Trailer and Pickup Truck Accessories
A trailer is simply an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle behind a truck. It is most commonly used for the transportation of materials and goods. In some cases, recreational vehicles, travel trailers or mobile homes in need of extra living quarters where individuals can either camp out or live are also known as trailers. They are frequently used for transporting goods over long distances and for transporting livestock or other farm equipment.
Livestock being transported in travel trailers or mobile homes require that they be taken on trips where they are either stored for the trip or driven through various stages of the journey. This means that a utility trailer must be able to tow a bigger or more powerful truck or trailer and still fit within the framework of the vehicle in order to travel safely. Travel trailers are generally used for cross-country travel. They provide ample room and accommodations for riding and sleeping passengers who will be staying in a caravan-style motel that is often equipped with kitchen facilities and swimming areas. Trailers on the other hand are mostly used when traveling short distances at faster speeds, such as those used on logging and fishing trips.
Depending on the type of trailer to be used, the trailer itself may be called a semi-trailer, a fifth-wheel, or a travel trailer. A fifth-wheel is a smaller sized trailer than a semi-trailer. In addition, a fifth-wheel has only two wheels whereas the semi-trailer has four wheels. The motor vehicle that will be towed using the trailer will need to be larger in size, but not as large as the one needed to transport the camper and other belongings.
There are many different types of trailers ranging from the smallest which are called travel trailers to the largest which are known as motorized camp trailers. Travel trailers and motorized camp trailers can be classified according to the number of axles used in the frame system. Smaller trailers have an arrangement where the fifth wheel sits in the bed of the vehicle, while larger semi-trailers have the fifth wheel positioned further back in the bed of the vehicle.
Specialized trailers range from travel trailers to utility trailers with a capacity of ten to twenty-two people. Some specialty trailers include a covered wagon, utility trailer, bike trailer, school transportation trailer and pop-up trailer. Bicycle trailers allow individuals to travel by bicycle along roads and mountain trails.
If a person is going to travel on long distance, such as thousands of miles, they will require a hitch to attach their trailer to their pickup truck. The hitch, sometimes known as the pole or rack, is a piece of hardware that holds the trailer to the pickup truck with a series of bent brackets. The brackets are constructed in such a way as to allow one end to hang down over the tailgate, while the other end remains in the bed of the pickup truck. The hitch is often referred to by different names depending on the application. They can be called gooseneck, pole, roof mounted lock, double hitch, double side hitch, slip-type and many other names.