New trailer!

[racsan]

My old tandem flatbed 7x10 has been deemed no longer roadworthy and Ive been looking for a replacement for a while now, seems like anything worth buying aint much less than new , no where close to home and even though I really wanted another tandem axle, preferably a small car hauler over a snowmobile trailer like I did have, I decided that a 6x14 single axle 3500# would do what I needed most of the time, would be cheaper new, easier to pull and move about the yard with the mower and not need vehicles set up with a brake controller. Plus I was able to get one locally. Am going to add a winch & gate assist, that back gate is heavy! tomorrow I may go after that zero-turn she has been wanting, and bringing home lumber for the new chicken house will be easier & safer. I haven’t had it behind the ranger yet, brought it home with the escape, of course it didnt know it was there aside from the hitch rattle when going over something rough like railroad tracks.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

My old tandem flatbed 7x10 has been deemed no longer roadworthy and Ive been looking for a replacement for a while now, seems like anything worth buying aint much less than new , no where close to home and even though I really wanted another tandem axle, preferably a small car hauler over a snowmobile trailer like I did have, I decided that a 6x14 single axle 3500# would do what I needed most of the time, would be cheaper new, easier to pull and move about the yard with the mower and not need vehicles set up with a brake controller. Plus I was able to get one locally. Am going to add a winch & gate assist, that back gate is heavy! tomorrow I may go after that zero-turn she has been wanting, and bringing home lumber for the new chicken house will be easier & safer. I haven’t had it behind the ranger yet, brought it home with the escape, of course it didnt know it was there aside from the hitch rattle when going over something rough like railroad tracks. View attachment 89258

Hell yeah. Its awesome having a good trailer!

 

[James Morse]

Can you fit a car on it? Probably would exceed tow capacity though.

 

[racsan]

max capacity is just under 3000#. I don’t really have a towing vehicle that would support a trailer with a car on it. Picked up a new mower today, its still a good 2 months before needing one but if I wait then there could be issues getting what I want and paying more even if my choice was available. Drove to the next town and got it from tsc. My town didn’t have one in stock, could get it in a few days but a $96 delivery charge. I’ll go a extra 40 miles for a in-stock machine. Hope I get the hang of this, never operated a zero-turn before. 54” cut. The ranger did fine with it. Really wouldnt want any more trailer behind the 2.3 even with 4.10’s Granted 225/70’s would of been a little helpful vs the 235/70’s Im running now but it held its own.

 

[Blmpkn]

Nice, congrats!

 

[Roert42]

Zero turns are easy to use.
Just be careful not to turn too fast. Some have plastic gears, some have cables they both tend to not like sudden changes of direction at full speed. Some of the commercial ones are a little more robust, but even those don't like being beat on. I'm talking about spinning it around or doing a sharp 90, where you put one side in reverse and one side forward.

 

[sgtsandman]

There are times that nothing beats a good trailer. Your trailer is a good candidate for the tail gate assist. They are designed to mount on the side rails like what your trailer has. I've tried to find a solution for mine but no one can guarantee their system will work if it's mounted on the deck.

The only other thing I might suggest is some stabilizer jacks to minimize trailer movement when loading and unloading. Totally optional, of course but they do make a nice addition. Two at the back of the trailer is usually enough unless you like to load and unload your trailer when it's not hooked up to the vehicle, then two more at the front might be nice. But you have a V tongue rather than a single bar like my trailer has. So, the front ones might be over kill.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

There are times that nothing beats a good trailer. Your trailer is a good candidate for the tail gate assist. They are designed to mount on the side rails like what your trailer has. I've tried to find a solution for mine but no one can guarantee their system will work if it's mounted on the deck.

The only other thing I might suggest is some stabilizer jacks to minimize trailer movement when loading and unloading. Totally optional, of course but they do make a nice addition. Two at the back of the trailer is usually enough unless you like to load and unload your trailer when it's not hooked up to the vehicle, then two more at the front might be nice. But you have a V tongue rather than a single bar like my trailer has. So, the front ones might be over kill.

So, how about some time after my green Ranger is up we get together and see if we can puzzle out an answer for your gate assist issues? Surely it can’t be too terribly difficult to figure out.

On the note of stabilizer jacks, I completely second that suggestion. Usually it’s not needed for the front of a trailer unless you intend on loading/unloading without being secured to a vehicle, which even with the jacks I think is a little sketchy (I’ve seen it go wrong before) but usually that involves machinery being loaded/unloaded. Jacks in the rear though help keep from lifting up on the back of the tow vehicle during loading/unloading and support the back end of the trailer from wanting to take a downward bend. Back before such things were so readily available we used to stack 6x6 and 4x4 and such under the back of the big trailer we have and it made a huge difference, helps keep the trailer planted instead of squirming.

 

[racsan]

my haulmark box trailer has those stabilization legs at the back, they fold out from underneath the back corners then extend. Mostly useful when trailer isnt hooked up to a vehicle. Ive only did that once though, with my old tandem flatbed & the wheel horse. Front of the trailer went sky-high as the back end hit the ground. I thought the wheel horse would keep going so I didnt stop. About the time the back tires (with chains, had the tiller on) were almost at the deck it kicks the ramps out from under it and the front of the trailer goes back down. Nothing was damaged but I sure didnt try that again! This trailer is suprizingly well balanced, must be that big heavy gate on the back.

 

[sgtsandman]

So, how about some time after my green Ranger is up we get together and see if we can puzzle out an answer for your gate assist issues? Surely it can’t be too terribly difficult to figure out.

The tie downs are also a limiting factor. It's better to see it in person to see what I mean and why. A conversation for another time off racsan's thread.

 

[racsan]

Im not a big fan of the black wheels, was going to change that yesterday and paint the center of those silver, took them off, removed the “retighten lug nut” stickers and scuffed them with a scotch brite pad- then discovered I had no silver paint. Had yellow, red, green (and ironically, black) but no silver. So I just hit it with a clear and it did help. Found some snap on ranger centers from the ‘97 I had painted metallic blue & the lug nuts that go with them so I put that all on. While I was doing that I noticed something, one of the metal crossbeams, just ahead of the axle had a metal electrical box tack welded to the frame (like youd put a 4-outlet thing in or two light switches. I did a little prying and found something inside. A gps tracker. Clever! I guess the battery inside is good for 7 years, Would be neat if I could access the data for the same reason it was put there, trailer goes missing-track it down! I didnt buy the lift-assist yet (gorilla lift is the brand, tsc has them - $250) I thought about it yesterday after I took the ranger back into town to get gas but decided Ive spent enough money this weekend. lol. Heres a zoomed in shot of the wheel and that tracking device I was talking about. I need to add some eye bolts as tie-downs too. can never have too many securing points.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Hell yeah. Its awesome having a buddy with a good trailer!

FIFY

 

[sgtsandman]

I suppose the tracker could be handy. I always took steps to make sure the trailer couldn't get stolen. Of course a lock can be defeated by a determined thief. Since I have the Lock N Roll hitch system now, theft is no longer a problem unless they have a tilting flat bed. More work than I think one is willing to expend.

 

[racsan]

I can see why the mfg company would do it, they are a us company (tennasee I think) and have independent dealer franchises, you can buy outright or do a rent to own & just drive away for $500 or less down payment. Wouldnt be too hard to just have some fraudulent papers, give up less than a grand for a 3-4 thousand dollar trailer then dissapear. I tried setting up my online account for payments once I got home but needed a account number I dont have, called and was told it would be in a email to me (that Ive not gotten yet) Youd think they would have a app, nearly everyone else does. This place also had tandem landscape trailers & car haulers, one 5th wheel trailer too. Also have sheds. At any rate, with that device they can monitor the location of assets at all times, probably even ground speed. Would be neat to see the data, theres a imei # on the back like a cell phone would have. Id assume data would only be accessed if someone quit making payments, who would have time to monitor thousands of “assets”? although if they did monitor everything it would be fun to mess with them a little, theres a strong magnet inside, slap it underneath a rail car , semi trailer or if you could get close enough- a space shuttle! even putting it on a forklift in a warehouse would have someone scratching their head if they we’re constantly watching data. While I get it, in a way its kinda creepy. Guess thats why they hid it so well. Who rolls under a trailer on a creeper?

 

[sgtsandman]

I can see why the mfg company would do it, they are a us company (tennasee I think) and have independent dealer franchises, you can buy outright or do a rent to own & just drive away for $500 or less down payment. Wouldnt be too hard to just have some fraudulent papers, give up less than a grand for a 3-4 thousand dollar trailer then dissapear. I tried setting up my online account for payments once I got home but needed a account number I dont have, called and was told it would be in a email to me (that Ive not gotten yet) Youd think they would have a app, nearly everyone else does. This place also had tandem landscape trailers & car haulers, one 5th wheel trailer too. Also have sheds. At any rate, with that device they can monitor the location of assets at all times, probably even ground speed. Would be neat to see the data, theres a imei # on the back like a cell phone would have. Id assume data would only be accessed if someone quit making payments, who would have time to monitor thousands of “assets”? although if they did monitor everything it would be fun to mess with them a little, theres a strong magnet inside, slap it underneath a rail car , semi trailer or if you could get close enough- a space shuttle! even putting it on a forklift in a warehouse would have someone scratching their head if they we’re constantly watching data. While I get it, in a way its kinda creepy. Guess thats why they hid it so well. Who rolls under a trailer on a creeper? View attachment 89336

I get the concept and can see where something like that could be useful. As problematic as trailer can be at times to maintain, that seems to be just one more thing to go bad. If you find value in keeping it and doing whatever it takes to utilize it, then more power to you. Me personally, I would remove it. But that is just me.