Utility trailer rental: advice needed

[sheepfarmer]

I would like to rent a trailer with low or no sides to go and pick up a load of lumber that was rough sawn from my black walnut trees and take it to a place that will make it into flooring.

I am assuming it will be loaded and unloaded with a forklift (but that might not be true). The boards are all under 12 feet or so.

My initial problem on calling a local rental place is that the guy I talked to couldn't give me any plug specifications so I could tell if the plug and wiring that I have for my horse trailer lights and brakes would be likely to work. He thought it would work.....I hate to go there and have my wiring buggered up for my trailer, but I don't want to haul a 16 foot bed trailer without working brakes, and my experience with horse trailers has been that's easier said than done.

Advice on loading lumber, strapping down lumber also appreciated.

I managed to insult the guy that sawed it and dried it, so he is not likely to be very helpful. Not that he didn't deserve insulting. He forgot to cut my logs for 4 months, and didn't cut according to my written instructions, and threw a tantrum when I had a couple of boards tested for MC at the flooring place, and found that they weren't as dry as he said.

This is an example of what's available in trailers locally.

https://www.acerentalsinc.com/product/large-equipment-trailer/

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I haul a ton of lumber throughout the year, yes that trailer will work if the hitch configuration is right for what you have on the truck, 2 5/16 ball or Pintle hitch.

A lot of rental trailers will be equipped with surge brakes (self contained hydraulic), it cuts down on wiring issues, but if they say it's electric then go with that.

Do you have the standard 7 pin (large) trailer socket on the truck?
If you do and it was wired factory or properly added aftermarket then you should have no issues with the trailer working, they are wired to a standard across the board.

Go to Home Depot or a good Farm store and get 4 10,000lb web ratchet straps (2" wide straps), one across on the back one across on the front and criss cross the second two corner to corner, drive a short distance then stop and re check, re tighten, all the straps.

 

[Daren Todd]

Sheep farmer, I'm gonna add to what Shaun said about the trailer. Your gonna have two common plugs your gonna come across.

The 7 pin rv plug and a 4 flat. If it has electric trailer brakes, it will have a 7 pin rv plug. If they have one with a 6 round, I'll post a picture of me eating my hat

If it has surge brakes, you have a 50- 50 shot of the plug still being a 7 pin rv plug or a 4 flat.

If you have a 6 round plug on your truck, you can get an adapter from 6 round to 4 flat. Or 6 round to 7 rv. The latter is a little harder to find, so you may have to order it in.

You can also get adapters from 7 rv to 4 flat. 7 rv to 6 round. Or you can get an adapter that goes from 7 rv and will handle all the different plugs.

First picture is the 7 rv plug. Second picture is the 4 flat.

3rd and 4th pictures are of the adapter from 7rv and will handle the 6 round as well as 4 and 5 flats.

You can get a 7 rv to 4 flat adapter for less then $20 at most auto parts stores.

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[dirtydeed]

as NIW posted...that trailer should have a seven blade round plug w/electric brakes. Even if the trailer has surge brakes, you can still use the 7 pin on your rig. The additional electric brake circuit won't be connected on the trailer side.

I always kept a 7-4 pin adapter in my old truck with only the 7 pin RV type. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-4734...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XN2TCP3JK49JAR401538

Most newer trucks with a tow package will have both 7 pin and 4 pin plugs .

The only other possibility that I can think of is if the trailer is wired for the small 6 round plug (not sure what they are called). But, something like this adapter would cover all the bases...

https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-Towi...177&sr=1-26&keywords=small+round+trailer+plug

edit: Ha, I see I was beaten to the punch...The truth is, you may have to get an adapter. Perhaps, ask them to snap a quick pic of the trailer plug for you???

 

[D2Cat]

Sheepfarmer, what are the possibilities of one of your nearby farmers having a trainer you can pay them to use, or hire them to use their truck and trailer to move your wood? Then you won't have to fiddle with the details of trailer, lights, brakes, etc. !

Or maybe there is someone on CL who moves/hauls items.

 

[armylifer]

Sheepfarmer, I have been using etrailer.com for all of my trailer needs for many years. The prices are fair and the quality of everything that I have bought from them is very good. They have videos on many of their products. I have also called them direct the few times I had questions that I needed answered before I made a decision on what to buy. I highly recommend this site.

https://www.etrailer.com/

 

[sheepfarmer]

Fabulous! I knew I could count on you guys for helpful information. Daren, I went out and looked at the socket and plug and it is some kind of 6 pin connector. It was installed by horse trailer store when both were new, 2003. So I am betting an adapter is needed. Edit: that might not be right. By 7 pin do you count the middle one? Mine looks like your first pic. Will attach picture.

I agree enlisting help with another rig would be easier, and I'll keep looking. I may end up swallowing my pride and paying the joker to deliver it, but I'd almost rather make multiple trips with the wood sticking out the back of my horse trailer and truck just to get it out of there.

NIW, what pattern of ratchet straps would you use if it is on the trailer in more than one pile? Maybe a better question would be how would you stack/arrange wood that is different widths thicknesses, and lengths. About 50 boards 5/4 by 1 foot, by 10 to 14 inches, with straight edges,but then there are a bunch with natural edges that might be a couple feet wide at one end since it went through a crotch of the tree. Two of these boards are to make a table, don't know what I'm going to do with the rest. I'll try to attach a picture. The boards in the picture are before they went into the kiln. They are not quite in that order any more.

 

[Fordtech86]

This would be the 6 pin.

They use the round terminals and the 7 pin uses the flat terminals. 6 pins are pretty rare,I usually see them on big utility trucks.

And yes the middle pin makes it 7. Pretty much the standard for all pick ups along with the 4 pin.


Edit: sorry I was typing while you added pics of your plug lol.



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[North Idaho Wolfman]

NIW, what pattern of ratchet straps would you use if it is on the trailer in more than one pile? Maybe a better question would be how would you stack/arrange wood that is different widths thicknesses, and lengths. About 50 boards 5/4 by 1 foot, by 10 to 14 inches, with straight edges,but then there are a bunch with natural edges that might be a couple feet wide at one end since it went through a crotch of the tree. Two of these boards are to make a table, don't know what I'm going to do with the rest. I'll try to attach a picture. The boards in the picture are before they went into the kiln. They are not quite in that order any more.

When I have to move wood like that, I put down a heavy tarp, then stack wood on the tarp as flat as possible, starting from the longest working up the the shortest, unless already bundled, then I wrap the ends of the tarp up, and then the sides of the tarp, and strap it down as before. That keeps any loose or odd sized boards from being able to move to far.

 

[sheepfarmer]

Thank you NIW, that makes sense. I ended up getting the deWalt saw kit you recommended. Odd that you can get a couple "free tools" for cheaper than you can buy battery chargers. Thanks much!

 

[skeets]

sheep did you say you have a horse trailer? If so no problem use that

 

[sheepfarmer]

This would be the 6 pin.

They use the round terminals and the 7 pin uses the flat terminals. 6 pins are pretty rare,I usually see them on big utility trucks.

And yes the middle pin makes it 7. Pretty much the standard for all pick ups along with the 4 pin.


Edit: sorry I was typing while you added pics of your



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Thank you. I am slowly catching on.

 

[jkcolo22]

sheep did you say you have a horse trailer? If so no problem use that

That was my thought...

 

[boz1989]

That was my thought...

If they can load it with a fork lift, there is a lot less labor involved.

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[sheepfarmer]

Using my horse trailer it would have to be loaded one board at a time, has a ramp type tail gate, same with my pickup,which has a cap on it. Definitely more work. 6 ft bed truck, and horse trailer only has 10 feet of floor space so boards would have to be loaded at an angle with tail gate up. Not what you would call optimal.

 

[sheepfarmer]

Well guys wish us luck. I remembered one of my friends used to load trucks for the phone company before she retired, and she and her husband have driving horses, and lots of big rigs, so tomorrow being the first dry day in a while we are going to meet at the yard where my wood is. Not clear if the guy that cut the stuff is going to have someone around to load it with a skidsteer. I paid him already so he doesn't care. My friends have a flatbed truck to put it on. Hope we don't have to load it by hand I'm all for exercise but two elderly ladies and a guy with a bum elbow are not exactly a full deck . However us farm ladies are tough

 

[skeets]

However us farm ladies are tough
Yes you is !!!!

 

[markchief]

If you rent a flatbed like shown, I would recommend attaching a 2"x10" or 12" across the front of the bed in case someone stops short in front of you & you have to jam on the brakes. Trailers tend to hop when that happens and loosen even tight binder straps. Have seen a few ruin tailgates on tow vehicles. If tongue weight isn't to much, rest slabs right against the board. Also, adjust the trailer brakes after loading to make sure they are all OK before getting up to travel speed. Every load is different. You never know what the last guy did with it. And always load wider than the height with loose pieces. Good luck.

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[sheepfarmer]

Yesterday went better than my wildest expectations! The weather was perfect by Michigan standards, it was 0 the night before but warmed up to the 20's and the paved roads had dried off pretty much completely, sunny, not much wind. My friends have a nifty Nissan flat bed 11 feet long, and my lumber turned out shorter than that. ( Seems like every time I see what those 8 trees turned into it is less by the minute. ) The guy that sawed it and dried it, or at least part way, kept his promise and there was a kid there to run his skidsteer and pick up the whole stack. My friend ratchet strapped the load together in two places while it was up in the air, and then she tied it down to the truck with 4 more ratchet straps. We retightened about 5 miles down the road where I spotted a Kubota dealer with a big parking lot. My truck just turned in by itself.

I like the folks at Launsteins that will make it into flooring; picture of the load arriving there. Hoping the next steps in this project go smoothly.

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I am glad I didn't have to deal with a rented trailer. I sure can be grateful for friends willing to help out, both online and in the "real world".

 

[skeets]

Thats grand sheepfarmer,, I would really like to see the boards and floor when you get it finished. Friends are a good thing to have