Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Jerome Malsack]

Wheel chair ramps work well for various roll on and roll off. 
The drop ramp adds to the parking needs and you will have to ensure you have enough space when unloading and loading.   

The wheel chair ramps work very well to get up small steps.  Can be moved from location to location.  Trailer,  then up the curb,  then up the step into the venue.   Saves on the back and lifting when wheels are on the racks. 

[Chris Eddison]

Clearly you're in the US and looking at US available trailers, but I just wondered if anybody over your way has produced a combined dual door /  ramp trailer such as Ifor Williams produce (the ramp doors option);
http://www.iwt.co.uk/products/box-van/box-van-braked?tab=features
My friend's trailer has these and they're a real gift. They're very robust (we've wheeled many flight cases up that ramp and never been scared that the door might open).
Clearly their availability might be a problem, but somebody over that side of the Atlantic must produce something similar!

I'd also suggest looking at a front door as well as a rear door - just an access door, but it really does help with loading when you can stack stuff in with 2 people carrying, then the one at the nose can get out through the front.

Edit to add; Also, have a good long think about parking near your venues. I seriously considered a big trailer and 4x4 before I bought my van. It would have been a much more flexible arrangement and I could have wheeled the trailer in to my garage to secure it without having to unload. Sadly though a lot of my theatre venues are city centres without parking available except for loading and unloading. That means parking in a public or multi storey car park - neither of which are particularly trailer friendly.

[Jamin Lynch]

I've collected enough gear to pack my 6 1/2' bed pickup so I guess it's time for a trailer.

Any tips on what to look for? Right now I'm looking at 10 & 12' x 6' with a ramp.

Looks like there are various construction methods with each company claiming to be the best.

Thanks for any guidance you can give.

Get a good one. Don't cheap out.

Dual axles for sure
Rear ramp door with tail piece
LED lights....inside and out
Brakes
Spare tire rack outside of trailer

I have a V front trailer. I put a piece of 3/4" plywood  across where the V starts. I use the V area for mic stand storage.

[Steve M Smith]

I see there are a few recommendations to get brakes.  Are you allowed to run any sort of trailers without brakes? 

Here in the UK, even the smallest of trailers usually have a spring loaded over run system which applies the brakes if the trailer tries to travel faster than the vehicle pulling it.

Trailers under 750Kg are not required to have brakes by law but I would want them on a small trailer.


Steve.

[Art Welter]

I see there are a few recommendations to get brakes.  Are you allowed to run any sort of trailers without brakes? 

Steve,

The trailer brake requirements vary state to state, most requiring them on trailers in excess of 3000 pounds (around 1364 kilos) so are generally not as tight as the UK rules. The average tow vehicle weight may also be greater here, and stopping distance generally further, but many of the denser populated states have tighter restrictions.

http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/trailer-brakes/

I had been operating my 5 x 8 V nose trailer with no brakes with weight in excess of the law, but have since sold it  .
If I lived in a more populated area, I'd want trailer brakes on anything much over 1000 pounds, especially if rain or snow is typical. There were many times on snow and ice with my 18' tandem axle trailer that being able to apply it's brakes separately was the only way to keep it behind the van.

I don't miss Minnesota winters at all...

Art

[Rob Gow]

In my province, you need brakes for 2500lbs or over. I went with a single axle 5x12, ramp door. I'd go dual axle next time, but I just couldn't afford it at the time.

[Tommy Peel]

I see there are a few recommendations to get brakes.  Are you allowed to run any sort of trailers without brakes? 

Here in the UK, even the smallest of trailers usually have a spring loaded over run system which applies the brakes if the trailer tries to travel faster than the vehicle pulling it.

Trailers under 750Kg are not required to have brakes by law but I would want them on a small trailer.


Steve.

I've pulled quite a few trailers w/out brakes generally with no problems, but I don't recommend it. I was pulling said trailers in fairly flat East Texas with a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel pickup. I've been more worried about stopping a small stock trailer(10-12ft, no brakes) with a lawnmower in it when I pulled it with my old Dodge Dakota than pulling something heavy on a longer trailer(no brakes) with a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup. Those large pickups generally have quite a bit excess stopping power built in.

[Rob Gow]

Stack your gear and figure out what heights you want for 2 rows of E-Track. I love my ramp door, and also got them to put on a threshold plate, to cover the gap between the door and the trailer when the ramp door is down.

[Jamin Lynch]

I see there are a few recommendations to get brakes.  Are you allowed to run any sort of trailers without brakes? 

Here in the UK, even the smallest of trailers usually have a spring loaded over run system which applies the brakes if the trailer tries to travel faster than the vehicle pulling it.

Trailers under 750Kg are not required to have brakes by law but I would want them on a small trailer.


Steve.

It's a good idea to have brakes even if they are not required.

[Joe Jordan]

Thanks for all of the advice. I found a dealer today that sells trailers with a one piece roof, all tube steel construction and marine grade plywood floors. Here in Virginia brakes are required 3000lb and up. A single axel 12' trailer without brakes has a cargo capacity of less than 2000lb.

I'm currently hauling just over 1000lb of gear and the point of getting a trailer is to have room for more. So it looks like I should get the dual axel that has a cargo capacity of just over 5000lb.

I'll be pulling this with a chevy HD2500, parking is not an issue at 90% of the venues I work, the others will be tight but will still work.

Thanks again.

Joe

[ProSoundWeb Community]