Hauling in a Short Bed

Looks great! Riding mowers tend to be a bit longer, no?

 

I am sure they all have different measurements. Part of it will sit on the tail gate, then strap that thing.

 

Truth! Trailers make almost every hauling task easier, safer and less time consuming. You'll find a lot of uses for it if you pull the trigger. Ever load sheets of drywall or plywood into a high ass truck bed by yourself? sucks no matter if its a full size or mid size like the Tacoma.

 

Hummmmm that makes me think about the next project for my basement, 2x6s, 2x4s and sheets of drywall. Will definitely need to have a trailer!
Thanks!

 

Truck on hand, looking for the right riding mower, or trailer!

 

How often do you think you'll need the trailer? I used to have a small trailer and it wasn't worth the headache or registering it and storing it, so I just rent or borrow one when I need a trailer. I think I rented a small one from UHaul for less than $30 the last time I needed one.

 

Not often now, but in the future maybe. For now a rental may be an option for as needed jobs at home!

 

OP, now that you wil have your future trailer , just get a zero turn. Ups - Much better cut, longer lasting (if you get commercial), holds value.. Downs - Tough to drink a beer on a zero turn and gets the job done quick so you can't "take you time" from other chores wifey wants done.

On my 48" JD LT155 it would take me well over 1.5 hours of mowing and on the 56" Exmark I can get it done is ~45 including most of the trimming.

EDIT: I have ~1.75 to 2 acres of grass

 

I have a JD 590 lawn tractor with a 54 inch deck. When I need it serviced, I simply call the dealer for pick up and delivery. Pick up and delivery is only $35. No trailer storage problems. No hassle of trying to load it into the truck. Yeah, I know it wouldn't fit my Tacoma. Had Ram 1500 and still had the lawn tractor picked up and delivered. Do the same with my Harleys.

 

So the way I see this is Beer <—vs.—> Zero Turn, let me think.... NAAAAAH besides, I’ll need an investor!

 

The dealer wants $100-$120 for pickup/delivery for maintenance. Trying to up sell a warranty.

 

If you can turn a wrench you can maintain your own lawn mower. If it breaks, you worry about it then but there aint much to go wrong with a lawnmower you cant fix yourself.

 

Which is a good way to start!

 

Those HF trailers are awesome. I had the 4x8' one before and transported a 71 VW beetle body from LA area in Cali to Yuma, Az doing the speed limit. You can get different sizes that have different weight. All are 4' wide to be able to use a sheet of plywood for the flooring. folds right up nicely to stick in the corner of the garage.

 

They are neat. Thanks for the good advice. I think I’ll end up getting any riding mower I like, regardless of whether it fits in my Tacoma and have it delivered, then eventually get one of those foldable trailers to stow in my shed so it’s out of the way.

 

I agree with the others get a small utility trailer and a zero turn but I do have a question how did your short bed get to be 6 3/4 feet?

 

A Zero may be too much for my budget. I was interested in the JD X350/42”, which totaled up to $3500 with an extended warranty for 4 years. For the measurement I think the length was 81” with the tailgate because the thought was that any riding mower would end up with its wheels sitting on it, which makes me worry about snapping the cables and damaging the gate. What’s your thought on this?

 

The cables are more than strong enough to support the backend of a mower. I have a Husqvarna 52" zero turn granted it's probably 5 years old but $3,500 is about what I paid for it. I mow a good 5 acres (about an 16th of what I have mow) with it. A zero turn will cut twice as much in half the time as a standard rider. If you have to put the mower in the truck just remove the deck and put it up right next to the rider it's a pretty easy task.

 

Zero turns are expensive, cannot argue this. Whatever you buy, gop through a dealer and not a big box store. There John Deere's are crap and not the same a "real" john deere from a JD dealer.