Trailer advice needed for a newbie

[e171fish]

Hello,

I recently built a new home and had a Hardy H4 installed. We've been in the home since October and I've spent most of my free time cutting and hauling wood since we started with nothing.

So far we've used around 8 cords and I've hauled it all in the 4 X 6 bed of my 2004 Toyota Tacoma. All the wood I've gathered has been close to home so the numerous trips haven't been too bad.

I'm now looking to get a trailer to hopefully double my wood hauling capacity and to keep the wear and tear down on my truck. I put a $917.00 dent in the side of the bed on Friday. So much for the free load of wood that day.

I can fit around a 1/4 of a cord in the truck bed so I'd be happy if I could get a trailer that would double that load. The truck has a V6 with a 6000 pound towing capacity.

I want the safest possible trailer that won't exceed the capabilities of my truck. I'm thinking about a 5X8 or 6X10 with 18" sides. I've looked at a few single axles in those sizes and they're rated at 3500 pounds. 15" tires. No brakes on either.

Does anyone have any better recommendations?

I'm in St. Louis so any trailer dealer/manufacturers would also be appreciated.

 

[VINIFIREWOOD]

http://www.felling.com/index.asp

 

[banshee67]

6 x 10 with 18" sides. thats almost 3/4 of a cord if its stacked neat, plus if you have the back of the truck stacked, youll have a full cord aboard. in all honesty, your taco will be struggling to pull it, bigtime, with overdrive off im sure it wont be too bad keep it from searching for gears (assuming its auto), be careful stopping, your distance will now be about tripled, maybe doubled if you want warped rotors, a 3500# single axle would be a nice trailer for your truck, but careful loading it up, it ads up quicker than you think and before you know it you got a couple tons behind you with no trailer brakes
keep in mind these claims companies put out for trucks "towing capacities" are really not ideal,and of course take into consideration only with trailer brakes should you tow such a load , i would guess not many people out there would tow 6k pounds with a tacoma, thats a lot for even a half ton truck

 

[Circle B MN]

Rather than getting a trailer, why not spend the money on a heavier beater truck more suited for what you are doing...? The Taco suspension is light, the box is small, and it must be pretty shiny yet to have a $900 dent in it. Check the local shopper for an older Ford, Chevy, etc. that you can pic up for near the cost of that dent. It doesn't have to be pretty or get great gas mileage.

 

[HD-tech-NH]

Rather than getting a trailer, why not spend the money on a heavier beater truck more suited for what you are doing...? The Taco suspension is light, the box is small, and it must be pretty shiny yet to have a $900 dent in it. Check the local shopper for an older Ford, Chevy, etc. that you can pic up for near the cost of that dent. It doesn't have to be pretty or get great gas mileage.

+1

I see decent dump body wood haulers around here for less than a grand. If I were to buy a trailer it would be a dump trailer with ramps. Just my two cents!

 

[bearings]

Pickup Box Trailer

Some more food for thought is .... A pickup box trailer. You can get one from your scrapper guys in your area. They already have a heavy axle and just need to be vee'd in the front and a hitch and jack installed. I have a few of these and one more to make. No brakes but its works well for myself.

 

[headleyj]

a year ago I too would have said "I second the beater."
BUT - insurance, maint, repairs, etc, may not be worth it - run the #'s.....think about it, then make your decision. I just sold my beater - didn't use it enough and wanted to put that $ elsewhere....but wood is on my property too. Each case is unique man.

 

[boostnut]

I've got a 5 x 8 with 24" sides that I pull with my 1/2 ton chevy. Its a single 3500 lb. axle. With a short bed full + the trailer full its probably more than your Toyota will want on a regular basis, I wouldn't go any bigger if I were you. I also have access to a 16' tandem axle flatbed car hauler but prefer to use my smaller single axle trailer. They simply can't be beat when maneuvering in tight spaces, tandem axles suck for this. If you plan on keeping your truck for years to come either size the trailer accordingly (don't over-do it) or buy an old beater truck as recommended above.

 

[barton174]

FWIW, a trailer not having brakes isn't a deal breaker... You can put brakes on about any trailer for around $250, said and done...

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200329383_200329383

Also remember that your trailer rating is with an empty truck... Subtract your weight, aftermarket stuff, tools, and wood you're hauling in the bed from that number...

Mike

 

[goosegunner]

In the end I bet an indoor epa stove and putting the rest of the money into a more energy efficient house would be by far the most cost effective and least labor intensive route.

Where I live you can add at least $400 dollars a year to your home owners insurance if you have a indoor stove. That is even if it is installed by a professional.

Nothing to do with amount of wood you need but it is an additional expense.

gg

 

[crashagn]

+1 on Treeco... I already got a beater, Iam down to actually using it 3-4 times a year and thats it. I pull a pickup trailor behind it as well for extra room. Just having the pickup around is 60$/yr for tags and 24$/month for the lowest form of legal insurance. 350$/yr to just have it and thats not including filling it up with oil and gas..Oh and the maintenance...The trailor i dont even have registered/licensed and been warned once about it. So its restricted to quick trips on the backroads. I try to make everyload count.. overloaded riding on the axles, if something breaks ill weld it or fix it. Your toyota seems to be a njice daily driver - minus that 900$ dent... I would not want to pull a tandom axle trailor behind it with it being loaded. Something is gonna break or happen. Going down a hill and that load is gonna start pushin into ya and its going to be a big problem. Invest in a single axle trailor and load it up and also some wood in the back of the bed.. save the extra wear on the pickup, avoid breaking anything, Just take it easy and you should save $$ instead of the increased wear of pulling a tandom axle or investing in a 1/2-3/4 ton beater

 

[Slick]

I was hauling with my V6 ranger to feed a CB last year and half of this year. I used a 6x12 dual axle with dual brakes trailer,with short sides.....I found a larger not stacked as hight trailer easier and more useful for other stuff. You will certainly want to load wood in the truck also when you tow, the loaded trailer will really push these small trucks around. Everyone made fun of me overloading my poor ranger with it's V6 but I tell you it served me well. It would pull a overloaded bed and full trailer up a steep hill in 4x4 slipping on snow. I could get about a cord home easy if not a bit more but the weight in the trailer will really start to push you around.
I ended up jumping to a used a F250 with a V10 though, nice to haul so much more but that ranger bed was so much easier to load and unload.

 

[KMB]

a year ago I too would have said "I second the beater."
BUT - insurance, maint, repairs, etc, may not be worth it - run the #'s.....think about it, then make your decision. I just sold my beater - didn't use it enough and wanted to put that $ elsewhere....but wood is on my property too. Each case is unique man.

+1 on Treeco... I already got a beater, Iam down to actually using it 3-4 times a year and thats it. I pull a pickup trailor behind it as well for extra room. Just having the pickup around is 60$/yr for tags and 24$/month for the lowest form of legal insurance. 350$/yr to just have it and thats not including filling it up with oil and gas..Oh and the maintenance...The trailor i dont even have registered/licensed and been warned once about it. So its restricted to quick trips on the backroads. I try to make everyload count.. overloaded riding on the axles, if something breaks ill weld it or fix it. Your toyota seems to be a njice daily driver - minus that 900$ dent... I would not want to pull a tandom axle trailor behind it with it being loaded. Something is gonna break or happen. Going down a hill and that load is gonna start pushin into ya and its going to be a big problem. Invest in a single axle trailor and load it up and also some wood in the back of the bed.. save the extra wear on the pickup, avoid breaking anything, Just take it easy and you should save $$ instead of the increased wear of pulling a tandom axle or investing in a 1/2-3/4 ton beater

Good advice fellas.

Kevin

 

[giXXer]

Of course a 1 ton wood hauler with a dump trailer is ideal, but if you don't have any other uses for them I believe it is cost prohibitive. We all have to start somewhere and experiment a little to find the perfect fit. I have a 3/4 ton and access to several large trailers, but I typically use my 5 X 8 trailer due to the time and enjoyment factor. I usually haul 1 full cord split between the truck and trailer. After felling, limbing, bucking, loading, un-loading, etc. 1 cord is a nice amount for me to handle without over doing it to my aging body, especially if I split it and stack it in the same day. If there is a few hours to spare after work I can go into the woods and get a load and the trailer being relatively small and narrow it follows the truck or jeep nicely through the woods without getting hung up.

One option that I have been looking into is buying a retired military trailer (and now looking into the 2.5 ton to tow it as well) which seem to range in capacity from 1.5 - 2.5 tons. They appear to be built very sturdy and can be bought for $400-$600. Unless your Toyo has air brakes, the trailer brakes won't work, but can be retrofitted with electric brakes. Do a search for a M35A2 trailer.

This might not be the direction you want to go but, another option to strongly consider is buying a pulp load from a logger. I bought my first double truck load this year and its 100% oak. Log loads around here go for $1200-$1600 for a double and $750-$900 for a single. I ended up with 22.8 pulp cords, which is approx. 68 face cords, for $1200 cash. That will easily last me 2.5 years which is less than $480 per year. This past summer I cut and hauled about 12 full cords and I know that with my time, expenses, wear and tear, etc. I have more than $600 into that wood. Having that amount on the ground is still not going to keep me out of the woods because I enjoy it, but I won't feel pressured to cut when I don't want to. Plus, bucking nice, clean, straight, 8' logs is fun...almost feels like cheating!

 

[Art Vandelay]

Check craigslist. I'm from around the St Louis area myself and their are always tons of nice duel axle trailers in the area for decent money.

 

[jbighump]

i gave 1k for my 16ft car hauler with the solid floor and that is brand new. i built some 2ft sides for it and can haul as much wood as my truck can pull.

my dad has a 2006 taco with the 3.4 v-6 and it is plenty strong to pull my trailer loaded, i guess the only problem would be stopping it.

anyhoo the truck and trailer is the way to go i keep all my saws in the truck and all the wood in the trailer. plus i dont have to worry about beating the bed on my truck up

 

[Woodcutteranon]

I like the idea of the beater truck...
Keep one thing in mind. Sometimes a trailer is unpractical. I get leads on wood, and, without hesitating I am in my truck to get it. Sometimes the stash is deep in the woods making backing in or turning around with a trailer impossible. Other times the ground is soft and wet which would get my truck stuck with the trailer on the back. If you are cutting by yourself will you have the time and stamina to cut more than an 8ft bed load before you call it a day? Pick yourself up a $500 truck and use the heck out of it. Take the insurance off in the winter to save up to buy another saw.

 

[e171fish]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I've been lurking on this board for months and have been impressed with the amount of helpful posts. I bought a Stihl 361, safety equipment, learned cutting techniques, and how to sharpen a chain due to the information found here.

I have considered a beater truck, but as some have mentioned, the licensing, insurance, and maintenance are a concern.

I'm leaning towards a single 3500lb axle 5X8 with 2ft sides and electric brakes. I won't load it to capacity and I'll save the truck bed for my equipment.

Buying a logger load may be a good idea. I'll have to call around and check pricing. Like I mentioned, I've spent most of my free time over the past few months cutting wood. I really enjoy the work but since I started with nothing its been quite a chore at times trying to make sure I don't run out. Came close a few times. It might be nice to get a good stockpile going to take a little pressure off my trips to the woods.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I've got a 5 x 8 with 24" sides that I pull with my 1/2 ton chevy. Its a single 3500 lb. axle.

I'm leaning towards a single 3500lb axle 5X8 with 2ft sides and electric brakes.

This is exactly the setup I have and it works out well. I pull it with a 4.6L F150 and it doesn't like hills if the truck and trailer are both full. With your truck, I suspect that you will want to leave the truck bed empty for saws and such. I added electric brakes to my trailer and am really glad I did. Stopping distances shortened considerably.

Your truck probably doesn't have much for springs, so a set of overloads will help with tongue weight not dropping your bumper as much. I love mine.

Ian

 

[some zilch]

everyone needs to stop recommending a tandem axle trailer. his toyota is NOT going to be able pull the trailer full, so why bother. if he spent $900 to fix a dent in his truck, he is probably not going to abuse it. i have a 6'x12' single axle w/18" sides. it would be perfect for his truck, as my 4cyl taco can pull it around fairly well with firewood on it.

my recommendation would be a trailer similar to mine. it was $995 new 6 years ago, and it is NOT a home depot special. very well made-has been from NY to Utah 3x with a car on it one way each time. used trailers are everywhere, look for one that was not obviously abused. the beater truck is also an idea, though a bit more involved.