Hauling wood with a sedan

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

So we don't have a truck or an SUV. Our cars are paid off and they're good cars (my car is a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant and my husband's is a 2002 Nissan Maxima), so I'm not terribly interested in trading them in anytime soon. Also trucks are a pain to get carseats into. In ten years when I've driven the wheels off mine I'll probably FINALLY get a truck like a proper Texan.

My Galant has a V4, but my husband's is the full-size V6. I need a way to scrounge Craigslist and such to get wood to and fro. Think a trailer hitch would be worth it? How big could we go and how much do you think we could haul with that? It would be a lot easier to hitch something to my car (obviously) because the carseats fit better into my car, but I assume I wouldn't be able to tow as much with it.

Thanks!

~Rose

 

[Adkjake]

Go for it. The Maxima w/the V6 will tow a utility trailer with no problem. I have a 5x8 untility trailer that I bought from Tractor Supply, I think the max load limit is 1500 lbs. I 've had it loaded a bit higher than the side rails, which are only about 18 inches high, with logs and my Subaru Outback pulls it with no problem. Also tow the trailer with a Yamaha 450 ATV on it. Use the Subaru to tow the boat on occasion, 17.5 ft Lund with a 75hp outboard. Just adapt your driviing to the extra weight, especially braking.

My brother in law and I installed the hitch ourselves. All predrilled, pretty east, just had to drop and reattach part of the exhaust. Outbacks are prewired for trailer lights, finding the harness is a bit tricky, but it's there

 

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

Awesome, that's what I was hoping! Thanks! I can get me and the kiddo out during the day to cut it up and then the husband could swing by and pick it up for us. That'd be sweet.

~Rose

 

[SolarAndWood]

My 5x8 trailer has paid for itself many many times over. Just be very careful with the weight. Brake and suspension work can quickly eat up any savings from scrounging.

 

[flewism]

Both vehicles owners manuals will have their maximal safe tow capacity. A transmission cooler installed if not so equipped would be recommended as that will be the failure.

 

[thinkxingu]

Rosered:

1. Load properly, so the weight is over the trailer's tires, not on the tongue/car hitch.
2. Stay in one gear as much as possible on hilly terrain (watch the rpm's)--the tranny will thank you for it.
3. Give yourself time to stop, take flattest routes possible.

If you follow these steps, it would be the same as driving the car with all five passengers.

S

 

[Adkjake]

And one other tip, find an empty parking lot and practice, practice, and practice some more, backing up the trailer. Best way I know to learn and easiest method is to place your left hand on top of the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position. Look over your right shoulder, the trailer will go in which ever direction you move your hand. once you have this method down, move on to backing up using your mirrors. A little more difficult, but a good skill to have

 

[Shari]

Awesome, that's what I was hoping! Thanks! I can get me and the kiddo out during the day to cut it up and then the husband could swing by and pick it up for us. That'd be sweet.

~Rose

Not a good idea to cut it up and then leave it. The next person along will simply pick it up. Rule of thumb is not to cut up more than you can haul at the same time.

PS What would your kid(s) be doing while you are using the saw?

Shari

 

[mayhem]

PS What would your kid(s) be doing while you are using the saw?

Holding the logs maybe?

 

[Shari]

PS What would your kid(s) be doing while you are using the saw?

Holding the logs maybe?

That is what I am concerned about.

Saw kickbacks happen too fast.

I believe it was Stihl had some 'saw safety' videos online that were very informative to me when I first started using a chainsaw.

Also, invest in some PPE ("personal protection equipment" - like kevlon chaps, steel toes shoes, ear plugs, face shield, etc.) before you even pick up a chainsaw. A first aid kit comes in handy also. Don't laugh: Kotex pads make a wonderful bandage in an emergency.

Shari

 

[Danno77]

Small trailer can be pulled just fine and you can use it for all the wood you need. I have a 40x48 trailer from menards and have built a slightly bigger platform on it, but it hauls 1000lbs and has been very handy. it would be the perfect size (IMO) to be towed by a small car.

 

[SnapCracklePop]

"Best way I know to learn and easiest method is to place your left hand on top of the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. Look over your right shoulder, the trailer will go in which ever direction you move your hand."

Um, I think your hand goes on the bottom of the steering wheel, not the top...

 

[daveswoodhauler]

You can do it with a sedan, but don't expect to be able to haul much at one time.
Have a 2002 Subaru and it seems to work ok.
Trailer I got off Craigslist for $300...hauls about 1000 lbs.

 

[northwinds]

900 pounds per trip over time will add up to a lot of wood. I have a 2005 Golf TDI (small car with diesel engine)
that has moved well over a dozen cords of wood with a small trailer. Don't overload it. Try to stay on flat terrain.
Watch the rpm's and your clutch use. If you have trouble backing up an empty trailer, there's no crime in unhooking
the trailer, rolling it into place by hand, and hooking up again. I've done it many times when the terrain gets difficult.
I'm over 100k miles and no transmission problems and only second set of brakes. If you are off-road, as I frequently
am, a skid plate is useful.

 

[Shari]

I think Rose is on vacation but maybe she can catch up on this thread when she returns.

When I first started hauling wood I had NEVER backed up a trailer. I had some very embarrassing moments which I can laugh at now, thankfully. The 'put your hand here' thing didn't help me at all - I guess my mind didn't want to 'work in reverse'.

One day late last summer I happened to have one of our adult sons in my SUV when I was attempting to back up my firewood loaded trailer. He was getting exasperated at my failed attempts. I was flustered. Finally he said, "Mom, get out. I'll do it." I said, "No! I have to learn."

Then, he said, "Okay, Mom, back up just a bit and see which way the trailer wants to go. Follow the trailer and then correct it to where you want it to go."

FTT ("Follow the Trailer") works for me.

Shari

 

[Backwoods Savage]

"Best way I know to learn and easiest method is to place your left hand on top of the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position. Look over your right shoulder, the trailer will go in which ever direction you move your hand."

Um, I think your hand goes on the bottom of the steering wheel, not the top...

You beat me to it.

Lots of folks teach this method but I've never found it comfortable. I still use the top of the steering wheel when backing up. Maybe it goes back to the farm. We had to learn how to back up wagons and trailers at a young age. If backing up a wagon, you steer in the direction you want to go. If a trailer, then do the opposite. It just does not take long to learn and once it is learned it is never forgotten. The only hard part is....how long is the tongue? Wagons and trailers with short tongues are terrible to back up. Long tongues are easy. That is one reason you see the guys backing up semi-trailers so fast and easy. A piece of cake with those things. Well, for most people but not for others.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

backing up is tricky, especially if you cannot easily see the trailer. I think opposite. Meaning if I would normally turn the wheel to backup left then I know the trailer will go right. One thing nice about small trailers is that if you really mess up you can get out, take the trailer off the hitch and straighten by hand (if it is empty of course and semi level ground). Give yourselft plenty of room since obviously if the car is going one way and the trailer the other you need some room to maneauver. After a while it becomes second nature.

By the way Uhaul will put one on pretty reasonably.

 

[thinkxingu]

1. Get one of these, and you won't have to pick the trailer up: http://www.tractorsupply.com/traile...-ranch-bolt-on-marine-jack-with-wheel-1161671

2. I like using my mirrors to back up, and I use the "trailer goes where the fender of the car goes" method, i.e. if the front of your car is going to the left, so will the trailer. 60% of the time, it works every time.

S

 

[certified106]

Hmmm a car for hauling firewood. I would be extremely leery of using a large, medium, or small car for hauling firewood. First off most cars are just not designed or geared for hauling trailers especially with any weight on them at all. It will add ALOT of wear and tear to a small car very quickly suspension, tires, brakes, transmission, engine, etc....... These repairs can very quickly offset the savings of any firewood that you managed to scrounge up. If you are going to haul wood with a car you need a very light trailer and need to haul very small loads especially if the car is front wheel drive! It doesn't take much to get the front end light which causes changes in the handling of the vehicle, stopping power, and traction. By the way stopping is one of the things I would be the most concerned about as it doesn't take much green wood to add up to alot of weight and without trailer brakes the trailer can and will push your car around. Please be careful in your endeavors and have fun. All that being said scrounging up wood is always a good feeling, so have and be safe.

 

[Danno77]

One harvest season on a farm will teach you more about driving than you'd ever care to know. On the farm I learned everything I need to know about weight distribution, backing up trailers and wagons, what double-clutching is for REAL (not Fast and Furious crap), getting a stuck vehicle unstuck, how much dust can impact an engine, and I'm sure tons more.

All of that being said, My stupid little trailer is just about impossible to back up when I'm in a vehicle. Pulled behind the mower it's just fine. The tongue length DOES make a huge difference, but it's not just tongue weight, it's the relationship of that length to the wheelbase of the tow vehicle.

 

[certified106]

One harvest season on a farm will teach you more about driving than you'd ever care to know. On the farm I learned everything I need to know about weight distribution, backing up trailers and wagons, what double-clutching is for REAL (not Fast and Furious crap), getting a stuck vehicle unstuck, how much dust can impact an engine, and I'm sure tons more.

All of that being said, My stupid little trailer is just about impossible to back up when I'm in a vehicle. Pulled behind the mower it's just fine. The tongue length DOES make a huge difference, but it's not just tongue weight, it's the relationship of that length to the wheelbase of the tow vehicle.

Ditto on growing up on the farm. I grew up on a 300 acre dairy farm and you can gain some great backing experience. Nothing quite compares to backing hay wagons the extra steerable axle in the front and makes for some pretty frustrating moments until you get the hang of it. After awhile backing will just become second nature and you won't even think about it.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I agree that the smaller the trailer the bigger the pain. I can back my boat trailer without an issue and it is easy to see. My jet ski trailer is a nightmere and when there is no jet ski on it, I can not see it until it is too late to recover.

 

[Stubborn Dutchman]

I've had my 4' X 6' utility trailer for over thirty years and it has never let me down. I only bought the smaller 4' X6' because at the time my only vehicle was a small 4 cyl Chrysler product, a Dodge Omni. I've carried over a ton of stone in it behind that Omni. Tongue weight never exceeded 300 pounds, no worse than having two large adults in the back seat. If I stack it right, I can get close to a face cord of wood in it.

Just use good common sense. Balance the load, allow plenty of time for braking, and just take it easy. You will do fine once you master the art of backing up short trailers. Never be ashamed of having to pull forward a little for corrections. I still do it all the time because of the short tongue length.

 

[Beowulf]

I think you have gotten some good feedback in this thread. My two cents would be to get a small trailer like mentioned above, maybe a 4' x 6', and have a hitch put on either car that you would want to pull it with. It's really not that big of a deal for the car, if you use some judgment on factors like loads (light and in weighted in FRONT of the axle), speed (lower), distance (around town), and frequency of use (occasional).

Costs should be moderate, and if a truck is in your future, you might still use the trailer with it.

We bought a little trailer (5' x 10') and still use it a lot for brush hauling with the truck loaded up with wood.

Relax, enjoy!

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I agree that a trailer is always nice to have, even with a truck. It is alot easier to load than a truck, I can wheel my dolly right up on the trailer.