What Features Should You Consider When Buying a Trailer?

Purchasing a trailer can be a significant investment, and understanding not only what your intended use is and also what features should be considered can make all the difference. With years of experience and thousands of trailers for sale across our dealer network, we understand the time and effort involved in making your first trailer purchase. This guide will walk you through items we have commonly come across when helping individuals with their trailer needs.

What trailer features matter most?

Understanding the features that matter most, can influence the price and quality of the trailer you intend to purchase. While it’s easy to be swayed by appearance, trailers with top reviews; beyond the surface, features found on a trailer will impact performance, safety and the longevity of your investment.

What do you plan to use the trailer for?

Before making the decision to buy a trailer, it’s important to understand what you will be using it for. The intended use should help shape your decision, and many of the features you might be concerned about.

Whether you’re simply intending to carry materials from the home improvement store, transporting livestock, or hauling heavy equipment to the jobsite - there are many trailer types available and each use case has its unique requirements. Having a sound understanding of your intended role early on can help ensure your trailer fits your needs. Unsure of what type of trailer is right for you? Explore listing of trailers for sale in your area.

Trailer Size & Load Capacity

Understanding Trailer Size

When it comes to trailers, size does matter. Depending on your intended use, ensuring what you plan to haul or transport fits comfortably within the dimensions of the trailer is key. In addition, the size of a trailer can impact how easy it is to maneuver, especially in tight spaces or when storage becomes a premium.

When shopping for a trailer, taking into account what you intend to haul will greatly impact the size of your trailer. If possible, consider what you might want to use your trailer for in the coming years. If there is an opportunity to haul larger loads, it might be wise to invest in a slightly large trailer now, rather than needing to upgrade again soon.

Understanding Load Capacity

The maximum weight a trailer is designed to carry, safely, is load capacity. Going back to your intended use and what you plan to haul, will come into consideration when determining your load capacity needs. Exceeding the load capacity of any trailer can not only jeopardize your own safety, but the safety of others around you on the road.

Overloading a trailer beyond its maximum load capacity can lead to fines in many states, in addition to general wear and tear on your trailer and tow vehicle.

Tires Are More Than Just Wheels

Trailer Tires for Safety & Efficiency

No matter its use, tires are a critical part of any trailer that can impact everything from safety, reliability, to fuel efficiency. Ensuring the trailer has the right tires for its intended use and load can help prevent failures like tire blowouts and damage to the trailer or your cargo. Trailer tires are sized appropriately for the intended use or load, with load ranges varying from B on up through E.

Most lighter weight applications such as watercraft trailers, small cargo or utility trailers, will typically use a load range B (LRB) tire. Whereas medium sized trailers utilize a load range C (LRC) tire, and the larger car haulers and even fifth wheel applications will use a load range D (LRD) or higher. High stress or load applications such as equipment trailers will often be found with load range E (LRE) tires installed.

Choosing The Right Floor Decking

Wood vs. Metal Trailer Decking

Trailer floors, often referred to as decking, are often available in many different materials with the most common being wood or a type of metal. For those seeking the ultimate in durability and wear resistance, you might want to consider a metal floor, like steel or aluminum. Whereas wood floors, either plywood or planks, can be more cost effective but more likely to wear out over time.

Wood is the most commonly found material on trailer floors. Most enclosed cargo, car haulers, snowmobile trailers, and even livestock trailers use treated plywood. Whereas open utility and landscape trailers, and car trailers, will use treated wood planking.

Metal and synthetic materials are found typically on aluminum trailers or special-order units that have been purposely built with the ultimate in durability in mind. Typically, metal decking such as aluminum, synthetic, or even steel, will have an impact on the price (and weight) of a trailer.

Ramps vs. Doors: Ensuring Easy Access

What Are The Differences Between Trailer Ramps and Doors?

You want your trailer to be as functional as it can be for the task at hand. This includes not only transportation, but also loading and unloading your trailer. Doors are typically only found on enclosed trailers, they provide a very secure entry for cargo trailers. Enclosed trailers that are being used for larger equipment, recreational vehicles, or car haulers, typically have ramps that fold down out of the back to make the loading easier. Open trailers and equipment trailers most often use flip down or slide out ramps that are designed to handle the vehicles and machinery being transported.

Our recommendation is to take into consideration your current and future needs before committing to a trailer with doors vs ramps. Always keeping the intended use in mind, will help you future proof your trailer buying decision.

Top Trailer Safety and Security Features

Moving past accessibility and what you plan to use the trailer for, the design features for cargo safety and security need to be considered.

Doors and fold down ramps found on enclosed trailers, should all have keyed locks or provisions for your own padlock to be added. This facilitates both the security of whatever is being transported, while giving another safety option by locking a door or ramp in the closed position.

Ramps should be constructed in a design that is adequate for the intended use. Keeping in mind, the fold down ramp on the back of a snowmobile trailer is much lighter than that of an enclosed car hauler. Meaning if overloaded, the fold down ramp on your trailer could fail over time.

Trailer Suspension Systems

Trailer Leaf Springs vs. Torsion Axle Suspension

Your trailer’s suspension system plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of your cargo. Its purpose is to not only absorb the shock from roads and provide a smooth ride, but it also limits the wear-and-tear on your tow vehicle and cargo that’s loaded on the trailer.

Lead springs are a common suspension design in trailers and are used widely due to costs, ease of repairs, but sometimes deliver a harsher ride. Torsion axles, while a bit more complex, do offer a smoother ride and long lifespan. Depending on the use of the trailer, one suspension feature might be better suited over another.

Typically, smaller trailers such as enclosed cargo trailers, smaller boat trailers and even travel trailers, use torsion axles. Whereas many of the heavier trailers like car haulers, equipment trailers and even livestock trailers, rely on leaf springs to do their job.

Trailer Brake Types and Uses

Electric vs. Hydraulic Trailer Brakes

Trailer brakes are a braking system that is completely independent of the tow vehicle and can offer up a significant amount of braking power and safety. While commonly found on larger trailer applications such as enclosed cargo, car hauler and equipment trailers; brakes can be applied to any trailer if you desire.

There are two common trailer brake systems, electric and hydraulic. The most common form of trailer brakes are electric and rely on a small amount of voltage from the tow vehicle or onboard battery that signals the brakes to engage when you press the brake pedal in your vehicle.

Hydraulic trailer brakes on the other hand are similar to what you find in your vehicle. There is a series of brake lines that are run on the trailer and connect to a reservoir of fluid that is typically found near the hitch.

Hydraulic trailer brakes require a bit more maintenance and care than electric brakes. With lines that can corrode, fluid that needs to be checked, there simply is more moving components in the hydraulic trailer braking system you must be aware of.

Choosing The Right Trailer Features Before You Buy

While there are many features to consider when buying a trailer; they are not a one-size-fits-all. The single most important element you can have defined before making a purchase decision, is determining what you plan to use the trailer for.

Allowing the current and future use of your trailer will be your guide to the exact features needed to ensure you are buying a trailer that is right for your needs. Don’t be afraid to ask others as they can provide valuable insights on the features that matter the most to them, and why.

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