Tomorrow we are taking the plunge on ordering a cargo trailer to haul our craft booth supplies, tent(s), and art/crafts. Yay! Till we get the bill, anyway.
Up until now we have used a couple of different vehicles and managed okay, but it has been tight at times. When we first started, believe it or not, we got everything into a 2008 Acadia. Yes, a smaller sized SUV did the job. Then we graduated to dh's 2006 (I think) Ford F150, with a camper shell. Some of you may remember I posted the slider system he built to make it easier to load and unload. Then we started using the 2011 Suburban we got when he was advised by our mechanic to get rid of the truck quickly, as in yesterday.
I have been wanting to graduate to a double booth, 10x20. Up until now we just did not have room. Dh is an excellent packer and we could not force any more any, save a stick of gum.
We have been looking online at local BST Facebook groups, talking to friends and so on to find a good used one. There are just not any used ones out there in the 5x8 size. dh has been to a couple trailer sales lots and found one he believes will work well for us. It is a locally owned business that does a lot of sales to local people so it seems to be a good fit to us. They have just sent in an order for about 8 or so cargo trailers and told us we could order the color we want because there is time to change it if we call this week.
We are going with gray with a door on the curbside up front and double doors on the end that swing out. It has a vent in the top, wood walls inside. DH is going to get some sealer for the walls to prevent water damage in the event we load/unload in the rain. It may be well worth it regardless since we live in a very humid climate.
We have a hitch on the Suburban already so we don't have that to worry about. Dh is looking at strapping and tie down materials for the inside so things don' shift when rolling down the road.
I am going to pick up the two shelving units this week we want to add to our double booth. So far this fall we have one true 10x20 booth. We have another show that is 10x16. The other shows are a 10x10. We plan on doing more next year w/double booths. This season will give us a chance to work out some of the kinks.
We are excited but know we will have to make some tweaks to get it right. Hopefully it will be with us as it is with others and that our sales increase due to more space to "breathe" in the booth and more room to put out products.
Cindy ... excited in Louisiana about future possibilities!
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We are the proud, but poorer, owners of a new trailer. It is a 6x12 Covered Wagon brand, 2018 model. We were given the option a small bit off the price or a new, complimentary spare tire. Dh chose the spare. It turns out that was the better of the 2 options. It is white, not the gray we wanted but white is our 2nd choice and better than black in our hot climate down here.
When we went over this morning we were looking at one that is also a 6x12 but I think it was a different brand, and it was a 2017, which did not matter to us. It was new, not a trade in. We were going to get a deal on it being it had been there a year. Turns out it was sold but someone forgot to put a sold sign on it.
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Awesome trailer... I guess you will now hook it up and cruise around a few times before your next show.
Thanks, Greg.
We have a little show Saturday and we are going to use it for that. It won't be nearly be fully loaded so it'll be a good test run.
Dh got some insulation installed in the roof last night. He also got d-rings installed to hold the dolly.
It is always fun getting these new art show toys....have a great show.
Thanks!
Update #2
Since I last posted an update a few days ago, we are rethinking the size cargo trailer we think we need. Dh is beginning to think we need a little more room. We had laid claim to a 5x8. Since the trailer company already had this size on order, they did not require a deposit. All we did was specify the color.
Well the last few days we've talking about what we are taking as far as equipment---tent, tables, shelving units, table top displays, stock--including some small pieces of furniture I have purchased. I think John is thinking we will need to upgrade soon if we move forward with the 5x8 trailer. If we are going to spend the money on a 5x8, it's not much more to buy a 6x10 or the next size up, 6x12. He still wants to keep it at a single axle. So John will call or go by the place to today or tomorrow to talk to them about upgrading.
My old trailer was a 5x10 and having had it for a while I often thought getting a larger one would have been a better decision. The extra space will always come in handy and not having to always pile things up as much when loading it will be a big plus.
A single axle trailer should be sufficient for the weight of what you will most likely transport to shows...but a double axxle trailer is more manuverable when backing up...
Update ... It looks like our cargo trailer could be in early next week, weeks earlier than first expected. John (dh) went over to the dealership and was asking about a few things concerning our trailer when he was told it looks like it'll be in next week.
We are busy making plans for what to do to the interior. For those who have the interior finished with wood, did you paint it? If so, what type of paint? Did you paint the whole interior or just part of it? Dh is looking at putting shelves int the v-front. Not sure he has made a final decision. Pros? Cons?
I would personally paint the interior white to give it a brighter interior. Will you havew lights inside?
Hmmmm. I know we have a vent but I think lights were an upgrade. They had just placed an order and some things were still available as options but not all. Lights may have been one of them. John is very handy and will ask if he thought about that.
Greg, what type paint did you use?
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