TRUCK & TRAILER GUIDE- TRAILER TRENDS: Landscape Trailblazers

Landscape contractors have a variety of options when it comes to trailers: open, enclosed or no trailer at all. The decision ultimately depends on what contractors want their trailers to do and how much money they want to spend.

Before purchasing any trailer, contractors should know how they intend to use the equipment and how much weight they’ll be carrying, says Kevin Richardson, sales manager, Wells Cargo, Elkhart, Ind. Enclosed trailers, for instance, cannot carry as much weight as open trailers. Contractors also need to consider what type of truck they’re driving, says Lonny Smith, product manager of Featherlite, Cresco, Iowa.

"If somebody tells me they want to haul a 10,000-pound tractor and they tell me they have a light-weight pickup truck, I’m going to have to tell them I can’t do it," Smith explains. "I can build them a trailer that can do it, but they don’t have enough truck."

With heavier equipment, contractors may want to consider a gooseneck trailer, which hooks up to the bed of a truck using a larger ball coupler, than a bumper trailer that’s 4 to 6 inches ahead of the rear axle, Smith says. Goosenecks allow some of the trailer’s weight to be distributed to the front tires in addition to the back tires, resulting in more uniform weight and safer driving conditions, Smith explains. Although bumper pulls tend to be more versatile than goosenecks because they can be connected to lighter-weight pickup trucks, according to Smith.

Trucks hauling trailers must come equipped with trailer brake controllers. Typically, these devices are add-ons that cost between $150 and $175, Richardson says. A trailer brake controller sends electrical signals from the truck that tells the trailer when to brake. Some truck manufacturers are beginning to integrate trailer brake controllers into the dashboard of trucks, according to Lew Echlin, marketing manager, Ford Division Commercial Trucks, Dearborn, Mich.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Because of their heavier weight capacity, open trailers are still used by most landscape contractors involved with construction work that requires heavy-duty equipment. They also cost less. Most landscape contractors purchase open trailers, which usually start at about $2,000 while enclosed trailers start at about $4,000, according to Smith.

Open trailers can also handle between 1,000 and 20,000 pounds, compared to an enclosed trailer, which caps off at 10,000 pounds, Richardson says. In addition, enclosed trailers can’t handle equipment taller than 7 feet. "If you have real tall or real heavy equipment, you’re probably better off with an open trailer," Richardson explains. "They have a lot more versatility on how it’s designed."

Mike La Rosa, president of Mequon, Wis.-based La Rosa Landscape Co., says he prefers open-air trailers over enclosed trailers for his lawn maintenance needs because they’re more easily accessible and more convenient to fuel. The company pays between $2,500 and $5,500 for its trailers, depending on towing capacity, La Rosa says. When shopping for an open trailer, La Rosa says he looks for the following:

• Ease of loading: The tailgate must be durable enough to withstand loading and unloading without too much strain on employees.

• Interchangeability of tire rims, so the company can stock replacements

• A heavy-duty frame that can withstand wear and tear of multiple stops per day

• An electrical system that has solid weather-sealed connections so the lights don’t fail

• Universal light plugs

CASE CLOSED. But enclosed trailers also provide features not available on open trailers, which is why Albuquerque, N.M.-based Heads Up Landscape Contractors uses enclosed trailers for most of its operations. "First and foremost, they’re like big rolling billboards for us day in and day out," says Heads Up Vice President Dave Daniell. "I would guess that it’s probably one of the top three reasons people call us to get a quote or do business with us."

Most contractors purchase enclosed trailers that range from 18 to 24 feet long and 5,000 to 10,000 gross vehicle weight rating, Richardson says, adding that prices for these.

Enclosed trailers can provide additional security and convenience for landscape contractors, Daniell points out. "On the construction side, we’re able to leave our tools on-site and not have to drag them back and forth daily," he says.

Heads Up paid approximately $4,800 each for its 12- to 14-foot enclosed trailers, which are used primarily for landscape maintenance and $3,600 each for its 10-foot enclosed trailers that the company uses to store tools for construction jobs. The company’s larger trailers carry one zero-turning-radius mower, two 21-inch walk-behind mowers and other equipment typically used for maintenance, such as blowers and trimmers.

With enclosed trailers, contractors have the option of installing tool racks, which helps them organize and gain easier access to their equipment, Richardson says. These tool organizers generally include racks to store backpack blowers, backpack sprayers, hedge trimmers, several line trimmers, hand tools, gas cans and water coolers, and can add approximately $1,000 to the cost of a trailer, according to Richardson.

Some manufacturers provide enclosed trailers designed for landscape contractors, which typically include plywood sidewall lining and treated plywood flooring to protect the interior from water damage and heavy use, Richardson explains. Prices can range from $1,100 to $1,600 depending on the length of the trailer.

They also come equipped with ramp door extensions, which can be used to drive equipment into the trailer, according to Richardson. Prices on ramp door extensions can range from $125 to $160 each. On the security side, some manufacturers provide heavy-duty padlocks to the side door for approximately $110.

"Historically, contractors purchased enclosed trailers that were unfinished inside, and they would then build their own interior shelving, Smith explains. The current trend is leaning towards them purchasing a more complete trailer. Many are even purchasing trailers with on-board generators and 110-volt outlets so their equipment can be used even in an area that has yet to be supplied with power."

MOBILE GARAGES. Trailers can be a pain to maneuver around tight corners and city streets. That’s why more contractors are swearing off these traditional pieces of equipment for good. Some truck body and van manufacturers are custom-fitting their products for landscape contractors.

Inside these tailored bodies are hand- and power-tool storage racks, gas tanks built into the truck body. Pittsboro, N.C.-based King’s Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance uses truck bodies with one 39-gallon tank for regular fuel used in mowers and a 13-gallon tank containing pre-mixed fuel, which is used for power blowers and string trimmers, explains company President Ronald King. King says now he can simply pull his mower up to the truck’s side, flip a switch and begin pumping gas.

These built-in gas tanks, which cost an estimated $2,500, can save companies time and money, says Tony Bass, president, Super Lawn Trucks, Bonaire, Ga. "By carrying a reservoir much larger than what you typically carry on gas cans, you prevent your crews from having to return to the gas station," he explains. "So if you save what’s a typical 10-minute fuel stop with a three-man crew, that translates into about 200 man-hours that can be saved if you reduce your stops from three to one per week."

King estimates these customized bodies cost about $8,000 more than using a pickup truck and a trailer, but he says the additional price is worth it. "Trailers eat tires up because they turn and twist so much," King says. "Trailers are a good thing if you’re going to be pulling them once a week, but when you get to pulling them every day, they’re just not for me. I’ve got one trailer on the road that I pull every day, and as soon as I am financially able, I will replace it."

Aside from saving money on broken taillights, worn tires and repairing hitches, King says he escapes paying additional insurance and taxes by switching to these landscape-specific bodies. King estimates that he saves about $100 to $125 per year on insurance without trailers. Broken parts can result from wear and tear, but they can also happen when drivers misjudge turns."The thing that hurts productivity the greatest is teaching people how to back up a trailer," Bass says.

The La Rosa Landscape Co. has reduced its dependence on trailers by switching to 1-ton cube vans that are used to haul hand tools and small engine equipment, says La Rosa. By switching to the vans, La Rosa has cut down on the number of commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) necessary in the past, explains La Rosa, because previously the weight of the trailer and the truck pushed the weight over the limit for a CDL.

And weight, towing capacity and length, are the three most important factors landscape contractors must consider before purchasing any trailer or a customized truck, according to Richardson, adding, "You can buy a nice trailer, but if the tow vehicle capacity isn’t enough, you are not going to do a whole lot of good."