Just curious as to where you found your tires and rims? What's the ply rating on them? "Here" the cheapest tire/rim combos IVe been able to find have been in the $100 range for each tire and rim ! What about the spindles??

 

I haul a lot of firewood across some pretty rough ground. Started with a little garden trailer, but it fell apart pretty quickly. Bought a fat tired tub trailer from my Arctic Cat dealer, it has worked out pretty well. Paid around $400 for it. The fat tires make a lot of difference, they don't get hung up on rocks or roots the way the skinny ones do.

Had it two years now, still going strong. Only thing I didn't like about it was no grease joints on the bearings. Had to replace both sets of wheel bearings last fall, but they're standard wheel bearings, not hard to find and fairly cheap. I'm being more religious about regreasing the bearings, as I usually cross a creek twice when hauling wood.

The Nichols trailers featured on this site look very nice, but lord do they cost some bucks. I haven't been able to find a local dealer, so shipping is likely to add to the price.

 

the tires are 8.5" wide, not 10"...my mistake....

tires are 6 ply, rated at 940 lbs each, here is where I got them:

tire/wheel

axle hubs are rated at 2000 lbs, here is the axle with hubs:

axle with hubs

if you want to see a pic with these tires mounted on the axle, let me know and I'll snap a pic for you

dave

 

Having you had any problems with punctures? I've considered the same types of tires but was always worried about punctures. Also in soft wet ground, how do your tires perform? ATV style tires would 'roll' better under those conditions, due to low inflation pressures....... wouldnt they?

 

Realistically the trailer tires rarely get stuck or affected by mud....even ATV style tires can drag or float on mud, depending on how much mud there is. Here in New Mexico, mud isn't the norm. I think you may be right that the ATV style tire may be slightly better, but these will handle much more load and they are more punction resistance due to the hardness and load capacity.

One thing they don't do, they don't add the 'suspension' that and ATV tire will...but what I'm using them for, as with any trailer, I'm not going to drive at 50 mph over rough terrain. ATV tires, with the right pressure, will give you some suspension on a solid axle where there are no leafs....

dave

 

I'm in the process of making my own trailer. I came up with a contraption that will convert to a logging arch and than back to a 3x5' trailer when i wish. I will use this to move firewood and some full length trees. It is kind of expensive, $550 for all parts (tires, wheels, steel, axle pair, ball receiver) but I figured if bought both of those things from a manufacturer it would cost me at least $1100-1500. By using the short torsion style axle pair it eliminates the cross piece between the wheels so it will have 10-11" of ground clearance even with the whimpy little tires I intend to use. I only bought axles that can handle 1000lb's. I may be mistaken, but I think I would hardly be able to tow even that much weight (off road) with a 600lb quad. As for the size. The trailer wheels are the same distance apart as the ATV's so I will be able to get the trailer to all the spots I want to go plus I dont have to worry about having to cut the trails on my land any wider than I really have to.

 

kewl deal, take some pics when you get it done...I still have to work on mine, haven't done crap with it lately, need to pick up the steel and start welding....I think I'm going to make pretty much a flatbed with some removable sides....I'll mainly use it for hauling gear around in the woods....

as far as what you can tow, I move my trailer around that I haul my ATV on and other gear, its a 6.6' x 16' dual axle trailer and weighs 1850 pounds unloaded....then again I'm pulling with a '05 Polaris 700 EFI which has the umpf to pull it....wouldn't want to do it a long way, would smoke a belt, but seems to work pretty well just as long as you get on the gas quick and don't try to start it rolling....same as with most clutch machines, need to get the clutch engaged.

dave

 

I will post some images when the trailer/logging arch is complete. It may be a week or three because I'm not in any terrible hurry to get it done. I wouldn't be able to use it 'till the spring anyway.

As far as the towing concerned, I'm just a little on the conservative side. Wouldn't want to do harm to my Foreman 450. Some guy in a message talked about breaking the ballhitch mount off his quad while trying to pull a boat.
Best of luck with your trailer project.

 

Well, the Nichols trailers are high price wise, but you get what you pay for I guess. Considering the spindles, and the high strength steel he uses, and the weight you will be carrying.. it might be worth it.

I bought a yard cart from Lowes a year ago, and it lasted a grand total of 35 feet before it flipped over and twisted the tongue like a pretzle. I had a brand new generator in the back, and went across my yard, which was about a 20 degree slope on it.. and it flipped right over.... Needless to say the generator was HEAVY, and the center of gravity was pretty high... but it would not be any where near the weight of a load of firewood... I think a heavy load would make it even worse.

 

Year before last, I bought a Harbor Freight garden cart and threw away everythung form the deck up. I ended up with a nice little wood deck, stake side, utility trailer. It still gets lots of use over on the 1881 Ranch.

I decided I did NOT like the 12"x4" wide tires....... they work but wider tires will function much better.

Secondly, I decided the wheel base was too narrow and the center of gravity too high for any real degree comfort regarding stability.

I frequently haul a load steel targets and target stands on the ranch (HEAVY stuff) and decided to try a trailer with ATV wheels. I came close to buying the one Cabelas advertised for $379 until they raised the price by $100.......... then, a week later I saw the SAME trailer at Northern Tools for $299 - shipping included! It's in my garage as I write this and looks to be a dandy. I will install a 1/2" plywood sheet over the deck (better the plywood gets gouged rather then the sheet metal deck) and some eye bolt for tie downs. The only thing I don't like about this rig is the color - bright RED. I suppose a can of spray paint would cure that it it gets "too ugly".