The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the trail is calling your name. If you plan on hauling your ATV’s to a place where you would like to ride, then you are going to need the proper trailer to do so. There are plenty of different trailers to choose from. Some with different features, some enclosed, and some have different lengths. This all begs the question, what are your needs for an ATV trailer?
What Are Your Needs?
The biggest question is how many ATVs are you going to be hauling on your ATV trailer? This will determine the length of your trailer. You could have just one quad that could fit on just a single ATV trailer, or you could have 3 or more, that you need a 16′ or 18′ long trailer to fit all of those toys. It all depends on your situation.
Another thing people wonder about when looking to get a trailer, is the features that they need. Do they want an enclosed trailer or not. Do they want walls on their trailer? What about side loading ramps? Well I guess you will need to read on to figure out if these features are something you will need.
Aluminum VS Steel
One of the main decisions right away you will need to make is whether or not you want a steel trailer or an aluminum trailer. There are pro’s and con’s to both, so why don’t we take a look at those.
Steel
Pro’s:
- Durable
- Affordable
Con’s:
- Heavier
- Will Rust If Not Properly Stored
Aluminum
Pro’s:
- Won’t Rust
- Light-weight
Con’s:
- Expensive
- Less Durable (Can Bend)
There’s really either one way or the other you can go. If you talk to anyone in the industry, the majority is personal preference. If you have a place to store a steel trailer so it won’t rust away, then go that route, but if you have a heavy load in general and don’t want to pair it with a heavy trailer, then go aluminum.
Different Types of Trailers
Open Trailers
Generally, open trailers are standard trailers. They have heavy duty ramp in the back for loading and unloading your ATV. They usually have walls, not all the time though. If they do have walls they are generally not very high. This style of trailer is super affordable and by far the most popular.
These don’t just work as ATV trailers, but for hauling many other different pieces of equipment.
Deckover Trailers
Deckover trailers are trailers that basically are flat even over the wheel wells. They are higher off the ground, go straight, flat over the wheels so they are wider, and you don’t have to deal with those pesky wheel wells getting in the way of you trying to fit multiple ATV’s on your ATV trailer.
Tilt Trailers
Tilt trailers are trailers that tilt back on a swivel, allowing you to drive up them with your ATV, and once you reach a certain point up the trailer, it will tilt back down flat, in order for you to latch it back down. These are easy for quick loading and unloading of one or 2 vehicles. These trailers aren’t that long, because the whole trailer needs to tilt in order for the weight to distribute.
Enclosed Trailers
These are my personal favorite for obvious reasons. They keep all of your ATV’s and other toys out of the environment. You can also fit a lot more stuff in the back of it without having to strap it all down, like luggage or camping supplies or whatever else you need to take on your ATV trip with your buddies.
These may be my favorite, but they are quite expensive so don’t be surprised when you see the price tag.
Different Trailer Features That Could Be Beneficial
Side Loading Ramps
Side loading ramps are a really cool feature to have. They allow you to load your atv on the side of the trailer, other than the back, so you can fit your ATV sideways on the trailer. This allows more room on the trailer to fit more ATV’s or other toys. It’s a nice way to use as much space as you can on your trailer to fit the maximum load.
Use these instead of trying to lift up on the back end of your ATV and trying to swing the back end around to turn it sideways. These are much easier.
Customizable Tie-down Points
We’ve all ran into this issue. You’re strapping everything down and you throw the ratchet strap over your quad and walk to the other side of the trailer to find a tie-down spot and there isn’t one where you want it to be. So you end up having to run is backwards, and through, and over something else just to get it tied down! I’m sure you can tell I have ran into that issue once or twice.
Customizable tie-down points are a game changer. Just install them anywhere you need them to be and your in the clear. Never worry about reaching all the way to the front corner to tie something down.
Dry Storage
Dry storage on a trailer is really good for keeping tools and riding gear in. There are some things that you don’t want inside of your truck or SUV that you can keep inside of the dry storage on the trailer.
As you can see, there are many different options or ways to customize a trailer depending on what you are looking for. Like I said before, everything is based on what your needs are and your personal preference, I am just laying on the options for you for you to make the best decision for yourself.
If you liked this article on ATV trailers, then be sure to check out our similar posts about ATV’s here.
