How it works
The parts of a utility trailer are few: a tongue with a coupler at the front, a frame with a deck on it, and one axle with a wheel at each end.
Read the full guide
From the side
Start at the front. The coupler sits on the end of the tongue, with the safety chains and the wiring harness hanging behind it and the tongue jack holding the trailer up. At the wheel are the fender, the tire, the lug nuts and the dust cap. At the back are a tail light and the license plate holder.
From above
The tongue leads back to the frame. Boards of the deck cover the far half. The near half is cut away to show the frame's cross members and the axle under it. The tailgate lies flat behind, and tie-downs sit at the corners.
- This trailer is drawn unhitched, standing on its tongue jack.
- This page names the parts; it gives no weights, sizes or ratings.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a utility trailer?
At the front: the coupler, the tongue, the tongue jack, the safety chains and the wiring harness. Then the frame, the deck, the axle and a wheel under a fender each side. At the back: the tailgate, the tail lights and the license plate holder.
What is the front of a utility trailer called?
The tongue. It is the beam that reaches forward from the frame. The coupler on its front end drops over the hitch ball on the tow vehicle.
What is the gate on the back of a utility trailer called?
A tailgate or ramp gate. It folds down to make a ramp for loading and is latched upright for the road. It is not a tie-down point.
What are safety chains for on a trailer?
They hook the trailer to the tow vehicle, so that control of the trailer can be kept if it comes loose from the hitch.