After researching factory-built bumper-pull tender trailers, James Nelson of Audubon, Iowa, built his own and included the following features.
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Lower front deck plates make it easier to get on and off. The main frame above the wheels is 6 inches higher than the deck. When the tailgate is down, he can walk directly from the mix cone into the back of the pickup.
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An extra-large deck creates ample work space. “This spring, I had two mini-bulk pumps with chemical plus boxes of 2½-gallon jugs on the deck,” he recalls.
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Electric brakes and semi tires add reliability.
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Self-fill is facilitated. Two three-way valves (see close-up) allow Nelson to switch from filling the sprayer with the pump on the trailer to pulling water off the stationary tank back onto the tender trailer.
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A solar panel charges the battery that runs the bulk pumps. “Even if the trailer isn’t hooked onto a pickup, I can still use the pumps because the solar panel (pictured above) always keeps the battery charged,” says Nelson.
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The rectangular-tube main frame drops down. This makes it easier to step on or off of the extra-large deck.
