Two trailers of the same size can be very different. Capacity, construction and equipment make all the difference in use and at resale. Here are the eight questions to ask before buying a new trailer.
1. What are the GVWR, empty weight and payload?
The GVWR is the trailer’s maximum loaded weight; the empty weight is the trailer alone. The difference is the payload: what you can really haul. Compare the payload with your heaviest load. A lighter trailer, like an enclosed trailer with biocomposite panels, leaves more payload for the same GVWR.
2. Which axles and suspension?
The axle rating, for example 3,500, 5,200 or 7,000 lb, largely sets the trailer’s capacity. Leaf springs, often slipper springs, are simple, tough and easy to repair. Torsion axles give an independent, smoother suspension and a lower deck. Drop axles lower the trailer for a less steep ramp.
3. Does the trailer have brakes, and on how many axles?
In Québec, a trailer that weighs 1,300 kg or more with its load, or more than half the weight of the towing vehicle, must have brakes on all its load-bearing wheels. Electric brakes are run by a controller in the vehicle. Also ask whether there is a breakaway braking system.
4. Is the steel galvanized or painted?
Hot-dip galvanizing coats steel with zinc, inside the tubes as well as outside. With the salt and calcium of our winters, it protects the trailer much longer than paint, which eventually chips and lets rust set in. It is one of the best indicators of a trailer’s service life.
5. What is the deck made of?
Treated wood or hemlock gives good grip, absorbs impacts and can be repaired board by board. Plywood suits utility and enclosed trailers. Steel and aluminum last a long time but are more slippery when wet. Also ask about crossmember spacing: at 16 in, the floor is better supported.
6. What hitch does it need?
Check the coupler size, 2 in or 2 5/16 in, to get the right ball, the safety chain rating and the type of tongue jack. A trailer with electric brakes needs a 7-way plug and a brake controller. Our hitch and brake parts department orders whatever your vehicle is missing.
7. What are the usable dimensions?
The listed size does not tell the whole story. On a flatbed, ask for the width between the fenders and the flat deck length. On an enclosed trailer, the interior width and height, the door height and the ramp door rating. On a dump trailer, the side height and the cylinder tonnage.
8. What warranty and service?
Ask what the warranty covers on the structure, corrosion and components, and for how long. Ideal Cargo, for example, covers the galvanized structure of its EVO CORE trailers against corrosion for life, for the original buyer. Also ask who will service the trailer and where to get parts: at Martin Remorques, our workshop and parts department are on site.
What about financing?
A work trailer can pay for itself while it works. Look into bank financing and commercial leasing before you set your budget.
With these answers, you compare trailers on what really matters. See our trailers in stock: each page lists the trailer’s specifications, grouped by category.
