Fifty-plus trailers sit in our Wheat Ridge yard, and the wrong one costs you a second trip. Answer three questions — what is the load, what is towing it, and how does the load get on — and the choice usually makes itself. This guide walks through each trailer type we rent, what it is for, and the hitch and truck it needs.
Start with the load
| Load | Rent this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dirt, concrete rubble, roofing tear-off, sod, brush | Dump trailer | Hydraulic bed dumps it — no shoveling out |
| A car, pickup, UTV or golf cart | Car hauler | Low deck, ramps, tie-down points for wheeled loads |
| A skid steer, mini excavator or Dingo | Car hauler (7×18 or 7×20) or deck-over (8×18, 8×20) | Rated for machine weight; deck-over for wide attachments |
| Two machines, long lumber, trusses, steel | 30 ft gooseneck | Length and payload; weight sits over the truck axle |
| A mower, tiller, stump grinder, plate compactor | Tilt trailer | Deck tilts to the ground — drive on, no ramps |
| Mulch, yard waste, furniture, tools, a dump run | Box utility trailer | Solid sides keep loose loads in |
| A move, trade-show gear, motorcycle, anything that must stay dry | Enclosed trailer | Lockable, weather-tight, ramp door |
| Horses or livestock | Horse and stock trailers | Slant-load stalls or open stock body |
Then check the truck
Every trailer has two facts that matter more than its size: the ball it couples to and whether it has brakes.
- 2 in ball, 4-flat plug, no brakes. Our 5×8 and 6×12 box trailers, the 5×10 tilt, the 5×10 enclosed, the log splitter, the cement mixer and the towable grill. Almost any pickup, and most SUVs with a factory hitch, tow these.
- 2-5/16 in ball, 7-pin round plug, electric brakes. Everything tandem-axle: dump trailers, car haulers, deck-overs, the 6×16 tilt, the 7×14 enclosed and the horse trailers. Your truck needs a brake controller (most late-model half-tons have one built in) and a tow rating that covers the trailer plus the load. A Bobcat S550 on a 7×18 car hauler is close to 9,000 lb, so a 3/4-ton is the comfortable choice for machines.
- Gooseneck. The 30 ft gooseneck couples to a 2-5/16 in ball mounted in the bed of a 1-ton pickup. Bring the ball; we check it before loading.
Not sure what your truck has? Look at the receiver and the plug on the bumper, or bring the truck to the yard and we will match a ball mount or adapter to it — we rent ball mounts in both sizes, RV-to-flat adapters and plug extensions.
How does the load get on?
- Drives on under its own power (skid steer, Dingo, stump grinder, mower): a car hauler with ramps, a deck-over, or a tilt trailer. Tilt is easiest for low, small machines; ramps are fine for anything with ground clearance.
- Rolls on wheels but cannot climb (low car, pallet-jack load, equipment with no ground clearance): the Air-Tow 6×16, whose deck lowers flat to the ground.
- Loaded by hand or by machine (rubble, mulch, block): a dump trailer for anything you want to tip out, a box trailer for anything you will unload by hand, a deck-over if a skid steer is doing the loading.
Size and weight rules of thumb
- A 6×10 dump trailer carries about 7,000 lb — roughly 2 cubic yards of concrete rubble or 3 yards of dirt. Broken concrete is heavier than it looks; a full bed of it is at the limit.
- An 8×20 deck-over carries about 10,000 lb: a Bobcat E32 (7,200 lb) with room for the bucket, or a skid steer plus a pallet of pavers.
- Put roughly 10–15% of the load’s weight on the tongue. Too little and the trailer sways at highway speed on I-70; too much and the truck squats and steers light.
- Colorado requires trailer brakes above 3,000 lb GVWR and safety chains on every trailer. All of ours meet that; make sure the chains are crossed under the coupler when you hook up.
What to bring
- A valid driver’s license (18+) and the card you reserved with; a refundable deposit hold is placed when the rental starts.
- The right ball and plug, or plan a few minutes at the counter to rent an adapter.
- Straps, chains and binders — rent them by the day at the counter if you do not own them. Two straps minimum on a vehicle, four chains with binders on a machine.
- A tarp for a dump or box load on the highway; Colorado fines for unsecured loads.
Trailer rental FAQ
Can I tow a rental trailer with an SUV?
The 2 in ball trailers, yes — 5×8 and 6×12 box, 5×10 tilt, 5×10 enclosed — as long as the SUV has a hitch and a tow rating over the loaded weight. The tandem-axle trailers need a pickup with a 2-5/16 in ball, a 7-pin plug and a brake controller.
Do I need a special license to tow a trailer in Colorado?
No. A standard driver’s license covers every trailer we rent, including the gooseneck, for personal and most commercial use under 26,001 lb combined weight.
How much does a trailer rental cost?
Box and small tilt trailers start around $45–$80 per day, car haulers and dump trailers $95–$130 per day, deck-overs $90–$130 per day and the 30 ft gooseneck $220 per day, with weekly and 4-week rates that are much lower per day. Current rates are on each trailer’s page.
Can you deliver a trailer?
Trailers are normally picked up at the yard so we can check your hitch. If the trailer is part of a machine delivery, we bring the machine on our own trailer instead.
What if my load is too heavy for the trailer I picked?
Call before you load. We would rather swap you to a bigger trailer than have you find out on a grade on I-70. Overloading counts as misuse, which the damage waiver does not cover.