- Buying Process
- Trailer Knowledge
Key Takeaways: Quick Decision Guide
- Size to one step above your normal load, not to your biggest load and not to your average one.
- Leave roughly two feet beyond the cargo so tie-downs have somewhere to attach and you have room to tighten them.
- On enclosed trailers the door opening decides it, not the interior width. The gap is generally around 5 inches.
- Tape the footprint on your driveway before you shop. It takes ten minutes and settles most arguments.
- Payload falls as length rises within a rating class, because the longer trailer weighs more.
The right trailer is one size larger than the job you are picturing. That sounds like upselling and it is not: nearly every sizing complaint comes from someone who measured their cargo, bought a trailer that matched, and then discovered that tie-downs, fuel cans, a cooler and a second trip's worth of gear all need somewhere to live. Measure the load, add roughly two feet, and you will rarely regret it.
What follows is a method and five worked examples. If you already know your category, the sizing detail for enclosed sits in the 6x12 and 7x14 comparison, and the examples below cover the rest.
The Tape Test, Which Costs Nothing
Before you visit a lot, do this in your driveway. Estimate the trailer size you think you need, then mask out those dimensions on the concrete. Inside that rectangle, tape out the footprint of the cargo you actually haul, and mark where tie-downs would attach.
Now stand in it. Is there room to walk around the load and reach a ratchet? Room for the cooler, the grill, the folding table, the fuel can? Room for the bigger job you might take next year? Take a photo of the layout and bring it to the dealership. It turns a vague conversation into a specific one and it is the single most useful thing you can do before buying.
Two ATVs in an Enclosed Trailer
Measure each machine from the forwardmost point, usually the middle of the front bumper, to the rearmost, usually the rear rack or a hitch receiver. Say each one comes in around 6 feet 10 inches.
Two of those end to end technically fit a 14-foot enclosed trailer. In practice it is a fight. You cannot get enough leverage on the tie-downs between the machines or at the nose, and there is nowhere for gear. Stepping up to roughly 16 feet, or to one of the sport-specific trailers running past 20 feet, gives you working room for straps, fuel cans and everything else that travels on a ride weekend.
If you have not bought the machine yet, pull the length, width and height from the manufacturer's site, then add for anything you plan to bolt on. Light bars and roof racks change the height answer, and a wider aftermarket tire changes the width answer.
A Riding Mower and a Crew's Tools
A riding mower around 7 feet long technically sits on a 6x8 open deck. Again, technically. Tie-downs become awkward and there is no room for the blower, the string trimmers or the hedge trimmers that travel with it.
A 6x10 is the better answer for a solo operator, and a 6x12 or 6x14 is where small crews land, since the second machine goes in line behind the first rather than beside it. Payload on those single-axle decks runs from roughly 2,140 lbs on a 6x10 down to around 2,090 lbs on a 6x14, all on an approximately 2,990 lb rating.
Please note: Listed dimensions and specifications are approximate and subject to change. Please verify exact dimensions with your local store before purchase.
Moving Household Goods
Household moves are where people undersize most often, because furniture is bulky rather than heavy and the mental estimate runs on weight. A one-bedroom apartment generally fits a 6x12 enclosed trailer. A two or three-bedroom house usually wants a 7x14 at minimum, and a 7x16 if you would rather not do it twice.
Interior height is the specification that decides whether a move is one load or two, and it varies more than buyers expect. Across enclosed trailers of the same width, interior height spans roughly 14 inches depending on the model, which is the difference between standing a mattress on edge and laying it flat across everything else.
Please note: Listed dimensions and specifications are approximate and subject to change. Please verify exact dimensions with your local store before purchase.
Sizing an Enclosed Cargo Trailer
Enclosed trailers carry a constraint open decks do not, which is the rear door opening. The opening is always narrower than the interior, generally by around 5 inches, and it decides whether something goes in at all. Anything you plan to roll or drive inside should be checked against the ramp opening rather than the interior width. The enclosed cargo trailer lineup spans three practical width classes.
A 6-wide gives you roughly 5 feet 8 inches inside, a 7-wide approximately 6 feet 6 inches, and an 8.5-wide close to 8 feet. Moving up a width class changes what fits at all. Adding length only changes how much of it you can carry.
Please note: Listed dimensions and specifications are approximate and subject to change. Please verify exact dimensions with your local store before purchase.
A Mini-Excavator and Loose Material
Say you move a mini-excavator or skid steer around 9 feet long and haul black dirt between jobs. A 10-foot dump body is a tight fit once chains and binders are accounted for, and you may not have room for them at all. Stepping to roughly 12 or 14 feet leaves space to secure the machine properly. The commercial dump trailers range covers both.
Volume works the same way. If most of your jobs need around 5 cubic yards but some need closer to 6, a 6x12 dump body carrying roughly 5 cubic yards puts you at maximum capacity routinely and short of it occasionally. A 7x14 carrying approximately 7 cubic yards handles the whole range without running the trailer at its limit every time.
Please note: Listed dimensions and specifications are approximate and subject to change. Please verify exact dimensions with your local store before purchase.
Heavier machinery moves out of the dump category entirely and into equipment hauling trailers, where the deck rating rather than the deck length is the number to check.
Bring the Measurements, Not the Guess
Every example above turns on a measurement somebody took before they bought rather than after. The tape test costs ten minutes and a roll of masking tape, and it is the reason most sizing regrets are avoidable.
TrailersPlus is the nation's largest independent trailer dealer, with over 90 locations nationwide and more than 11,600 trailers in stock. It is the only retail seller of Interstate, America's number one brand in cargo trailers, and carries Carry-On across the open utility range. Roughly 95 percent of trailer weight is sourced in the USA, and customers rate the company 4.8 across more than 10,000 reviews. Bring your photo and your numbers to a local TrailersPlus store and the conversation gets a lot shorter. Common buying questions are also answered on the frequently asked trailer questions page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much bigger than my cargo should a trailer be?
Roughly two feet longer than the load is a sound working rule. That leaves room to attach tie-downs, get leverage on a ratchet, and carry the gear that travels with the cargo. Buying to an exact fit is the most common sizing regret.
What size trailer do I need to move a one-bedroom apartment?
A 6x12 enclosed trailer generally covers it. A two or three-bedroom house usually needs a 7x14 at minimum. Interior height matters as much as floor space for a move, since it decides whether tall items stand up or lie flat across the rest of the load.
Should I size for my biggest load or my usual one?
Neither exactly. Size one step above your usual load. Sizing to the biggest job means paying for and towing capacity you rarely use, and sizing to the average means running at the limit whenever the job is slightly larger than normal.
Does a longer trailer carry more weight?
Within a rating class, usually the opposite. Payload is the gross rating minus the trailer's own weight, and a longer trailer weighs more, so less is left over. Two trailers can share a rating of approximately 2,990 lbs while the shorter one carries noticeably more.
What is the easiest way to check a trailer fits my cargo?
Mask out the trailer's interior dimensions on your driveway, tape out your cargo inside it, and mark where tie-downs would go. Stand in the gap that is left. Photograph it and bring the photo when you shop.
