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Open Utility Trailer Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

A guided, do-it-yourself pre-purchase inspection checklist for used open utility and landscape trailers, single or tandem axle, from Big Tex, Carry-On, PJ, Load Trail, Sure-Trac and other builders. No mechanic needed: each check tells you what to look for and what counts as a fail, from the VIN and ratings to the frame, coupler, deck, gate, axles, bearings, brakes and tires, plus a short tow test. Not for dump, tilt, car hauler, gooseneck, enclosed or boat trailers.

Buy this checklist

$19.00

90 days of access. Inspect and compare up to 12 items of this type.

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What you get

  • No mechanic needed. Most checks need only your eyes, a flashlight and a tire gauge; a few optional deeper checks go further if you have the tools or bring in a mechanic.
  • A guided checklist written for this kind of purchase: every question says what to look for and what counts as a fail. Ready to use the moment you pay.
  • Inspect on your phone: answers save as you go, with photos and notes on any question.
  • Send it to a mechanic, supervisor, colleague, or employee by text or email. They need no account.
  • A report that puts the problems first, with photos, times and location.
  • Inspect and compare up to 12 vehicles, machines or trailers of the same type with one purchase, side by side, before you decide.

Known problems, checked

Comes with a guide to the known problems and red flags to watch for.

How it works

  1. Choose a checklistPick the one that matches what you are buying, and pay by card. No account to set up first.
  2. Add what you are inspectingEnter the item, the asking price and where it is. Add as many as you are considering.
  3. Inspect it, or send itWork through the checklist on your phone, or send it to a mechanic, supervisor, colleague, or employee to do for you.
  4. Read the report and compareSee the problems first, with photos. Put your options side by side and decide.

What it covers 48 questions

  • Records and Ratings7 questions
  • Frame, Tongue and Coupler7 questions
  • Deck, Rails and Gate6 questions
  • Axles, Suspension and Hubs7 questions
  • Brakes and Breakaway6 questions
  • Wheels and Tires7 questions
  • Lights and Wiring3 questions
  • Tow Test4 questions
  • Final Review1 question

A sample of the questions

  • VIN plate and title
  • Frame rust and cracks
  • Deck boards
  • Axle labels and ratings
  • Brake type and requirement
  • Tire type and load range
  • Trailer plug
  • Hitching and level

This is a sample. The full checklist is yours when you buy.

Before You Start

You don't need a mechanic or to be a mechanic to do this inspection. Every question needs only your eyes, a flashlight and a few low-cost tools, and each one tells you exactly what to do and what counts as a fail.

Allow about an hour, including a short tow test.

For open bumper-pull utility and landscape trailers, single or tandem axle, with a rear gate or ramps: Big Tex, Carry-On, PJ, Load Trail, Sure-Trac, Triple Crown and similar. Not for dump, tilt, car hauler, gooseneck, enclosed or boat trailers.

Before you go, ask the seller to:

  • Have the title or registration, the bill of sale and any repair records ready.
  • Unload the deck, so you can see every board.
  • Park it on firm, level ground with room to walk all the way around it.
  • Agree a short tow test with your own vehicle.

Bring your tow vehicle if you can, with a hitch ball of the size stamped on the trailer's coupler, and a brake controller if the trailer has electric brakes.

Go in daylight. Block the wheels before raising the trailer. Never get under it while it is held up only by a jack: use jack stands. Stand to the side when the gate is lowered.

Answer every question as indicated. Skip anything the trailer does not have (answer Not applicable).

Write readings in the note, and add a photo of anything that fails.

Bring (all available at an auto parts store for well under $100 in total):

  • A flashlight
  • A tape measure
  • A tread depth gauge and a tire pressure gauge
  • A basic multimeter, for the breakaway battery (trailers with brakes)
  • A trailer plug tester (4-pin or 7-way)
  • A bottle jack or floor jack and a jack stand
  • An infrared thermometer, for the hub check after towing
  • A screwdriver, for tapping rusty frame areas
  • Gloves
Tools for a Deeper Inspection (Optional)

You don't need any of these to use this checklist. For the deeper brake check, or if you bring in a mechanic, these are the tools needed, as well as those in Before You Start:

  • The brake maker's magnet current or resistance chart (for example Dexter's)
  • Tools to remove the hubs and drums, and new grease seals to refit them
Sources and Standards
  • FieldDone pre-purchase inspection protocol for open utility trailers (October 2026)
  • Your trailer's own owner's manual and its axle and brake makers' manuals, matched to the VIN and axle labels
  • NHTSA recall lookup
  • Dexter brakes FAQ