Cargo Trailers for Sale in Louisiana: Which Enclosed Trailer Do You Actually Need?
Cargo Trailers for Sale in Louisiana: Which Enclosed Trailer Do You Actually Need?
If you searched "cargo trailers for sale" or "enclosed trailers for sale in Louisiana," here's the short answer. We've got ten enclosed cargo trailers on the ground at 2601 SE Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette this week, from a 6x10 single axle up to an 8.5x16 tandem with the tall ceiling. Eight enclosed trailers left this lot in the last 60 days, and three of them went out last week alone: a 7x16 to New Iberia, an 8.5x16 to a contractor here in town, and an 8.5x20 to Abbeville. The 7x14 tandem is the one most people around here end up with, and this post is the conversation we'd have with you on the lot so you know which one fits before you drive over.
What's on the lot this week?
Nine are Rock Solid Cargo and one is a Wells Cargo. Every one has 3/8-inch plywood walls, a 3/4-inch floor, a rear ramp door and a side door. Here's the row from smallest to biggest:
- 6x10 single axle, white, bullnose front. The lawn-tools-and-pressure-washer trailer.
- 6x12 single axle, three of them: a black one with the blackout package, a black Wells Cargo FastTrac with a bullnose, and a silver frost V-nose with the blackout trim and 75 inches of headroom.
- 6x12 tandem axle, white V-nose, blackout package, with electric brakes on both axles. Same box as the singles, built to carry more and stop better.
- 7x12 tandem, silver frost, semi-screwless sides and a bar lock on the side door.
- 7x14 tandem, three of them: an indigo V-nose, a water blue V-nose with the blackout package, and a charcoal one built the same way. All three have 7 feet of interior height.
- 8.5x16 tandem, white, with the Plus 6 package. That's six extra inches of height so a grown man can stand up straight inside.
Every one shows its price at ragintrailers.com/inventory, and the price you see there is the price on the lot. When one sells, it drops off that page the same day, so if the one you want is still listed, it's still here.
How do you pick the size of an enclosed trailer?
Start with the longest thing you'll load, then add two feet. A zero-turn mower with the handles up is about 7 feet. A side-by-side is 10 to 12. A full set of tile tools, a cart and a wet saw is a 12-foot problem. Then decide whether you need to walk around the load inside the trailer. If you do, you want the 7-foot width and the 14-foot length. If you don't, a 6-wide box is lighter, cheaper and tows behind a smaller truck.
Here's how it shakes out on our lot. A 6x10 or 6x12 is the right trailer for a homeowner, a mobile detailer or a handyman with a drill set and a ladder. A 7x12 or 7x14 is where a working crew lives: a pressure-washing rig, a painting outfit, a lawn crew that wants the mower out of the weather. The 8.5x16 is the contractor's trailer, the one with a workbench down one wall and room to stand up. It's also the size we start from when someone wants a food trailer built out, so if there's a kitchen in your future, read that page before you buy a box you'll outgrow.
The mistake we see most is buying the small one to save money and coming back a year later for the bigger one. If you're between two sizes, buy the bigger box. You'll fill it.
Single axle or tandem axle?
A single axle is lighter and easier to back into a tight driveway. The 6x10 and 6x12 singles on the lot run one 3,500 lb axle, and a half-ton truck or a mid-size SUV pulls one without noticing. That's the right trailer for tools and a mower.
A tandem gives you more capacity and a flat tire that doesn't end your day. The 6x12 tandem, the 7x12 and the three 7x14s run two 3,500 lb axles for 7,000 lb gross. The 8.5x16 is in the same class. If you're going to put a mower, a cabinet saw and a generator in there, or if you drive I-10 to Baton Rouge or Lake Charles with it loaded, buy the tandem. Louisiana wants brakes once the loaded trailer passes 3,000 lb, and the 6x12 tandem on the lot came from the factory with brakes on both axles. The other tandems have brakes on one axle; tell us what you'll load and we'll tell you straight whether that's enough.
V-nose or flat front?
A V-nose gives you about two more feet of floor up front on the same frame, and it cuts the wind a little on the highway. It's where the shelf goes for the gas cans and the trimmer rack. A flat front or a bullnose gives you a square wall to mount a workbench against, which is why plumbers and electricians often ask for it. Five of the ten on the lot are V-nose, two are bullnose and the rest are square. There's no wrong answer, only the one that matches how you'll build the inside.
Ramp door or barn doors?
Every enclosed trailer on our lot right now has a rear ramp door. The ramp folds down and you roll the mower, the side-by-side or the cart straight in. If you're loading pallets with a forklift or standing a motorcycle in the back, barn doors can be better, and we can order a trailer built that way. For most people around Lafayette, the ramp is the right door. It's also why every one of these has a side door too: you can grab a tool without dropping the ramp in a muddy driveway.
Rock Solid or Wells Cargo?
Both are built in Georgia, both use a steel tube frame, both carry a factory warranty. Rock Solid gives you more trailer for the money and more color and package options, which is why nine of the ten on the lot wear that badge. Wells Cargo has been building trailers since 1954 and the FastTrac is their value line, built to the same basic spec. We wrote a longer piece on this: Rock Solid vs Wells Cargo enclosed trailers. The short version: either one will outlast the truck pulling it, and the right choice usually comes down to which size and color is sitting on the lot the day you need it.
What truck do you need?
A 6-wide single tows behind almost anything with a 2-inch ball and a flat-four or seven-way plug: a Tacoma, a Tahoe, a Grand Cherokee. The 7-wide tandems want a half-ton. They'll go behind less, but an enclosed trailer catches a crosswind on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge that an open trailer never feels, and you'll want the truck weight behind you. The 8.5x16 wants a half-ton at minimum and a three-quarter-ton if you're going to load it to the sticker. The 7-wide and 8.5-wide tandems take a 2-5/16-inch ball, not a 2-inch, so check your hitch before you come.
If you're not sure, bring the truck. We'll hook it up on the lot and tell you what it'll handle.
Can you finance an enclosed trailer?
Yes. Financing and rent-to-own are both available on every enclosed trailer on the lot, from the 6x10 to the 8.5x16. The details are on our financing page. One thing we say up front so nobody's surprised later: deposits are non-refundable. We take the trailer off the website the minute you put money down, and the deposit is what makes that fair to the next person who wanted it.
Why buy from a dealer instead of a listing site?
Because the trailer is here, you can open the doors, and the price on the website is the price on the lot. We wrote about what a local dealer should show you before you sign at where do you buy an enclosed cargo trailer in Lafayette. Still deciding between a box and an open deck? Read enclosed vs utility first.
Do you deliver?
Within 50 miles of the lot, delivery is free. That covers Lafayette, Broussard, Youngsville, Carencro, Scott, Breaux Bridge, New Iberia, Abbeville, Crowley, Opelousas and most of Acadiana. We deliver to Lake Charles, Baton Rouge and Alexandria too, and we'll quote the fee by the mile. If you'd rather pick it up, we'll hook it up, check every light and send you home with the paperwork done.
Come open the doors
Reading about interior height is one thing. Standing inside a 7-foot box next to a 6-foot-6 box is another, and you'll know which one you want in about five seconds. We're at 2601 SE Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette, Monday through Friday 8 to 5 and Saturday 8 to 12. Call 337.504.3820 and tell us what you'll carry. We'll tell you which of the ten to look at first.