Trailer Questions

Jon Tuck said:

my experience says go Haulmark before Wells Cargo. unless you get the drop down ramp as the side style doors on the Wells Cargo arent very secure in my opinion. Only one problem with a drop door is space needed when stuck with a very tight loading area.Cap and Mike have given great spec info. Good Luck Kid. (J/K?)

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I have to disagree with you here... I'm the proud owner of 2 Haulmark (6x12 single axle) trailers and 1 Pace America 5x8. While the Haulmark is a great trailer for the $$ and has served me great, Wells Cargo is pretty much the industry standard for build quality and longevity in the cargo trailer industry. We rent Wells Cargo trailers when we have a lot of shows, and you can definitely tell the difference. As DJs, we really don't beat on a trailer like a landscaper or construction company would, so the best build may not be absolutely necessary. I know that was a consideration when we purchased our trailers... As DJs, we use them 1-2 days per week, don't "drive" any super-heavy equipment into them, and take good care of them. You can purchase a single axle Haulmark 6x12 for around $3g. It will PROBABLY fit your gear, but I would definitely check by sectioning off an area in your garage or driveway and checking. The interior height is over 6ft I think.

Torsion axles would be less jarring on your equipment than leaf springs.

P@40

I just bought a new Carson 5X10 trailer with Ramp, Interior Lights, and ramp assist spring with rear stabilizer. I added Small screw eye's in the walls and then wrapped Bungy cords around each piece of equipment separately.I have currently (4) JBL EON Tops, (2) JRX Subs, and one SoundTech sub, (2) Odyssey Rigs (Wheels models) numerous Mic cases, Speaker Poles and Misc Cords,Cables Hooked at the front of the trailer wall on bungy cord holders by length and type.Cost new was $3,000. Maybe a bit high, but I got the exact equipment I wanted.

p.s. I will try and post picture tomorrow......I leave all my equipment in trailer and only remove at the Gig...saves storage space at home....keeps the wife happy.....worth it at twice the price.............

I started with a 5x8....but after 7 months....I upgraded to a 6x12! Definitely worth it!

For everything..license tabs etc etc.....2950.00

audiopyle said:

Get one that is tall enough to store your truss and speaker stands upright, and to place your truss sections over the top of your load. Here is the inside of mine:

When I carry truss I use the top row of E-track to hold crossmembers that the truss can be strapped to. Steel uni-strut works great for that, and for load dividers.

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Hey you don't have to show off your new house on here and make us hillbillies jealous. wow what a foyer

Thats funny right thar!

I've tossed around the trailer idea, but for now plan on renting as needed as my rig expands. My question is this. Does the heat and humidity affect the equipment. It seems to me that the moisture build up in a trailer would equal rust over time, or are these trailers sealed well enough that humidty isn't a problem.

It wouldnt hurt...on real hot days to cool the trailer down with a fan or something....

and same in the winter...it wouldnt hurt to run a heater to keep the temp from say.....(guess) 40-60??

Of course like for me...with our yearly temps ranging from.....

100F to -30F....its kinda hard to "ideally" meet those requirements!

I guess both trailers I have had...I havent noticed it being to "humid" or anything like that!

I would imagine other people have more experience in this department....and I hope people chime in on this issue...as I would like some more tips on keeping my gear "more protected!"

Something Chris will need to keep in mind here is Temperature extremes. Look where he is located folks - New York. That area of the country experiences temperature extremes in the winter and in the summer. Especially in the winter. Chris, if you are not keeping the trailer in a basement or garage that is somewhat temperature controlled, and are keeping the trailer outside where the elements will come into play, the equipment will suffer. This is something you didn't mention in your post.

If you take a look at the trailer pics I have posted in the gallery section, you will see that I haul a ton of equipment. My trailer is a V-nose, 6x13. It's packed to the gills, and that doesn't include my intelligent lights. I wind up having to put those in the back of the truck when the event calls for them. With the amount of equipment you are going to be hauling, I would say go for a longer unit. A 15' footer sound more like what would accomodate your needs.

A tandem dual axle is more stable and rides better with a larger trailer load. I'm like you when it comes to hauling everything and keeping everything in the trailer instead of re-packing every gig.

I wish I had a taller garage door so that I could have purchased a taller trailer - but as is, I had to opt for a low-boy so that it would fit inside my basement garage. If you do wind up getting a dual axle, get one with electric brakes.

Just my thoughts.

Looks like the back end of the van in the tv show " Swat" long ago.Look man,Seems like you have your work cut out for you.Just do some online resurch and ask around to gather ideas.This is a difficult one because you carry along so much equip.Do you have to lug around so much at every gig?Think about it before you spend a ton of money,or in your case money isnt a problem.How much equip stays in the van while at the gig?Or do you want some housing for your gear all the time?

Here's a pic of the inside of my trailer. I just bought a Rock N Roller R12 cart so it makes loading a lot easier.

Although you can't tell in this pic, the weight is pretty evenly distributed.

However, I'm no longer able to run my truss up the middle. Gotta figure something out.

Jay - I'm curious. What type of material are the inner walls of your trailer made of? I ask only because they are white and it's difficult to tell from the pic. Since I use the same type of truss, I have sunk eye bolts into the walls of my trailer, and use lengths of chain that are attached to the eye bolts and run it through the truss and then re-attach to the eye bolts.

Just a thought.

Angle-brackets bolted to side-walls work well... can't see all that great in this pic though.

There's two sets - the gray ones on top and heavier-duty black ones under the gray ones.

jfactor1 said:

Here's a pic of the inside of my trailer. I just bought a Rock N Roller R12 cart so it makes loading a lot easier.

Although you can't tell in this pic, the weight is pretty evenly distributed.

However, I'm no longer able to run my truss up the middle. Gotta figure something out.

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Jay, run a section of E track higher up the wall and lay the truss on top of the cross pieces. You could put your speaker stands there as well.

Or get some self tapping screws and some 1"x2" boards and mount them above where your rubbermaid container is. Then mount some hooks or cut some 2"x4"s to lay across them and put your truss up there. That's what I used to do when I rented Uhauls.

Selling my uncle's trailer...

YouTube - 6 X 12 Cargo Trailer Torsion Suspension JF Productions

Good luck with the sale.

got a guy around 300 miles away very interested offering 1300....we'll take it if he wants it!

sparkieg said:

Jay - I'm curious. What type of material are the inner walls of your trailer made of? I ask only because they are white and it's difficult to tell from the pic.

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It's wood wrapped with vinyl. It looks nice, but the vinyl tears pretty easy.