Nearly every vehicle, from the smallest golf cart to the heaviest truck, can install a trailer hitch and get some extra shipping capabilities. However, it’s extremely beneficial to make sure you have the right size trailer for your vehicle. Using the wrong trailer for your vehicle can damage both the trailer and your car, leading to some pricey repair bills. Here are a few ways to decide what size trailer you need and keep things in solid working order.
Know Your Weight Limit
We recommend knowing your weight limit before you get the biggest possible trailer that you can hitch to the back of your car. All motorized vehicles have a gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCVWR) that tells you how much you can haul without causing damage. Fortunately, this information is easily accessible and found in your vehicle owner’s manual. You may need to repair your trailer deck if you try to go over the recommended weight, so it’s best to keep things in a safe and well-documented weight class.
Trailer Hitch
While you can always swap out your trailer hitch, you can use the one your vehicle already has to help you decide what size trailer you need. If you have a hitch ball, you should check the diameter, and that can help you figure out what size trailer works best with that style of hitch. You want to be careful with ball joints because a mismatched size on a ball joint to a trailer coupler can lead to the connection being loose and the trailer bouncing right off during transport.
Trailer Style
Depending on what type of vehicle you drive and what cargo you aim to transport, you can utilize different trailer styles. The most common trailer option is a flatbed, which is stable, secure, and works with almost any vehicle type. Flatbeds are easy to load and unload but have the drawback of not offering much protection from wind and rain. Enclosed trailers are great for protecting your cargo from the elements but may make it difficult to check behind you while driving, meaning you have to be more cautious.
