Choosing an ATV Trailer for Towing Behind of Your ATV

The ATV has become the workhorse for many people, replacing the tractor in small farms and ranches with their versatility. For other folks the ATV has become a recreational vehicle and a hunting aid. Hauling material, equipment, grain, hay, dirt, gravel has made a towable trailer a necessity for getting the maximum use out of the vehicle. The question is, with so many trailers out on the market today, which one is the right one for your needs?

Several factors should be taken into account when looking to purchase a trailer to tow behind of your ATV.

1: Check the towing capacity of your ATV. Putting a large load on a small ATV will cause the unit to breakdown in a hurry so do not purchase a trailer with a heavy duty capacity if your ATV can't handle it. Look at both issues of pulling the trailer as well as the ability to stop it.

2: Consider the loads your trailer will be carrying. Will a medium duty trailer handle the loads you intent to carry, or would a heavy duty model work better for your needs.

3: What kind of terrain will you will carrying these loads over? Logging roads and paths will overstress a solid axle ATV cart quickly if you are planning to carrying heavy loads, so consider a pivoting tandem axle ATV trailer for very rough terrain conditions. If you are planning on using the trailer in wooded areas, do not purchase a trailer wider than the footprint of your ATV or you may find yourself stuck in a situation that causes some serious damage to your ATV.

The type of wheel bearings the ATV trailer has is something most people don't think about until you have a failure that leaves you stranded somewhere. The 2 types of bearing commonly used are sleeve (sintered) bearings and roller bearings. Sleeve bearings are sleeves of alloy metal that hold grease, so the axle moves on a film of grease rather than rubbing on the metal directly. A sleeve bearing is used for slow speed applications as the sleeve can handle heavy loads at slow speeds (under 10 mph in most cases) BUT they must be greased on a regular schedule. Roller bearings are more expensive but can be used at higher speeds (20 mph maximum) but greasing on a regular schedule is just as important to prevent premature wear. Make sure the trailer you purchase can be greased easily, the easier this task is to accomplish, the more often it will be done.

Many folks get confused when it comes to metal ATV carts and trailers. Some list 14 gauge steel, some 16 gauge steel. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the steel is. Steel carts and trailers are lightweight and suitable for medium duty tasks. Throwing a piece a firewood into a steel trailer is the same as throwing that firewood at the body of your car, so expect some dents to appear with this kind of use.

The use of plastics have come along way in the past few years. The new poly tubs are much stronger and damage resistant that a few short years ago. Many now have fiber reinforcing in the plastic, so this makes the poly ATV carts a better alternative, but more expensive than the steel carts.

At Country Manufacturing, we still manufacture wood and steel ATV trailers and carts, the reason being wood can be easily replaced if damaged, and with the new treated lumber, the wood will last longer than the steel in the frame of the trailer. The other advantage is versatility. The wood and steel trailers can have the sides removed easily and be converted to a flat-bed trailer for bulky loads. The wood and steel trailers are much heavier than the medium duty ATV trailers, but are designed for heavy duty tasks like hauling fence posts, bags of feed, sand, gravel and dirt.

Feel free to send your questions or comments. Hopefully, we can help other people make the right buying decision on an ATV trailer that will suit their needs.