HF Foldable Trailer?

[chopnhack]

Good stuff folks, thanks!

[JimD]

South Carolina does not put tags on trailers so I did not use the title that came with my HF trailer. It folds twice to get to minimum size or a stable configuration when vertical. First you fold the back half over the front (I call the part with the tongue the front). My son then pulls the pins for the tongue and stands it up. I usually tilt it up and then pull the pins. I will try his way sometime. It is not super light when you are doing this.

I have rails on mine that I made of planned down 2x4s. I wanted them 1 1/8 thick with 1/2 bb shims in the stake pockets to move the rails out far enough a 49x97 piece of melamine would fit. It is handier to load plywood into too. The rails attach with clevis pins and bolts into captured nuts to join the front and back to the ends. 2 bolts per corner so 8 total. With a speed handle it takes maybe 20 minutes to unfold the trailer and attach the rails. Maybe 15 to tear it back down.

It takes most of a day to lay the trailer out and bolt it all together. There are a lot of bolts. But all the pieces were there and fit together fine.

Jim

[DustyandLefty]

worked well until one day

I've got an old Harbor Freight one behind the tractor shed at the moment. Yes, it would fold up with the two pieces of 4x4 3/4 inch plywood on the base. I made the sides and front and tailgate removable. It did hop around a lot when empty, so I needed to put bolts through the tailgate to keep it from popping off when going down country roads.

Buying a spare is a really good idea; you can bolt it to the front of your rails.

And here's a tip -- when I bolted the fenders onto the frame above each tire using the 1 1/2 inch bolts that came with it, it seemed like a good idea to have the extra length of each bolt facing down. Then came the day when I piled too much clay into it to haul away. The heavy load sagged down onto the springs, and those bolts carved a neat groove right down the middle of each tire, slicing it in half! Oops...

D&L

[Ed62]

I have one, and it's one of the best buys I ever made. With the decking put on in 2 pieces, it does fold up. If you make sides for it (recommended), you can make them with 2X4 posts and 1X4s or 1X6s. They can easily be removed for folding. If you get one, be ready for assembly. It must have 54 million nuts, bolts, and washers. Well, maybe a little exaggerated.

I considered buying a pickup, for the times when I buy sheet goods or haul other things. I opted for the trailer. It doesn't require separate insurance, and there is little maintenance.

Ed

[luteman]

I have one and it's a dandy trailer. I had a pickup truck but got tired of paying extra insurance and license for about 4 months of use. I agree there are a jillion nuts and bolts to put it together but all the parts were there. It also came with proper legal documentation which allowed me to buy a permanent license plate(Michigan) without difficulty. I put in a plywood floor and sides. In the winter, I cover it with a tarp and use it as a temp. storage shed for excess lawn care tools.

[woodturner]

In its maiden trip on the freeway on a lumber run I stopped by a tire store and had them install 12" tires and wheels. Mine is currently out of service because I bent the axle.

The description says the trailer comes with 4.80" x 12" tires. Did it come with something different when you bought yours? What was the reason for changing the tires?

All this talk about trailers has me thinking I should get one - much easier to load equipment onto a trailer than lift it into the bed of the truck.

[thrytis]

There is an 8" version and a 12" version. I think only the 8" one was originally offered, which is probably the one Mark had.

[cabinetman]

There is an 8" version and a 12" version. I think only the 8" one was originally offered, which is probably the one Mark had.

The 12" version has a greater weight capacity, probably less bearing wear because of turning less rotations for the same distance, and will likely just ride better down the road.
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[phi1l]

Allegedly, the 12" tires won't fly apart until after you get over 70 mph

[capncarl]

It tows so well that you can forget it is back there, and back up, jack knife the trailer and run completely over it!

capncarl

[sscherin]

I got mine used from a guy who had used it to haul Quads up from California.
he had never registered it and gave me the certificate of Origin.. That piece pf paper is what you will need to title and license it if your state requires it..

He decked it with some 1/2 ply.. I'd recommend 3/4.. It's flexes a bit when you throw a 550lb bike on it..
If you set it up to fold be careful of your wire routing on the tongue.. It's easy to pinch the wires in the frame.
We just pull the tongue pins, tilt and roll the bikes right on or off..

When towing empty with the suburban it's hard to see and easy to forget it's back there..

[billwmeyer]

I just bought the 8" version and finished putting it together yesterday, but I still have to put on the decking and the sides. It folds right in the middle and it has casters to roll it on when it is folded. I haven't pulled it yet, but so far I like it.

Bill

[cabinetman]

I got mine used from a guy who had used it to haul Quads up from California.
he had never registered it and gave me the certificate of Origin.. That piece pf paper is what you will need to title and license it if your state requires it..

He decked it with some 1/2 ply.. I'd recommend 3/4.. It's flexes a bit when you throw a 550lb bike on it..
If you set it up to fold be careful of your wire routing on the tongue.. It's easy to pinch the wires in the frame.
We just pull the tongue pins, tilt and roll the bikes right on or off..

When towing empty with the suburban it's hard to see and easy to forget it's back there..

Just off the top of my head, looking at the picture, it appears that you may have the weight too far forward. Ordinarily, the tongue should carry about 10% of the cargo weight. FWIW.
.

[JimD]

C'man,

I agree but I think the rule-of-thumb (ever hear where that phrase comes from?) is that at least 10% of the weight should be on the tongue. If the bike is less than 600 lbs, then the tongue weight may be OK for a Suburban with a class 3 hitch but it could be a bit much for a lighter hitch. It will pull well as long as the weight is at least 10% forward, more weight on the hitch shouldn't hurt anything as long as the hitch and trailer don't mind.

Too little weight forward is readily detected by the trailer wanting to wag your car (i.e. wanting to move back and forth).

Jim

[cabinetman]

C'man,

I agree but I think the rule-of-thumb (ever hear where that phrase comes from?) is that at least 10% of the weight should be on the tongue. If the bike is less than 600 lbs, then the tongue weight may be OK for a Suburban with a class 3 hitch but it could be a bit much for a lighter hitch. It will pull well as long as the weight is at least 10% forward, more weight on the hitch shouldn't hurt anything as long as the hitch and trailer don't mind.

Too little weight forward is readily detected by the trailer wanting to wag your car (i.e. wanting to move back and forth).

Jim

The capacities of the receiver type isn't my concern with this picture. It's where the weight on the trailer is positioned in relation to the axle.
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