Folding trailer question

[Gomezy3k]

I came across an old thread "Where to buy a good small trailer?" from 2009 and not wanting to post in it and revive something that old figured I would start a new one.

I had thought about buying a small truck but a trailer would work if I can fold it or put it up where it is out of the way when not needed. I saw a thing about Harbor Freight trailers but they all only have small wheels (8 inch). I have heard that the 12 inch are better but do not see an option for them.

I do not have a lot of room to store a large trailer. Any suggestions?? I need a trailer that will be highway useable since we go camping in Oregon about a 2,000 mile round trip and I need something to haul camping gear.

 

[HemiRambler]

My nieghbor's son has one - not sure if it was H/F or what - but it had removeable stake sides and he said it folded up as well - looked pretty neat. He takes it pretty regular on 2-3 hour trips. IIRC his had the bigger wheels.

 

[KCarGuy]

A friend of mine who lived in a loft in the City, bought one from HF with the larger wheels (and a spare).
He Modified it with extra crossbeams and wood and actually towed his...and a friend's Harley's to Sturgis and Back.
I thought it was pretty Brave, but he said it tracked nicely and held up very well.
It was then easy to brake down and store in his Storage shed standing upright!

 

[russlaferrera]

IMO, Buy a trailer with the largest tires you can afford. Remember a small tire must rotate several times more than a car tire. So a vehicle traveling at 50 mph the trailer tire is going at 150 mph.

Trailer storage. Take the tires off.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I bought one of those folding trailer kits about 12 years ago at Home Depot and still have it. I put the bigger wheels on it and have taken it on a 2000 round trip to florida when it was a couple years old. I just moved the fenders up to the side of the wood side panels that I made for it to make room for the bigger wheels. It is still going strong after all these years. I really didn't have the room in my garage to store it so it has been sitting outside all of these years. I put a marine grade plywood deck on it so that it would not rot out in the elements. The deck is still good too. I would not hesitate to get another one, If they are still made the same.

Chris

 

[Mickey O]

I've been on the quest for a decent folding trailer for years, I've had two of them, the first for about 15 years, a USA made Nuway (the one Harbor Freight ripped off the design from, bought it for under $200 new at Menards in kit form) and then recently the Harbor Freight one with the 12" tires. I don't trust the HF one and bought it because I was in a pinch, it will be for sale shortly. Definitely get bigger tries and if you buy the HF one you' have to spend a few hours assembling it. Also to fold it up you have to remove nuts and bolts, bit of a pain in the ***, I modified mine (see pic below) to use trailer hitch pins instead of the nut and bolts (welded a 1/4" steel plate to box the frame behind it). Below are some pictures of trailers I ran across while looking for folding trailers, there's the Lifetime one, you can get those at Sears and Costco (if they still carry them) or directly from Lifetime, cheaper at Costco and Sears. Below the Lifetime is the Kendon trailer, in my opinion they are the best of the folding trailers (beware of the import knock-offs), they have a variety of different ones, I'll be getting one in the future.

Nuway Folding Trailer - USA Made

Harbor Freight Folding Trailer

 

[D Force]

Am I the only one on this forum that did even know what folding trailers were or even existed? It's a scary world out there.

 

[cyamaha2007]

A buddy just bought a tubular car hauler that folds up. Its crazy! I think its scary flying down the highway.www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQm-JS1F0oE&feature=PlayList&p=4DDBC77B17C3C585&playnext_from=PL&index=0&playnext=1

 

[Mickey O]

A buddy just bought a tubular car hauler that folds up. Its crazy! I think its scary flying down the highway.www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQm-JS1F0oE&feature=PlayList&p=4DDBC77B17C3C585&playnext_from=PL&index=0&playnext=1

That's a Kendon trailer.


One more thing, all the trailers above have leaf spring suspension except the Kendon, it has torsion bar, far superior to leaf spring. Torsion bar suspension rides nicer both full and empty and will compensate for unbalanced load side to side (meaning you can load up one side of the trailer and it will ride fine, where it wouldn't with leaf springs).

 

[cyamaha2007]

Oh and it is super super noisy

 

[nolatoolguy]

Am I the only one on this forum that did even know what folding trailers were or even existed? It's a scary world out there.

Oh ive heard of them. I have never bothered to even look into them. I dont think there is any trailer that folds in half that is up to my standards. They do make expandable trailers for semis, and those are pretty cool thoe.

 

[nate379]

Nope same here, but I have never lived in a place with a postage stamp sized yard either so parking the regular trailer off under the trees or whatever wasn't a big deal.

Am I the only one on this forum that did even know what folding trailers were or even existed? It's a scary world out there.

 

[Mickey O]

Sears has their version on sale, link.

Link to Kendon trailers, click here.

Link to Lifetime trailers, click here.


I believe both are made in the USA.

Also $999 at the Lifetime website plus free delivery.

 

[Mickey O]

Oh ive heard of them. I have never bothered to even look into them. I dont think there is any trailer that folds in half that is up to my standards. They do make expandable trailers for semis, and those are pretty cool thoe.

What exactly are your standards for a small occasional use light weight utility trailer?

The Lifetime's are decent trailers and the Kendon's are quite nice, especially for motorcycles (but they do make a utility style one), plus if you keep them inside they don't get all rusted out. I've had bigger trailers but for my needs they were always a pain in the ***.

It might also be worth looking into non-folding trailers like Triton Aluminum, they're cheap and light and can be stood upright or on their side for storage when not in use.

 

[91FE]

I've got a folding HF with 12" wheels and a diamond plate floor. It's perfect for my needs. Used it to haul my Road King (before selling it) several times, several hundred miles with no problems what so ever. I just made stake sides for it a few weeks ago, but haven't used them yet.

Mikey O- How do you keep the hitch clip from just pulling through the hole on the bent side? Seems like there wouldn't be enough thickness to keep it in place.

 

[Mickey O]

I've got a folding HF with 12" wheels and a diamond plate floor. It's perfect for my needs. Used it to haul my Road King (before selling it) several times, several hundred miles with no problems what so ever. I just made stake sides for it a few weeks ago, but haven't used them yet.

Mikey O- How do you keep the hitch clip from just pulling through the hole on the bent side? Seems like there wouldn't be enough thickness to keep it in place.

Here's an illustration, not the best but hopefully you'll get it, if not I can explain it more or see if I have a pic of the piece I welded on.

 

[BillGalbraith]

I have one of the HF folding trailers with the 12 inch tires maybe 3 years ago, when it was on sale for abour $200, minus a 20% coupon. Took a couple hours to assemble, but was not difficult.

I don't fold it up because I have room to store it. It has been a great little trailer, and I've used the **** out of it. I purposely bought the 4x8 size so that I could bring home sheets of plywood. I can also carry 10 foot sections of pipe without much overhanging. It has a 1200 lb capacity, which is about what my car will haul anyway, but I love my little trailer. It has paid for itself many times over. With the 12 inch tires, I've even some some highway time with lighter loads, although I might think twice if I was hauling 1000-1200 lbs hundreds or thousands of miles.

After a couple years in the back yard, in the weather, the fenders are starting to bubble up some rust. I need to get out there and treat them with Ospho and repaint before they rust through.

I recommend a bike flag or two, sticking up a couple feet. It makes it easier to see when backing up. I also had some airhead chick on a cell phone hit me at a traffic light. I was stopped, and she was talking, not paying attention. She hit me, and I went to put the car in park to go out to see if she damaged it, and she just started pushing me into the intersection. She said she didn't see the trailer.

All in all, two thumbs up. I'd do it again.

 

[91FE]

Here's an illustration, not the best but hopefully you'll get it, if not I can explain it more or see if I have a pic of the piece I welded on.

Makes sense... thanks.

 

[DIC]

I would rather have a regular one piece trailer....

 

[lawfarm]

I was one of the OPs on the original question, in 2009.

The lifetime trailers are really nice--if you can swing one, and have space to store it, that's definitely the way to go for folding trailers. I think they're heavier duty than the HF or Northern Tool equivalent, and don't require any modification to work well.

On the HF trailers, you're right. I've looked and can't find the 12" wheel version either. I don't think you could retrofit 12" wheels to the foldable 8" wheel version, as you'd lack clearance (and the bolt pattern may be different). But Northern Tool has what I think is the exact same trailer:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356493_200356493

From what I had read about the HF/Northern trailers, you should plan on completely rewiring it from the start. You may also want to take a good look at some of the hardware that comes with it--some of it is pretty chinsy, apparently. But a lot of people have really good luck with them (and surprisingly, I haven't heard of any tire issues with them). The rigidity of those trailers is greatly enhanced by securely bolting a sheet of plywood to them (ripped in half, so it will still fold).

 

[Mickey O]

Here are some better pics.

I was one of the OPs on the original question, in 2009.

The lifetime trailers are really nice--if you can swing one, and have space to store it, that's definitely the way to go for folding trailers. I think they're heavier duty than the HF or Northern Tool equivalent, and don't require any modification to work well.

And USA made, not sure what bearings they're using, that's what really scares me about the HF trailer, weird size Chinese bearings.

On the HF trailers, you're right. I've looked and can't find the 12" wheel version either. I don't think you could retrofit 12" wheels to the foldable 8" wheel version, as you'd lack clearance (and the bolt pattern may be different). But Northern Tool has what I think is the exact same trailer:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356493_200356493

From what I had read about the HF/Northern trailers, you should plan on completely rewiring it from the start. You may also want to take a good look at some of the hardware that comes with it--some of it is pretty chinsy, apparently. But a lot of people have really good luck with them (and surprisingly, I haven't heard of any tire issues with them). The rigidity of those trailers is greatly enhanced by securely bolting a sheet of plywood to them (ripped in half, so it will still fold).

You can retrofit the tires, the lug pattern is the same but you'd have to do something about the fenders (the larger the tires, the easier it is on the bearings). The wire kit for the HF trailer is junk, I tossed it. I've heard about a few problems with the bearings. Adding the plywood makes a huge difference I also welded the frame together (both sections separately so it still folds) and that adds a lot of rigidity to it.

 

[thrytis]

The HF folding trailer with 12" wheels is item number 90154. My has been very useful and stores compactly in the corner of the garage. It won't handle heavy loads though and probably not the best option if you have space to store it unfolded.

 

[rancheroxl]

I've got a Kendon. Carry two liter bikes. A great trailer. Lots of money, but no regrets.

And it stands up in the corner (with help from the neighbor...by the time you get the diamond plate tool box and gravel guard, its a heavy piece to lift on its hind legs).
Craig

 

[91FE]

The wire kit for the HF trailer is junk, I tossed it.

Ahh...forgot about that... me too. Running the ground through the trailer was causing me fits, so I ended up making my own wiring harness with a ground wire.

 

[MPDano]

I've been on the quest for a decent folding trailer for years, I've had two of them, the first for about 15 years, a USA made Nuway (the one Harbor Freight ripped off the design from, bought it for under $200 new at Menards in kit form) and then recently the Harbor Freight one with the 12" tires. I don't trust the HF one and bought it because I was in a pinch, it will be for sale shortly. Definitely get bigger tries and if you buy the HF one you' have to spend a few hours assembling it. Also to fold it up you have to remove nuts and bolts, bit of a pain in the ***, I modified mine (see pic below) to use trailer hitch pins instead of the nut and bolts (welded a 1/4" steel plate to box the frame behind it). Below are some pictures of trailers I ran across while looking for folding trailers, there's the Lifetime one, you can get those at Sears and Costco (if they still carry them) or directly from Lifetime, cheaper at Costco and Sears. Below the Lifetime is the Kendon trailer, in my opinion they are the best of the folding trailers (beware of the import knock-offs), they have a variety of different ones, I'll be getting one in the future.

Nuway Folding Trailer - USA Made

Harbor Freight Folding Trailer

I love it! I just got one of those Nuway Foldable trailers for $50 on Craigslist. I have it apart since I am repainting it and putting new lighting. It's also never been registered and the vin is barely visable. Hope I don't have any issues when I go to register it a t the dmv. Previous owner said they may just issue a new one. I'm gonna copy your side design. Thanks for posting these pics!!

 

[sammon287]

I have the Kendon dual rail and it's great. As noted above, the torsion beam suspension with 15" wheels is way better than undamped leaf springs and smaller wheels. It does not have sides on it obviously, but I have hauled brush and mattresses to the dump and picked up a new HF roller cab with it. It works best for its designed function of motorcycle transport, but the MC rails can be removed if desired. It fits in a corner of my garage that would otherwise be unused.

 

[Ramper]

I have the Craftsman one. I bought it on sale with free delivery. It works well and stores nicely.

 

[KEH]

Apologies to the OP, but I have no experience with folding trailers and will comment to Mickey O concerning his question to NALOTOOLGUY about standards for a light trailer:

I prefer to prepare for a situation that requires more hauling capacity than expedted. I want a #3500 capacity axle, five lug 14 or 15 inch tires, a minimum 4x8 bed but prefer 5x10. If they make a folder that will do that than, more power to them.

Re HF, BIL has a couple of HF trailers with no complaints, don't know if either fold.

KEH

 

[cactiki]

I have a Harbor Freight folding trailer. These are great little trailers! I bought it for $50, and have spent probably $150 more on it for wheels and tires, wiring, paint, and wood. I also modified it to be non-folding, because space is not a problem and I keep it outside. It is very simple to do, you just use two of the crossbeams, wh ich are c-channel, and place them inside the outer beams. Of course then you have to replace that, I just used a 2x4. Drill a few holes, add some bolts, and remove the hinge. It made the trailer much more solid, maybe also because then you can add a single sheet of 3/4" plywood for a deck.
Many people who build home-made teardrops trailers use the H.F. trailer for a foundation. They put a lot of effort, time, and heart into these creations, and then haul them many miles.Some of them weigh 1000 pounds! I think it says a lot for these trailers that they still use them, if they were not up to it I think they would use something else. Someday, I want to build one myself, and would have no hesitation about using my "$50 special" as a basis.
If you are interested in seeing some of these creations, a very good forum is located at mikenchell.com. They even have a whole sub-forum just about trailer secrets and tips, which is where I learned about how to convert mine to non- folding.

 

[vtx531]

I have the Harbor Freight one with the 12" wheels. It is great for my Jeep. I use it all the time. I have probably 1,000 miles on it. The max speed limit for the tires is 55mph... I go 60 and I haven't had a problem. Mostly though I use it around town for woodchips, building supplies, furniture, etc...

Couple pics in my garage thread here: http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54448

 

[MPDano]

I have a Harbor Freight folding trailer. These are great little trailers! I bought it for $50, and have spent probably $150 more on it for wheels and tires, wiring, paint, and wood. I also modified it to be non-folding, because space is not a problem and I keep it outside. It is very simple to do, you just use two of the crossbeams, wh ich are c-channel, and place them inside the outer beams. Of course then you have to replace that, I just used a 2x4. Drill a few holes, add some bolts, and remove the hinge. It made the trailer much more solid, maybe also because then you can add a single sheet of 3/4" plywood for a deck.
Many people who build home-made teardrops trailers use the H.F. trailer for a foundation. They put a lot of effort, time, and heart into these creations, and then haul them many miles.Some of them weigh 1000 pounds! I think it says a lot for these trailers that they still use them, if they were not up to it I think they would use something else. Someday, I want to build one myself, and would have no hesitation about using my "$50 special" as a basis.
If you are interested in seeing some of these creations, a very good forum is located at mikenchell.com. They even have a whole sub-forum just about trailer secrets and tips, which is where I learned about how to convert mine to non- folding.

Ha ha. I did the same thing. $50 Craigslist find. Foldable Nuway 4x8 circa 1979. Rusty with peeling original gray paint. About $150 worth of Paints, Plywood, Bolts, Safety Chains and new Wiring plus Lights and now I have this. Still need to build some sides though, plus re-install the Fenders.

 

[MPDano]

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