Which trailer to buy?

[Shots]

So just an update. I was going to buy the Aluminum trailer, but it turns out the 5 x 8 trailers didn't fold. That left me with a choice between the Harbor Freight trailer for $350, or the Aluminum Ultra-tow for $650. That's a heck of a jump in price for aluminum, so I opted for the Harbor Freight (Haul Master) trailer.
I just finished putting it together. Overall it's seems to be a pretty nice trailer for the price. I've got a few things in mind, to make it a bit better
* They have you bolt the folding section of the frame to the solid section before use. Sure it will make the trailer more sturdy, but that's really inconvenient. So instead, I've ordered some clevis pins which will still keep it from folding/twisting, yet will be much quicker and easier to use for hauling and storing the trailer. Same concept, but much quicker easier approach
* The fenders are decent, but they are open on the sides. While there's not a lot above the deck, it's still a gap which will let dirt/liquid from the road to splash up onto the load. I'm gong to install some thin trim pieces into the back side of the fender to keep road grime from hitting my cargo.

A few other minor things that I'm going to change, but don't need immediate attention.
* I'm going to add some reflective tape to the rear frame rail. Not a big deal but something to add visibility.
* I'm going to repack the bearings. They come packed, and pre-assembled along with grease fittings but I'll feel better using quality grease.
* The lights on the front of the trailer don't ground well. They have a metal pin that makes contact with the trailer and one of the screws. I'm going to run a ground wire to them, so they actually light up as they should, not just act as reflectors. Again not a big deal, but they need to be working before it's towed in the dark.

In all it seems like a great little trailer for the price. Not top of the line stuff, but I've got a standard size 2 car garage and it's folded up in there with both the Renegade and Wrangler fitting just fine. Wouldn't have been able to do that with a conventional trailer.

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[Shots]

Time for another update, now that I've had it a while. It turns out this is a great little trailer. Amazing actually, considering the price. I did make a few minor modifications, but none are necessary.

I added a deck to it, which I bolted to the frame through the holes which were already in the frame rails. I split the deck in half so it can still fold, since that was a prerequisite for me.. The trailer manufacturer was smart enough to leave a little room between the folded rails so you can add decking (up to 3/4") while still allowing the trailer to fold as intended. Good job Harbor Freight.

I added walls. The brackets are already there for them, and the manual gives you a suggested method to do it. The only recommendation I would make when doing this is to notch the 2 x 4 uprights to the same thickness of the OSB. This is because the frame/deck is barely over 4' x 8'. If you add walls to the inside of the uprights you won't be able to lay a standard sheet of material flat in the trailer. If you attach the walls to the outside of the uprights, you'll have a 1.5" gap between the wall and floor. Not an issue for a sheet of material, but not cool for smaller items or dirt.
Anyway, my walls are flush with the edge of the trailer, so a full sheet of material drops right in. An added bonus is that the walls cover the gap on the wheel wells so I didn't need to do anything there. I also used some simple hook/eye latches at the top of the walls to keep the corners tight, and painted the OSB to make it look more finished. The clevis pins work great to keep the trailer rails locked down as mentioned before, but also to secure the walls (there are pre-made holes in the brackets that can be used for this).

As previously mentioned, I fixed the ground issue on the lights. Instead of running a whole new ground wire, I just cleaned out a hole so it was free from paint and connected there. Problem solved, the lights all work great now.

I also added the reflective tape along the frame. Much like the other stuff this is just a matter of preference. I like to be seen.

One change I would recommend is replacing the casters with better ones. The stock set were pretty cheap and even though they allowed you to roll the trailer around the garage they weren't the easiest to change directions. It may be because the decking took the weight of the trailer over the recommended weight limit of the casters, but I doubt it because the OSB only added 50 lbs. Anyway, I swapped the stock casters for some heavy duty caster with a much higher weight rating and the trailer now rolls around the garage with ease.

Another thing you may want to do is add some sort of corner markers to the back. As it turns out, this thing disappears behind the Jeep when you're pulling it. Sure you can turn on the backup camera to take a peak at it, or move around in your seat to see it, but I like to just naturally glance in the mirror. To do this, I just added 2 sticks of PVC I had laying around to the wall uprights. It's not the very corner of the trailer, but close enough to the back that I can at least see what the trailer is doing back there without having to do anything but look in the mirror. I suppose you could also make it visible by making taller walls.

I added a tongue jack too. Sure the trailer is light, but the trailer isn't always empty. I figured it's a good idea in case there's some weight in the trailer when it's not hooked to the Jeep.

So long story short. I've used this trailer quite a bit. It folds up fairly easy (though obviously not as light as it was before adding a deck), and stores with ease in my garage. It tracks well, and is a good size to haul most materials for DIY jobs. I'm very happy with it and would recommend it to anyone in the market for something like this.

Here's a photo of it now that I've got it done, and has been used pretty regular.