Harbor Freight trailers

Has anyone had any experience with Harbor Freight trailers? I am thinking of getting one at some point soonish to use to haul around motorbikes and the like.

Yea I have one of the 4x8 folding ones that I use behind my Miata for tires and lumber. It's what you would expect for the price. biggest deal is to keep it out of the weather as much as possilbe and the lights are a bit crappy.

Does the job for the price, but we have trailer builders on every corner in FL and I would think that for a bit more you could get a better trailer

I used one for kart racing for 2 years and didn't have any trouble with it.

Towed just fine, and the kart only hit 100 once - when it was on the trailer.

I towed my bike 500 miles up here from Texas on a 4x8 folding HF trailer my friend owned. He had diamond plate on top and mil-spec tiedowns. My bike weighs 8-900 lbs.

I have the 4x4(ish) that I cut down to make a tow-behind bike trailer from:

"They Say" the thing to do is bolt the trailer together, get it square, then weld the joints. I didn't bother with the bolts, which were high quality stuff with nyloc nuts. They went in my spare nuts and bolts bucket.

I may just build my own but with the number of projects I have I just want something quick and simple. I may just keep an eye on Craigslist.

I've had the pictured HF trailer for about 10 years. It has been quite useful. The pictures are what a friend used it for when I let him borrow it, recently.

redstack wrote: Yea I have one of the 4x8 folding ones that I use behind my Miata for tires and lumber. It's what you would expect for the price. biggest deal is to keep it out of the weather as much as possilbe and the lights are a bit crappy. Does the job for the price, but we have trailer builders on every corner in FL and I would think that for a bit more you could get a better trailer

why keep it out of the weather.. they rust badly?

mad_machine wrote:

redstack wrote: Yea I have one of the 4x8 folding ones that I use behind my Miata for tires and lumber. It's what you would expect for the price. biggest deal is to keep it out of the weather as much as possilbe and the lights are a bit crappy. Does the job for the price, but we have trailer builders on every corner in FL and I would think that for a bit more you could get a better trailer

why keep it out of the weather.. they rust badly?

The above trailer has always been outside in the weather. The paint looks chalky, now. That's about it.

I too have the 4 x 8 HF trailer. Upgrade the hubs with ones from http://www.redtrailers.com or Tractor Supply and you will never have a problem. Or just order from Red Trailers and you will be even happier.

I've got a 4x8 folding version too. I put a single 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood on as a deck as I don't plan to fold it. It comes in two boxes small enough I probably could have put three of them in the back of my Legacy. Took a couple evenings and a twelve pack or so of PBR to put it together. So far so good.

Tractor supply's Carry-On brand trailers cost a little more. Ok maybe twice as much. But can take more weight and are put together better. They don't fold up though, so you don't have a place to park it, that could be a problem.

I picked up a 5x8 Carry-On trailer last year on sale, it was $120 off and damn near the same price as their 4x7 on the lot. Has a ramp that folds down, 13" wheels, and a wire mesh floor. I planned on adding some 1x6 planks or something as a floor but you know how that goes....It was around $600 out the door with the hitch ball thing and flat-4 pin wiring kit for my van.

I really only use it a few times a year, but it is nice to have around, makes it easy to move larger quantities of heavy items around the yard, or picking up a big load of stuff for projects around the yard or house.

I was shopping craigslist for a while for utility trailers before I pulled the trigger, found a lot of stuff that just looked pretty beat, or even just a few years old, for near the same price. At that point I figured just spend a little more and buy new.

I own a HF 4'x4' version with the larger tires. On sale for $159 a few years ago. I will throw up a few pics tomorrow.

Too small for home stuff. I should have gotten the 4'x8 folder.

failboat wrote: Tractor supply's Carry-On brand trailers cost a little more. Ok maybe twice as much. But can take more weight and are put together better. They don't fold up though, so you don't have a place to park it, that could be a problem.

Not worried about the folding. I may take a look at them.

I have this model:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1720-lb-capacity-super-duty-48-inch-x-96-inch-utility-trailer-with-12-inch-five-lug-wheels-and-tires-94564.html

Picked it up for $300 on New Year's day with a coupon. Went together pretty well, my wife painted it with black rustoleum before we assembled, hopefully that'll allow it to last a little longer. In general, I use it for around-town trips and it's worked well. Can't tell you how many tons of topsoil and rocks it's hauled!

Two cautions: - one axle had a different sized inner bearing than the other, so there's some play in it. One of these days I'll get around to fixing it. - the fenders aren't well engineered, as they rubbed on the tires and blew one out on it's maiden voyage (2 miles in). I just took them off.

Overall, not a bad deal for the $$$, although I wish I had spent a little more for something that I could take on a highway (top speed for the trailer is 55 MPH).

carzan wrote: I've had the pictured HF trailer for about 10 years. It has been quite useful. The pictures are what a friend used it for when I let him borrow it, recently.

I think you're slightly over gross weight limits.

93EXCivic wrote:

failboat wrote: Tractor supply's Carry-On brand trailers cost a little more. Ok maybe twice as much. But can take more weight and are put together better. They don't fold up though, so you don't have a place to park it, that could be a problem.

Not worried about the folding. I may take a look at them.

I thought I had a pic lying around and I did.

Puttin it to work.

What speeds are people driving? I would be using this to drive 300 miles in one day and at highway speeds.

4 x 8 Folding trailer. I have replaced the hubs because the OEM Chinese ones suck (redtrailers.com) and upgraded to LED tailights. I also added a separate circuit for turn signals because my car works better that way. (It's a 2008 Kia Rondo. I am sure the 2014 Kia Rondo is way better.)

pinchvalve wrote: 4 x 8 Folding trailer. I have replaced the hubs because the OEM Chinese ones suck (redtrailers.com) and upgraded to LED tailights. I also added a separate circuit for turn signals because my car works better that way. (It's a 2008 Kia Rondo. I am sure the 2014 Kia Rondo is way better.)

To bad my Kia forte does not have a plug and play wiring harness :(

Do you have to get a specific hub? I would prefer to get a hub and tires that can handle higher speeds, weight isn't a issue because karts don't weigh that much.

Also try northerntool.com. their trailers are a big notch above HF.

I believe Adrian Thompson used a HF trailer as the basis for his camping trailer which has seen tons of use with heavy loads and high speeds. They towed it out to Colorado last summer and it didn't miss a beat. Maybe he'll chime in.

Me, I have my eye on one of those Tractor Supply 5x8 models. There's a TS a couple miles up the road from me and I check them out every time I go. I currently have a homebuilt "4x8" that's actually about an inch short in both dimension inside. No big deal unless you use it to haul lumber, in which case you can't put the tailgate on. It's very sturdy and strong, but it's just a shade too small, so I plan on cleaning it up and selling it in the spring.

Bought mine used from another SCCA racer earlier this year. Feel free to find my thread where I learned the hard way about cheap tie-downs and how to use them...

Trailers I have had in the past they jacked knifed, bounced in the air, and the slightest decline that would be moving side to side. Anybody have those issues?

trigun7469 wrote: Trailers I have had in the past they jacked knifed, bounced in the air, and the slightest decline that would be moving side to side. Anybody have those issues?

Jackknifed when backing yes, but none of the other issues.

If you are going to weld it, a sawzall, circular saw, or torch and not a lot of time will cut a 4x8 section out of the middle of a long bed pickup box floor. Weighs less than a sheet of plywood, and might be cheaper.

I don't think you can buy an axle, a set of springs, lights, wheels and a coupler for what a HF trailer sells for. Now if the first thing you do is swap the coupler for a 2" one and then add quality lights and hubs you are not quite as far ahead, but still not bad off.