Little Giant Trailer?

[kbrown]

Pardon me if this has already been posted, but has anyone had experience with this trailer:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...oduct_6970_200329599_200329599?cm_sp=Customer driven-_-Recently Viewed-_-Product Page
My use would obviously be for wood, but one main requirement is that it's small enough to move by hand to store in backyard through a smaller double gate and is no where near the driveway. Figure you can hold a good facecord in this; coupled with my pickup there's 2/3 cord per trip.

 

[savageactor7]

hummmm .. "rubber dampened suspension ", I dunno heatit.

Myself I would never haul wood in a trailer without a leaf spring suspension...mostly because of the repetitive nature of this thing of ours and the tendency to overload.

 

[LLigetfa]

I'd be worried that a bolt-together kit might fall apart unlike welded construction.

 

[wldm09]

Check this out... same price but much better construction. You'd only have to add some side rails... which are cheap.

http://www.johnsontrailerco.com/mini_single.php

 

[gzecc]

The johnson trailer is much nicer. I would look at used on craigslist. Could probably get on for 1/2 of new and sell it for the same years later.

 

[gzecc]

Northern trailer is $190 just to ship to me in NJ.

 

[gpcollen1]

Yeah, you can move that light little thing around by hand but I would not go loading wood in it. Why not get a decent Utility Trailer? My Bri-Mar weighs in at about 1100 pounds and i still move it around by hand when I want to. That thing can haul a cord but that is abusive - i usually stick to half a cord per trip.

 

[wldm09]

Northern trailer is $190 just to ship to me in NJ.

From my experience, your local trailer manufacturer will give you your best deal. I'd google it and see what you come up with. Plus then you'll have a face and name to back up the product as opposed to just a phone number.

 

[kbrown]

Yea. I think that I will work with the locals around; I feel much better being able to actually look at what I am buying in real time. Of course after this weekend, I hauled about 5 loads between myself and a neighbor with our trucks; thinking the better investment for the next piece of equipment would be a splitter. I can always borrow a buddies, but I also like the idea of being able to split/stack on my schedule and not have a yard full of loads for a month or whatever and then bust my butt splitting over a weekend. What does everyone think of that?

 

[SolarAndWood]

Definitely. My gathering rate always seems to exceed my splitting rate even with a splitter.

 

[gzecc]

A splitter is the single most expensive component in wood processing. Renting one occasionally is much more cost effective than buying one. Its probably a 7-10 year payback (for the average homeowner) if you buy one. Too long for my use.

 

[SolarAndWood]

A splitter is the single most expensive component in wood processing. Renting one occasionally is much more cost effective than buying one. Its probably a 7-10 year payback (for the average homeowner) if you buy one. Too long for my use.

I agree with your thoughts on the payback of new splitters. Both of my splitters are refurbished/reconfigured oldies. I only have a few hundred bucks in them.

 

[wldm09]

A splitter is the single most expensive component in wood processing. Renting one occasionally is much more cost effective than buying one. Its probably a 7-10 year payback (for the average homeowner) if you buy one. Too long for my use.

I agree with your thoughts on the payback of new splitters. Both of my splitters are refurbished/reconfigured oldies. I only have a few hundred bucks in them.

I know we all have opinions so I'll share mine. That's why its called a forum right? Anyway, I'm 38 and I hope to be burning wood until I am 80. Over a 42 year span, I'm confident that my splitter will work just fine. If I figure my time is worth $10/hour, its only going to take me 100 hours to pay off my splitter which equates to about 3 years of hand-splitting of 7 cords per year. That means for the 39 years after that, my splitter is free. Also, I take my splitter right out to the jobsite and split the big stuff in to manageable chunks which really cuts down on my chiropractor bill too. My two cents... Also, I am 100% Dutch, which means I am cheap! So I'd say it just depends on your priorities... - Woodsman

 

[kbrown]

Woodsman, I love your detailed analysis! I am thinking along the same line. Around here it's about $85/day to rent a splitter unless you find a place to rent it out over a holiday weekend, but then who wants to spend the holiday weekend splitting like a madman? You're right, you always have to factor in what your time is worth. At the current rate of $85 that means in just over 15 days of use you have the same price as new and it's yours to use as you like! I would like to know how many times a year the average person fires up the splitter? Even at half that rate (say 8 times/year) your ROI is 2 years on a $1300 brute. Myself, I may even rent it out to some at $50/day and let it make me some money! I would just be very selective as to who I let it out to. BTW, the $1300 is the cost from Harbor Freight skew 91840. It's a 30 ton unit.

 

[SolarAndWood]

So I'd say it just depends on your priorities... - Woodsman

Or what you happen to come across. I am very happy with the splitter that is as old as we (you and I are the same age) are, probably older, that just had a beat motor on it. I replaced it with a little electric motor that was also laying around and have knocked down 10 cord so far with it this year. Not the prettiest girl at the dance, but gets the job done.

 

[Gooserider]

A splitter is the single most expensive component in wood processing. Renting one occasionally is much more cost effective than buying one. Its probably a 7-10 year payback (for the average homeowner) if you buy one. Too long for my use.

A lot depends on how often you need to rent / how much you do... Rental rates are typically $50-100 / day - how much you can get done in a day varies, but probably on the order of 2-4 full cords if you have a really efficient setup, and / or lots of help, and really bust your butt to split constantly - not always easy, and definitely hard on the old bod... It is also significant to my mind that while we see very few people reporting splitter related injuries here, most have been guys using rental machines and rushing like mad to try and beat the clock... (Hint - one trip to the ER will probably kill any savings, AND you will probably not meet the production goals either...)

With an owned splitter, it is possible to drag it out for an hour or two at a time, and you can split at a relaxed and safer pace... Easier on the back, safer, and generally less of a stress factor all the way around... I figure my splitter will pay for itself within the first year or two.

Gooserider

 

[mbokie5]

Mind you, it's been raining steady, but before that rain, I was using mine about 4 to 6 hours a day, for a week, to get next years supply stacked.

I have 2.3 cords for the coming winter. Not enough. But the stuff I was splitting is green.

 

[savageactor7]

heatit yup, having your own splitter takes away a lot of the drudge factor of wood processing. Hey I bet it gets a lot colder in Michigan than here and we save 3k a year burning wood. Like was already mentioned now you can split in 1/2 hour increments and not kill yourself. Our American splitter is approaching it's 25th birthday doing 20 cords a year...was it a good investment...you bet.

 

[gpcollen1]

A splitter is the single most expensive component in wood processing. Renting one occasionally is much more cost effective than buying one. Its probably a 7-10 year payback (for the average homeowner) if you buy one. Too long for my use.

NOPE!

Used 25 Ton splitter = $400. Had it for 5 years already.

New Utility Trailer for wood gathering = $1150. Had it for 4 years.

New Husky 353 = $350ish. Had it for a year.

See - my say cost almost as much as the splitter...

 

[gzecc]

On average, thats a very cheap splitter and a very expensive trailer. I bought a used 6x10 single axle trailer with a ramp for $250. Your trailer must be very nice.
I bet you could have bought a dump trailer for $4,500. Then the splitter would have been almost free in comparison!

 

[KarlP]

Don't worry about the torsion suspension. Torsion suspensions are quieter and smoother than springs. Don't worry about the bolt together kit. A bolted trailer is plenty strong. If you ever get in a fender bender, a bolted trailer is _very_ easy to fix. Only additional maintenance is checking the bolts are still tight after the first hundred miles, and replacing rusted bolts every 3-8 years if you use a lot on salty roads.

Both features are commonly found features of trailers for boats that weigh more than a cord of wood.