I'm looking at a trailer i found at Tractor Supply. it's a small 4 x 6. it's very light weight. i only plan on pulling 1 ATV with it (Kodiak 400) and it will be pulled with a car. there is no link on their website for this. so i can't show a picture. but it's basically just a standard trailer. i have a couple of questions regarding it.

it only has 12" tires. i'm not driving more than 3 or 4 hours at a stretch. should i be concerned with the bearings?

there is no ramp/gate on the back. how in the heck does 1 person get the trailer tipped back (it has to be tipped up quite a bit) and drive the ATV on the trailer at the same time? should i just have a couple of 2 x 6's and drive up that way?

if anyone has a trailer this small, do you have any problems with stability on the highway? i'm concerned that it may wobble some with its light weight. i generally drive at 70/75 so this may or may not be an issue.

thanks for any info.

btw, this trailer is $316.

 

Dren

Driving long distances at highway speeds will wear out the bearings quicker on those small tired trailer vs the taller ones. Also the they do get a little "squirelly" at times. With the rpm's those tires are turning when your going 70+ mph it's difficult for them to stick to the pavement. There basically designed for local in town hauling not long distance highway trips but a lot of people use them that way without incident. Just keep an eye on your tires and bearings and watch your lane changes at speed. A couple of 2x8's work great for ramps. Put something on them for traction when they get wet. I screwed beer bottle caps teeth up on mine they work great and it's fun emptying the bottle to get them[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] they flatten out after awhile so you will need to change them every so often. HTH

 

My brother in law has almost the same trailer that he purchased from Tractor supply( its a slightly bigger tilt model that they don't sell anymore but with the same tire/wheel package) that he purchased back in 1998.

The longest one way trip he has been on that I know of would be about an hour one way at legal speeds on the hwy 65mph and he carries a 400 pound Yamaha Warrior. As far as the stability issue when I am behind him the trailer always seemed to track with the tow vehicle. When we are loaded down I just don't go over the speed limits or might even be a little below. Another thing there is no spare tire so that would worry me just in case of a blow out. If you are going to be travel that distance of 3 to 4 hours I would want a spare. He hasn't had any problems with his bearings but one thing will be tire wear and the reason for this is the trailer has a capacity of 1500 pounds so the tires matched to that weight will need to be aired to there max load on the side wall of the tire and I am not sure what that is but it might be something like 50psi to 60 psi so it can carry the stated 1500 pounds. If you run the high air pressure the tire will wear out quickly down the center of the tire. I don't know off hand what the Kodiak 400 weighs but you will need to adjust the tires psi down so the tires wear even. The higher the pressure the cooler the tire will run though but a safe be would be 30 to 35 psi and even then it might wear right down the middle so watch it and adjust accordingly.

As far as the tilt that is no problem if you carry a couple of bricks/a little weighted something and set the item right on either end just so it stays down and then it/they fall off as you come over the balance point.

Your going to need some good straps and I would use three at the front, one in the middle and 2 on either A arm and then two in the back and this way when you hit that nice bump or hole the quad won't flip out on you.

 

I would try to stick with 15" rims on trailers. They work much better on and off the road!

 

15" wheels are definitely better. If you don't mind driving a bit to get a trailer, check with Jerry James at Sikeston, MO.(south of St. Louis). He makes a 5'X8' tilt bed with 15" wheels for under $400, and it will definitely be a better built trailer.

 

If you call him, he might have a dealer in your area.

 

Those small trailers at the Tractor Supply places often seem high priced to me for what your getting (at least that's what I've seen around here.)- I bet if you shop around some you'll find a heavier duty trailer with 15's for about the same price...

 

Buzzman,

thanks for the tip. i called them and they do not have any distributors near me (VA).


i'll keep looking around. i have yet to see a used trailer with 15" wheels for less than $700 around here. most used trailers are $500 and above. there must not be much of a used market in VA.

 

Myself I wouldn't worry about the size of the tire unless you are running it under inflated.

In the past we had 1996 a Honda Civic DX that had 13 inch wheels/tires and had zero problems with tire, bearings.

 

Check the nearest Walmart, the stores here carry a Snowbear trailer, 4x8 and rated for 2090 lbs GVW. Really well built trailer, with 12 inch tires, which are fine for that size and weight rating. They retail for just under $600.00 Cdn. I'm pulling the Foreman behind a Saturn SL2 and it handles really well considering the size of the tow vehicle. If they don't carry the Snowbear trailers, check with the store manager to see if they can order one for you. The Walmarts here carry the 7000 model.

Snowbear Trailers