Trailer

I needed to purchase a small utility trailer to haul a zero turn mower and other equipment.  I own a 1991 Ford Ranger with a small 4 cylinder engine that has a step bumper with a hole for a trailer ball.  The old truck was never designed for big trailers but the step bumper is rated for 200 to 350 lbs depending on which manual you read.  The addition of a heavy duty hitch would allow larger trailers but the gutless 4 cylinder 2.3 L truck restricts the size of the trailer to small utility trailers.   I started looking for 5x6' or 5x8' trailers until I discovered the length of the Cub Cadet zts1 46" mower was 7' long and 52" wide with chute.  I needed extra space for tie down and space for additional equipment. 

Spence Trailer Sales, a local dealer, had several 10 and 12' options with load ratings over 2000 lbs.  The trailers came in either 5 to 6.4' and open rail or closed box options.  The wood deck trailer has 15" tires and comes with equipment tiedown brackets, a spring assist ramp, front tong jack, lights, license plate holder and spare tire.  I chose the open rail 6.4 x 10' model.  I can always add sideboards and modify as needed.  The empty trailer tong weight is about 60 lbs so it is easy to lift for refined hitch positioning over the truck ball.

The utility trailer was made by PJ Trailers and their 77"x10' bed.  A Gorilla-lift was added to help lift the ramp.    Total cost of trailer and Gorilla-lift was $4,100 including tax and 10 year license.  Serial number is 3CV1U1410P2653900.  

Current Setup

In 2023, a series of additions/modifications were made to the basic trailer setup.  The goal was to make a functional trailer for transporting the Cub Cadet ZTS1 mower and equipment needed to use maintain large properties.  

1. Water tank (20 gallon) over next to left wheel.  Allows for water transport when I 

• Spray weeds

• Clean using pressure washer

• Clean mower decks onsite  

2. Mounting bracket for a 12 volt RV water pump with a 4 GPM flow rate.  An in-line screen filter added to reduce sprayer nozzle problems.

3. A 12 volt transformer (DC 24V to 12V 10A 120W Step Down Converter Voltage Regulator Buck Power Converter Waterproof Transformer Module) with a Power Wheel Adapter Battery Adapter for Black and Decker 20V MAX Lithium Battery was added to the water pump board. It allows the 20 volt batteries used for my Black and Decker tools to also power the water pump. 

4. Tool rack for hand/power tools with 5mm (1/4") steel cable to  prevent grab n' go thefts.

5. Plastic crates and short tubes made with pipes for storage and 1/4" bungee cord everywhere for tie downs.  

6. Orange reflective tape added to top of ramp.  Tape easily shows when the gate is down and may be a safety hazard.  

7. A board used as a tire bump so mower will not roll backwards on trailer.  

8. Tiedown rings were added for the rear of mower so short 1" tiedown straps could be used.  

9. An orange safety cone. 

10. A WiFi Car Wireless Backup Camera (GreenYi 5G 720P HD) is attached to tailgate using magnets to allow easy hookup to the trailer.  The camera is powered using the light's pin of the trailer plug and monitored using my cellphone.  

Load List

Pre-Load List:

1.  Add water to tank, pump, battery

2. Connect trailer/truck

3. Tripod + camera

Day of Mow List:

1. Big mower, ear plugs & gas

2. Weed eater, blower, + 2 batteries

3. Flat shovel

4. Hat and gloves

5. Water/coffee to drink

Job specific Load List:

• Edger + batteries

• Chain saw + batteries + cart

• Other mower & ear plugs

• Herbicide and surfactant

• 2 gal pump up sprayer

• Power washer + hose + batteries

• Leaf rake + cart + tarp

• Hedge trim + fork + batteries + cart

• Grass seed and spreader

• Pickax + shovel + cart