Sap Trailer - Harbor Freight 40" x 48" 1090 pound capacity - thoughts?

[Old County Road]

I am looking for input as whether or not a Harbor Freight 40" x 48" 1090 pound capacity trailer for $240 would stand up to hauling on a forest trail being towed by my L2900 Kubota? I plan to go slow and study but would like some input if you have experience with sap hauling on trailers. I will probably only haul 70 gallons (500 pounds or so) at a time. Does anybody out there have experience with this trailer in such a situation? I have the 4 x 8 version which has worked well on the roads - but I want a shorter trailer for turning corners.

Thanks in advance for any constructive input.

[Big_Eddy]

I built my own. Based on that, a few thoughts for you.
You would do better with wider tires if your woods are at all soft in the spring.
I mounted my wheels without springs. I wonder if the springs would cause extra sloshing over bumps. I'd be tempted to remove the springs to lower the deck as much as possible.
Tongue. Make sure the tongue is solid but long enough to clear the tractor wheels at ninety degrees. You'll turn tighter in the woods with the tractor than you ever would on the road.
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[BaileyHillBen]

Hello, I purchased the same trailer you are interested in. I did modify it a bit by making new hubs and adding 4-wheeler tires for more ground clearance. With that being said, the trailer is more than capable of hauling 100 plus gallons of sap. I use two tanks on mine totaling around 75-80 gallons and have had no issues. You won't be dissapointed with the purchase except for maybe the tire size and width (snow/mud). Overall I am very pleased with the trailer and really for the money, you can't beat it. I will try to get a pic or two loaded. Hope this helps.

[Super Sapper]

I use a homemade trailer of that size with a 100 tank on it and it works great. I found some 4 wheeler tires and rims that were the same 4 bolt pattern and put them on. Hardly sinks in the mud. I did have to extend the axle out to fit the tires though. You can look into golf cart tires also.

[Old County Road]

Thank you all for taking the time to give me your advice/input. I'm tapping this Sunday so I will pick up the trailer and get it set up for when I start hauling. Usually I have snow on the ground and I use a sled behind my snowmobile - but not this year!

[Noah's Ark]

I have that trailer as is and use it behind my quad and tractor for collecting sap and for collecting fire wood in my timber. I have two 55 gallon barrels on the back for sap and have a set of stake sides for wood. It has been great and I have never had any weight issues or any issues with the tire size. I may put on wider wheels at some point but as of yet no issues. And my property has a lot of rough rocky wet areas.

[lastwoodsman]

This is what I use/ On sale about 279.00 Big tires stays on top--

YUTRAX Trail Warrior ATV Trailer — 1250-Lb. Capacity, 20 1/2 Cu. Ft., Model# TX158


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200377292_200377292

[West Sumner Sugar]

]This is what we built. We actually just added the tires this year since we have little to no snow. Basically a Jet Sled with a frame around it. 100 gallon stock tank from Tractor Supply with a cover. The pump and manifold set up lets us pump out our collection tanks into the trailer, then when we get to the sugar house, throw the valves on the manifold the other way to pump the trailer out into our head tank. We have it set up so we can pull it with a tractor, sled or ATV.
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[bigschuss]

]This is what we built. We actually just added the tires this year since we have little to no snow. Basically a Jet Sled with a frame around it. 100 gallon stock tank from Tractor Supply with a cover. The pump and manifold set up lets us pump out our collection tanks into the trailer, then when we get to the sugar house, throw the valves on the manifold the other way to pump the trailer out into our head tank. We have it set up so we can pull it with a tractor, sled or ATV.
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I love this thing! It looks like something out of Mad Maxx!

Question for you...I've been thinking about building something similar. Can you easily convert your sled to "wheels on" and "wheels off" mode? I always have snow early in the season and could use a sled. Late in the season though I could use wheels. Trying to figure out how to fabricate a sled for both snow and dirt.

[West Sumner Sugar]

Yes just need to remove the axle nut on one side and slide the axles out. Then it will drop to the ground and run like a sled. The bottom is wrapped with an old bed liner from a truck to help with wear.

[MaxJ]

There's a lot of great set ups shown here and it gives me some ideas of what could work with my trailer that I have now. Liking the looks of the bigger tires as shown on the Trail Warrior than whats on the Agri Trailer as I find them too small and hard riding going along the trails. Another thing is if the tongue was longer it permit a 90 degree turns. The phot is of the three big totes of tubing, bucket supplies, which has made life a little easier.
http://www.sears.ca/product/agri-fab-towable-utility-dump-cart/7161078000?gclid=CPump6LZrssCFQiUaQodVToIWQ&extid=ca_1search_2en_3gogl_4productfeeds&s_kwcid=AL!4202!3!%7Bcreative%7D!%7Bmatchtype%7D!% 7Bplacement%7D!%7Bnetwork%7D!%7Badwords_producttar getid%7D!%7Bkeyword%7D&ef_id=Vt2EUQAABcqjkwqI:20160307133825:s
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[bigschuss]

Yes just need to remove the axle nut on one side and slide the axles out. Then it will drop to the ground and run like a sled. The bottom is wrapped with an old bed liner from a truck to help with wear.

Thanks. Great rig.

[Burnt sap]

I have about the same size homemade trailer and I load a 65 gallon tank and pull with my 4 wheeler no problems.