We’ve written before about why we love Iron Eagle’s PAD Series of Tiny House Trailers, designed just for tiny houses on wheels. While our love of these trailers hasn’t changed, a lot else has! They’ve gotten upgrades, new sizes, new options, and more.
So here’s a little walk down the memory lane of the dark ages, before there were tiny house specific trailers, and some updates about what’s new with Iron Eagle’s PAD Series.
Before Tiny House Trailers
In the winter of 2004, I ordered a tandem axel utility trailer that would become the foundation of my “Kozy Kabin” tiny house. I asked the trailer manufacturer to retrofit the trailer with angle iron along the sides, so it could receive (and bolt down) the stud walls of the house.
It was uncharted territory at the time. Although folks like Jay Shafer of Four Lights Houses had already built a tiny house on wheels, he used an alternative way to fasten down the house. So ultimately, the engineering that went into the trailer design and wall construction was new. Why the tension ties and bolts into the trailer? Because shit can happen when you’re dragging a house down the highway or across a field and into a fantastic landing spot.
Tie that Sucker Down!
Fast-forward to 2019 and Iron Eagle Trailers. They’ve got the trailer dialed in — no retrofits necessary. PAD has been working with Iron Eagle for over 10 years now, and here’s what we’ve come to know about them:
- Their construction is top notch. Great welding, installation of brakes and lights, urethane paint finish, and specific engineering for receiving a tiny house. Rob of Iron Eagle also worked with Shelterwise LLC to refine the trailer with an eye on the construction of tiny house floors, walls, placement of insulation, and minimizing the nasty effects of thermal bridging.
- Iron Eagle has developed a few unique add-on features: metal framing for a bump out over the trailer tongue, metal flashing weather barrier over the wheel wells, and a wider trailer frame so you can build the wall structure all the way out to the edge of the wheel wells.
- They provide excellent customer care, whether you’re an experienced builder or a novice. Rob is patient and informative, and I really appreciate how well he and his website address questions and concerns. I wrote about Iron Eagle a few years ago, and have a link to Kate Goodnight’s blog about her experience with Iron Eagle… take a look because it says everything.
- Iron Eagle’s slogan is “You Won’t Find a Better Trailer for Less.” Spend just a little time online looking into tiny house trailers and you’ll see this for yourself. Yes, the trailer is one of the most expensive parts of your tiny house But given the risks associated with moving a home on wheels, why wouldn’t you invest in the right trailer? It’s the one thing you can’t upgrade later on.
- They provide prompt service. The lead time to build your trailer may vary depending on the season. We always recommend that you order sooner rather than later – up to eight weeks ahead during spring and summer, which is busy season for the tiny house industry. What can you do to stay productive for those eight weeks? Well, how about downloading a scale drawing of your trailer, so you can work on finalizing your house design while the trailer is being manufactured?
To get better acquainted with Iron Eagle Trailers, check out all the great videos about them on YouTube. Many of them are by our friends and 3-D modeling geniuses at Tiny Nest, who offer their own personal experience with Iron Eagle Trailers, as well as great general overviews of their products. This first video features Rob himself describing some upgrades to the trailer design!
I’m hoping this information is useful to you, so you do less head-scratching and agonizing than I did in 2004. We’ve come a long way, and your story makes it that much better. Keep us posted on how you’re doing, and enjoy the ride!!!
Cheers. Dee