Buying a trailer should be simple, but walk into any yard and you'll see a dozen sizes, two or three finishes and a list of options as long as your arm. Here's how we help customers narrow it down at the counter.
Start with what you'll carry
Be honest about the jobs it'll do most weeks, not the one big job a year. Green waste and tip runs? A 6×4 or 7×4 box trailer handles most suburban yards. Moving furniture, building materials or a ride-on mower? A 7×5 or larger, maybe with a ramp or tailgate, makes life easier. If you're carting bulky but light stuff like hay, mulch or cardboard, a cage adds plenty of volume without much weight.
Single axle or tandem?
A single axle trailer is lighter, cheaper to run and easy to move around by hand. A tandem spreads the load over four wheels, tows more steadily with heavier loads and is more forgiving if you get a flat. If you're regularly loading it up, or you'd like a higher carrying capacity, a tandem is usually worth it.
Galvanised or painted?
Galvanised steel resists rust far better, especially if the trailer lives outside, gets wet loads or sees the coast. Painted trailers look sharp and suit lighter, drier use, but expect to touch up chips over time. Around Ballarat, with our winters, most people end up glad they went gal.
Check the weights, not just the size
Every trailer has a compliance plate showing its tare (empty weight) and ATM (the most it can weigh loaded). The difference is what you can actually carry. Then check your vehicle: its towing capacity and towball download limits are in the owner's manual and on the placard. The trailer you pick needs to sit comfortably inside what your car or ute can handle. Our towing limits post explains these terms in plain English.
Options worth thinking about
- Jockey wheel: saves your back hitching and unhitching, and makes moving the trailer around the yard much easier.
- Spare wheel: cheap insurance on a long run.
- Cage or high sides: for volume.
- Tie-down points: for securing loads properly.
- Ramps or a drop-down tailgate: for mowers, bikes and barrows.
- Lights and plug: make sure the trailer plug matches your vehicle's socket, or plan for an adaptor.
Think about where it lives
Measure your driveway, side gate or shed before you buy. A trailer that fits in your head but not down the side of the house becomes a lawn ornament pretty quickly.
Talk it through
The easiest way to get it right is to have a chat. Tell us what you tow with and what you'll carry, and we'll point you to a couple of sensible options and put together an estimate. We'd rather you buy the right trailer once than the wrong one twice.
Drop in and have a look at what's in the yard at Ballarat Trailers & Towbars, 4 Ballarat-Carngham Rd, Alfredton (open Monday to Saturday), or give us a call and we'll help you work out the right fit.
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