I'm looking into purchasing a trailer for firewood transportation, for all the reasons everybody else buys a trailer to aid in their wood scrounging. But I don't know what kind/form of trailer I need. I've towed a trailer or two in my time, but I pretty much have no technical/informational knowledge of trailers. What does everybody on here use? I have a Ram 2500 6.4L so vehicle capability isn't an issue. I'm not looking for a massive dump trailer, just something I can load/roll/winch rounds onto.
I need trailer purchasing advice...
- Thread starter BlueMule
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
lsucet
Minister of Fire
Well, I will recommend looking in Craigslist. Sometimes there is good deals there. Another thing to keep in mind is, the area where you are going to be going, how big of a trailer is manuable. That plays a big role if you have an idea. Go to local utility trailer places in your area, they can give you an idea what people in your situation use. Sometimes they have good deals too.
Dump trailer sure is nice when you get home and your dragging and all you have to is hit the button.Dump trailers come in all sizes as you know. They can also be used for more than firewood as well.I have 4 trailers here including a tandem 14k dump.It by far gets used the most.I like/love the dump button...lol
Bad LP
Minister of Fire
You could look at a dump body that fits inside your pickup body. Of course its a little higher off the ground for loading but being waist high for splitting or pressing the dump button has its merits.
No title or registration fee's either.
No title or registration fee's either.
CL all day long.
I have an '06 D-max. I found a very local guy selling a 2 year old Load Trail 7x16 that has dual 7K axels. New price would have been approaching 5 K but I got it for 3 K. It had less than 2000 miles on it. Way overkill for the original intended purpose of hauling a lifted '06 Jeep Unlimited to and from trail rides. To this day the Jeep has only been on it once, parked in the driveway for test fitting. However, the trailer has hauled 4 healthy loads (roughly 8 cord) of wood, a yard of 3/4 gravel and about 6 pallets (27 cu yards) of bagged mulch. We use a pallet every year. Her mom and Grandma split a pallet each year.
I think the CT tags are 19 bucks every 2 years, but the town whacks us with property tax every year. Still worth it to have it on hand when the need arises.
I have an '06 D-max. I found a very local guy selling a 2 year old Load Trail 7x16 that has dual 7K axels. New price would have been approaching 5 K but I got it for 3 K. It had less than 2000 miles on it. Way overkill for the original intended purpose of hauling a lifted '06 Jeep Unlimited to and from trail rides. To this day the Jeep has only been on it once, parked in the driveway for test fitting. However, the trailer has hauled 4 healthy loads (roughly 8 cord) of wood, a yard of 3/4 gravel and about 6 pallets (27 cu yards) of bagged mulch. We use a pallet every year. Her mom and Grandma split a pallet each year.
I think the CT tags are 19 bucks every 2 years, but the town whacks us with property tax every year. Still worth it to have it on hand when the need arises.
A basic 2 axle landscape trailer will do you well and you should be able to find a used one for a couple grand. I wouldn't get a single axle personally. Very limited capabilities, especially if you're hauling firewood. I have a 6x12 single axle I use for hauling mowers and other stuff, but it isn't really practical for much else. Having a ramp is awesome though. I also have a 6x10 dual axle dump trailer with side boards. I love that trailer and love being able to dump. It is a huge time saver and back saver. They're more pricy but you could find a used one for 3 or 3500.
Bigger is better, so if you get a good scrounge that's a bit of a drive, you don't have to make as many trips. But with bigger, you have more to store.
Smaller, single axle trailers are nice, and get used for running more errands, but will be much more limited on what you can load and carry.
I'd also suggest a landscape trailer, 16'-18' with taller sides would be the way to go. If you lean towards the slightly larger, you would have the ability to tow a vehicle if the need ever arises, which can be handy.
Smaller, single axle trailers are nice, and get used for running more errands, but will be much more limited on what you can load and carry.
I'd also suggest a landscape trailer, 16'-18' with taller sides would be the way to go. If you lean towards the slightly larger, you would have the ability to tow a vehicle if the need ever arises, which can be handy.
My weapon of choice for hauling wood, a 6 x 16 utility, the sides are low enough to throw pieces on, plus a rear ramp for rolling on larger rounds.
This is one I bought a year ago at trailersplus for $2300 new. You can most likely find something on CL cheaper if your on a budget.
![[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/194/194999-8f023b58c939871a8e479646e2c5c307.jpg?hash=GoHllV3f4W "[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...")
This is one I bought a year ago at trailersplus for $2300 new. You can most likely find something on CL cheaper if your on a budget.
That's perfect right there. And they hold there value well. You can't buy a nice used one configured like that for much less. And if you do, it needs tires, breaks, lights repaired, paint, etc.. That's the trailer.
You really have to think about where you will be scrounging your wood from. If it is off road or in the woods that will help you determine what trailer you get. Yes big 16' to 18' trailers are nice till you have to get one into the woods then get it turned around in the woods to get it out. Also some have offset axles which make the floor nice and low but leave you with no ground clearance at all if you are off road any. I personally would never buy one of the dump inserts. I had one in a truck I bought and it weighed 900 lbs which means you cut your capacity down allot. They are also quite a bit smaller.
Thats why I went with a 14k tandem deck over dump 14 ft long. It is a excellent woods trailer. Lots of clearance. works very well for me and my situation.
The trailer would have to be able to make long hauls at highway speeds from where I live north of Baltimore, 15 minutes from the PA line out to Western Maryland by Greenridge State Park where the wife's family has 117 acres which I can scrounge for oak. That's almost a 3 hour ride, so a sizeable trailer that could handle a cord of wood or more would be ideal. No offroad use that I can think of though, that property has all it's own equipment for forest access. But maybe I should consider offroad access for local use. And no dump inserts. Too high to load rounds and I need the bed capacity for regular work and recreational activities. Loading this just about killed my back last weekend:
![[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_6674-1-webp.195021/ "[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...")
lsucet
Minister of Fire
That's what somehow i said in my early post. Knowing the area where more you will be picking your wood is a most. That is what tell you the best, what size of trailer can work for you. You can find good deals and buy one, but can be possible to have no use for it. In my case, I have to go off of the main road into the woods and just the truck can be a pain in some areas. Unless you want to carrier the wood from far away. Looking into those details sometimes the truck itself can be the best bet.
Yeah most of the places I get wood are the same it can be tricky to just get the truck in much less a trailer to. I do have a trailer to haul the tractor if I cant get the truck in though.
Your woods are obviously very different than mine. I fold my mirrors in all the time because I have torn off to many trying to squeeze between trees. I wish I could get a trailer in that big I could cut most of the day without taking trips back and fourth. At least now I have my dump bed so unloading isnt an issue.
Last edited:
I told you wrong about the size of the trailer.It is 10 ft long by 6ft wide with 4 ft sides.I have a dedicated woods rig. I have lost 1 mirror in the last 16 years. I can't always get the trailer into some spots.When that happens the winch and log chains come into play and logs are dragged into a suitable place to process and load. I follow a logger around cutting tops so its fairly easy to build a staging area off of a skid trail left over from the logging operation and when a skid trail is not available we make one.In even tighter places the 4 wheeler and little trailer comes into play. I take 2 4 wheel drive trucks every time. We get it out one way or the other. I am entertainin
Dont do an insert do one like I did they work much better. This is my woods rig a 250hd 1ton 4x4 I just need to get a winch still. And yeah I love when I can get in to cut tops after loggers nice easy access
![[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/195/195071-d3cb6e603328bdf91542c09f931c599f.jpg?hash=1U3CB6Kidv "[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...")
![[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/195/195072-c91a6d2483bd24f410823a2879bc6449.jpg?hash=d25MbGo5Yg "[Hearth.com] I need trailer purchasing advice...")
Never heard of the threat of spreading pests by moving firewood long distances and never put a thought into it. Live and learn.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
If you're in SE PA, chances are you're in a firewood quarantine zone, meaning no firewood across county lines. I deal with the same.
On trailers, I can offer some advice. My most recent (I have owned and rented many) is a BigTex Vanguard 70TV, and I simply adore it for hauling firewood. I had debated a dump trailer, and I'm really glad I did not go that direction.
I purchased the 16 footer, 7000 lb. tandem axle with solid sides and a drop ramp gate. This is super versatile, from hauling firewood, mulch, gravel, my compact utility tractor, mowers... you name it. The drop gate is heavy enough to drive my 3000# CUT up and down, whether it's for fetching material from the trailer or taking the tractor somewhere. The only thing I'd do different today is upgrade to the 5' long drop gate, over the standard 4' drop gate.
I looked at many tandem axle trailers, and went with the Vanguard because the rails and sides are just so much heavier than any others (eg. Bellmont) that I inspected. The solid sides make it practical for hauling smaller rounds (someday I'll get some!), mulch, and gravel.
I can unload the entire trailer of firewood rounds in 5 minutes, by simply rolling them off one at a time, so I'm really glad I didn't go with the dump trailer. A dump trailer with similar payload and capacity would have had a gross weight close to 15,000 lb., which is just insane, and would not have been suitable for hauling my tractor and mower. It's also much easier to load rounds onto a low landscape trailer in the field, than it would be loading onto a dump trailer above waist height.
On trailers, I can offer some advice. My most recent (I have owned and rented many) is a BigTex Vanguard 70TV, and I simply adore it for hauling firewood. I had debated a dump trailer, and I'm really glad I did not go that direction.
I purchased the 16 footer, 7000 lb. tandem axle with solid sides and a drop ramp gate. This is super versatile, from hauling firewood, mulch, gravel, my compact utility tractor, mowers... you name it. The drop gate is heavy enough to drive my 3000# CUT up and down, whether it's for fetching material from the trailer or taking the tractor somewhere. The only thing I'd do different today is upgrade to the 5' long drop gate, over the standard 4' drop gate.
I looked at many tandem axle trailers, and went with the Vanguard because the rails and sides are just so much heavier than any others (eg. Bellmont) that I inspected. The solid sides make it practical for hauling smaller rounds (someday I'll get some!), mulch, and gravel.
I can unload the entire trailer of firewood rounds in 5 minutes, by simply rolling them off one at a time, so I'm really glad I didn't go with the dump trailer. A dump trailer with similar payload and capacity would have had a gross weight close to 15,000 lb., which is just insane, and would not have been suitable for hauling my tractor and mower. It's also much easier to load rounds onto a low landscape trailer in the field, than it would be loading onto a dump trailer above waist height.
Similar threads
