I am thinking of buying a freezer unit that is 5x9x7 feet. I can conceivably pack 4400 pounds of meat in the thing. It weighs 1350 pounds itself. Here's a pic: http://www.walkincooler.com/ice/PDF/cool_mover_cat.pdf I am not interested in having mounted in my truck, nor in having to move it everytime I want to use it. I see visions of my expensive freezer taking a tumble off the loader and I'm not going there. I'm looking to have it mounted on a trailer. I understand about axle capacity and all that. The pictures of the unit on the trailer sure look nice, but wouldn't it be pretty top heavy on that bitty trailer? Would I risk flipping it by taking a corner too fast, running up the curb (not that I ever do that), or even just driving on a windy day? I have found more than one trailer guy who will mount the thing on a regular tandem axle 6x12 trailer for me. It wouldn't look as clean, but do you all think that would be a smarter move? Am I imagining the flip risk? Thanks Jena
I would think this could be bolted down to a low trailer and moved safely, if you take cornors slowley, even more slowely if it is full of food. Calculate the weigh of the trailer, the freezer and the food when you seek to buy a trailer. Damage to the tires, axels, springs, ect could happen even when its sitting still if they are undersized.
I beleive a trailer with drop axles as pictured in the above link would work perfectly fine. Drop axles are designed with the actual wheel spindle sitting at or higher than the leaf springs, thus lowering the center of gravity for the intended load. I would suggest that the wider the wheel base the better off you will be. Using tandem axles as pictured, with a wheel base width of 8 ft., will provide you with a very stable platform. Keep in mind to not load top heavy, and for best trailering results, the tongue weight should be approximately 10% of the entire cargo and trailer weight, combined. Best Regards..... <><
.....Jena , Some observation(s) , Those units look like they need to be plugged into a 120volt ac supply source to maintain a stable freezer environment. If so, you are probablly going to have to procure a generator for the unit if it is going to be hauled over long distances. As far as the trailer, I would recommend using at least (2) 5,000 axles with Brakes on BOTH axles. 5k axles should come with 6-hole wheels and you should use Load Range "D" tires for safety sake. If , you jump to 6,000 pound axles, you will have to utilize 8 hole wheels and atleast load range D tires. Remember this, the Shorter the Tongue on your trailer the Harder it will be to maneuver when backing UP. That is basically the distance from the Front of your freezer box to the hitch when it is lowered down on your ball. IF, I WAS GOING TO EITHER BUY OR BUILD A TRAILER FOR THE BOX , personally I would add about 3 extra feet to the length of the Tongue. A very short Tongue length will become the BANE of your existence when traveling . Ladies are programmed to basically ...GO forward.... although you maybe very comfortable with backing a trailer. ...fordy...
I never doubt my wife's abilities, she's a town girl & handles the big tractors & chisel plow just fine for me. I plowed 8 acres one fall, broke the plow & had _2_ flat tires. She did the rest of fall tillage, & only added fuel & oil. Sigh. Now, if I could talk her into practicing with my manual tranny pickup...... Anyhow, to your question: I always though of 6x16' as a 'standard' tandem trailer. I think a 6x12' would be just perfect for you. It will allow the freezer to be mounted in the 'sweet spot' to provide the proper hitch weight. It will also give yo a bit of a step platform at the back, which most of the time will be appreciated. --->Paul
I couldn't get your picture but the freezer absolutely must be ancored to the trailer frame. If you get one with a wheel base as wide as a dually truck it will be very stable but throwing a box off it is a very serious risk if it can posibly be torn loose from the trailer.
certainly go with the trailer!our butcher has a fith wheel equiped with display case freezers down each wall. just don,t store meat up top only and your center of gravity should be fine.may need a gen on the trailer but no biggy . my wife can back trailers just fine but put a man signaling and she messes up!she learned doing it her self and her new coworkers have now learned to just let her do it !she does better than them!
Now here's another question. He wants $1390 for the trailer. 6.5 x 12, tandem 3500 pound axles, brakes on both axles. He wants an additional $400 to mount the box to the trailer (yes it will be to the frame). I thought that was a little high for the trailer, but I would much rather deal with someone local. I've found trailers cheaper, but they aren't nearby. Does that price seem out of line? Thanks Jena
Not for a good trailer but its rather subjective. You know you can't pack a walkin like you do a chest freezer right? You need to leave a bit of airspace to cool effectively. It's a great idea and I'll see if I can get the pictures of our butchers trailer (Ford Major is my Bro) on line. Totally irrelevant but interesting to see.
Jenna, Just buy a enclosed cargo trailer that is tall enough to stand in and either has ramp on back or doors and then a door on the side. I have 2 15 cu. ft freezers in a 7x12 trailer and I run them off of a power inverter hooked up to the truck. It works great and is not that expensive to do..........I have room to add another freezer if I need it. Let me know if you want to see it I can take a picture or two. Scott Bradley Ozark Mo. www.realbeef.com
I thought of the freezer in the trailer thing, but it doesn't give me enough capacity. At this time, I need to be able to haul 300 chickens and I want to be set up to handle 500. Frozen chickens are like bowling balls. Hard to fit in the freezer! Jena
well I can put over 600 pounds of beef in the two freezers in the trailer, that would be a lot of chicken! just a thought glad your doing well. Scott
