What is a good small firewood trailer

livemusic · December 06, 2021, 08:44:37 PM

To pull behind a John Deere Gator (side by side, UTV) or a Honda Foreman 500 ATV. Hauling rounds out of the woods or small logs or split firewood but mostly rounds. Fat ATV type tires make sense to me.

stavebuyer · December 07, 2021, 05:25:21 AM

I have this one. Pricey but heavy built. Comes with hoses to hook to your tractor and also a hand pump if you are pulling it with something that doesn't have hydraulics. Perfect height to work out of.

https://www.ruralking.com/catalog/product/view/id/75418

doc henderson · December 07, 2021, 06:07:45 AM

there are lots of 2K and 3.5K trailers out there, like a 5 x 10. nothing fancy but you can load your ATV on the trailer to take to the site, then use the ATV to pull it in the woods. you can put bigger tires on it as well. you could find one used. a dump trailer would be nice but increases cost so depends on what you want to spend. I paid 300 bucks new for mine with a 3500-pound axle, and brakes. used for a hundred things.

doc henderson · December 07, 2021, 06:24:10 AM

All Terrain Dump Trailer - Logrite.com - LogRite Tools LLC

livemusic · December 07, 2021, 08:50:15 AM

Stavebuyer and Doc... thanks much for those trailer mentions as I was not aware of either of them and they look awesome. The Logrite is more the size I had in mind but that dump trailer looks terrific. However, I might need something smaller like the Logrite, as my trails are narrow. I am going to widen them, though. It's a 40 acre full canopy woodlot of hardwoods.

An example of what I had been looking at is a Yutrax 1500 lb Off-road Utility Trailer. Also, Polar, Bannon, Ohio Steel. Another higher-end one is MUTS.

I am glad I posted here, will consider these two finds. That dump trailer could be used if I widened my trails enough.

Any others?!

upnut · December 07, 2021, 08:52:19 AM

I have a Sure-Trac 4.5x8 utility dump trailer, once again a little pricey, but just the right size for multiple homeowner uses. The 10 inch tires are the only drawback, in soft ground wider would be better. I have hauled 2400 lbs. of scrap iron, gravel, stones, brush, and lots of split and rounds of firewood, no problems.

I also have a firewood trailer with a with a 3500 lb. winch which is a huge labor saver, especially cleaning up wadded up tree tops and clearing lodged poles...

Scott B.

Old Greenhorn · December 07, 2021, 09:09:23 AM

I've been reading along and waiting to reply until I could measure the width on one of the trailers I use, but I may never remember, so wanted to jump in with a penny's worth of thought.
You already know that terrain and trail width are primary concerns, but side tipping and the pull capacity of the tow vehicle are important. Make sure your hitch point is below the rear axle. My Mule weighs in at over 1,100 pounds and once or twice I had the front wheels off the ground pulling 2,000# up a steep skid trail.
I have several trailers from the balloon tire garden trailers rated for 1,000# up to my 6x10' on road trailer and I pull them all in the woods with my Mule. It looks like you are dealing with rougher and narrower terrain and if that is the case, consider a walking beam design before you pull the trigger. You know your ground better than any of us. For moving logs I prefer to drag them with my skidding arch right up to the splitter yard, then buck and split right there. It saves a lot of handling...for me.
Best of luck, let us know what you settle in on and don't forget pictures. ;D

mike_belben · December 07, 2021, 09:27:48 AM

i like your skidding trailer scott. i think i will borrow that design if you dont mind.

stavebuyer · December 07, 2021, 09:35:16 AM

Quote from: livemusic on December 07, 2021, 08:50:15 AM
Stavebuyer and Doc... thanks much for those trailer mentions as I was not aware of either of them and they look awesome. The Logrite is more the size I had in mind but that dump trailer looks terrific. However, I might need something smaller like the Logrite, as my trails are narrow. I am going to widen them, though. It's a 40 acre full canopy woodlot of hardwoods.

An example of what I had been looking at is a Yutrax 1500 lb Off-road Utility Trailer. Also, Polar, Bannon, Ohio Steel. Another higher-end one is MUTS.

I am glad I posted here, will consider these two finds. That dump trailer could be used if I widened my trails enough.

Any others?!

The King Kutter I posted is 50" wide which is basically the width of my Kubota RTV500 which pulls it just fine. The tandem axle walking beam is excellent for off-road use but is not rated for highway. Comes with interchangable 2' ball and clevis type hitches that are mounted on a round shaft that would allow trailer to overturn without taking the tow vehicle with it.

livemusic · December 07, 2021, 10:51:08 AM

Bad news on the Rural King dump trailer for me is that the nearest dealer to me would mean a 2-day round trip drive (9 hrs one way) and I think I read where the unit cannot be shipped, you can only pick it up.

upnut · December 07, 2021, 11:03:08 AM

Quote from: mike_belben on December 07, 2021, 09:27:48 AM
i like your skidding trailer scott. i think i will borrow that design if you dont mind.

Not a problem, I have full cad drawings my son drew up off a back of a napkin idea if you're interested...it's built stout.

The boom assy. is removable, I've upgraded the winch since this pic...

The weakest link, straight pulls are ok...

Scott B.

mike_belben · December 07, 2021, 11:45:09 AM

no no, i'll make it my own and share later. but i like it a lot. great job. 8)

livemusic · December 07, 2021, 12:29:58 PM

upnut, I was immediately intrigued with your homemade trailer, as well. I work alone mostly and I initially thought it might be easier when harvesting a tree to transport logs rather than buck it into rounds and load rounds. Not so sure. What do you think? Is that how you use it? Do you have a video? Does that gin pole or whatever you call it rise?

upnut · December 07, 2021, 01:20:38 PM

Livemusic- The boom is stationary, but could pivot up depending on how you build the rear support. We toyed with the idea of an adjustable support, but went with simple to begin with. It's only temporary unless it works... :D...I used it initially harvesting a downed maze of dead ash poles, just dragging small logs out of the mess, blocking them up to load...

If you were to skid much, a taller arch and a steel plate on back for protection and a draw point would be better. My brother built a similar rig, but the taller arch wants to raise the front of the trailer under load...

We've learned alot in the process, will fill you in if you're interested...

Scott B.

John Mc · December 08, 2021, 10:47:32 PM

I use a Polar Tandem Axle model 8262 trailer behind my Coot (antique UTV)

It's rated for 1500#. Tandem axle - walking arm suspension. Manual dump, but well balanced enough that I could dump a 1000# load of pea gravel without any problem. Shown here with the optional side rail extension kit. The wheels are bigger than they appear in this photo: tires are 18 x 8.5

The price is up a good bit from when I bought mine: you can find them for about $750 if you look around a bit. They also make a lighter duty version rated at 1200#. I went for the 1500# version because the plastic shell is significantly heavier-duty. They also make a single axle version which is significantly cheaper, still rated for the same weight.

Lowes, Home Depot, and some hardware stores can get them (they are seldom in stock around here). Shipping is a killer if you are trying to order online for home delivery. These days, I'd try to pick it up from a store near you, and avoid the shipping charges.

sublime68charger · December 10, 2021, 01:11:25 PM

this is one of mine, got it for free from a friends dad, had small skinny tires on it I added the old car tires and put on the 2nd row of boards around it. works good and stack loaded with wood its enough for my 450 foreman to pull around.

sublime68charger · December 10, 2021, 01:14:16 PM

Quote from: livemusic on December 06, 2021, 08:44:37 PM
To pull behind a John Deere Gator (side by side, UTV) or a Honda Foreman 500 ATV. Hauling rounds out of the woods or small logs or split firewood but mostly rounds. Fat ATV type tires make sense to me.

Id look on your local FB market place or Craigslist for what is used in your area can usually find something decent enough and workable.

sublime68charger · December 10, 2021, 01:51:18 PM

this is my other trailer found on the road side for free. Had to redue 1/3 of the floor but other than that its been a good wood hauler for me.

Has a leaf spring axle under it so I also made a bench seat for it that sits in the trailer for the kids to ride on. This is a full load for the Honda 450 foreman as well.