Excellent Small Car Trailer Caught In The Wild

Caught on the streets, this small trailer provides big benefits.  It’s an excellent example of using a trailer instead of a truck, and this business owner understands efficiency. For him, the small car trailer certainly makes sense (and cents) as he pursues his business of cleaning up.

I saw this little trailer on the street and just had to follow and ask about it.  Fortunately it was only a short way until he pulled into a convenience store to get a drink.  I asked about the trailer and he was quite happy to tell me about it.  He also gave permission to take the photos.  R&W Pet Waste Management.  If you’re in Colorado Springs and you have the need, this is a really nice guy.

DIY In A Small Size

This small car trailer is custom fab, on a tiny frame from something else.  (It looks to me like it started from the small Harbor Freight trailer, and was modified, but that’s just a guess.)  The perimeter for the deck-over design and railing are DIY out of wood and bolted together.  The deck is expanded metal, also bolted on.  White paint all around make it match the car and the wheels.  (Though it looks like some of it could use some more TLC.)  This is certainly DIY customizing to meet the need.

The plastic bins and buckets provide the “product” storage and the railing simply holds them in.  I forgot to ask about total capacity, but I can’t imagine too much weight from his collections!  (Might not want to follow too close.)

A Trailer Instead Of A Truck

Another item worth noting is the trailer hitch on the car.  I should have asked about it.

Hitch for a Small Car TrailerFrom experience, I know that some automotive manufacturers don’t want you to have a hitch, and trailer towing is discouraged on many small cars.  That said, I’ve fabricated hitches for small cars to pull trailers, and it all works just fine.  You just have to use your head when building the connections, then stay within sensible boundaries.

I personally think this trailer hitch and receiver are great.  Since it’s a tiny trailer with very little weight, it all looks great to me.  Kudo’s to the creativity and resourcefulness — for sure.  And again, thanks for the photos.

Small Car Trailer With Big Benefits

Thinking about the Benefits for the owner, here are a few:

First, Economy.  The fuel efficiency of the car does not change much with this small trailer.  His routes are mostly around the city, so high speed and aerodynamics are not as much of a concern.  The lightweight trailer doesn’t add a lot of weight to pull around either.  Most of all, he can tow it will a small, fuel efficient car.

Second, Maneuverability.  It’s a small trailer with the right tongue length for his situation, so it maneuvers quite well.  He’s able to get in and around things just fine.  Also, the car has good visibility, so no problems seeing.  These things all contribute to making it easy use.

Third, a Green Footprint.  This is related, of course, to efficiency, yet worth calling out separately because he’s running his business with a much greener footprint than if it was a pickup truck.  It makes sense, and saves cents.  It’s a point of acting responsibly, and we can all contemplate our green footprint (or black footprint as the case may be).  I say thank you for thinking.

Small Trailer Pulled By A Small Car

Small cars with small trailers definitely conserve energy & leave a greener footprint.  This small car trailer will do most of what a small truck will do, for less money, less gas and easier upkeep — so why not?  It’s a trailer instead of a truck.

Take Pride In DIY

The owner of this small car trailer is justifiably proud of it.  Not that it’s a masterpiece, but it does the job, and he’s running his business with the benefits list above.  Kudos to him and those like him who are willing to do it different — and better.  Be proud of the accomplishments.

I’m not sure why, but I like finding fun DIY small trailers.  People make them in a variety of configurations to do the job they need — because there are no rules about how to think.  We have a few other good examples like this creative little pack trailer and the serious upgrade of a Harbor Freight trailer.  Not the norm for most, but we applaud the ingenuity of those willing to jump in.

If you have smaller-ish needs, consider a small trailer to fill them.  While a small car trailer won’t do everything, it’s perfect for a lot of situations.  Something to think about for sure.  By the way, if you want plans, let us know what you want.  We might just design it.

Comments

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View All Comments

We Found These For You . . .

Article
Gantry Crane Failure Modes
In the debate about Steel or Aluminum for beams of trailer frames and gantry cranes, there is one big piece we hear less about.  An important part of the equation, for sure, is the property of Elasticity . . .…

Read The Article

Article
As a simplistic introduction to beam loading, this article discusses the complications in calculating stresses and deflection.  While it’s pretty easy to calculate beam loading for simple theoretical cases, very few beams

Read The Article

Product
12K Equipment Trailer Plans

For hauling cars or equipment, the key is always full strength, so this trailer is a Heavy Duty I-Beam design with a Low Fixed Deck.  12,000 lbs Capacity and 18.5' length.  This car trailer will do the job.

Article
Steel for the Next DIY Build
This is what the beginning of a new DIY build looks like.  Of course, there’s the planning stages, the design stages and finally the acquisition stages where all the raw materials begin to come in.  With all of that behind…

Read The Article

Article
How To Set A Trailer Tongue Central
When building a trailer, there are a bunch of things we want to get right.   Here is one.  “How To set a trailer tongue properly, and central on the frame“.  Intrinsically this is easy to grasp, but maybe not as…

Read The Article

Article
Attach Chains Free Plans
We often joke about safety — Yup, Safety 3rd.  While it’s fun to joke, there are a few things we do get quite serious about.  How to attach trailer safety chains is one.  Today we’re looking at connecting chains on…

Read The Article

Article
Winner of the Visa Gift Card
We have a winner of the $100 Visa Gift Card!  We sent out the Photo request, and you responded.  Now the drawing, and the winner.

Read The Article

Product
6 ft x 14 ft Trailer Plans

Get your 6x16 Utility Trailer Plans here, then build your own 7000 lb. capacity tandem axle workhorse.  These plans include all the details and instructions.  Build it, and make it better than you can buy it.

Article
Bent Trailer Tongue
When buying a trailer, how can we decide if it’s well built, or just cheap?  How do you know if it’s strong or weak?  While there are always tale-tale signs, we’ll use this example of a trailer with a bent…

Read The Article

Article
DIY Drilling Steel
Need a hole?  Many of our plans require drilled holes, so here are some Tips about drilling in metal, like steel, as well as in wood, and other materials.

Read The Article