Trailer or Sled deck

[ferniesnow]

When do I get to buy that hand me down??

I heard or read somewhere Mikey #### wants to get inline also......!

A repeat buyer should have some pull tho'...........

 

[ferniesnow]

That is a sweet set up ferniesnow.

Was it hard getting that satellite dish on the truck?

Thanks 347stokin.........not hard at all. It just seemed to all of a sudden be attached. You are the second dude who has pointed that out....lol

 

[Modman]

Have both a deck and a trailer, each has plus's and minus's.

Deck - takes away the use of the box if you are hauling other stuff unless you want to take it on and off in the winter, PITA. Nice to have sled up high and out of road wash, I still use a cover as they still get covered in road wash or snow when driving on highway unless its june, sucks to get on a wet seat first thing in the morning. Still a PITA loading and unloading from height, makes most guys nervous, gotta have a good ramp etc and gotta watch highballing it to fast onto the deck.

Need a ¾ ton or better to properly do a deck. Better for spring riding so if you ride late in the year lots, might want a deck. Deck and trailer same cost, no registration for deck needed, deck is always with you in the winter, no need to store sleds offsite somewhere else or lose garage space. I keep my deck pretty close down and built some aluminum side panels for it to keep the snow and rain out, most stuff under my deck doesn’t get wet unless I go through the car wash and blast water in there directly.

Trailer - Must haul it around, might mean offsite storage for you so more driving around to pick up and drop off trailer, if you don’t have a place to store it at your house. Needs registration (not really a big deal), can haul more on a trailer typically than on a deck, don’t need to have a ¾ ton (diesel), leaves truck box open for use. If you get a good 12 ft’er or 14 ft’er, then you can haul 3 sleds and go 3 guys, which is nice. Box can stay for cargo and gear and keep it dry, leaves cab open for more room.

2 guys in a ¾ ton with deck, hauling gear, not a lot of extra room anywhere, trailer leaves you lots of cab space. Trailers nice for doing other things too, like moving etc, that you can’t do with a deck. I don’t have any issues backing up a trailer in a parking lot, they take us just as much space as these guys with decks who insist on leaving their ramps connected and fully extended 12 ft behind their truck (I don’t know the thought process - its not going to somehow deter other people from parking and riding there if that’s what you’re thinking……). Trailer is a little more versatile in that you can swap it between trucks, throw an extra sled on it, etc etc. 4 guys and 2 trailers, one guy breaks his sled and is going to hang back in town on Sunday, throw the 3rd sled on the other trailer and 3 guys still go riding and leave 1 guy with a vehicle in town etc. no weight up high or on the truck all the time.

Benefits to both, you just gotta decide for you what works the best.

 

[ippielb]

I agree with a lot from the post above

Pro's of trailer(enclosed and open):
Can get heat, hang up your gear, take weight off the truck, dry place to change, more space, use it for side by side, sleds/quads get road rash
Con's of trailer(enclosed and open):
no insurance, tires, rims, wheels, axles to look after, towing it around, backing up, trailer sway, sucks to take up spring riding

Sled Deck Pro's:
No trailer to tow, no trailer sway, better fuel economy, no tires, no rims, no bearings, no insurance, spring riding easier to take sleds up, easier to get around town, parking, staging areas.
Sled Deck Con's:
weight is up high, air bags are a must, takes up bed space, not really multipurpose, sucks to take in and out all the time, limited to 2 guys unless your towing a trailer which you may as well get a 4 place, driving up ramps sucks.

Another option is the tufflift sled decks, i find them a mix between a trailer and a deck, it comes back down on the ground to load on the ground, safer, and easier. I have access to good used units if anyone's interested.

 

[Work2Ride]

If you have enough truck, usually only go with two guys, then get a sled deck. If it's usually four guys, then get a four place enclosed trailer. I contemplated getting a two place enclosed trailer and hauling two on the deck but for the extra money might as well get a four sled enclosed because you either freeze your ass getting changed outside or sweat your bag off on the way to the staging area. At the moment I have a sled deck and two place open trailer. I think I'll just stick with that for now.