TRAILER HIRE ESSENTIALS

Whether you’re moving, camping, landscaping, or cleaning up your property, trailer hire (or purchase) will most likely be essential to the process. Even if you have a utility vehicle, it will certainly make it easier and quicker. The Sunshine Coast and greater Brisbane region have a host of trailer hire options to make your job easier – and all you need is a standard license! With a range of trailer weights, lengths, and structures it’s hard to know what to hire if you haven’t given it some thought. That’s where needs assessment comes in.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

FIT FOR PURPOSE

Hire a trailer for the job you’re doing, don’t let your process be limited by an unsuitable hire. One example, if you’re moving a car, would be a car trailer with a winch and ramps. This allows you to winch the vehicle onto the trailer with ease (especially if it’s not running). Another example, if moving furniture, is a caged trailer with a ramp (if raining, enclosed options may be available). This will reduce physical strain on the movers and help to secure the load.

TIME FRAME

Without reasonable planning, the hire period may be longer than you intended. For example, if hiring for a 1-day period and you fail to return by a certain hour you may be charged overnight expenses. Be sure to check the operation hours of the hiring facility and the pickup/return policy. Reputable facilities will have this readily available online and instore.

SIZE

If you have determined which trailer is appropriate for your purpose, you should also consider size. There are two parts to this; 1) the quantity and size of things being moves, and 2) the access dimensions (road width, overheads) to your job. It’s no use hiring a trailer that will save you 3 trips if you can’t access your job!

COST

If you’re on a budget, you may want to use excel or google sheets to calculate your cost with a few different scenarios. A table with different types and sizes, along with the hire duration is a good place to start (if not available from the hirer).

SAFETY COMPLIANCE

Don’t forget to tarp or net your load as a fines apply; it is a major safety issue if material falls out of the trailer in transit. Check the Department of Transport and Main roads for more details. It’s uncommon for hire places to provide these. Onus is on the vehicle operator, make sure you are using a cover.