Comments about Lifetime Lifetime 5 x 6 Fold-Up Utility Trailer -- Folds in 90 seconds to 29 inches Wide:

If the Home Depot flatbed pickup truck is unavailable for rental and the local U-Haul is closed for the holidays, this trailer might come in handy. Bought my "FOUR by SIX" folding trailer just three months ago. Well designed, well made and attractive. Medium duty, much better built than the cheap Harbor Freight folding trailer I had for years. Folds easily and compactly. Then I put it to use. What a miserable disappointment in execution. Hopefully I can sell it on CraigsList. Here are my issues:

1) DESIGN. Great design, very clever. As a result of the folding design, it's not a rigid trailer (i.e,. welded, rigid, SILENT parts). Fair enough. But I didn't expect to hear all the component parts banging and rattling together constantly (mainly when unloaded) and announcing my approach from a block away. I'm tired of startling my neighbors watering their shrubs when I hit a pebble in the road as I try to sneak by at 20mph. RATTLE/BANG/WHAM! here comes Joe again. Even after shimming what metal-to-metal contact parts I could with felt washers, it's unacceptable. Best for occasional use only, when it's only an occasional irritant. Much better with a moderate load (300+ pounds). It's worst at a certain harmonic frequency and when unloaded, around 20-35mph. This black/charcoal trailer looks really good behind my black VW Jetta.

2) DECEPTIVE SPECIFICATIONS. Hey, Lifetime-- in case you've never made a Home Despot run-- the original design goal of 4' wide trailer is to haul sheet goods! Your "4x6" trailer is really 3'11" x 5'11". Thanks for the cute but dysfunctional tool. I have to either tip plywood at an angle to set it in the trailer (and risk deforming the trailer walls under dynamic load) or construct support brackets to set drywall sheets flat across top of the walls. Oh, and you can forget about buying a pallet of anything. Thanks, Lifetime Products, for the free workout that time I had to hand load a half pallet of Hardiboard shingles at Habitat ReStore because they couldn't just forklift the pallet into the trailer bed like in a "real" 4' trailer.

3) RATTLES ITSELF APART. The machine screws holding the sheet metal walls to the tubular steel trailer frame have largely rattled themselves loose with a couple missing , even after I tightened them. I doubt Locktite would work with such a small thread contact surface, so I may replace them with heavy rivets. On the other hand, the sheet steel walls are removable for versatility.

On a related note, the aforementioned brackets I made out of 2x4s to haul sheet goods across the top of the trailer? Yeah, within a couple days, two of them went missing and I actually saw one skidding down the highway behind me after a typical jolting bounce (no potholes or dips, just the hip, kooky nature of this cute but dangerous trailer-- and yes, I adjusted the ball hitch to remove slop), romantically backlit by the headlights of the poor schmuck who no doubt ate the 49" long 2x4 with plywood endcaps I had to rig up because Lifetime Products thought it would be a great marketing idea to list the outside dimensions of the trailer instead of the usable payload, thereby saving 1" of raw materials and 1/4" of folded storage space. I don't think I'll be using this trailer to haul $2000 of power tools in their cases any time soon. Stick to heavy loads and you may be fine.

4) NON EXISTENT SUSPENSION. New rule- if nothing happens when a 215# guy jumps on the trailer bed, don't buy it. Agreed, you can't put a cushy torsion axle on a folding trailer, but jeez- the leaf springs on this trailer seem to serve the sole purpose of saving this trailer from a fall off a cliff, because it doesn't do a thing for any payload under 500#. Even with 14" trailer walls and lowered tire pressure, anything not heavy enough to settle down the trailer and overcome the suspension could be launched out of the trailer if not tied down. Speaking of which, I tend to strap down a load extra firmly to account for the brutal jostling the payload is about to undergo, thus torquing the bed of the trailer just slightly. Starting to assume a taco shape, though nobody but me would know it. I doubt this degree of metal-on-metal contact loud enough to wake the dead can be good for longevity.

Soooo glad I didn't pay retail. 4x6 means FOUR by SIX, not 3'10" by 5'10"!! See you on CraigsList!

caveat emptor-- sure, I should have measured the bed before buying it. But then again, go find another serious trailer manufacturer who mis-states the bed dimensions.

Joe L./Olathe, KS

Comments about Lifetime Lifetime 5 x 6 Fold-Up Utility Trailer -- Folds in 90 seconds to 29 inches Wide:

Most often I use the trailer to carry motorcycles from 200lbs to 400lbs on long trips. I lay a half sheet of plywood down to bolt the wheel chock in place, and use 1/4" bolts to secure the plywood to the metal floor. I also use bolt-on shackles on the hinge bolts to gain tie-down points. It's been a great trailer for about 3000 miles, but a tire blew at 200 miles and an outer wheel bearing failed at about 1000 miles. I think the spring rate may be too stiff and it may not be rated for speeds above 60mph. I would buy it again, but add bearing auto-lube devices from the beginning to spare bearing failure. I wish I could find a good 12" tire, as that size is convenient, but not robust. The crank handle for folding bends easy, so be careful with that. NOTE: mine is 5x8 model (discontinued, perhaps).

Comments about Lifetime Lifetime 5 x 6 Fold-Up Utility Trailer -- Folds in 90 seconds to 29 inches Wide:

I rarely write reviews, but this product has inspired me to do so.

We have chosen bicycling as a major part of our transportation and sold the pickup that we used for hauling. Our Subaru is good for lots of tasks, but loads of compost for the garden and winter firewood were outside of its capacity. This trailer has nicely filled the need. It takes about five minutes to pull it out of our back yard, unfold it, and hitch it up. For a fraction of the cost of a vehicle, we now have full hauling capacity and are planning all the things we can use it for. The thoughtfulness of the design has us looking at the Jumping Jack Trailer as well.

Comments about Lifetime Lifetime 5 x 6 Fold-Up Utility Trailer -- Folds in 90 seconds to 29 inches Wide:

I saw a couple of these trailers at a store and thought they looked pretty neat but they were both folded up so I wasn't sure how they would look unfolded. I went inside and asked one of the employees if they could unfold one of them so I could see what they looked like. I was real impressed with the design and decided to buy it. I like how the front and rear sides come off so that you can use them for loading ramps and also the little swing down wheel on the side that makes it easier to fold and unfold the trailer. I don't need a trailer very often but when I do this one really fits the bill. When I'm not using it I keep it folded up in the garage and like how the tongue retracts as you fold it up so it takes up a minimal amount of space. It doesn't come with a spare but it is a common size trailer wheel which is widely available so I bought one for it. I would recommend it to anyone who occasionally needs a utility trailer.

Comments about Lifetime Lifetime 5 x 6 Fold-Up Utility Trailer -- Folds in 90 seconds to 29 inches Wide:

The trailer is easy to use. I bought the 2000lb 5'x8' version. I don't see any of these available anywhere else. The clever ramps and low ride height makes it easy to load, but the low height requires a drop hitch for trucks (or change to taller tires if fender clearance allows). The trailer is equipped ready to use, however. It just does not have a spare or lug wrench. Folding is super easy and it is easy to tow.