Harbor Freight Trailer

[smithn00]

Has anyone used the Harbor Freight trailer?  How has that worked out?

[western_flyer]

I’ve had a couple of them. A 4 footer and an 8 footer. Worked out fine but mostly used for local hauling of trash to the dump and building materials to home, so not a lot of miles racked up. I did take both of them on some long camping trips. Seattle WA to California desert near Mexico and again from the Seattle area to east of the Rockies and up into Canada and Glacier National Park. Trailers handled well with no incidents. On both trips the trailers were pulled by a small Honda.

[faithie999]

I’d spend the extra bucks and buy the northern tool 5×8 aluminum trailer.  there are several threads here with various builders’ experiences with the NT trailer.

[friz]

When you take into consideration that the NT aluminum trailer is almost always available with free shipping, the price difference is minimal.

[smithn00]

Do you know the tongue length from the axle to the coupler?

[faithie999]

it’s about 96″.   following friz’s lead, I positioned the TD so that the front edge (the outside edge, the corner where panel 2 meets panels 3 and 4) at the front corner of the frame.  I then cut the rear of the frame so the end is under the rear corners of the TD.  that positioning resulted in a tongue weight (unloaded) of about 50lb, or roughly 10% of the total weight.  I have since built a tongue box which has increased the tongue weight a bit, with no adverse effects on trailering.  the location of the battery as recommended by CLC is right over the axle so that doesn’t affect tongue weight.  some folks have mounted the battery under the camper, but that is another discussion.

ken

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