I've been looking and it looks like there is 2 different Kaufman manufacturers... So its confusing, there is one in TX, and one in Lexington NC. I am talking about the Kaufman Trailer in NC, I am looking at their 20 foot 14k, new from the dealer. has 12k jack with fold up ramps(Which I dont like) Check it out and let me know what you think.... I am wanting it mainly for car hauling duties, but want over kill for 1, 2, I am probably going to be building a house, and doing all kinds of crap when I get out of the Marines, so I wanna buy one now that I wont have to upgrade to in the future. is 20 foot a good size? I had a 16 foot that my CC long bed fit on, but no room for adjustment.. Should i go 20' or 22'? Price seem good for this size trailer? I've not read any bad about this manufacturer, any opinons? Tow rig is a '01 Silverado 2500LD with 6.0/4l80e ECSB. Thanks
Brandon

Here's the 20 footer.
http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/catalog.php?ID=dcae432f6951b51cf4aa5dde65d9342ae17 f8642a4e246a1442d1ffa0ce3ac6c
Lists the price for the 22 foot.
http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/catalog.php?ID=15ef5cfdb250e20166122b1bf60f1fa3df8 651cfdab720c14618488d34f98673

i bought a down2earth brand in tennessee, brand new with all the specs you are looking at, 20 ft ramps, 14k.... and it only cost me around $2300. and i have not seen one beter built than mine, but i did quit looking after i bought mine. i haul my kubota grand l4330 tractor with loader and backhoe on it and have been more than 20k miles with it behind me. i also use it to haul my 1989 full size jimmy , you get alot more use out the 20 fter than you would a 16 ft. hope this helps.

kaufman is pretty good

Thanks. I'll have to check them out... I am weighing all manufacturers as well as ft... Thanks
Brandon

I like my PJ Trailer but your not gonna be able to haul 2 cars on a 20 footer. I got a 28 thats 23 and 5 and Im lookin at a 32 footer now.
Cosgr:Dve

Check out Kraftsman Trailers. They are in NC near where Kaufman is located and their price is better. I don't have any complaints about the 22' (20' deck 2' dovetail) of theirs I bought and have gotten lots of compliments.

I live within an hour of Kaufman and Kraftsman. Kaufman is actually much closer. I went to see about a GN but ended up not buying a new trailer at all. They are a privately owned manufacturer, with no dealers. They sell out of their office on site. My impression is they probably make a reasonable trailer, but they cut their costs by not using the biggest name components (example, they use something other than Dexter axles, can't remember the name right now, but I couldn't even find them using Google.) Same with their jacks. But it looks like they make a pretty nice trailer, and they can spec it out as sturdy as you'd like. The salesman told me they sold 10,000 trailers last year. That seems impossible to me, but they've sold to Mexico, Russia, etc.
I bought my dump trailer from Kraftsman although they don't manufacture dump trailers, they are just a dealer. It looks like they do a nice job with special order trailers. I did not investigate their components or pricing for trailers I wasn't interested in buying. They are pretty full service in that they sell you the trailer, take care of all DMV requirements, got me a permanent tag for my trailer, and did everything in one stop. Kaufman, on the other hand, gives you only a certificate of origin and you have to take that to the DMV and apply for a registration and title and plate.
I don't think Kraftsman is anywhere near as big as Kaufman, but both were nice to talk to and deal with.
I don't like flip up ramps, I have a betterbuilt trailer with ramps that slide underneath across the back.
Also, unless you're hauling midget cars, you need much more than 20 ft to haul two. Even MINI Coopers and Toyota MR2s, which I have, are much longer.
Good luck.

I have a 50' Kaufman 3 car I use daily. Nicley built trailer, no problems. Great customer service.

Kaufman is building a new building on site to deal exclusively with warranty and service. As it stands now, they have to "insert" the trailer requiring service into their line and have it go through as needed. The new, separate building will enable more efficiency in dealing with individual service issues.
mvnvltn, what service did you need / get from Kaufman?

Damn thats expensive. I have heard good things about kaufman though.

I just like to build my own! :)

We Have A 40' 25 Ton Kaufman...works Great And Built Very Well

I've owned several auto transport trailers from Kaufman, I highly recommend them. Customer service was great, had a few minor problems over the years, they fixed every one of them for me.

Sounds great, I'm leaning towards Kaufman or H&H, the Kaufman trailers are built a little different than I'd like, the H&H trailers are EXACTLY what I want, only are about a grand higher, is this something that I should pay for? H&H Trailers are just well thought out, they have a greatly built trailer, but the 14K 20 foot trailer for them is 4400, Kaufman is 3200... But the H&H is a LOOKER http://www.hhtrailer.com/HDFIndustrial.asp what would you do? Thanks
Brandon

I think apples to oranges, to be fair. The H&H is nicer, costs more. The Kaufman is probably adequate and less expensive.
I mentioned I went to Kaufman and decided not to buy. The rest of the story is I came across another thread here and saw the H&H Speedloader and decided that would be the trailer to dream about for me.
http://www.hhtrailer.com/05SpeedLoaderEX.asp
You have to decide. I haven't made my decision yet, either, other than to put off the buying for a while and think about it.
Good luck,
Jim

I like the speedloader trailer, but I think its just too over complicated for what I want, I want something that is gonna give me MANY trouble free years of service and that can handle anything that I can throw at it. The H&H dealer I spoke with earlier called and left me a message regarding the trailer I was inquiring about size and capacity I really want is gonna be an H&H 20+2ft Dovetail with Drop ramps, 12K drop leg jack and spare tire mount, is gonna be 4595, he said that is already at a pretty good discount, but I've never bought a trailer before, are they willing to haggle on the price very much? Seems I might be able to knock him down a bit or get a spare tire out of it, or both? You's that have bought trailers, please let me know, thanks.

Kaufman is building a new building on site to deal exclusively with warranty and service. As it stands now, they have to "insert" the trailer requiring service into their line and have it go through as needed. The new, separate building will enable more efficiency in dealing with individual service issues.
mvnvltn, what service did you need / get from Kaufman?

I needed the GVWR changed on the vin plate. I called and they faxed a paper for me to fill out with the rating I wanted. Then they overnighted a new plate and I had it the next day. I did not buy the trailer new from them, so I found this service pretty outstanding.

I needed the GVWR changed on the vin plate. I called and they faxed a paper for me to fill out with the rating I wanted. Then they overnighted a new plate and I had it the next day. I did not buy the trailer new from them, so I found this service pretty outstanding.

Good to know... I didn't know you could change it once it was produced and tagged.

Crank, for your occasional car hauling, and misc cargo hauling, I think an 8000 GVW Kaufman car trailer with a solid diamond plate deck would work just fine, and run you around 2500. Why spend all the extra money for 14,000 GVW if you're not hauling machinery, or other heavy items? They have an option for 5200lb axles, giving you a 9990 GVW also if you need it. If you can live with the wood floor, its even cheaper.

Well the trailer I want is a wood decked trailer, so that aint a problem. I guess I really like that saying, go big or go home... I am wanting to get as big as I possibly can, so later on down the road, I'm not kicking myself in the arse, saying I wish I'da gotten a bigger one. I'm currently stationed in NC, so I'm probably not going to be moving anything Huge anyway, but when I do go home, it'll be farm duty for the trailer, such as tractors, bobcat, heavy trucks... but currently where I'm at, you cant have anything on base unless it is tagged and has a base DoD decal, so to get around this, I'll be parking whatever I get on the trailer, so the Military Police can get screwed(even tho I work for 'em :D) I'm looking to begin building one of these... TUG TRUCK read: low buck, redneck and FUN AS ALL GET OUT!!!

look at ''imperial'' trailers these are some of the best 1-2-3 car trailers ,ive had 2 of there trailers 1-a 35' 2 car 3 axle ,2-a 24' 1 car 2 axle,, theses things are built to work,,there made in olney il.,you can put anything on these from a cc 4x4 duramax to a enzo ferrari,,what ever you buy look at a 22'-24' 1 car,you can use all the lenght to tie down trucks

I have 2 Kraftsman GN's...20' 10 and 12K GVW. They have held up well and are abused...hay and tractors. Kraftsman is in Ramseur NC and he is the brother I believe of the man who owns Kaufman. I grew up in Lexington...they are the exact same trailers. Well built and the last time I bought one 4 years ago they were the cheapest trailer for the quality around. Very good customer service, they sent me a replacement VIN tag last month for a trailer I bought in 02....even sent me a copy of the receipt from then. They also measured my truck and built the trailer GN height to optimize bed clearance.

why do you need a 14k 20' trailer,even a cc duramax daully weighs 8,000lbs, i think you should be looking at 24-28' are these for car/trucks or something else?,,thats alot of trailer to be pulling around,,my 40' 2 car was rated for 14k

I needed the GVWR changed on the vin plate. I called and they faxed a paper for me to fill out with the rating I wanted. Then they overnighted a new plate and I had it the next day. I did not buy the trailer new from them, so I found this service pretty outstanding.


I would say that if the right authorities become aware of that one, they are in deep doo-doo.