Trailer Buying Guide gives you all the information you need to make an informed decision when buying a trailer. If you need a general purpost trailer for hauling cargo for personal or business use, or a trailer for transporting your dirt bikes for weekend competition, we will make sure you find the answers to your questions.
If you need to haul your cargo around from one place to another then you will need a trailer. General purpose trailers can be used to carry any sort of cargo, from garden waste to construction materials and home furniture to almost anything else that needs to be moved from one location to another.
More specialized trailers can be purchased that allow your to haul cars, motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles. These trailers usually include some sort of rear ramp that allows for easy roll-on and roll-off loading. Most trailer types are available in a fully enclosed type, protecting your cargo from the elements, road debris and prying eyes which ensures that your load gets to its destination unscathed.
Trailers can be hitched up to most types of vehicles, such as trucks, cars, utility vehicles and ATVs. The main consideration is to ensure that the towing vehicle has an adequte towing capacity for the intended load for the trailer. You wouldn't be able to tow a 30ft boats with a small family saloon car.
Larger trailer loads, such as boats and automobiles, may only be able to be towed by a pick-up truck or larger vehicle. It may be neccessary to install a fifth wheel coupling hitch in the truck bed to tow the larger gooseneck trailers. For the largest load carrying capacity, the trailer may need to have its own braking system, either electrically or air operated. These may require extra driver training and a special driving licence to be towed, depending on the licencing requirements in your state.
There are many different types of trailer that are specifically designed to haul different types of cargo. Before deciding on which trailer you will buy, make sure that you have analyzed exactly what you need to haul. Many of the trailer types are quite versatile and can be used to tow many different types of cargo.
Utility trailers are intended to carry general cargo, such as loose building materials and other small items. For easy loading and unloading they usually have low sides and an rear access ramp. As these trailers are designed to carry smaller and lighter loads they can be towed by a wide variety of vehicles.
Many families enjoy a road trip style outdoor vacation, exploring their chosen holiday destination at their leasure. A family will enjoy the same comforts provided in a modern travel trailer, as you would in a classic RV or motorhome. Their comfortable interiors feature sleeping quarters and seating for all the family and storage space for all your vacation equipment.
For a more basic sleeping accommodation whilst on vacation, a tent trailer will provide exactly what is required. Much smaller and easier to tow than a full travel trailer, tent trailers can be converted from their folded state into their tent configuration in no time at all.
If you are a farmer needing to transport cattle or supplies around your farm, or an equestrian rider who requires a way of taking your showjumping horse to an event, a livestock and horse trailer is the perfectly suited for this application. Trailers designed to carry animals tend to be fully enclosed with a rear access ramp to enable the animals to be walked into the trailer. To provide a constant supply of fresh air, the sides of the trailer will feature several openings at head height.
Whatever your requirements for a trailer, whatever load you need to haul, you will usually have the option to buy an enclosed trailer. Fully enclosed trailers protect your cargo, both from the elements and from unwanted attention, and are ideal for transporting classic cars and motorcyles to auctions or moving your antique furniture to your new house.
A car trailer is suitable for many commercial or personal applications. If you own a restoration shop who needs to deliver finished cars to their owners or are a classic car owner that transports their highly valuable vehicles to show, a car trailer can do it all.
The cargo trailer is used for general purpose towing of all sorts of material. Available in both an open and enclosed style, these trailers are used in commercial applications where large carrying capacity is required.
A motorcyle trailer can be made to carry one or more motorcyles in either an open or fully enclosed configuration. Primarily used by cycle shops and competitive on and off-road riders for transpoting their non-road legal bikes to an race event. All motorcycle trailers are supplied with a hinged rear ramp for easy loading and unloading.
To tow a large heavy load such as a boat, the boat trailer needs a powerful towing vehicle. Boat trailers are designed to be backed into the water to enable the boat to be winched on or off the trailer.
A snowmobile trailer is usually an fully enclosed trailer and will have a one, two or more snowmobile capacity. A drive-on rear ramp door helps you load the cargo easily and some of the larger capacity trailers are equipped with a front ramp door for roll-off unloading.
A gooseneck trailer is designed to carry larger and heavier loads, and attaches to the towing vehicle using a fifth wheel coupling. This coupling allows for easier turning and better stability than a normal bumper pull hitch.
Concession trailers come in a large variety of sizes and styles, which allow mobile food and service vendors to ply their trade. Fitted with all the equipment you need for your business, you will be able to go directly to wherever your customers are located.
If you need to transport building or landscaping materials to your job site, a dump trailer will save you the time and effort in unloading your cargo. With lower cost than a conventional dump truck, dump trailers can be an economical alternative.
Copyright 2008 Trailer Buying Guide