On a whim, I started comparing common trailer sizes to each other and to the vehicles pulling them. The visual trailer size comparison is interesting, but the stimulus for this article comes from the familiar buying question: “For just a little more money, should I get the bigger trailer?”
Sometimes the answer is yes. A bigger trailer can mean fewer trips, easier loading, better tie-down options, and more room for the things you haul.
Ah, but where is the illusion? The next size up can also mean empty deck space, more trailer weight, more space required to store it, more wind drag, and less maneuverability.
Trailer sizes sound linear, but usefulness grows by area. That makes deck area one of the most useful, but forgotten trailer specs – especially when comparing close sizes like 5×10 versus 6×12. Or closer, 4×8 versus 5×8. The point, when choosing, is to make sure the next size up gives you useful area – not just more trailer to buy, store, tow, and maneuver.
A Visual Trailer Size Comparison
The visual effect of trailer size comparison is not too dramatic when looking at the side of the trailer. A 5×8 can look very similar to a 6×8. Of course, when looking in person, a trailer that is higher, like a deckover, will look bigger simply because it has more visual presence. Well, let’s do that with deck area!
So, I made some images to illustrate the relative sizes. Looking at them from a bird’s eye perspective allows us to “see” the differences.
Here are several trailers to compare with a full-size HD truck (something like the Chevy 2500, Ford 250 / 350 srw, or the Ram 3500). The scale in these images is all consistent so we can see the effect of deck area.
This is a view we don’t often see or even think about with trailer size comparison. It is interesting all the same.
Now, what about a car? We could go crazy and compare to vans, or minis, or something else, but this one is a generic mid-size car. For good measure, these next trailers have a limit in practicality, because towing a triple axle tiny house foundation with a mid-size car is just broken pieces.
Of course, for realism, we need to think of these 3 trailers as light-duty, perhaps like a teardrop camper chassis. After all, this is a trailer size comparison just for fun, but we do need a little realism in here too. – Know the towing capacity of your vehicle before towing a trailer.
For what it’s worth, compare again to the truck for the same size trailers.
Should You Buy The Next Size Up?
As noted above, there are both up-sides and down-sides to buying a trailer of the next size up. So, to help with the decision, here are several tests to think about.
1. The Load Shape Test
What are the 3 loads you expect most often? How long are they? How wide are they? What is the weight? Do they require straps? Or, other space consuming extras (like ramps)?
The goal: Identify the smallest trailer size that will work to carry them.
2. The Frequency Test
- What will you haul 80% of the time?
- What will you haul once every few years?
- Are there “What if” loads you are considering, but don’t know if they will actually happen?
- Is the rare bigger load worth owning a larger trailer every day?
The goal: Separate normal use, from rare or “maybe never” use – because the cost of buying for a “what if” can be high.
3. The Added Area Test
Calculate the deck area of the trailers you are considering. Then, ask: What value does the next size actually add?
Example: A 5×10 gives 18 sq ft more than a 4×8. See the trailer size comparison images above, and the table below.
- What does the extra deck area do for you? (More space for things, etc..)
- What changes with a larger trailer? (Takes more space to store, wind drag, etc..)
The goal: Understand your personal value with respect to a size difference.
4. The Place Test
This is a personal side – which often matters more than specs.
- Where will the trailer be stored?
- Does it fit beside the garage?
- Does it fit through the gate?
- How will you deal with trailer security?
- How do you feel about people borrowing your trailer? (The larger the trailer, the more people will ask to borrow it.)
- Will the next trailer size up also fit in these places?
The goal: Identify personal factors that go into a trailer size decision. Every situation is different, so include your personal factors in the decision.
5. The Tow Experience Test
Like the personal side above, everyone has preferences and fears.
- Is the trailer wider than the tow vehicle?
- Can you see it in the mirrors? Can you work with it with mirrors?
- Is the trailer low and open, or tall and enclosed?
- Are you comfortable driving, backing, cornering, parking a trailer of the size you are considering? Does the next size up create more anxiety?
- Does the extra empty weight of the next size up matter for your vehicle?
The goal: Understand your preferences. The tow vehicle feels more than weight – it also feels width, height, length, and wind.
Deck Area, The “Forgotten Spec” in Trailer Size Comparison
Let’s look at trailer size comparison in a table. Of course there are many variations in trailer size, but for this comparison we will stick to the sizes in the images above.
| Step | Deck Area Diff. | % Area Change | Benefits | Trade-Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4×8 > 5×10 | +18 sqft | +56% | Room for, and around the load. | Space req’d to store it. Heavier trailer. |
| 5×10 > 6×12 | +22 sqft | +44% | More room, tie-down space, fewer trips. | Wider track, more wind drag. |
| 6×12 > 6’10” x 16′ | +37 sqft | +51% | Longer material, more/bigger equipment. | Wider turns, parking length, tandem axles. |
| 8’6″ x 24′ > 8’6″ x 32′ | +68 sqft | +33% | More house, cargo, longer vehicles. | More parking/storage, limits in tight areas. |
The next size up can be a great value when it makes the trailer more useful – like fewer trips, better fit, safer load restraint, easier loading, or room for known future needs. But, extra deck area is only valuable when it solves a need.
We recommend that you buy a trailer to fit your normal loads, your storage space, your tow vehicle, and the places you go.
A Hidden Danger In Trailer Size Comparison
One of the biggest down-sides of a larger trailer is the ability to overload it. We see more space, which feels like it can carry more too. Oh, but the opposite may be true. A larger trailer of the same capacity is probably heavier, and since the capacity is constant, we consume more of the GVWR with trailer weight.
For example, a 5×10 utility trailer with a wood deck might weigh 600 to 700 lbs. A 6×12 utility trailer of similar build might weigh 200 lbs more. If these are both 3500 lb trailers, we will have more room with the 6×12, but the available payload is 200 lbs less.
Utility trailers in particular, are way too often overloaded. The overload invites failures and long term problems, which is the hidden danger.
Oh, but to avoid it, we then look at more capacity too. That is another part of trailer size comparison we won’t get into, but it is a spiral that only creates more compromise. Stick with what you need.
Conclusions
So what does this all mean? In truth, we all know pretty much what size of a trailer we need when we go shopping, yet it is easy to reconsider on the spot when choices are available.
Trailer size comparison is not just about length and width – that’s the illusion. The real comparison is in value. If the next size up gives you needed room, better tie-down options, fewer trips, or capability for a known future use, then it may be right. On the other hand, if the extra area will ride empty, the smaller trailer may be the better fit.
There are 3 main points:
- There is a strong tendency in the sales process to “up-sell” by trailer size. Yeah, the cost is not that much more, but the salesperson won’t tell you the down-sides of a larger trailer. Nor can he measure your personal factors.
- In trailer size comparison, the “forgotten spec” of deck area is huge. Note the % area change in the table. You can also see it in the trailer size comparison images. What feels like a small change in length or width is actually a significant change in load area – and in the area required to store the trailer.
- Buy the trailer size that fits your use – not the one that looks like the best deal on the lot.
These are points worth considering in the shopping process. There is nothing wrong with any specific trailer size if you need the space, but we hope you are not in a trap of buying more than you need – or really want – for that matter.
We hope you enjoy the visual trailer size comparison – even if it is only for perspective.
Good luck in your trailer shopping experience!
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