Choosing a trailer size and type
A trailer that is slightly too small gets used once and resented forever. One that is far too big is awkward to reverse, awkward to store and costs more to register. Four questions settle it.
1. What is the heaviest thing you will carry?
Not the most common thing — the heaviest. Soil, sand, gravel, pavers and firewood all reach the weight limit while the trailer still looks half empty. Work the numbers on the weights page before you shop.
2. What is the longest thing you will carry?
Lengths of timber, ladders and steel decide the deck length more often than weight does. Overhang is limited, so it is cheaper to specify the length up front than to discover the shortfall on the first trip to Fyshwick.
3. Single axle or tandem?
Single axle is lighter, cheaper, easier to move by hand and simpler to park. Tandem carries more, tracks more steadily at highway speed and is far more forgiving of a blowout — at the cost of more tare, more tyres and more to store.
4. Where will it live?
Measure the gate, the side passage and the garage before you measure the load. Plenty of Canberra blocks will not take a tandem down the side, and a trailer parked on the verge is a trailer that attracts attention.
The details that are cheap now and expensive later
Tie-down points beat straps
Rated, welded tie-down points in the right places are cheap when the trailer is being built and awkward to retrofit. Work out how you will strap the load before it is fabricated.
Ramps, tilt and loading height
How the load gets on matters as much as whether it fits. Mowers, bikes and machinery each want a different answer — slide-out ramps, a tilt bed or a beaver tail.
Lighting and wiring
LED lamps and a properly sealed loom outlast the trailer. Match the plug type to the tow vehicle up front — adaptors are the single most common cause of intermittent trailer lights.
Sides and cages
Higher sides add volume for almost no weight. Removable cages and drop sides let one trailer do two jobs, which is often cheaper than buying for the extreme case.
Jockey wheel and handling
If the trailer has to be moved by hand into a carport, that decides both the jockey wheel and, often, single axle over tandem.
Which trailer suits your job
Each links through to Resort Trailers, who build them to order in Queanbeyan — there you will find photos of real builds, specifications and pricing.
Keep reading
Ask about a build, a repair or a service
Tell us what you need to carry and we will come back with what suits it and what it costs. Enquiries go straight to the Resort Trailers workshop in Queanbeyan — no call centre, no obligation.