I plan to purchase a Honda Rincon and Rancher AT in the very near future. I have talked with a trailer dealer who suggested an H&H single axle 14 foot trailer. The axle is rated at 3500 pounds. Is this a good choice?

Tom [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

The length is good, you can load them nose to tail from the rear of the trailer which is the most convient. But I'm not sure about the axle rating it might be a little high or stiff (overkill), since you're only loading it with about 1300 lbs. plus the weight of the trailer maybe 600 to 700 lbs. more. It would probably work OK but if I were purchasing it (just for 2 quads) I would look at a lighter spring say 2500 lbs.

If the springs are too stiff the suspension won't absorb bumps as well tranfering the jarring to the suspension on the quad. Not a big deal but the issue I have with this is most of us tie down to the racks, bumpers or grab bars and when the suspension compresses the straps loosen and come off or the repeated stress could snap a strap.

Just my opinion and I hope this helps!

 

I think with about 2,000 puonds of total weight (quads, trailer and gear) that there will be enough weight on the springs to give a decent ride. With that weight, you'd be running at around 60% of your limit - it's always better to have a decent safety zone. Aside from that, the 3,500 lb axle is a pretty standard size, probably the most cost effective axle for that size trailer. Also, if the trailer is wide enough, you *could* haul three quads if you turned them sideways. Not something I'd like to do every time I went riding but if you had the occasion to bring an extra rider along at least you'd have the ability to haul three with the 3,500 lb axle.

I am heavily biased towards tandem trailers and have several. The tandems with two 3,500 lb axles trail very well, even when empty there's only a little bounce. Different story on the trailer with tandem 6,000 lb axles - it bounces all over the place when empty.

Jaybee

 

MIne does the same thing with the straps coming loose, etc. Mine is a PJ trailer, 3500 lb axle, 77" between the fenders and 10' long. Fits one on straight ahead and one sideways, but it is real heavy for my needs. I am looking for a deckover aluminum one to haul 3 on.

 

For two ATV's a 14 ft trailer is perfect size for end to end transport of ATV's. Shorter than 14 ft. requires at least one to be loaded crossways. If you load crossways then 12 ft trailer is adequate for carrying three ATV's. In shopping for basic all purpose lightweight trailers, 12 ft and 16 ft are the most common. Trailer mfg charge a lot for that extra 2 feet. Something about steel waste in cutting out the frames. You will need to decide if the extra two feet is worth the savings of trying to turn an ATV crossways.

Concerning the talk about the bounce. Single axle trailers irregardless of axle capacity will bounce a lot. Load from the front so the truck suspension will help. Tandem axle trailers will eliminate 80% of the bounce by their design. I saw one ATV'er this summer with a 10 ft trailer with a tandem axle and side ramps. In visiting with him, he indicated that he got rid of his single axle trailer for this tandem axle trailer only to eliminate bounce. Of course, he evidently could afford it.

I use the ratchet type tie down straps and crank the ATV suspension down as tight as I can pull it. Never had one bounce loose. Originally, I had the wedge type that you pull as tight as you can and would have them come loose when the ATV's bounced unless a second person compresses the suspension on the ATV while you tighten the tie down.

By the way, 10 & 12 ft trailers hitched to a 1/2 ton pick up are fairly easy to manuver in parking lots by fitting perfectly in two end to end parking spots. Larger trailers require parking crossways in a lot or in truck parking areas.

 

Don't overlook other uses for the trailer. You might be getting it to haule quads but ant trailer is handy for other stuff as well. I went a little overboard and use a 18' car hauler(10800lb capacity) for mine. this is a lot of trailer for quads but I can haul 4, or a car, or hay(the main reason for the bigger trailer) long lengths of steel or poles. Think outside the your ATV box and keep in mind what your tow vehicle can handle, much better to be a little big on the towing end than over load the truck with too big of a trailer.

A neighbor has an H&H trailer and it is a very well built trailer, I would reccomend going to a tandem axle though. Check prices you might be suprised at how cheap a 14' utility type with two 3500lb axles is.

 

I'm just wondering, if you wanted to load ATV's sideways, how wide would the trailer need to be?

My deck is 10' x 6'4''. How/how many quads would I be able to fit on it? If I side load them, could I put sides on it, or will the quads overhang the 6'4'' width?

Thanks

 

well, if it was 5',,,you would have the front tires resting on the trailer rail,,,,,with a few more straps

if it was 6' wide,,,,,,the quads would fit snug agianst the rails,,,,depending on the bike of course

measure your bike????

 

Mine is the same and I fit two on it with the wasted room for the gas and cooler. Side load them and you will still only fit 2, unless you get real crafty, but by then, you waste so much time just loading your junk, it's frustrating. Especially after a long day of riding, the last thing you want to do jockey quads around IMO.

 

A couple of additional things to add to all this good advice:

1. Depending on your quads and how you load them, you can put two full sized uts on a 12' trailer. We used to haul two KQ's on one of those 12' trailers like you get at Wally-World. As long as we backed the ATV's on the trailer it would work fine - the rear rack on the first one would overhang the tongue area and the rear rack on the second would overhang the front rack on the first.

2. For the last several years, we've been tying down below the suspension or very low down to avoid the strap-bounce problem. Usually hook a padded chain to the front end (above suspension) and hook a chain with turnbuckle to the rear (below suspension). The turnbuckle lets you really tighten things down - we've never had any turn loose in thousands of miles of trailering. Most of the mags advertise a similar system that works the same way.

Jaybee