When Will Harbor Freight Sell Trailers Again

Hey, hither is my experience with the harbor freight 4 x viii trailer that yous have to put together yourself...

one.) Cost from the shop with tax: $256

Total assembly time: About 4 days (not full days, but maybe like 3 hours per day)

- Wheel bearings must exist repacked

- A basic understanding of wire splicing required in running the wiring

- A T-foursquare should be used when putting the frame together

- Read the directions VERY CAREFULLY before tightening the bolts, considering information technology's very piece of cake to put a piece on backwards/upside down/incorrect piece. I f***ed upward a few times only to realize my mistake a few steps subsequently when stuff wasn't lining up the way information technology should

- It's like putting together a piece of IKEA furniture...take your time before tightening the south*** out of whatever bolts, because it's very easy to make simple mistakes, which outcome in you needing to undo the bolts and gear up your error(due south).

2.) Toll of plywood/mounting bolts/straps/and O-bolts: $85

3.) Cost of "enhanced inspection" (which is required in my state for trailers that you lot put together yourself): $212

4.) Toll of Registration/title creation: $180

5) Cost of miscellaneous tools needed to put it together (torque wrench, grease gun, grease, rubber mallet, etc...): $60

5) Total cost: ~$800

If you already have all the necessary tools, bolts, and plywood laying around, then the total cost would exist closer to $700. Even so, the important thing to note is that it is much more than then just $250, which is the cost of only the unassembled trailer.

After information technology was assembled with the plywood, this is where the existent fun began...

- The castor wheels broke off, making it impossible to "fold up and scroll into storage", which is the chief reason I chose to buy this trailer in the offset place. It was merely besides heavy, awkwardly shaped, and lacking of brush wheels to be able to ringlet into my double doored basement, which has a half-dozen" lip that must be overcome in order to get into (not a problem for my quad and dirtbike, but a major trouble for an extremely heavy and awkwardly shaped trailer that has cheap i" castor wheels, two of which broke off). Therefore, I was forced to keep it outside in my driveway (which is the main reason that I didn't simply buy a regular 5x8 landscaping trailer.

- After putting the plywood onto the trailer, information technology doesn't fold up anymore. It almost folds upwards, but not quite. When it'southward on its 'side' (which means it's upright on its cheap castor wheels, ready to be rolled into storage), it wants to unfold and come crashing down due to the weight of information technology. If you take your hand off of the trailer for even one second, information technology will immediately unfold and come crashing down causing a bent license plate and cracked tail calorie-free. If you intend to keep this thing folded, while in the upright position, you better have some rope or straps that will go on it folded (unfortunately I didnt).

- In order to get the trailer on its side, onto the cheap 1" brush wheels, it requires somewhat of a Herculean endeavour. If yous are a relatively strong dude, then yous should be okay. Nevertheless, later on a total day of riding...your energy levels may exist low, and...well, let's just say you lot may exist cursing and hit stuff a lot if you accept to do this by yourself.

- The coupler (the office that y'all connect to the ball on your trailer hitch) is the biggest piece of junk I've e'er seen in my life. In order to make it onto the brawl, you must first connect the safety chains to your trailer hitch (I have a sloped driveway, so this was an absolute must). You so must have a hammer or crowbar ready. Next, you must lay on your back and hold the weight of the trailer up with 1 hand, while yous crush on the coupler with the hammer/crowbar until the opening in large enough to fit over the ane 7/eight" trailer ball. You'd think that the lever on the coupler would practise this, merely it actually doesn't. A hammer or crowbar, and lots of yelling and blasphemous is required (it doesn't mention that in the directions).

- Loading the bicycle or quad onto the trailer sucks a**! At first glance, you may think "cool, the bed of the trailer also doubles as a ramp". However, what you don't know is that the bed of the trailer wants to exist Flat (not in the ramped position). What this means is that you must find a way to continue the bed in the ramped position, and then y'all can jump on your bike or quad and bulldoze it up onto the ramp. I figured out that I could attain this feat by shoving a 2 x four piece of wood onto the trailer, underneath the bed, forcing the bed to stay in the "loading position". Adjacent, I bound onto my quad/bike and bulldoze it up to the bed such that but the forepart cycle is on the ramp. Next, I tin remove the two x 4 piece of wood since the weight of the bike is holding it in position at present. Adjacent, I can jump on the cycle/quad, and ride it up the ramp causing it to go flat once more. Voila, bike loaded!

- There are no sidewalls, and then you'd better strap that thing down good!

- Unloading is a bit easier, but still a gigantic pain In the a**. Y'all can either open up the coupler at present with a hammer/crowbar, or you can just do that next time you want to exit riding. Just realize, that you will be beating that piece of southward*** coupler with a hammer one-time between now and your next ride in order to become information technology fastened to the trailer hitch ball.

- Now it's time to fold it upwards and shop information technology. Unfortunately, after my commencement use, I had only one/ii of the amount of castor wheels that I started with, a cracked tail light, a bent license plate, and zippo energy left. Then information technology just stayed out in my driveway. I secretly prayed to God that someone would come forth and steal this trailer while I wasn't looking, but unfortunately it was still in that location the next day .

- I ended up giving the trailer away to my cousin after only 1 utilise. I figured that I'd rather take that slice of south*** out of my life altogether, then to ever have to bargain with it over again. I considered information technology to exist equivalent to a bad gambling loss. I'chiliad non a large gambler, only I have lost several hundred dollars on more then one occasion from gambling. Purchasing this trailer felt about the aforementioned.

- Don't even become me started about the pinched wiring issues that you are going to encounter the first time yous go to fold the trailer up. Let's only say you'd better have your soldering atomic number 26 and a bunch of electrical tape ready to go.

- The adjacent time I went out riding, I borrowed my buddies five x eight landscaping trailer, and it was a very euphoric feel. The trailer connected to my hitch in well-nigh one second. The bike loaded onto the trailer in almost x seconds...and about 4 minutes afterwards, I was strapped down and ready to roll. Oh it was then nice.

My advice: If you lot are looking to buy a trailer to booty your cycle or quad, get to Lowes, and purchase a 5x8 landscaping trailer for $700. Y'all'll end up spending the aforementioned verbal amount of money, and you'll be getting a WAY better trailer that'southward much easier to deal with. No, it won't fold up (but then again, that feature was lost for me after the plywood was added and the castor wheels broke off from the HF trailer).

Phew...glad I got that off my chest 🙂.

Edited Nov eleven, 2015 by Irishman301

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Source: https://www.thumpertalk.com/forums/topic/1160769-thinking-of-getting-a-harbor-freight-trailerread-this/

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