5 Foot Wide Utility Trailer?

Burnham said:

Peter, you haven't been paying attention to the current fad...you have to use a T&G felling cut to keep the tree on the stump.


Sorry, Sean...I'm being a bit of an azz .

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Tree09 said:

Most smaller (made for pickup trucks) utility trailers use the sides as a beam for strength/cheapness of materials. By having a 2' angle iron or square tube, or expanded metal side they have created a beam that is stronger than those materials alone. A true flatbed will be more expensive because they need to use bigger materials to achieve this strength. I repeat, for the last time, if you have a thousand or more to drop on a trailer, don't buy those lightweight brand new mower trailers. You will completely destroy them, or you will work so gingerly around them you lose any advantage of using them in the first place. If you want to make money doing tree removals, you need to buy a used trailer that is on the upper limit of what your truck can pull. Dump is ideal, lacking that, get one that is even bigger, and preferably a flatbed for ease of unloading. If you don't want to do that yet, rent a trailer, they rent cheap. I rent a 12k dump trailer all the time. Just figure it into the bid. Doing that you will be way ahead of using a mower trailer you bought for 1k+

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SeanKroll said:

1' sides are too short.

If you're buying new, they can make it any way you want.

My flatbed didn't have 'stake pockets', nor chain hooks. My welder bought a piece of 2x4 tube steel, and cut the pockets.

If you are going to have 4' stationary sides, just buy a metal sided trailer. It will look better, be more sturdy, and you won't be spending time and money futzing around.



Again, this is just another tool in the toolbox. I use this as a labor saver, ONLY when its is a labor saver. I know that this doesn't look fancy, but I don't like hauling brush farther, especially steeply uphill, than need be. That load is still sitting in my trailer, waiting for a convenient time for an employee to take it to the dump. I have 4 trailers. One tiny 4x8x2', one tandem HD, one 5 lug, and one 6 lug.

The 6 lug has 4' stationary wood sides that I use as a 5 yard chip box moved by the mini-loader., which also hauls the mini-loader, stump grinder, mulch, soil, brush, etc. Last time I used it that way was about a year ago. Moved the chipper and then the trailer to within 15' of the tree. My chip truck would have been a 100'+ drag. I can move the trailer to make many small dump piles on a property where people will use the mulch, rather than one big pile in the driveway, where they won't want it, so it will have to go offsite.

Also, for me, I can drop that trailer off in a tight spot for a friend to unload mulch when they can get to it.

My point is that may tools in the toolbox help you work different situations different ways. Multi-purpose gear is great. Figure out how to make things work for YOU. You have to find a niche, or you're competing against everyone, and they are better equipped and have more man-power.

The more you can be good at the technical stuff, and make a mess for the homeowner to clean up, the better off You'll be, IMO. You're not in shape, or age for hard physical labor. It will make you strong, if you don't get an acute injury in the process, but the wear and tear will catch up to you. Mick, Marc-Antoine, and I all have sore shoulders at the moment. I'm only 44. Strong for my age. My shoulders are very strong. Strength doesn't prevent inflammation.

Niches! Another niche I exploit in my market is making habitat snags. The taller the snag, the less wood for me to handle, plus a value-added service (IF I'm using that term correctly). That tree hugger thing separates me from many places in town that are just removal services.

$0.02

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Skwerl2 said:

Robert,
To sum up what Sean is saying, you have to outsmart the log. Many (most) people try to out muscle the log. I think you began this journey with the idea that you could out muscle the log. Hopefully you are beginning to see that is not a very fruitful method of doing this work long term. Poor people out muscle the log. The guy with money has figured out how to outsmart the log.

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sawman said:

Great post Brain

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Raj said:

Good post Brian!!
My method of saving some energy.

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BOTS said:

Yep, dump trailer or get and older F350/ F450 with dump bed...you will thank us later

That trailer your looking at is not a good choice...anything that dumps is king

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dstimber said:

Dump trailers are hard to beat. I'd really like to move towards a chip truck and chipper soon. If it all pans out like I hope it will. And if dreams really do come true. A tracked lift and mini skid. But for now it's me the tundra and my homemade dump trailer.

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SeanKroll said:

Gravity and friction NEVER get tired, EVER.


It was painful for me to watch my friend unload logs off my trailer this morning at his house. I gifted him a bunch of 8-13' doug-fir logs, small diameter, some dry, some green, some in the middle. 12"(-) diameter.

He was telling me that his body hurt from carpentry/ sports.

It was painful to watch because he was doing 3-4 times the work I'd have done if I were doing it. Efficiency, and machines (preferably self-powered machines).


I used to build granite retaining walls on trails in the backcountry. Sierra granite is about 175-200#/ Cu.Ft. Efficiency of action is crucial. The stone never ever got tired. We used to move big stones, only though efficient teamwork, and big levers, and a grip-hoist. You can't be sloppy when dealing with those masses. Have to be smart and strong.

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rfwoody said:

Raj, I have been looking at those things in case I start seeing they would profit me.

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