Out of necessity (cost)and possibly sentimental value, I rebuilt my dad's 30 plus year old Holsclaw trailer to haul my stepdaughter's and my dirt bikes. There are some shortcomings. My personal comments/ experience: The trailer bed is about 5 1/2 feet wide x maybe 8 feet long(it's outside in the cold right now, so I'm estimating). It's easily wide enough for two dirt bikes if you stagger the wheel chocks about a foot (front to back). You need wheel chocks for carrying the bikes. I made mine out of plywood, but I was out of work at the time and had the wood- my time was free. Making your own chocks allows you to make them to fit the tire widths more closely. The pre-made chocks I looked at were more geared to street bike width tires. However, if you need to transport street bikes, narrow chocks may interfere with the brake rotors. My trailer tilts. I think I would prefer a trailer with a large built-in fold down ramp. However, that vertical ramp may have a large negative effect on gas mileage. Tying down two bikes with four tiedowns each is a pain. I am working on some way to secure via the chocks and handlebars, but I am still working on it. It has a steel bed (not mesh)- kind of slippery now that it's painted. Lots of tie-downs that I installed, plus lots of "slots" in the bed. The trailers that hold two snowmobiles side to side are a lot wider than most tow vehicles- my trailer is only a few inches wider than my SUV. I have driven with wide trailers- it takes a little getting used to, especially at toll booths. A trailer with low sides may allow you to carry gas cans and gear with a little more confidence- driving two hours over bumpy roads to a riding area with a smelly gas can in the back of an SUV can be trying. Always carry a spare tire, lug wrench, and jack for the trailer. That way you'll never need them. Remember to re-grease your wheel bearings every year. Check the hubs (temperature and feel) every time you stop for gas or food. Re-check your load after one mile, ten miles, and every 100 miles. I think that about sums up my experiences so far. Good luck. Ralph

I have had this trailer for about 5 years and it has been great. There are no tags or registration fees here, check with your local DMV. It is nice because it tilts so you don't need ramps to load the tractor (you may need a friend to put his foot on the back or a bag of sand since it wants to rock forward to the level configurations). Folded up it takes up about the amount of room a push mower would. I bought the spare tire (comes with the mounting hardware) for about $45 dollars in case a tire blows, but so far haven't even had a flat. Be careful when you fold it so you don't stretch/tear the taillight wires. I put a quick disconnect at the fold point so I wouldn't have to worry about the extra wire getting pinched or caught on something.

If you "add an axle", it should not be just another separate or independent axle assembly attached to the frame. A properly engineered two axle (or more) suspension utilizes "equalizer" brackets (hangers or shackles) between the ends of each pair of springs to help distribute (or "equalize") the load bearing points during movement over uneven surfaces. Equalizing is critical for a number of reasons. Equalizers helps to "spread" the loading between the two (or more) axles so that no single tire (on a given side of trailer) or spring ends up bearing all the load (on that side), due to uneven surfaces. Equalizing also spreads the load to more points on the frame of the trailer which means less bending of the frame on uneven surfaces. If separate, indepenent axles are mounted (without equalizers), it will be the trailer frame that attempts to "equalize the load". You might do a bit of research to see if a "greater capacity" single axle set-up could be used to replace the current one. A heavier single axle with beefier tires and bigger, longer springs would still be more maneuverable than a tandem axle. If it were my decision to replace the lighter axle with a heavier duty single axle, I would reinforce the trailer mainframe side angles (where the spring hangers attach to the frame) with some overlay plates or gusseting (welded to frame at all four points) to strengthen the frame. If you are tempted to use the trailer "as is", remember this: A "static load" of 1,700 Lb. becomes a "huge hammer" when you encounter bumps or dips in the road (or off road) surface. Also, when you go over bumps or dips where only one side of the axle (left or right) is involved, a "tipping effect", or "shock leaning" occurs (causing an increase in the loading of one side for a moment). A similar effect happens when taking a curve or cornering. And what about the occasions when you might want to haul more than just the 1,700 Lb tractor?

Tractor Supply has a good selection, remember, if you don't get one with a "drop down" ramp, you'll have to buy ramps. I'd also check with "four wheeler" places as it seems that everyone that has one has a trailer to haul it around on. Whatever you end up getting, invest in "bearing buddies" or whatever they're called now so you can keep the wheel bearings full of grease. Spare tire is also a good idea. IMHO, I'd stay FAR away from fold up trailers, remember you're going to be hauling some weight at highway speeds. You don't mention what you'll be towing with, plan on getting a receiver hitch also the wiring adapter for your vehicle. If you have a pickup, should have a step and tow bumper which would handle this light load, regular vehicles don't have bumpers anymore. :-) Unfortunately, cost and storage definitely come into play and you'll be spending some $$ and moving the trailer so you can mow under it in my experience. Good luck, Ev