For those of you out there that pull a trailer we would appreciate your input as we decide which one might be best for us. We are currently using a Ram 1500 with a tri fold bed high cover for shows. Ever inch of space is accounted for which has limited us on the inventory we can carry and enhancements we can make to our display. I would prefer a van, but that is not financially in the cards right now. We looked into cab high fiberglass caps, but those are pricey as well. There are many trailer manufacturers out there, many of which are located in South Georgia. It seems like everyone we look at has bad reviews on line. So, if you have used or are using a trailer, can you tell us about your experience and what brand you have? Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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I'm kind of late to this party, but since I've used trailers for over ten years for shows, thought I'd chime in.
Started out with a 6x10 Wells Cargo. No side door. Couldn't get at the stuff in back without unloading the stuff in front first. Ceiling was low, and I would bump my head at least once a weekend. It had barn doors in the back, so everything had to be lifted in and out. Had that trailer about two years, towed it with a Jeep. It did all right, but it was really too small.
When I went to a taller tent, I went to a bigger trailer, a 7x16 Pace with an extreme v-nose. The v nose was hard to utilize, as stuff never fit square. It also had two axles, and electric trailer brakes. Had to retrofit a brake controller on the Jeep, and had to use weight balancing bars to level out the trailer to tow it with the Jeep. The Jeep had a V-8, but it was a lot of trailer to tow with that vehicle. It had a Class IV hitch (over 5000 pound payload in the trailer). Changed out the Jeep for a Toyota Tundra 5.7 V-8. A much better match. Long story short, that trailer was stolen in Texas. That experience was detailed on my blog here.
My third trailer is a bit smaller, but not by much. It's a 7x14 Wells Cargo Road Force (mid-line) with a bit less of a v-nose. It's 6.5' inside, two axles, door on the side, ramp on the back. It requires planning to bring it into a show, and to load out. Being patient, coming early, leaving late... these traits make your other artists love you more. No one likes a trailer. This rig is 42' long, plus it needs about 10' behind to unload with the ramp.
That said, much of my work is in large boxes, on 6" pneumatic casters. We put up a double tent at some shows, and exhibit large work. It's almost impossible to carry that kind of work in a small vehicle. The advantages of a pickup/trailer combination for me, as a photographer, are many. I can leave the work stored in it when I'm not working. When the trailer is parked at a show, I have a small workbench built into it so I can replace work that is sold, or repair damaged frames. I can leave the trailer and go off shooting without the encumbrance of a show vehicle.
A few caveats:
1) You want to lock each axle when it's parked, with a Titan Grip or similar boot device.
2) You want to lock the tongue with a Bulldog, or similar.
3) Use padlocks that are all keyed the same for the back ramp and side door. Don't rely on the built-in lock if you have a side door, as they are all keyed the same. (My key will work on your trailer).
4) Absolutely get trailer brakes, the electric kind, not the surge kind that they have on UHauls. If your vehicle doesn't have a brake controller and a 7-pin harness, that'll be an add-on
5) Two axles are much safer than one if you lose a tire. I have had wheels spin off, I have had wheel bearing burn out (twice this year), and countless flats. The tire on the other axle will help you get to the side of the road, or to the repair shop.
6) Carefully consider how much you need to carry. Torflex axles are great for the higher capacity trailers, but if one breaks, or you have to replace a hub, the whole axle needs to be replaced. That can take weeks, if you aren't lucky, and it's a big hassle if you are lucky. Leaf springs are cheaper, they don't ride as well, they don't tow as well, but they are cheap and easier to replace.
7) If you don't plan on having big wheeled carts, a 6x12 is probably the optimal size, and the smallest that you can find (stock) with two axles. My friend Randy just ordered a smaller trailer with two axles, but it was special ordered, and that takes time to build at the factory.
8) A cap on the pickup bed will give you extra storage, and it will help streamline airflow around the trailer. It will add weight, but it will also increase your MPG 1-2 miles per gallon. plus you can sleep in it when you go camping for those early morning sunrise shoots.
You'll want to do some customization inside the trailer. There are many ways to do it. I tend to overbuild. E-track can be your friend. This trailer has e-track down one side to secure the big rolling carts, and a built in rack for panels and the pole cart on the other side. Up front, there's the workbench, and some shelving built into the nose. This article has some details showing the inside of the trailer when I first built it out. I've added boxes, and changed it around some on the inside, but it's still essentially the same concept as what I started with.
I found that Sketchup was a great way to model what I wanted to build. A bit of a learning curve, but very useful in figuring out what size, and where to put it.
I hope that's helpful to all you artists thinking about a trailer, or just getting into shows. A trailer is a useful tool with some positive aspects. If you need more info, or have questions, drop me a line or comment below.
Personally I'd get the ramp door because I've built rolling cases for everything.
If you are going to have a heavy load in a trailer I would defiantly have brakes on the trailer. I had the experience of not having brakes on my first trailer and having the extra weight of the trailer pushing me thru an emergency stop coming done a mountain on I 75 in Tenn. A tractor trailer had wrecked just a couple of cars in front of me and I came close to hitting the cars in front of me. I was able to get in the other lane and ended up just short of the tractor trailer. When I had the week off between shows I had electric brakes put on the trailer. I have had electric brakes on both trailers since and will have them on my new trailer.
My load was heavy-full of heavy pottery boxes, and a heavy booth to hold it. I didn't know that you could put brakes on a trailer, and I wouldn't have thought that I needed any. I live in central Pennsylvania, and we have traveled through the appalachians with it.
Regarding brakes, your tow vehicle’s manual should state the gross weight of a trailer that can be towed with and without brakes. Also, most states set limits on how much gross weight can be towed without requiring trailer brakes. You should be able to find out what that limit is for your state and the states you plan to tow the trailer in. An additional consideration is that installing brakes on a 4x6 or 5x8 may make it difficult to sell, because most trailers of that sizes range do not have brakes.
Thanks to everyone that has responded so far...you have given us several things to consider. I definitely want a trailer I can stand up in without crouching over. I have hit my head several times in rental trailers which usually has resulted in a delay while we stop the bleeding. We are also going to buy new as we need to be sure whatever we end up with has not been overloaded or abused. I am fairly certain we want a trailer with brakes. When our truck is fully loaded it takes much longer to stop than when it is empty. I would feel more secure on the road if the trailer had its own brakes. We looked at a 6 x 12 Pace yesterday. The twin axles have brakes standard. For single axles you can add them for 140.00. A twin axle with a spare and a couple of other add ons was about 3500.00. The search goes on. Thanks again to everyone.
We are on our third trailer. We grew out of our first and second one as we improved our booth. We now have a 5 x 8 and it sits in our garage between shows (right next to the workbench). We got the trailer with a ramp (for our rolling setup) and a side door. We learned early on that unloading the trailer works a lot easier and faster with two doors. All we added were tie-downs for the rolling carts.
This discussion is really interesting. You have brought up issues that I hadn't yet considered. I have thought about having a trailer for several years. I saw a trailer last year with a cot, and a little desk/sitting area with a TV mounted on the wall, and still room for show display and inventory!
Bigger than the size you all are talking about!
Going to look at a new trailer today, I have a Haulmark trailer 6 x10, It has over 500,000 miles on it. It has just gotten old and is starting to break down with repair cost increasing. I am looking at a custom made Haulmark trailer.
My best advice is to thing out how you are going to pack the trailer. I drew out on paper how I would pack my trailer before I purchased y first one. I have drawn out for my new trailer and am making a few changes and am willing to pay extra to have It made how I want it.
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