Opinions on folding trailers.

[zanemoseley]

Here's the deal, I have a Mazda CX-5 which obviously has limited towing capacity. I need a small trailer to haul 2 kayaks at a time, bags of mulch, hauling lawn aerators rentals and possibly my 52" Scag vride mower.

Originally I was thinking of buying a 5x8 or 5x10 fabricated trailer. I have 2 acres but it's mostly sloped and not sure where I would store it really. It will also sit in the elements all year for a handful of used, this will accelerate wear. I'm also a bit concerned with hauling a larger trailer with my pretty small vehicle.

I stumbled on the folding trailers. I really love how they store upright in the garage, I have a side storage area in the garage that would fit it great. The problem is most are pretty cheap, most common being the Harbor Freight models.

I've found a newer 4x8 model that Northern Tool sells that is made from aluminum and has free shipping. It has really good reviews so far. It costs about $560 plus tax with discount codes. The one downside to the folding trailers is that they are almost all limited to 4' wide which won't fit my mower, not a huge issue though since I'll only transport for repairs and it's brand new so probably won't break for 10 years or more. Other than that it checks all my boxes. I also have friends with large trailers I can borrow it needed.

So who has experience with folding trailers?

Here's the Northern Tool aluminum model.

http://m.northerntool.com/products/shop~tools~product_200660343_200660343?hotline=false

 

[dave_the_nerd]

...not a huge issue though since I'll only transport for repairs and it's brand new so probably won't break for 10 years or more.

haha.

 

[zanemoseley]

Dave, look up the Vride, it's an $8000 commercial mower and will be used on my 2 acre yard only. I'll do all the regular maintenance and transport only for major repairs.

Before I got old, fat and lazy I had a 40" walk behind Toro commercial. I had it for 8 years and put just 200 hours on it, took a couple years to get my yard established well so wasn't used much at first. After 8 years it never had to be fixed at a shop, worst thing I had to do was replace the main belt since the idler pulley got loose and shreaded it. Commercial mowers are designed to last thousands of hours with rare major repairs, we're not talking about a Walmart Murray special.

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[Corn]

If you drop the deck on the mower, it will fit just fine on the trailer. Most decks separate pretty easily.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, if you've got a track record then I will just wish you continued good fortune.

How wide a trailer would you need? 5 feet?

http://www.competitiveedgeproducts....ding-Truck-Trailer-Fold-Up-Trailer_p_889.html

It's discontinued, but at least somebody was making one...

I would probably just get a not-folding trailer, and then figure out how to stow it (maybe some ropes and pulleys) up out of the way when I wasn't using it.

 

[jdoggg12]

http://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-in-x-96-in-heavy-duty-folding-trailer-62648.html

There's a stupid-high number of these trailers that show up to motorcycle track days. They're better than average quality in terms of HF products. I would have picked one up myself if a friend hadn't agreed to go halvsies with me on this trailer instead.

 

[coxmaster]

Agreed with others.. The harbor freight trailers are pretty good. Pull my kart regularly on one.

 

[Zivic]

Dave, look up the Vride, it's an $8000 commercial mower and will be used on my 2 acre yard only. I'll do all the regular maintenance and transport only for major repairs.

Before I got old, fat and lazy I had a 40" walk behind Toro commercial. I had it for 8 years and put just 200 hours on it, took a couple years to get my yard established well so wasn't used much at first. After 8 years it never had to be fixed at a shop, worst thing I had to do was replace the main belt since the idler pulley got loose and shreaded it. Commercial mowers are designed to last thousands of hours with rare major repairs, we're not talking about a Walmart Murray special.

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I have a scag tiger cub 52" mowing 1.3 acres of land. had it now for about 6 yrs ~150 hrs... paid a little north of what you did all in.... it's been in the shop a couple times. new doesn't mean anything. "commercial" doesn't mean anything other than "expensive".

what I am getting at is buy a trailer than can accommodate your mower

 

[WilliamM2]

I had a folding trailer in the 80's. Even built the optional side rails to protect the motorcycles from rocks and other road debris. I could easily tow two dirt bikes, or one streetbike behind my VW Rabbit with it.

With 3/4" plywood floors, it was quite heavy to move around the garage folded up, but didn't take up much space. My brother still has it, and uses it. But something tells me the new ones won't hold up as well.

 

[zanemoseley]

Well I ordered the Northern Tool aluminum folding trailer. At the end of the day I'm guessing the trailer will only be used 4 times or so a year. Being able to store in my garage was a huge selling point, won't have to weed eat around it and it will surely last a lot long being out of the elements.

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