Infectious Off-Road.com

Okay... .got the new truck, now it is time to start looking at trailers.

Problem is... I know nothing. So, while I try and school myself, maybe some of you guys with knowledge can give me some recommendations and tips and whatever?

Most of you know my rig... 2d JK with lots of armor... so not so light. I haven't weighed her, but guessing about 5.5k.

Currently thinking about an 18' open car hauler. Things I know to look for are are a minimum of 83" width and dual 5k axles. But what else.

I was under the impression I could get a new one for about 2.5k or less, but am seeing used ones running in this range and up? Was I confused or am I missing something? I was guessing used (in good condition) would get me in the 1k range.... no?

HELP!!

If you find a trailer for 1k buy it.

buy some beer call your welder buddies clear a spot in the driveway and start drawing. once you have a suitable trailer drawn figure out your material list and build one that suits your needs. if its just going to be a dedicated rig hauler you can make them much cheaper and with a bit more ground clearance than a store bought unit. i know everyone is going to say ground clearance isnt an issue. usually it isnt but through alot of desert racing i have learned that ground clearance is a good thing those few times you have to drag in to get a vehicle out. and besides a little tall isnt an issure your not trying to get a pebble pusher on it anyways.


P.S. take your rig to any truck scale and weigh it. its like 5 bucks and will help you figure out how heavy duty you need to build it.

Hey brad you can get on craigslist and start looking. I know up here in bako you can get a trailer that'll suit your needs for about 2500 new at bonander trailer on rosedale or brock's trailers out on brundage lane. Your other option is Carson trailer on Saco rd. Call and get some quotes and then check used. If u have storage, gooseneck trailers can be found cheap and will haul your rig and then some, and are easier to hook up by yourself since the hitch is in the bed.

no offence dude but avoid brocks like the fucking plague. i get atLEAST3 a month through the shop getting welded back together from poor workmanship. too many guys thinking they are welders just because they can make sparks working there. just my 2cents.

had alot of carsons come through to be modified but never for repair. they were all built much better. bit heavier material aswell

Your specs are good make sure it has brakes and you have a controller in your truck. Look in Ojai, Santa Paula, and Fillmore too. I know that the guy in Fillmore on the 126 has some good deals. Good luck man its hard to find a trailer for a good price anymore or alseast one that is what we want it for.

Just build one to your specks for your use or buy a enclosed for a little more and have a place to crash if need be.

My hauler is a Brock's but it is 15 years old and been through hell. I'm sure we can hook it up if you want to build it.


Sent from JEEP DEERE

Building one sounds like a great idea! But... you guys that want to help me do so are there, 2.5 hours away. Kind of makes it hard to complete a project that would likely last a couple of months worth of weekends. I assume it is why none of you ever take me up when I offer up my garage.

After a bunch of looking around and some research, I've made some decisions. I want a PJ Buggy Hauler! But.... that one costs 4k!??! OUCH. It's basically got all that I want in a trailer.... so that is a start, but I don't want to pay half of that. Not sure I am going to get away with half for the amount of trailer I want, but I am going to try. Biggest issue for me is getting something going in the next few weeks if I can.

I have a Brocks trailer and just about everyone I wheel with has a Brocks trailer, with no issues. In fact, friends down south drove up here to buy a Brocks trailer. Don't know about quality lately, but I've never seen any of us need to get a bad weld repaired, and my trailer is about 10 yrs old.

Brad, yes, it's a great idea to get 5200 lb axles, not too many car trailers come with them unless you buy new and specify it that way. Make sure it has brakes on both axles. Don't know about now but Carson trailers used to come with no brakes or just on one axle. Radial trailer tires are the only way to go, not a huge expense if you buy used and it doesn't come with them. I've had excellent service out of Maxxis trailer tires, much better than any other tire I've run. Having a storage box on the trailer is very useful, can keep your tie downs in it, plus an assortment of spare parts and fluids that you don't have to load all the time. In my opinion, I'd stay away from wood decks. They work OK but over the long haul will need maintenance, and if you don't wear shoes all the time you could get a nasty splinter when the wood gets older and cracks. Bearing buddies work, I highly recommend them. Without bearing buddies it's a PIA to regularly grease the axle bearings, and many of us have had a bad experience with trailer bearings going out due to lack of grease.

18' is kind of long, unless you want to be able to put something else on the trailer with the Jeep. 16' works well for most, mine is 13' and some of the guys have 12'. But that's right, you have one of those big assed JK's.

Thanks Richard for all the good info.

Speaking on size. I was looking at the 18 because someone (Pete) told me that I should consider being able to haul a full size pickup if need be and 18 was the magic number.

Is that bad advice?

Not even a full size pickup even most cars are about 16-20' long. I just like to have options and the ability to haul what ever. I do agree if you never haul anything besides your Jeep or ever plan too then get a shorty.
About the deck yes wood does suck for the long term but I still have burn marks on my ass from sitting on a diamond trailer deck at china lake in the summer. that was through my cammies. So I'm against them also once you get oil on them they are slicker than snail shit. I think this will always be a argument though steel or wood.

Wood floor for me.... living where I do it makes sense.

No bashing you Pete on the length. I took your word as gospel and ran with it. I do not plan on hauling anything but the Jeep, but you never know what the future holds. If it is only the Jeep.... what size do y'all recommend? I may end up going shorter than 18 to get the features I want in a more affordable package.

14-16ft should be good if only hauling the jeep should be plenty. The jk is only like 9-10ft long. Never take my word as the final word. Its just my opinion.

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I have a 14' big tex trailer and it is rated for 7k! i payed 2216$ and it is a great trailer but you will pay the same for a 16' mine wasnt any cheaper because it was shorter! but i have put a 1 ton single cab dually on mine and it worked well! the only thing that i would watch for is the the trailer is rated for 7k but the tires on mine was cheap and not rrated for what the trailer was.this may help you mine came with trailer breaks and ramps.

I also have another trailer that is 42' that i can put my rig in and still have a 21' of living area! it is for the long trips and there are a few on craigslist over in san luis forsale like mine if you would like something lke that! my toy hauler i can put like a 10 thousand pound rig in it and still be legal with weight so just a thought!

if its sole purpose is hauling a jeep i wouldnt even bother with a wood floor. put a tire channel on each side and leave the center open. nice work station when you gotta get under the jeep and fix shit. our race trailer was like that lol ghetto but it was sure nice to work on stuff

Carson trailers are complete crap. My business bought 3 of them several years ago and they literally fell apart in one year and all had electrical issues within the first month of use. Brock's trailers have a pretty good reputation with off-roaders, but I have never owned one, so can't comment.

My personal trailer and the ones my company use now are Big Tex and Iron Panther (they are the same company). These trailers have held up very well and the electrical is very good, but like anything steel, will start to rust in spots if not regularly maintained. So if I lived at the beach, I would definitely save up to get an aluminum trailer with an aluminum floor. Wood floors kind of suck; they are heavy, need to be replaced after several years after they soak up leaked fluid and fall apart, and you can't use floor mounted tie-down points (which are the best way to secure the axles).

I bought a lock box from Harbor Freight and mounted it on the front of my trailer. There is no use spending hundreds of extra $$ for a factory box.

And Richard is right, ALL factory tires on these trailers are CRAP. I had 4 of them worn down to the belts from a round trip to Moab. Richard talked me into the Maxxis trailer tires and they are tough as shit and still look new after many miles.

[quote="desert dog"]And Richard is right, ALL factory tires on these trailers are CRAP. I had 4 of them worn down to the belts from a round trip to Moab. Richard talked me into the Maxxis trailer tires and they are tough as shit and still look new after many miles.[/quote]



agreed. dosnt hurt to throw a tape measure on them either and make sure the axles are running true also

Personally, I like the flat floor of my trailer. No problem laying on the deck to work on the Jeep if needed, just like on the driveway. What I really like is all the stuff I've carried under the Jeep and in front of the Jeep. I've done so many events and races that I've loaded the trailer up pretty good with tables, gas cans, generator, fire wood, tuffy boxes, whatever. Just load it up around and under the Jeep. I've also used the trailer to haul equipment, furniture, whatever, and the flat deck made it possible.

Since you live near the beach, like Chris said, I'd consider aluminum if you can afford it. Would sure cut down on trailer maintenance. You really want the trailer to just sit there until you need it, trailer maintenance is a nuisance. Regarding size, I've hauled a bunch of other vehicles besides the Jeep and buggy on my 13' trailer. If I had to do it over, I would have a 14', a little extra room in front for storage would be nice. Friends who have 16' have quite a bit of extra room for hauling stuff in front of the Jeep.

Thanks guys!!

Flat deck for sure... and am leaning more towards that PJ. The AL is nice, but already I am way over budget. The more I price these things, the more i realize that the lower priced ones aren't any less expensive than the more expensive ones, it just seems that the more expensive ones have more options. Drive over fenders seems to be an expensive option, as does anything over 82-83" wide. Brakes at all wheels seems to add up and one of the biggest differences I see is between 3500 and 5200 axles. I could do 3500 axles, but I'd be pushing it to it's limits and am thinking the extra head room is smart in the 5200.

The fact that the PJ is powder coated AND undercoated is nice feature that few others offer. Ugh.... I don't want to spend on the PJ! lol.


Also ordered a set of MAC straps. The ones with the built in axle straps. They seem to get high ratings on PBB. Will I need anything else (other than the trailer and drawbar)???

For now you should be good. If you find the need for drive on fenders we can make them later. With as narrow as Jeeps are you should be fine. I know that my jeep fits on waynes trailer just fine I have about 4-6" between the fenders right now. So unless your gonna run 38x1450 you should be good Im thinking but better break out the tape to make sure.

Brad there is an 18ft wood deck in vta for $1700 on craigslist. Cant post the link type in car trailer.

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[quote="chuckanut105"]Brad there is an 18ft wood deck in vta for $1700 on craigslist. Cant post the link type in car trailer.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2[/quote]

Thanks. I sent him a message this morning, but haven't yet heard back. Unless he's got exactly what I want in there (10k and brakes on both), I am not really interested, because.... I found a guy that is making me a killer deal on a brand new PJ B5. I'll still be spending more than the 2k budget I originally set, but way less than the 4k+ prices I have seen on these.

This is the trailer I'll be coming home with tomorrow afternoon..... I think it should be sufficient!

[img]http://www.pjtrailers.com/brochures/B5_1000.jpg[/img]

Cool man cant wait to see it. Where is there a dealer local?

[quote="abendx"]Also ordered a set of MAC straps. The ones with the built in axle straps. They seem to get high ratings on PBB. Will I need anything else (other than the trailer and drawbar)???[/quote]
I am running MAC straps too, have been for a year and a half. They make rigging a snap. I can have my jeep on the trailer and tied down in 5 minutes by myself. I have the straps with the axle loops on one end and the chain with hook on the other. Im seriously considering having tabs welded onto my axle tubes to make rigging even easier.