Falcon vs Load Trail Utility Trailers: Which One Do You Need?
Two utility lines on one lot, and why we stock both
Walk our lot on the Evangeline Thruway and you will see two utility lines side by side: Falcon and Load Trail. Both are built in Texas, a day's haul from Lafayette: Falcon in Tyler since 1987, Load Trail in Sumner, near Paris.
We stock both because they are built for two different buyers, and the honest thing is to tell you which one you are.
The trailers we are comparing
Falcon 7x14 tandem. Falcon builds tandems 77 and 83 inches wide from 10 to 20 feet. The one on our lot today is the 7x14: pipe top rail, spring-assist rear ramp gate, Bulldog coupler, treated wood floor, two 3,500 lb axles on ST205/75D-15 tires, 1,350 lb empty, tagged at 4,500 lb GVWR. We bring in 7x16s in the same build, but every one we have had this year is sold; check the live listing.
Load Trail 83x16 UE. Load Trail's UE8316 is 83 inches by 16 feet on a 2x3x3/16-inch angle iron frame with crossmembers on 24-inch centers and a 3-inch channel tongue. Two 3,500 lb Dexter axles with electric brakes, ST205/75R15 radials, square tube side rails, LED lights with a 7-way plug, four tie-downs and a powder-coat finish, plated at 7,000 lb GVWR. Ours, on the September truckload, adds a 2-foot dovetail and a 4-foot spring-assist fold gate.
Where the Falcon is enough
The frame is not where Load Trail wins
Falcon publishes two tandem sheets: Standard Duty, a 3x2x3/16-inch angle frame with an angle top rail, and Industrial Duty, a 4x3x1/4-inch angle frame with a 2-3/8-inch pipe top rail. Both carry a 4-inch channel tongue. The pipe top on the tandems we stock is on the Industrial Duty sheet, but Falcon's plate does not name the line, so check the build sheet on a specific unit. Either way it is at least as heavy as Load Trail's 2x3x3/16-inch angle, and Falcon's 4-inch tongue beats Load Trail's 3-inch. Where Load Trail pulls ahead is everything bolted to the frame, not the frame itself.
Mower, four-wheeler, weekend hauling
At 1,350 lb empty and 4,500 lb GVWR, the Falcon 7x14 tandem leaves roughly 3,150 lb for cargo: a zero-turn and a push mower, a side-by-side headed to the camp, or a load of limbs after a storm. For a homeowner or a one-man lawn account hauling a few times a month, the Falcon does the job for less, with the same spring-assist gate, 2-inch coupler and 2,000 lb jack.
It lives under a carport
Falcon's finish is paint, and its warranty says paint is not covered. Under a carport with the chips touched up, that is a fair trade for the lower price. In the yard through a South Louisiana summer, keep reading.
Where the Load Trail steps up
A 7,000 lb plate and brakes on both axles
This is the real gap. Falcon puts 7,000 lb of axle under both tandem sheets but plates them at 4,000 lb GVWR; ours came tagged at 4,500 lb. Either way, read the plate on the unit you are buying; that is what a DOT officer reads on US-90. Load Trail plates the UE8316 at 7,000 lb and publishes empty weights of 1,045 to 1,812 lb across the UE line, so even at the heavy end you have over 5,000 lb for cargo: a zero-turn, a walk-behind and a pallet of sod on one trip.
Brakes go with the plate. Louisiana RS 32:341 says a trailer of 3,000 lb or more gross weight must have brakes the driver can apply from the cab, with breakaway; between 3,001 and 5,000 lb, brakes on one axle satisfy it; under 3,000 lb on a non-agricultural trailer, none are required. A Falcon tandem at 1,350 lb empty crosses 3,000 lb with about 1,650 lb of cargo, and some Falcon tandems we have stocked came without brakes; the listing says which. The Load Trail UE ships with electric brakes on both axles and a 7-way plug; your truck needs a brake controller to use them.
Dexter axles, named on the sheet
Load Trail names the axle maker: Dexter, with self-adjusting electric brakes. Falcon's catalog does not; check the build sheet. That matters in year six when you order a hub or a brake kit.
Radials against bias-ply
Falcon lists ST205/75D-15; the D means bias-ply. Load Trail lists ST205/75R15 load range C; the R means radial. Bias-ply is fine in the parish; radials run cooler and track straighter on a loaded I-10 run to Houston.
Powder coat against paint
Load Trail's standard finish is Sherwin-Williams Powdura powder coat: a OneCure primer under a polyester TGIC gloss topcoat. Falcon's is paint, excluded from its warranty. A trailer parked outside in Acadiana gets rained on most weeks, sits in humidity from May through September and picks up salt air at Cypremort Point. Powder coat is the difference between a trailer that still looks like one at year five and a project.
LED lights and the harness
Load Trail lists LED stop, tail and clearance lights, a 16-gauge double-insulated harness and a 7-way plug as standard. Falcon's catalog does not list lighting; some of our Falcons have LED and some do not, so look at the listing. A sealed harness matters when a trailer gets backed into the water at the launch.
Three-year structural warranty against one year
Falcon warrants the trailer for one year, ninety days on electrical, axles, bearings and running gear; paint is excluded and defective parts go back to the factory freight prepaid. Load Trail's 2-3-2 program is 3 years structural, 2 years on components and 2 years of roadside reimbursement for trailer and tow vehicle, personal or business use; register within 30 days and we work any claim with the factory.
Tie-downs, side rails and the dovetail
Four 3/8-inch tie-downs and 2x2 square tube side rails are standard on the Load Trail, and our UE8316's 2-foot dovetail drops the loading angle for a zero-turn. Our Falcons have a straight deck; for tie-down points, check the build sheet.
Single axle: Falcon SA against the Load Trail 77x12 SE
At single-axle size the gap narrows.
Falcon's catalog single-axle sheet: 3x2x3/16-inch angle frame, 2x2x1/8-inch angle top rail, one 3,500 lb axle, 2,995 lb GVWR, ST205/75D-15 bias-ply tires, treated pine deck. That matches the 5x10 we stock: 880 lb empty, tagged 2,995 lb. The pipe-top 6.5x14 and 7x14 singles on our lot are a different build on the same 3,500 lb axle, tagged at 3,500 lb GVWR and 1,140 to 1,250 lb empty. That number is off the plate, not the catalog, and the plate is what counts.
Load Trail SE7712: 2x3x3/16-inch angle frame, one 3,500 lb Dexter axle (an idler is standard; ours on the September truckload has an electric brake axle), ST205/75R15 radials, square tube side rails, four tie-downs, LED lights, powder coat, 2,990 lb GVWR, 674 to 1,325 lb empty by Load Trail's estimate, and a 3-foot fold gate on our build.
Brakes follow gross weight, not axle size. The SE7712 at 2,990 lb GVWR and the Falcon 5x10 at 2,995 lb cannot reach 3,000 lb gross without exceeding their plates, so neither needs brakes by law for non-farm use. The 3,500 lb pipe-top singles are different: at 1,140 to 1,250 lb empty, a 6.5x14 or 7x14 crosses 3,000 lb gross with about 1,750 to 1,850 lb of cargo, and RS 32:341 reads the loaded weight. Our Falcon single-axle listings do not show brakes, so if you will load one that heavy most trips, tell us and we will point you at the Load Trail.
Pick the Falcon if it is your first trailer and you haul a mower and the occasional dump run. Pick the SE7712 if you want the same footprint with LED lights, powder coat, a brake axle and a three-year warranty, because you plan to still own it in 2036.
Who each buyer is
You are a Falcon buyer if:
- You haul a few times a month, not a few times a day.
- Your loaded weight stays under about 3,000 lb most of the time.
- The trailer lives under cover and you will touch up chips.
- You tow with a half-ton or an SUV and do not have a brake controller.
- The purchase price matters more than the ten-year cost.
You are a Load Trail buyer if:
- You run a lawn, landscape or handyman route and the trailer works daily.
- You regularly load past 3,000 lb and want brakes on both axles and a 7,000 lb plate.
- The trailer parks outside, year round, in Acadiana weather.
- You want a named axle brand and a three-year structural warranty.
- You will keep it long enough for powder coat and LED lights to pay off.
Decision table
| Question | Falcon 7x14 tandem (pipe top) | Load Trail 83x16 UE |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | 3x2x3/16" or 4x3x1/4" angle by line (see above); 4" channel tongue | 2x3x3/16" angle, 3" channel tongue |
| Axles | Two 3,500 lb (brand: check build sheet) | Two 3,500 lb Dexter |
| Brakes | Not listed as standard; some units have none | Electric, both axles, self-adjusting |
| GVWR | 4,000 lb catalog / 4,500 lb as tagged on ours | 7,000 lb |
| Tires | ST205/75D-15 bias-ply | ST205/75R15 LRC radial |
| Lights | Varies by unit; check the listing | LED, 7-way plug, sealed harness |
| Finish | Paint (not covered by warranty) | Sherwin-Williams powder coat |
| Gate | Spring-assist ramp gate, pipe top | 4' spring-assist fold gate, 2' dovetail |
| Warranty | 1 year; 90 days on running gear | 3-yr structural / 2-yr parts / 2-yr roadside |
| Best for | Homeowner, camp, weekend hauling, first trailer | Daily crew work, heavy loads, parked outside |
| Price | Lower; see the live listing | Higher; see the live listing |
Deciding in thirty seconds
Add up what you put on the trailer on your heaviest day. Under 3,000 lb, a few tows a month, sleeps under a roof: buy the Falcon and spend the difference on good ratchet straps. Over 3,000 lb, works most days, or lives in the weather: buy the Load Trail once and stop thinking about it. Closer to 10,000 lb? Ask us about the Falcon heavy-duty 7x14 on two 5,200 lb axles. Not sure what your truck can pull? Run the free towing check.
See both in person this week
The Falcon 7x14 tandem and the 5x10, 6.5x14 and 7x14 singles are on the lot now with live pricing on our utility inventory. The Load Trail UE8316 and SE7712 are on our September truckload; see the full build and reserve one on coming soon. Our Falcon and Load Trail pages cover each line in full. Financing and rent-to-own are available on either brand. Text us at 337-279-2620 with what you haul and how often and we will tell you straight which one to buy. Delivery is free within 50 miles of Lafayette, and we are at 2601 SE Evangeline Thruway, family-owned since 2016.
Sources
- https://falcontrailers.com/
- https://falcontrailers.com/about
- https://falcontrailers.com/catalog/trailers/tandem-axles/standard-duty/7
- https://falcontrailers.com/catalog/trailers/tandem-axles/industrial-duty/8
- https://falcontrailers.com/catalog/trailers/tandem-axles/landscape-tandem/12
- https://falcontrailers.com/catalog/trailers/single-axles/single-axle/28
- https://falcontrailers.com/warranty.php
- https://loadtrail.com/utility-landscape/
- https://loadtrail.com/listings/ue-angle-frame-utility/
- https://loadtrail.com/listings/se-angle-frame-utility/
- https://loadtrail.com/232-warranty-protection/
- https://loadtrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Load-Trail-Warranty-Policy.pdf
- https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-32-sect-341/
- Unit-level specs (empty weights, GVWR tags, gates, couplers) for the trailers we stock come from our own listings at ragintrailers.com/inventory.html.
