The Surprise Purchase

Ralph and I do not always agree on what we should buy, or the configuration of said purchase. However we do come to agreements with some give and take. This time he gave in a bit and I caved on some major points. What were we buying you ask?

A Utility Trailer. Sounds simple but it wasn't. I wanted to save money and look for a late model used and Ralph wanted new. Ralph wanted bigger, I was concerned with overloading the little pickup with too big a trailer and wanted smaller. We had had the offer accepted on the property at Cub Run and the possession date was set. We were moving.

After a lot of discussion we decided to get a trailer the small pickup could pull, it is a 1998 Sonoma and has some serious miles on it but runs like a top and is so nice to get around with, easy to park, easy to load and good fuel economy.

But the new used, bigger, smaller disagreement went on a while.

There were several trailer dealers in the Roanoke area. Only one had trailers of the design we liked. Ralph wanted a 14 to 16 foot trailer and I wanted an 8 foot....so we ended up with a 6'4" by 12 foot high sided mesh enclosed trailer with a full drop ramp. You can see we compromised...I got the smaller and he got the new and we both got the ramp and mesh sides we liked a great deal when we saw it.

The first trip saw us haul buckets, it was a good test of truck and trailer. Not too heavy and easy to make a balanced load so the trailer would not sway.

Yes we do have a lot of buckets. All free from the Bakery where Ralph worked. These are invaluable to us for so many reasons. We won't be able to get more and we use them for so many things!  The truck did well and the trailer pulled beautifully. We were very pleased and I had to admit Ralph had a good idea to get new. We knew what was what and the dealer handled the few problems we had quickly and well.

One of the concerns I had was would we use the trailer enough to justify it after we got moved to Cub Run?

Okay here is a set of photos of what the trailer has hauled since we took possession and started our farm.

The farm equipment fit nicely into the trailer and the ramp of expanded metal gave good traction for the Grillo to drive up. It was a tidy fit....no room for more equipment but it got all of our purchases from Earthtool back to the farm in one load. The trailer has also made two trips back to Earthtool for warranty work on the Grillo.

The trailer has hauled plants to the lower garden and the Grillo and Rotary plow down there as well. This was just before full possession so we had to store the equipment in town.

The trailer hauled the wonderful vegetables we bought at the produce action. We were very thankful for its convenience then. It is nice to load and unload and easy to maneuver at the auction building.

And most recently it allowed us to haul  our new table, benches and chairs from Lancaster, Ky., which is two hours away. This saved the delivery charges and allowed us to get the furniture ready to use. If you get it shipped it comes disassembled due to the cost of shipping it assembled. [It is heavy as well and put together takes up a lot of freight space.]

The trailer has hauled hay, plants, feed, planks, potting soil, firewood, the metal roofing odds and ends we used to repair the barn. It has hauled used oil barrels left here to be disposed of and it has hauled all of our "things" from Virginia. Dare I say it has hauled scads of buckets! I know it will continue to be a useful piece of equipment around our  farm. Yes I wish it had been cheaper and Ralph still wishes it was bigger but over all this trailer was a very successful compromise between us. This trailer allows us to haul things for fencing when we get them, feed when we need it and odds and ends that will come along to make our home better and more comfortable. The turkeys love it for perching and the ducks think it is a spa to lay under and nap! I will admit it was a very pleasing surprise for me to see how much we still use the trailer.

Yes Ralph it was a good idea!

Take care everyone and happy hauling.