Utility trailers: What do people tow? 4x6 or 5x8?

[mickkirk]

I'm contemplating the purchase of a stake side trailer and am wondering a) How many people tow with the TDI and
b) What do you tow?
c) I'm leaning towards a 4x6 trailer because of it's lighter empty weight, and because I'd be less likely to overload it (weight wise) than a 5x8 BUT I'm curious as to whether or not people have hooked up a 5x8 to their TDI's.

Please, no recommendations against towing. I'm towing...and you can't stop me.

 

[Variant TDI]

Can you fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood/sheetrock onto a 4x6 trailer, and not have it bend/break when you go over bumps?

I'd choose your trailer by what you plan to carry.

 

[cattlerepairman]

I pulled a 5x8 U-Haul last weekend (99 Beetle TDI). It was fully (FULLY!!) loaded, but it went well.
Of course, you slow down and use more fuel and going uphill is doggy...but I arrived safely and in the flat I still managed to get the rig up to 100km/h +.

 

[J-Bird]

I pull a 4'X4' trailer. I use it to get dirt for the garden, bring trees and shrubs home for the yard, haul my lawn mower, get the stove I just bought, etc etc. Really light duty stuff. It was a long search looking for the right trailer. I wanted it to be a light as possible. there are many heavy trailers out there weighing hundreds of pounds, mine weighs less than 200lbs.

The hardest thing for me is that I can hardly see it behind my NB -- makes backing up really difficult. For this reason only, I suppose a larger trailer would have been nice, but low weight was my goal. I wanted to haul cargo weight around not trailer weight.

I have also brought drywall and 2X4 wall studs home. They just sit on top of the walls of the trailer and get strapped down.

DJ

 

[Petron of Texas]

Harbor Freight Co. has some nice 4 X 6 light weight trailers on sale from 150 to 250. You install the floor and sides.
They roll very easy.

Jack

 

[Ted_Grozier]

Yes, the HF trailers are pretty junky but the price cannot be beat and some of them even fold away for storage. I recommend the larger highway tires so you don't have bearing problems.

 

[concours]

One of my trailers I use behind the VW (built it to haul my snowmobile behind my '83 1.6TD Jetta)is a 4'x9' flatbed I built myself. 2"x2"x .060" square tubing TIG welded frame with 3/4" P.T. deck, torsion suspension, grease through hubs, 4.80x8 tires, sealed lights, tie down loops around the perimeter and a slide out ramp underneath. Deck hight is 12". Tows awesome, no sway (longer is better). I haul an ATV, snowmobile, motorcycle, and many other things. I go just as fast as I would without the trailer on the highway. No, I can't see it behind me when it's empty, but it's a small price to pay for the aerodynamic benefits. Course, if your only going 5 miles to Home Depot, it doesn't matter. At the time I worked as a fabricater, so I built lots of trailers. The cost of commercially built trailers is so competitive, I buy them cheaper than I could build them now. Just my .02

 

[BuzzMC]

I won't tow with my TDI, but that's because I have a dodge cummins for that stuff.

I'd take note about the folks recommending light-weight trailers, and trying to determine WHAT you're going to tow, so you can get the correct size for 80-90% of the work you're going to make your TDI do.

But all the TDI's are light, I don't imagine they have a large towing capacity, and the heavier the trailer, the less you can carry.

The brakes will work "that much better", keeping the weight down too.

 

[golightfoot]

I tow a 26' by 4' by 3' glider trailer. The total weight with the glider in it is about 1,500 lbs. The TDI Jetta tows this unit just fine as long as you don't want to accelerate quickly. Cruising at 110km/hr is no problem at all and even hills are ok.

 

[MacGyver]

My trailer is...the rear 1/2 of a 1982 S10 p/u.

Close to the same width as the car so I can see it, pulls great, fullsize easily attainable tires, already wired, functional tailgate, heavy duty frame (for a trailer). I stripped the brakes to remove weight, and refilled the rearend with oil, shouldn't have to touch it again.
Use it to get all my firewood, move friends, haul junk, and anything that won't fit in the trunk.

Total investment after selling the drivetrain, doors, and other misc parts out of the whole truck I purchased is <$50

PS I still have the gas tank if anyone needs one

I agree on getting what suits your requirements. Why pull 5x8 if you'll never ever use it, or why waste $$ on 4x6 if you'll have to make two trips to get something home??

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

I've towed an enclosed 5x8 with a few hundred pounds within. The car drove okay, but very poor acceleration. I think 5x8s are inherently heavier to support a heavier load. I had bought a new dining room set and didn't want to pay extra for delivery. So I rented from U-Haul. I needed a 5x8 to fit everything although the load wasn't too heavy.

Recalling the experience of Our Tour of the Northern US where I used a "wheel-less carrier," I decided to try a trailer so I could carry more stuff without bogging down the car's suspension. So I purchased a basic 4x6 trailer for $200. It worked out very nicely. I could just see the wheels in my rear view. Backing was not difficult. Basically, if I could see the wheels then I needed to adjust my track.

It's been garage kept, so rust isn't a problem. Compared to trailer rental costs, the trailer has paid for itself. I'm about to use it again for my trip across the country. I intend to carry pilferable items that I wouldn't want movers to have access to. I'm going to build a box and seal it for the 30-day journey. My goal is to weigh-in at about 1000-lbs... good for an $850 reimbursement check on the other end.

I agree that "longer is better." My 4x6 has about a 3 or 4-ft tongue. This makes the track smoother and makes backing much easier. I don't have photos. But I imagine I'll post a few before my transfer.

Take a look at www.northerntool.com. They have a few trailers there. They have one that will stand on end and roll into a corner for under $200.

Hope this helps,

 

[Babezzilla]

Ummm...Q.
Any thoughts on 2005t golf hitches for a 4x8 rental? Moving & looking into renting a trailer/buying a hitch. What y'all think?

 

[puntmeister]

I have a 4 x 6 trailer - works well. It is tight with 4 x 8 drywall/plywood - but they do fit inside the walls, then stick up over the back a couple feet - works out well.

But this won't likely be the case with every 4x6 trailer - its a matter of fractions of an inch...

A 5 x 8 trailer could be a bit big. And the total tow weight isn't enormous, so getting as light a trailer as possible is ideal. I searched for an aluminum one, but they were pricey.

 

[puntmeister]

I would also suggest searching craigslist, before heading for HF. Yeah, HF is dirt cheap - and, I admit, I buy a lot of tools there - but most of their stuff is "disposable"....and many of their items are so poorly built as to be dangerous.

With respect to a screwdriver, poor manufacture will just mean the tip will contort, rendering it useless. With a trailer, who knows what could happen - a wheel disconnects, and goes rolling down the highway? Given my experiences with HF, it wouldn't shock me.

 

[FL/COtdi]

Injectors, a tune, egt gauge, flowing exhaust, with a strong clutch. Good for most anything in a 5x8. I brought a loaded uhaul from FL to CO in my tdi. Only slowed down for two inclines on the whole trip. Getting to Eisenhower/Johnson tunnel and Rabbit Ears pass.

And the lift bags for the springs, radar detector, twice the $ for fuel, eurohitch; also helped a bit.

 

[blueatlantic]

I tow a 26' by 4' by 3' glider trailer. The total weight with the glider in it is about 1,500 lbs. The TDI Jetta tows this unit just fine as long as you don't want to accelerate quickly. Cruising at 110km/hr is no problem at all and even hills are ok.

I agree. I pull a 5x8 trailer of sturdy construction, wood deck with 4ft fold down steel mesh rear gate/ramp. I can pull 1000 to 1500 pounds on it. I drive decent and maintain a good following distance, and have never had problems stopping. I've got good (ceramic?) brakes, not cheapos. My car is also an automatic.

 

[Abacus]

I tow a 5x8 and it's a great size, fits most anything I need to carry and the addition space it very handy for those larger items. The lawnmower, rototiller, and pressure washer all fit individually. I've had 1,400 pounds of scrap steel on it and it towed fine but slow. I found it locally for $100 and it needed a tire. If you are looking for input as to the size of the trailer, definitely go 5x8 over 4x6.

I know it's a B4 and not an A4, but the towing weights are the same I believe.

 

[burpod]

i also tow a 5x8, with at least 1600lbs + the weight of the trailer (400 lbs?) without any issues. i've also towed a 2600lb mk3 with my tow dolly as well which probably weighs 400 lbs itself, without any problems. it helps to have a bigger turbo, tune, etc all in my mk4 jetta tdi.

but i like the 5x8, big enough to comfortably fit sheets of plywood, drywall, etc.

 

[2000BlueJ]

I also use a 5x8. My friend uses a 2 place sled trailer with his Golf with no issues also.

 

[Krzano]

It's all in what you think you will need it for. I bought a 4 x 6 trailer because my ATV fits perfect on it. The trailer is small, light and easy to move around when not hooked up to the Golf.

[/IMG]

 

[Rxfire]

FYI

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=4191300#post4191300

 

[supton]

I did the HF 4x8, with 12" wheels. Kinda fun to put together. Paint fades real fast and it's a cheap trailer that will rust quickly. But it's cheap! I thought it was a good size for the Jetta. If you buy one though it seems the bearings are cheapest through HF, as an FYI.

 

[Herm TDI]

trailer

I have this trailer 6.5'x10'

I haul this trailer with my 2002 Golf
Its quiet...light weight (aluminum)

Here is a link to the mfg...http://www.missiontrailers.com/le/MU6_10_AR.php

 

[FL/COtdi]

very nice

 

[BradleyRas]

5x8 Carry On with 14" wheels.

 

[DrWho76]

I have a hitch all ready to install it as soon as I get my ignition situation is under control (HINT HINT: any help there GREATLY appreciated)

Anyways, is there anything special you do to your suspension to haul things? I am moving soon and plan to pull a small Uhaul trailer. I recently put new shocks, struts and control arm bushings on is there anything else I should know about before I starting pulling things around

2000 2.0L GLS 5 spd

 

[vanbcguy]

Good quality shocks for sure. The trailer will definitely put more load on the rear suspension. If you tow frequently then heavy duty springs would be a good idea too.

 

[PB_NB]