What is the best TRAILER for hauling sculptures?

[Harry McDaniel]

Dual axle? Single axle? Steel? Aluminum? Springs? Torsion axle? Wood floor? Metal floor? Utility? ATV? Enclosed?

Of course there is no perfect trailer; like anything, there are trade-offs, but I am curious what other sculptors are using. What do you like about your trailer? What annoys you?

I am particularly interested in opinions about which set-ups provide the best ride for the sculpture. A few years ago, I hauled a concrete sculpture along miles and miles of bumpy interstate in East Texas and Mississippi on my single-axle, 14" wheel, 4.5' X 10' landscaping trailer. BUMP-BUMP-BUMP-BUMP-BUMP (a joint in the concrete pavement every 20') By the time I arrived at the site, I had some repair work to do on the sculpture. Ever since, I have been thinking about getting a smoother-riding trailer.

[sculptor]

hi Harry
size the trailor to your needs
no sense hauling around a dual axel 10,000# rated lowboy when a single axel 1 ton will do the job.
...
then there is preference---mine is for a wood floor, but they rot a tad faster'n steel
...
springs and a torsion stabilizer fersure

open is lots easier when loading/unloading heavy stuff
covered means you can park it and forget it-----at sculpture fairs, the seasoned vendors have box trailers with their show stuff loaded---they only unload and load at shows, and when (hopefully) replacing sold items

best utility trailor I ever owned was made from the back end of an old pickup truck---had springs and shocks, a removable tailgate and a bumper(great for us back-her-till-she-bumps guys)

my dual axel lowboy has electric brakes-which are darned handy, and a pivot point so the back end can touch the ground---great for dragging logs onto or driving machinery onto

happy trails
rod

[ironman]

hi, I have a 16', dual axle flat bed trailer with springs, no brakes. It has a wooden floor which I find handy to bolt my sculptures to. It only cost me $1195. I get a lot of attention riding down the interstate with an 8-10' sculpture bolted upright on that thing. I too have had damaged sculptures due to rough roads. Stay away from I40 west of and in Oklahoma City, it's total WASHBOARD.
I think, well, I should get a trailer with better suspension, but I doubt if that would help much on bad roads.
I never had to transport my work more than 50 miles or so when I lived in NY, but since I've moved to NM, I've moved work thousands of miles. So now I give more consideration to bracing up certain parts, using heavier steel, reinforcing joints, etc., things I didn't give much thought to before. I do however consider aesthetics, first and foremost!
Maybe we should keep a "BEWARE, bad road ahead" list on this forum to alert others. I know, I'll NEVER ride that stretch of I40 in OC again.
Have a great day,
Jeff

[jsimms]

I use a 16 footer dual axle with brakes and wooden bed. I got some heavy duty canvas covered pads at a surplus store that I place under my sculptures before cinching them down. Helps a lot to keep things together.

[Harry McDaniel]

Now that a few people have responded, I will go ahead and state some of my likes and dislikes about my own trailer--

My trailer is a steel landscaping style trailer with 14" wheels, 2000# axle/leaf springs, a drop-down expanded steel gate/ramp, a 1" square rail that runs around the front and sides 10" above the floor.

Bed Size: My 10' X 4.5" bed has been OK, but the side rails don't allow me to overhang a sculpture. Since sculptures are often odd shapes I would like to have a slightly bigger bed and/or get rid of the side rails. I LIKE the fact that my trailer is not wider than my van. That means that if I can avoid a pothole with the van, the trailer will probably miss it too. It also makes it easier to back down my narrow driveway. I think the ideal bed, for my circumstances, would be about 6' wide, with the wheels bumped up through the bed, instead of set off to the sides. I like it that my current trailer bed is low to the ground (~15"), both for loading and minimizing the risk of tipping over the trailer with a tall scupture.

Weight Capacity: With a load of about 1,900# my wheels start to rub the fenders. This has not been a problem (yet) for my sculptures, but it has been a problem numerous times when I have been picking up gravel or sand for footings. I think a 3,500# axle/suspension would be about right.

Suspension/Wheels: As I mentioned in my first post, I would like better suspension. The options seem to be--dual wheels, torsion axle, and/or bigger wheels. Dual wheels seem somewhat excessive for the size trailer I need. They also make the trailer a little more difficult to maneuver. I will probably try a torsion axle on my next trailer. Bigger wheels would also offer a better ride. Matching the wheels on the tow vehicle eliminates the need for a seperate spare.

Floor: My trailer has a treadplate steel floor. I like the sturdiness of it. I have drilled numerous holes in it to bolt sculptures down. I can see that a wood floor would be good for that. It would be easy to replace when it gets too many holes.

Tailgate/Ramp: It is often handy to have a built-in ramp. There might be a better way to make a ramp--mine is quite heavy and the expanded metal sags between supports even though I added extra supports. The height of the closed tailgate/ramp offers a couple of advantages: It is handy to have a 3' tall tie-down position in the back of the trailer to keep tall sculptures from rocking forward with fast stops. It also increases the visibility of an empty trailer. (Though I still got gently bumped by a tractor-trailer at a stop light because he forgot that the trailer was there when the light turned green. :eek: )

Tie-Downs: It is great to have some sort of convenient tie-downs around the edges of the trailer. My preference would be a rail or rod welded to stake pockets around the edges of the trailer, just below the surface of the bed, so parts can overhang. My trailer has a hand winch welded to the tongue. I have used it frequently to pull sculptures, cement mixers, etc. up the ramp and onto the trailer. A ring welded to the tongue to attach a come-along would be equally handy.