honestly dragon i don't think im nutz, im far from that, but if you go over to rv.net and say any of this stuff, red flags and the weight police come out and hunt you down

 

Ahhh what do those iced tea drinking RV guys know anyway... I don't listen to anyone who sits in a lawn chair sipping a beverage with little umbrellas in it, and watching the pretty little colored lantern lights twinkle in the night hanging from their awnings with their ear shattering generators and Air conditioners wailing keeping all of God's creatures up all night.

I doubt any of them has ever gotten mud on their rig, let alone know what it is like to get their butt stuck clear up to their door sill and had to figure a way out of that mess alone...

Anything we can walk away from is called experience... Some experiences just generate more adrenaline than others that's all...

Just think, we would never have developed our vocabulary of colorful expletives if we didn't get into trouble once in a while, right? Not to mention there is nothing worse than sitting around a nice BBQ or campfire with a bunch of like minded souls sipping a real Man's drink and not have a life threatening story or two to tell... with scars offered as proof that are just a license to exagerate our death defying deeds...

What would this world be like without guys like us for them to talk about?

DB

 

i completely agree DB actually can't say it much better then you did, my subaru has seen more offroad then prolly 90 % percent of the trucks on the road today, its prolly the reason there is a come a-long and 2 winch straps in the trunck at all times, and believe there is points where there are 2 trucks pulling my little car out of places, i was crazy to even think i would make it through, but thats were the stories come from, and i wouldn't give them up for anything..

 

Harbor Freight All the Way! Don't pay for an overpriced utility trailer. Probably will last just as long as the 800-1000 dollar models!

Bubba!

 

If all you need is the occasional trailer to haul something to the dump etc, then why not... But if you intend to haul any sort of weight on a regular basis, or anything that is valuable.. then it is going to be iffy.

I have seen these trailers in action, and although I have not pulled one personally, I know a couple of guys that have.. and both have since bought other brands. Reasons are many, but two stand out.

One, they were constantly tightening or replacing the bolts on them. The road bouncing was just too much for them, and they were litterally rattling themselves apart.

Second, the steel used appeared to be inferior, rusted quickly, and twisted/bent under medium use. Nowhere near load rating...

In my book, spending hard earned money twice is not a bargain... and a good welded unit made with quality steel, that carries an enforceble warranty is not that much more expensive.

Also, if you are towing with a smallish vehicle, I totally recommend a trailer that has it's own braking system. You put a 2000 load behind a ranger pickup, and it will quickly over run the ability to stop in a reasonable manner. I know trailers with brakes are going to move you to a more expensive class of utility, but if you have been in a situation where you need the brakes, you will understand the reason I bring it up.

I have both types. AN enclosed 22 ft v-nose with brakes and a 7000 GVWR, and a double wide open all aluminum snowmobile trailer with a deck on it that is 8.5'x10'. without brakes. I have really been over my head on more than one occasion with the snowmobile trailer and wished I had brakes. By the way, I have pulled it in excess of the posted speed limit on several occasions with no issues.

 

dragin you agree with me above, then make this comment now, like said before i used my trailer over 14k in miles, thats more then some trailers have seen in my time, not one bolt has loosened since i assembled it, u did use lock washers or the teflon ones that came with the kit?

metal is fine for what it is rated, paint was crap did need to repaint it but other then that its been fine.


load capacity i load mine near 800- 900 pounds daily when going atving, quad + food, firewood coolers, trailer before adding this was around 440 pounds, my rating is 1450, im sitting at at around 94% gvwr, not bad if you ask me, i simply don't abuse my trailer, some do, this trailer can't handle abuse

ps is i have bent nothing frame wise since owning it

 

Both of you guys have great points. I am sure that the bolts may come loose and the steel is no doubt going to be of a lesser grade than the higher price point trailers. I guess my point is that a Harbor Freights 5X8 let's say, will carry my one ATV (600 pounds) and a some gear just fine. If a guy keeps up with greasing the wheel bearings with a high quality grease, I think the trailer will serve just fine. I would only go with at a least a 13" tire on these HF trailers to be safe. Beyond that, all of the sub-1000 dollar trailers have substandard paint. Rustoleum is pretty cheap.

Bubba

 

Sorry Littlebill, I thought I was clear when I said I had not towed one poersonally, and was only speaking from observing a couple guys in my riding club with theirs. I can't vouch for how they were assembled, Only what happened with theirs. I also can't control where a person pulls the trailer either. In our local area, they use road salt when it just hints at snow. Many factors can add to the cause of rusting.

I also said that if the situation fits... go for it... I for one just do not think it is wise to invest in something that I will have to replace sooner than I had originally thought. I guess in my perfent world, I only have to buy something once, and it will last forever... and tires do not wear out etc. As we all know, the perfect world does not exist, so I have to be careful how I spend my money. When someone asks for an opinion, I guess I am trying to respect their pocketbook situation, while also pointing out the many pitfalls as well. Then let them decide what is right or wrong.

I say again, not everyone can afford to spend the high dollar for a more expensive unit and higher price tags do not mean a better product all the time, but I think it safe to say that a welded unit is generally thought to be a more solid platform. I think if you go back through the threads like this one, you will find many of the same complaints to be consistent with the Harbor Frieght trailers... They are known for paint, bearings, and metal issues. Especially with fenders falling off etc. Much of which is probably due to how it was assembled I will grant you there....

But I have seen failed tongues... and frozen wheel bearings etc. And yes that can happen on even the most expensive trailers too. Why, I just spent 15K on a new Pace American enclosed trailer and found after I got it home that the bearings were dry as a bone, and no grease had ever been applied. This after pulling it home from the factory and travelling 800 miles with it... (Can you say warranty?) So it does not matter how much you spend, or whether it is a name brand or not. You can find mediocre work and products everywhere...