Looking for some advice on a trailer purchase and quality. I'm a rancher and I need an equipment trailer to haul demo equipment about an hour each way, and then about 10 minutes between properties in a very rural area. Equipment I'm hauling will weigh about 12k and I'll mostly be pulling with a 1 ton. Looking for a gooseneck and I hope to get a deckover so I can haul materials with it easier. The local dealers sell mostly lamar and iron bull. I see a few big tex, lonestar, belmont, and titan too. I bought an iron bull dump trailer a few years ago and the powder coat is failing on the exterior in a few areas already. Any recommendations from these brands or specific specs?
I have experience with big tex, pj, Titan, and Kaufman. No matter what you buy the lights and wiring are junk and will not last no matter what they say. I wasn't much a fan on pj but they worked. Titan made a super nice trailer but I only saw for a couple years so I don't know the long term, I'd be happy with one. I can't remember the big tex but I think they were fine I hauled a new Kaufman and was impressed but don't know if long term. You should get what that guy bought, a 17.5 tired equipment trailer (this one was bumper pull) and I was super impressed on those axles and tires. 7k axles I feel should be rated for 50% load and it's very hard to get things to last loaded all the time. The 17.5's were 8k axles and the tires sidewalls remind me of 19.5 tires, very thick and sturdy.
I don't know if you can get one out there, but I've had really good luck with my Kaufman trailers. They are a really good trailer for the money. Also we can get good prices on them factory direct as I'm only 2hrs from their east coast factory. My 15K equipment trailer has seen 11yrs of continuous service and probably well over 100,000mi and it's needed nothing but tires and maintenance. I got the deluxe model with sealed wiring harness and LED lights and they all still work, despite out wet climate and salt covered roads in the winter. I also have a Kaufman 22.5K deck over pintle hitch trailer that I just bought a year or two ago, so far seems to be pretty good as well. I will say this though, the basic structure, welds, materials, paint etc are all quite good on the Kaufman trailers, but there are small QC things sometimes get overlooked. My 22.5k trailer didn't track straight when I got it, everything was welded straight and true, but no one bothered to adjust the tracking set bolts on the axles. Easy fix, but a few min with a tape measure and some wrenches at the factory would have prevented the problem.
Bought a Big Tex tilt 2 years ago and it's been a good trailer. 14TL Heavy Duty Tilt Bed Equipment Trailer | Big Tex Trailers The 14TL Equipment Trailer lets you efficiently use your bed. www.bigtextrailers.com It was around $11K out the door. Bought the 22'. Overall good quality for the price. The paint is well done, welds are good and has a sealed wiring harness. \\ The only thing that's cheap are the fenders however they are bolt on so when you dent/damage them they are easily replaced. I would buy another one.
I have had quite a few Big Tex trailers, from small bumper pull, up to 25' tandem/dual goosenecks. I don't believe I ever had any real problems, other than an occasional light issue, or paint fading or flaking off.
Mine is only 2 years old but I expect the same over it's lifetime - what trailer doesn't?
It depends on your area and if you'll have any winter roads. Felling and Midsota make a premier trailer imo. My Lamar and Brute trailers are not even in the same class as my Midsota. Far better fit and finish, prepped then painted, good wiring, nice design, etc. Diamond C also makes a pretty nice trailer (atleast the 2019/2020's I've been around), my concern is they've really grown in popularity which could cause quality to drop to increase production. B-B/Behnke is also pretty nice. As far as Lamar, PJ, Big Flex, Load Trail, Iron Bull, etc they're all mass produced trailers made to meet a price point and the build quality is meh. They work but are nothing fancy and usually don't hold up the best, especially in the salt.
A main question is when you say 12K for the load, is that thinking like the equipment is listed about 10k, but with extra attachments, binder chains, trailer extras like spare tire etc, you would never be over 12K? Or is the equipment listed at 12k, so you could really be even a 1000lbs heavier or more. At 12K plus, that is a heavy load, like hauling four cars. In that weight category I like the companies like Eager Beaver, Interstate, Trail King, Trailmax, Olympia, Miller, and a lot of the companies that specialize in air brake trailers with triple axles and 20 ton ratings. All those companies make 25,900 GVW trailers with either electric brakes or air brakes and min for you 8K axles. Look for a trailer in the just below 20 GVW - 25,900 GVW. Of course your truck has a DOT number and you have a class A CDL.
My experience has been that triple axle trailers eat tires. Several of my friends have had triple axle trailers, and they have told me the same thing.
That's been my experience as well.
Wasn't suggesting to go with a 3 triple axle trailer. I was saying that the Companies that specialize in big equipment trailers with 3 axles (12 wheels) and 20 ton capacity to haul say a size 200 excavator, know how to make strong engineered trailers.
One backhoe trailer used regularly was a cheap zieman 10ton 2650? Walking beam suspension had no zerks or bushing turn rebuild turn into a pain & 16.5x8 tires hard to find when needed. Miller other trailers suspension had grease points overall build quality was better
You get what you pay for. I have both a PJ and a LoadTrail. They are both cheap mass market trailers that do not hold up to heavy daily use very well.
I bought a 1 yr old PJ 24' goosneck last year. Within two weeks of us loading a skid steer (Kubota svl75-2) we had broke off ramp mounts. Fixed all that and next week where ramps slide in had cracked out. Sold it and ordered a 25' TemTrail. Not sure where you are located but there is a small trailer company in Sulphur Springs, TX called Temple Trailer Sales (TemTrail) that will always have my business from here on out. They been around since the 60s. Larry Jay Temple builds a HELLUVA trailer. Still have an 18' from early 90s he built. Other that tires/floor its still solid.
Have yet to been impressed by any light duty trailer. All I can say is look it over really well even if you are buying brand new.
Look up texas pride trailers. Best built trailer I've found, they make several models and only sell from their stores or the factory. I traveled 8 hours one way to pick mine up and don't regret it one bit. Will only buy trailers from them from now on. Owned a 14 foot 16k rated dump trailer for four years, haul equipment rock and other materials with it and never had an issue.
I had a Texas Pride dual tandem 26k gooseneck dump trailer, very well built!
I have a 25 year old PJ 27+5 that has had it's issues. Facebook has as a PJ page with lot's of problems with the newer ones. It is my understanding many trailer manufacturers have been gobbled up by much larger companies and have really cut quality but not price.
We’ve got a load Max hyd tail gooseneck dual tandem. Very nice trailer. Prob an 09 never any issues. DU25 big Tex dump trailer. Been good trailer but very poor paint quality. Never owned a Kaufman but very impressed with the build quality of their gooseneck dump trailer. Just from what I saw looked impressive.
I have had Walton and now a Diamond C gooseneck, Both 24K and both 35' long. The Diamond C has been a very nice trailer. I load it heavy, at times heavier than it should be, and I haven't had anything to complain about it. I have had one issue since I bought it in 2021, and that was a magnet go out in brakes. I am waiting for a triple axle 28' 24K pull behind, tilt deck to show up at the dealer. Diamond C isn't perfect but its pretty dang good, at least my two trailers so far have been. I pulled off the 10 ply 16" tires and put 14 ply on as soon as I got it. 17.5's would be ideal, but I didn't order the trailer, it just showed up and so I bought it. One day, I may convert it over, but so far the 14 ply tires are working out well.
I once bought a brand new small duel axle Walton dump trailer. Nice looking and seemed nicely built. Only problem was the dump hydraulics were undersized and it couldn't lift any heavy load. If I picked up just two yards of gravel and it was loaded towards the front, it wouldn't be able to lift the load and dump. So I was always loading it tail heavy which made driving it a pain as well as having to shovel the load out until it would dump. It was also a power down lift, and would not drop smoothly and slowly. I would load up into it my Takeuchi TB016 2 ton mini excavator raising the bed up a bit to make it easier to get it in with the ramps. Then when lowering the bed, it would come down in short rocking hits with the power down button, finally slamming down on the trailer frame and rocking the towing vehicle. Even damaged the hitch on one truck. This was several years ago.
The Walton goose neck was better than that. I had it for 20 years, and it worked well, its was not as heavily built as the Diamond C but I never broke it.
I have been pondering the same question as I too have a TB016 and would like to haul it on occassion. However, my quandry is the cost of quality as you most always get what you pay for. I have done a lot of research and have come up with "Top Shelf Trailers" out of Jacksonville, FL. as being my first choice and then "Texas Pride" as my second. For what I want, a 6' x 12' x 2' would be about $10k and I just don't want to put that much into a dump trailer that I would only use on occassion. (My son and I would use it on his property). And finding a used one that is not ready for a complete overhaul is just about impossible. So, here I sit w/o one. LOL.
I would keep looking around for used ones. The key considerations for me are the following. 1. Ramps. Although the TB016 is just 3500lbs, that's as heavy as a Subaru Outback. It seems like a a lot of these trailer ramps are designed with the strength to load a riding lawnmower. Get heavy duty ramps and a set up that doesn't allow the trailer to dip when loading the excavator. 2. Check out the dump system - How high will it go at what angle, and how much will it lift? 3. D-Rings. If you load equipment in it, you need at least 4 qty D-rings if not more like 8qty. That's why on a used one, it may be easier to do some welding/fab on it, add some removeable sides, a wind up load cover, steel mesh chain storage area, etc. On a used one too, if it doesn't suit your needs, you can sell it for what you got into it.
Thanks for the input. I have the same concerns regarding ramps and securing it.