Makers of quality good-priced tandem-axle car haulers?

[guido666]

I am looking for a place that makes quality trailers, hopefully in Ohio or close so I can pick it up. I want a flatbed car-hauler big enough to put my K5 with 40x18x15" Boggers on. I really need it because I'm moving to Colorado soon and plan to have stake pockets put on the sides (either by builders or myself) and build a plywood enclosure on it. I'm going to put all my belongings in there and tow it to Boulder. Then when I'm done I have a good trailer to tow toys! Here is an example of what I'm looking for in general.

http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=3&paID=1023&sonID=733&productID=1462

I'm hoping a local builder will be able to make me something higher quality, and specific to my specs, at a more reasonable price then prefab. Any ideas or help?

 

[dodgedude99]

im not sure how close you are to Indiana, but my cousin sells trailers in Florida, he deals with a bunch of different makes and models.
most manufacturers are based out of Elkhart,Ind, so you could work out the deal with him, and pick it up in Elkhart, In.

www.americantrailersonline.com

ask for Bob Jr.

 

[skidpan]

i will sell you a perfect trailer.. 500 bucks heavy duty enough and still light enough to pull.. im in cali so its a bit of a drive

 

[guido666]

i will sell you a perfect trailer.. 500 bucks heavy duty enough and still light enough to pull.. im in cali so its a bit of a drive

I would but it would cost me $2000 in gas (my 454 gets 8mpg highway) to get there and back.

im not sure how close you are to Indiana, but my cousin sells trailers in Florida, he deals with a bunch of different makes and models. most manufacturers are based out of Elkhart,Ind, so you could work out the deal with him, and pick it up in Elkhart, In. www.americantrailersonline.com ask for Bob Jr.

It's always worth a call, although it doesn't look like they have much enenclosed stuff. Who should I say sent me?

 

[jekbrown]

i will sell you a perfect trailer.. 500 bucks heavy duty enough and still light enough to pull.. im in cali so its a bit of a drive

pm me some pics/specs... may be interested, and I'm a little closer.

j

 

[guido666]

pm me some pics/specs... may be interested, and I'm a little closer.

j

I assume you're not in Washington state then?

 

[jekquistk5]

My g/fs dad is making me one right now, and could easilly make you one for the 400-500 range or less, with drop axles ramps etc. I'll grab some pics over turkey day when I'm up there. And Mich is alot closer then cali

 

[guido666]

How can they be made this cheaply? How are they made? And yes, Michigan is MUCH closer then Califronia or Washington.

 

[diesel4me]

factory built...

There is a place about 2 miles from my house called "Welch Trailers",who was selling "Big Tex" brand trailers very similar to those you pictured..he sold my friend one for $1,595 bucks about 14 months ago,its a factory built trailer,I guess the factory is in texas.. Last ad I saw for that place was about 6 months ago,they went up to $1,995 dollars..my brother and I drove over to the place (his friend wanted to check one out)--but the place was cleaned out except for a few way out in the back,and nobody around!..I think they might have moved or something..

But anyway,try looking on google for "Big Tex" trailers..there may be a dealer in your area that handles that brand..I was impressed with the quality of the one my friend bought for less than 1600 bucks!..I'm sure they have gone up,since steel prices have gone up a lot lately..

Another "cheap" way to go is to buy one of those used "cargo" containers and put a pair of axles and a toungue under it yourself.(a lot of work though
)...one guy I know who moved to Florida about 10 years ago bought an old school bus from a church,for only 500 bucks..and it held all his posessions,plus his stock car..drove it there himself..he used it for a camper after his move was complete..he almost converted it to a camper/car hauler instead..

 

[jekquistk5]

How can they be made this cheaply? How are they made? And yes, Michigan is MUCH closer then Califronia or Washington.

he recently last week became a co-owner of a junkyard(Free dana 60 for me ) so he can get frames and axles cheap, or for free. He is a very good welder/fabricator has a huge shop, and has the necessary equipment to get it done fast! My trailer is taking awhile longer because its low priority. It useually only takes him about 2 days or less to get it done

Also try ebay I just found this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nice-car-hauling-trailer_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50072QQitemZ4589143289QQrdZ1

 

[jekbrown]

My g/fs dad is making me one right now, and could easilly make you one for the 400-500 range or less, with drop axles ramps etc. I'll grab some pics over turkey day when I'm up there. And Mich is alot closer then cali

dude, you should have the guy standardize a design for a 18' K5-hauler and sell a ton of 'em here on ck5. I'd like a tandem axle K5 hauler myself...

j

 

[Emmettology 101]

There is Leonards Trailer sales in Niles, OH....

And also a place a little farther in Sandy Lake, PA... My father bought a trailer from J.J Sauer's in Sandy Lake. It was made by Performance Trailers and is pretty stout...

 

[jekquistk5]

dude, you should have the guy standardize a design for a 18' K5-hauler and sell a ton of 'em here on ck5. I'd like a tandem axle K5 hauler myself...

j

If everyone is interested I guess I could. He could use the bussiness. I'll get more info durring turkey day like I said. He has about 12 frames sitting outside his shop just waiting, and he just got a sweet new plasma cutter, so that should speed things up a little bit. If you guys are seriously interested let me know, shot me a PM or something. So i can show him the money he could make, but yet still giving the ck5 brothers an awesome deal

 

[jekbrown]

Just need to figure out how to get one from MI to WA... but yeah, I'd be interested. I was going to make my own, but steel prices are no joke these days... and anything that is gonna haul my cherished K5 needs to be reliably built by someone who really knows how to weld. lol! Be cool if you could get a barebones version that didn't include damn near nuttin' ya didn't absolutely need... be cheaper/faster to build and then the end user could modify it to fit their needs. Stuff like the decking and ramps etc any joe schmoe could make themselves. It would give us at least some claim to "built not bought" too.

j

 

[guido666]

How are these trailers made? Truck frames?

 

[dubbyx]

Big Tex and Cargo Craft

The two big ones down here are the Big Tex and the Cargo Craft...


I have the Cargo Craft 20' 7k dovetail, and will never buy another one of their products again. Dunno if they still make them or not even; their website shows only covered and horse trailers. Bought it last March, $2200 after taxes/title, $1800 sale price. So far I've replaced the fender liners, 1 tire (cut on bad weld job on fender liner), all the wiring, 2 sets of lights due to bad design (before I relocated the mounting brackets), and about 1/2 of the screws that hold the deck to the frame. Pulls great, holds way more weight than the axles are rated for. I use this thing twice a week or more. I'm just mad I've had to do so much work to it for the price I paid, and the dealer nor the company will return my phone calls.

The Big Tex was my other option. The quality is super nice, and the dealer has been more than helpful to me as I've gone to take measurements and inspect the build quality on their trailers to upgrade mine. Price at the time was $2800, before taxes and title, and the ONLY difference was steel decking vs. treated. I'd say if you could get one for under $2000 it's a great deal. I'd do it over if I could and spend that little on it.


I researched a lot of brands before I bought mine and most are built the same. Go over every weld you can get to. Double check the wiring and make the dealer hook it up to prove its wired correctly. Check the voltage on the breakaway box battery and test the brakes.

Sorry about the long post, but I got burned by bad service and am more than just a little bitter. Hope it helps you out a little though.

 

[77crewcab]

dubbyx where did you buy your trailer from? I am currently looking at buying from Danny's or H&H trailer sales.

 

[jekquistk5]

How are these trailers made? Truck frames?

No not at all!!! they are trailer frames from like mobile homes and what not. He just built one for his new backhoe he just bought, and that thing weighs more then a k5 trust me!!!

 

[dubbyx]

got mine from Ponderosa... they've got 2 locations, over on I-27, and one out by 4 corners...

if you want to save bucks, go out to that CPE Feeds in Brownfield. I think they have the non-dovetail, treated decks starting around $800 or so. They're not real fancy, but in retrospect, neither was my truck. I think my trailer's worth more than the 'burb right now.

 

[guido666]

No not at all!!! they are trailer frames from like mobile homes and what not. He just built one for his new backhoe he just bought, and that thing weighs more then a k5 trust me!!!

Sorry, didn't mean to offend. I am just new to trailers (and by new I mean I've seen pictures ) and I wasn't sure what kind of frames you were talking about. It just amazed me that you're talking $500 when the one I pictured above is $3000.

So does he just use the existing axle assemblies then? Do they have brakes? Do I need brakes (I assume I do)?

Also what do I need to run brakes? Do they run off the brake light signal from the lights, plus a power wire, or do I have to have special gizmos?

I'm very interested since a cheaper trailer means a cheaper move. My K5 is already going to burn about $700 of gas to get to Colorado!

Are the frames flat on top? What kind of bed do they have (wood?)? I'm really interested to see the pictures you take over Thanksgiving.