Trailer size for a quad

[virgil]

I'm hoping to buy a quad and need to get a trailer also.  I'd like to buy the smallest trailer possible.  I've never owned a quad before.  My question is this: will a 4' x 6' trailer be big enough for one atv?

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Yes. I've gotten by with the tiny bed of a Honda Ridgeline and the gate down. Good luck with the new atv. If you have kids, don't think that's the last atv you'll be buying!

[ants]

4'x6' will work. You might want to consider something like a 5'x10' though. it will give you extra room for gear/deer, behind the ATV. I use to use a 4x6 but always seemed to need a little extra room for stuff.

[Pav2704]

Lowes sells a 4.5 by 8 for around $600. Plenty big enough a quad and you can still fit a board of Sheetrock for home projects.

[t_barb]

Speaking from experience, you may not think you need anything bigger now, but you will find that you use the trailer more for non-ATV things...

 

spend a few extra bucks today you will be glad you did

[burmjohn]

Speaking from experience, you may not think you need anything bigger now, but you will find that you use the trailer more for non-ATV things...

 

spend a few extra bucks today you will be glad you did

 

Agree 100%. But the good thing about a smaller trailer, you could tow it behind your ATV to move stuff around your property. 

[MACHINIST]

Bigger trailers also track a little better and wont sway around as much.Plus the resale on a trailer is way better with the 5x10's than any 4x8.Be prepared to have quite a few friends that want to borrow it and your vehicle to move stuff.Owning trailers and trucks can be a real pain in the azz because people think you have nothing better to do than move them on a weekend!!HAHA

[Doc]

First of all, make sure you have a tow vehicle that has enough balls to pull a trailer full of Quad up long steep hills. I used to do it with a little Honda Civic, and believe me there were a few hills that had me wondering if I was going to make it up. Once you are happy with the tow vehicle, I would suggest that you get at least a 4' x 8' trailer so that if you can haul anything from a quad to a snowmobile to lumber and never be constrained by the size of your trailer. Also be sure to have an adequate ramp style tailgate for ease of loading. You can get a tilt-style trailer bed, but unless you do some special additional wiring, there will always come a time when you run into ground problems and the lights won't work. That is pretty much a pain in the neck when you go to use your trailer and can't get the lights to work.

[nyslowhand]

I've had a 4'x8', tilt-bed trailer for ~7-8 years. It sits outside year round, exposed. Never had a problem with the trailer's wiring, but every couple of years I need to replace the connector (pigtail) on my vehicle. Also pull my trailer with my 500cc ATV. Buy a trailer with the pockets already welded on. In the future if you need side rails, the pockets are already there. I've used my trailer more for hauling firewood, brush, plywood or appliances than my ATV.

[Dinsdale]

Just thoughts....

4x6 is going to have small 12" tires. I'd rather have a 4x8 with a 13".

A 4x8 will also allow you to shift the tounge weight for better ride by moving the load. Highway sway at speed is no fun with an ass heavy little trailer.

A little longer will also be easier to back up.

A guy I know in the trailer business has a sign in his shop something like, "folks will spend 5K on a ATV or sled; but they want to spend 100 bucks for a trailer to tow them around on"

[fasteddie]

I think my trailer is 5 X 8 and I sometimes regret that I didn't get a 10 footer so I could carry extra.

 

A smaller trailer with smaller tires will wear out tires pretty quick . I have a utility trailer that I use for work . It has 5.30 X 12 tires and they wear fast . Bigger is Better !

[fasteddie]

Oh yeah , spend more and get a trailer with a pressure treated floor . I have seen several trailers with the mesh deck that have rusted out .

Check the towing capacity of your vehicle . My Subaru Forester has a towing capacity of 2400 lbs .

[virgil]

Thanks for the advice guys.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I've had a 4'x8', tilt-bed trailer for ~7-8 years. It sits outside year round, exposed. Never had a problem with the trailer's wiring, but every couple of years I need to replace the connector (pigtail) on my vehicle. Also pull my trailer with my 500cc ATV. Buy a trailer with the pockets already welded on. In the future if you need side rails, the pockets are already there. I've used my trailer more for hauling firewood, brush, plywood or appliances than my ATV.

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/building-materials/degreasers-lubricants/lubricants-industrial/3-oz-tube-super-lube-silicone-high-dielectric-vacuum-grease?utm_source=google_pr&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Lubricants-Industrial-google_pr&infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CM2e1_v1_LgCFZOk4AodI2IAVg

 

 

keep you prongs and sockets coated in this and it won't corrode and will give you many more years of use.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

A smaller trailer with smaller tires will wear out tires pretty quick . I have a utility trailer that I use for work . It has 5.30 X 12 tires and they wear fast . Bigger is Better !

Definitely 12" tires.

[Pygmy]

The local Tractor Supply  Store puts thier 5' x 8' trailers on sale a couple times a year for $600.  I bought one a couple of years ago and so far it has worked fine for my ATV, lawn tractors and other stuff...

 

It trails well behind my Ford Ranger pickup.

Edited August 14, 2013 by Pygmy

[HuntOrBeHunted]

I had a nice 6x9 and it worked wonders for a quad or snowmobile. You should be able to find a decent trailor or 200 bucks or less.

[virgil]

Well, I bought the 5x8 from Lowes.  They had the best price I could find for a new one.  I looked around but couldn't find a used one in decent shape.  Spent two hours in the DMV getting it registered.  Now, have to deal with getting the trailer wires spliced into my SUV.  This has turned out to be more of a hassle than I expected. 

[steve863]

  This has turned out to be more of a hassle than I expected. 

 

LOL.  For hunting purposes I have never considered an ATV anything other than a hassle.  I see people lugging these things to their hunting areas, where they take forever to unload them.  Then they fire them up so they can ride to their treestands that are like 200 yards from the road.  Makes absolutely NO sense to me.  If my feet can't carry me to where I want to hunt, then I will be giving up hunting.

 

 

 

[Pav2704]

Well, I bought the 5x8 from Lowes. They had the best price I could find for a new one. I looked around but couldn't find a used one in decent shape. Spent two hours in the DMV getting it registered. Now, have to deal with getting the trailer wires spliced into my SUV. This has turned out to be more of a hassle than I expected.

Good choice... perfect for trailing a quad or projects around the house.

[virgil]

My feet will continue to carry me just fine to my stands on hunting days.  But, my quad will save me a lot of time and effort climbing the steep hill that I hunt to hang my stands and set my cameras in the preseason.  It'll also be a big help in keeping my trails open and passable as opposed to overgrown.  If I do bring it with me during hunting season, it'll make it a lot easier dragging a deer out of the woods also.

[fasteddie]

I will be 72 this coming season and I often hunt alone . The farthest I dragged a deer was almost a mile and that was 20 years ago . I walk 1/2 - 3/4 mile to some stands and go back for the ATV if I score  I also use it to haul ladder stands , clear a laneway , and other work . When I took out my Tall Hedge bushes , I cut the roots with a pick axe , hooked a chain to the bush and pulled them out . Found the ATV to be pretty handy .

 

Virgil - congrats on finding a trailer .........

[virgil]

Thanks.  I'm looking forward to getting a lot of use out of both the trailer and the quad.

[Hunt&Quad]

Not sure if there are others in your family, but the ATV thing can be addicting....especially if you have a decent place to ride...I started with one and no trailer. These days I've had up to 6, now 4, and a 24' trailer to haul them around....

 

We also go on atv specific vacations...Maine, West Virginia...my family loves  them...

 

Good luck to you..

 

Around our camp during the season, I use mine to get up on top of the mountain. Then park it and walk a few hundred yards into the stand. The walk up would be grueling and make plenty of sweat/odor. I also have used it to recover my deer.

Edited August 21, 2013 by Hunt&Quad

[Doc]

Yeah, we all eventually reach the age where the ATV helps avoid cardiac arrest climbing those killer hills and dragging deer a lot farther than our doctors would really like to see us do. During bow season, I often drive up to a spot that is just about 50 yards under the rim of the hill and go the rest of the way on foot.

 

During gun season I like to still-hunt up the hill, and always seem to get my deer when I don't have the ATV and have to drag it off the hill by hand. At some point if I live long enough, there will come a time when all my hunting is accessed by ATV. It's either that or stop going out completely. ATVs do have their place.