Trailers - teach me what I need to know!

OK, so I drove half-way across the country towing my car behind a Uhaul truck once. And I drove a van across town with a loaded trailer once when I was 18 for work. I tow a yard cart behind my electric mower all the time. But that's really the sum of my trailer experience.

On Saturday, I traded my 2008 Highlander for a 2022 4Runner. It came with a hitch. This is wonderful news, because I really need more capacity to move stuff around! But it also means I need to learn.

I'm looking through my new car's owner's manual as a baseline. So the thing pictured below is the hitch, right? And the ball thing that trailers normally expect to couple with is called a ball hitch and will screw into a square tube of steel that slides into the hitch I have. I guess those are things I have to buy yet. And the ball can be one of three different sizes depending on the class of the trailer.

There's a whole bunch of 'how not to overload the trailer and damage your vehicle' info, which great in the long term, but I think I'm mostly going to be using it for much lighter loads than they're imagining, so I'm not concentrating on that stuff for now.

So...what do I need to know?

What kinds of trailers are there to consider for homestead use? I'd like to be able to drive my mower onto it and ratchet-strap it down to take it to the shop. I'd like to be able to pick up random junk on the side of the road. I'd like to be able to shovel a ton of gravel into it.

Where does one buy a trailer? Is the local fleet/hardware store a good place to start?

There are hookups for lights and brakes. My impression is that any trailer should have lights but only certain kinds of trailers will have brakes...is that right? (And probably the trailers I'm interested in won't?)

I have a lot of opportunity at our place to drive in pull-through loops, but I'll eventually want to back up and unload, and I'm aware that backing trailers is a skill that has to be learned and I haven't really done so. What's a good way to learn?

What else have I not even thought about yet so I don't know to ask? (unknown unknowns...)

Before throwing your hard earned money down, check out your options carefully.  I ended up with a homemade trailer, the welder was a silver haired master, with attention to detail.  Eight ft by 12 ft, real tires and wheels, 950 claims.  Comparable ones were around 3k at dealers. Or you might find what you need in the used market.

Backing up is not so hard to learn.  Set up stakes with flagging or cones in your yard first, and learn to parallel park that trailer in reverse.  Once you have that skill, everything else will seem like child's play.  BTW congrats on the 4 runner, hope it delivers years of pleasure
Rico

Sorry, 950 clams,  bucks, bills, dollars.   Dang autocorrect....

This link focuses on boats, but has handy information on trailer generalities.  >>>  https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-much-boat-trailer-weigh.aspx

I'm guessing that's a 2" receiver in your photo, but you will have to measure it to be sure.  I use one of these 3-way selectable ball hitches that maximizes the different trailer tongues you may run into for your use.  >>>  https://www.harborfreight.com/triple-ball-trailer-hitch-64286.html

From a quick search, the 2022 4Runner has a towing capacity of 5000 lb, but may vary a bit depending on features.  For a *purchased* trailer for this vehicle, my own quite inexperienced inclination would be to get a single axle ~6 X 12 ft trailer with or without ramps.  (My favorite detachable ramps are aluminum and each ramp has a 2,500 lb capacity.... can't recall where I bought them but possibly through Northern Tool.)  Hard to say where to find new trailers....many on used sites, but need checking over for welds, axle/hub status, etc.  We fortunately are surrounded by trailer manufacturers and this is not an issue, but I also had a smaller single axle 5X10 ft trailer built by a welder in a nearby town.  Because of the reduced weight, I've always thought an aluminum trailer would be great, but I can't vouch for the integrity over steel.

Trailer backing:   Relevant humor break from several years ago  >>>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U91Zp9wWS30

I'm terrible at it.  More than once I've just exited the truck and asked someone else on hand to do it. (Reasoning:  We live where boats, horses, livestock, and trailers of all kinds are KING....everyone seems to grow up backing up trailers since they were 5 years old!)  So I do what I can and practice when I get the chance.  Note;  This is a situation where a tractor can come in handy, not only in moving a trailer, but in practicing the visualization of trailer backing.  SO MUCH EASIER to do with a ball hitch on rear of a tractor and this is due to being closer to the trailer tongue from where you are sitting.  But it all just needs practice and getting a feel for where that ball hitch is moving when you are in the cab of the truck.  Sorry....can't be more helpful on that point.  Good luck!

Christopher, depending on frequency of use, you may have some more economical options. Unless you plan to have the trailer hooked up at all times. I have a friend here who picks up junk and he has his 16' utility trailer on his 1/2 ton truck continuously.

Mainly the deals would be if you shop at a Tractor Supply. You can get free quarterly day uses and rent if you need more time. If you do not have a local TSC or plan to have the trailer on most of the time, disregard.

Aluminum trailers in this size range only save 50 pounds or less, not worth it for capacity. They are a lot more salt resistant so it might be worth it if you use it in the winter.  

Check with dmv about plates and permits. These rules vary wildly from state to state, some don’t need anything for a small trailer, some need extra insurance, etc.

Longer trailers are easier to back than short ones, short ones jackknife super easy. Make sure you can see the back corners of the trailer in your mirrors. I put a set of snow plow flags on mine so I could see it above the tailgate.

Make sure to check the wheel bearings often, especially in the beginning.

You need full-size tires and a mounted spare. Avoid tiny tire trailers; they are meant for tiny loads.
Long tongue trailers are much easier to back up.
Shock absorbers to control road bounce.
Usually, new vehicles have a factory wiring point where you can plug in an adapter to supply your trailer with lighting. Adapters are available online at Amazon.
Trailer brakes are very nice if you are hauling cars or #3000 of "stuff," but they are not needed for the average load. (you can always upgrade later to haul heavy stuff).
A quality home-built trailer will usually be better constructed than a "mass-produced store-bought one.
The trick to backing up is to know your path, use only your driver's side mirror, and not look over your shoulder.
Pay attention only to the side of the trailer in your mirror. Make minor corrections while only looking at the mirror. If it goes the wrong way, stop, pull forward a few feet until your trailer straightens out, and then try again.  
It only looks hard... but a short tongue trailer can make a good backer-upper look like an amateur.

Ideally, I would look for a homemade trailer.
A long tongue flatbed with removable sides and back.
Full-size tires and shock absorbers, and fenders
Multiple tie-down points.
Separate load ramps for when you want to load a small piece of equipment.  
A 2" ball hitch is the most common size with mid-size trailers.

The main thing about trailers is more is more, have small tires you'll want full size, one axle you'll want 2 and 3, 5 x 9 you'll want 8 x 10, lights on the rear you'll want clearance and markers to see down the sides in the dark, 1 spare will give way to 2, bolted and locked to the frame with the trailers own jack, lug nut/bolt iron and spare lugs/bolts and chocks,  it's so much better to put less on a heavy rated trailer than to put close to capacity on a light one. What gets you good at handling and maneuvering a trailer is practice, practice, practice don't be embarrassed/self conscious/uptight about it, no one was born knowing how everybody learns from jump,  if you have to get out and look so what it's better than hitting something the sooner you start the sooner you'll be using the mirrors to get it where it has to go without a second thought and you're on to the matter of why you're using the trailer in the first place

Of course, much depends upon what you are hauling. A great piece of advice I once got was that if all other things are equal, and your needs are vague, buy a covered horse trailer.  It provides for a tremendous number of options.

John F Dean wrote:...buy a covered horse trailer.  It provides for a tremendous number of options.

I could imagine sheltering from rain, or even camping, in a horse trailer as sort of a cross between nothing and an RV. Instant tent.

Thomas Rubino wrote:

The trick to backing up is to know your path, use only your driver's side mirror, and not look over your shoulder.

Which is why I can't back up worth beans. I know the principles and have heard all the advice, but using the mirrors coupled with the opposites involved totally put my dyslexia into overdrive.

It's like the Righty tighty/Lefty loosey rule - works a dream if I'm looking from certain orientations. But there are other orientations where my brain just goes "tilt".

So if you try really hard to learn trailer backing, and find that the longer you practice the worse you get, consider other options...

Jay Angler wrote:So if you try really hard to learn trailer backing, and find that the longer you practice the worse you get, consider other options...

I have parked our towable RV hundreds of times, other types of trailer before that. I also have parked other peoples RV's because they were having trouble or something came up and they needed help. I am not naturally gifted at it.

No matter how many times I have done it, the thing that helped the most was to take a breath, put my hand at 6'o clock on the wheel. Once at 6'o clock, you move your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go. That just seemed to reset my thinking and get me in the right mindset to park without an issue. It may be worth a try if you have not tried that technique before.

They even make t-shirts and pillows and other decorations about the relationship strain RV'ers encounter when trying to park with the help of your significant other every few days or every few weeks. Travel days were always a pain, but I digress.....

Half of successful trailer backing happens before you back: the more you can set yourself up beforehand so you are backing straight &/or minimally turning to the drivers side instead of sharp turns &/or turns to the passenger side (i.e. blind side) the better.

Once you have a good setup, then look in your drivers mirror &/or over your shoulder out the drivers window at the trailer tire.
Visualize the line or curve the trailer tire would follow to get where you're wanting to back it to.
Begin backing slowly, move the bottom of the steering wheel in the direction you want the trailer to move: i.e. need to make a sharper turn to the drivers side, turn the wheel clockwise (for left hand drive vehicle)
Continue backing, continually making steering corrections to keep the trailer tire on the desired line/curve.
If you get too far off, pull forward and steer to get the vehicle and trailer back onto the desired path.
Repeat until you arrive at your destination.

The shorter the hitch to trailer tire distance, the faster it will swing, so go slower, and turn the steering wheel less, but try to catch deviations from the line sooner.

The more you can practice, the easier it will become, and the more comfortable you will be.

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When loading the trailer you will want at least 10% of the total weight as tongue weight (I.E. trailer and load is 1000lb, minimum tongue weight should be 100lb). Max tongue weight might be 15-20%, this becomes more important the heavier the load: your 5000lb towing rated hitch is probably only rated for 500-650lb tongue weight. Too heavy on the tongue also sags the rear of your tow vehicle; you can get helper springs or air bags; that's not nearly as bad as too little tongue weight: that causes trailer fishtailing:

One of the main uses of my trailer has been as a rescue/transport for motorcycles. I abandoned the original 4x8 trailer I had for one with a lower platform. This really helps with loading a 2 wheel vehicle. I'd think similarly for any wheeled, unmotorized cargo loading. Might not be an issue if it is something stable you can drive up, depending on the ramp situation.

The lower trailer does cause cost/complexity issues with wheel size and/or suspension. Still I have a pretty handy 4x8 that will do many things besides cycle hauling, does freeway speeds, and cost me around $1k.

If you don't have a priority on  having something shiny for a few months, I've seen used balls/hitches ubiquitously at garage sales, pawn shops, 'manly' thrift places, etc.

When hooking up the hitch, the safety chains hang under the ball and cross sides.