  Fall is our spring here, the start of riding season and anything outdoorsy.  Most everyone takes the summer off.

Got quotes today for trailers from local vendors, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the cost of a 6x10 or 6x12 aluminum utility trailer.  Right around $3000 out the door.  The steel ones are closer to $2500 for the same size.  5x8's and 5x10's go for a lot less, but they just seem too narrow for a 3-bike wide operation.