Thursday, September 22, 2016

What Every DIY Needs!

I can't imagine being a home owner and do-it-yourselfer without a utility trailer. It is an absolutely essential piece of equipment.  This honey of a trailer has saved me countless dollars (thousands) and many hours of time.  Many homeowners mistakenly think they need a pickup truck and then make a poor decision by either purchasing a truck or not considering a trailer  Here is why buying a pickup truck is a mistake for most home owners:
       1)  Simply the cost of a pickup. This can run $60,000 and up.  How can a non contactor possibly justify such a purchase.  Even used pickups can cost $20,000.
      2)  Cost of insurance, maintenance, licenses plates.  Here we have a cost of approx. $3,000 per year!  Add depreciation and you have a costs closer to $5,000 per year.
     3)  Many DIY may have a family.  A wife and kiddos don't often ride well in pickups, particularly if the pickup is not a full size 4 door model.
    4)  Fussy about the truck.  Yes, some folks have such a large investment in their trucks they don't want to subject them to getting dirty and roughed up.
    5)  When not using the pickup to haul items (which is 95% of the time) You drive around with a empty bed and pay for higher fuel costs. 

Why a utility trailer?
   1) My utility trailer cost me $640 for a large tire, heavy duty trailer 15 years ago.  Lets say $1000 now.  Much less than a pickup
  2)   The State of Michigan provides for a ONE TIME trailer license for as long as I own the trailer, cheap!
  3)  I pay no insurance on my trailer. 
  4)  I an mot fussy about what I haul, as I don't care if it gets scratched up, its a trailer.
  5)  I can remove the side rails to convert into a flat bed that can haul huge size items, much bigger than a pickup can.
  6)  I can use my same car to haul the trailer or take on a family vacation with all the kiddos in comfort. 
   7)  I can loan it out to friends and clients. Something not likely done with a pickup truck, particularly if the pickup truck is also my personal vehicle.
   In the last 15 years I have put no more than $200 total into maintenance costs!!!! 

The utility trailer is the most versatile cost saving piece of equipment I own.  It is only a 4 x 8 foot (which is my recommended size) yet it hauls larger, longer, and wider loads than any pickup out there.  Imagine that, for just a fraction of the cost.  Obviously the pickup has a place for many contractors, builder, and home owners. But for the vast majority of the Do-it-yourself nation out there, the utility trailer is the wise choice.