I got it on sale for a reasonable price. That being said, there are a few things that make me regret the purchase. At this point, I think I would have preferred to spend the extra $500 to get the similar Yakima trailer even though I'm a little averse to their products from past experiences.

1) The trailer is supposed to be made in USA. That was one influential attribute of the purchase. Yet the ball coupler part is clearly marked made in China (the worst place where this could be made for me). Perhaps I misunderstand what made in USA means these days. Not sure about the axle, which is another key part (looks like it was outsourced / OEM by another company).

2) The build is, shall we say, rather rough. Especially in comparison to the Yakima. The load rating of the Malone is supposed to be higher which is one reason I bought it (and the belief that that A style frame is more robust than the Yakima box as well as galvanized steel vs Yakima aluminum). I know it's just a trailer and will get banged up. But it looks rather amateurish and scuffed and scratched and dented already coming out of the box.

3) Packing sucks. I'm sure it got abused in transit; the boxes are heavy. But still, nuts and bolts and washers and such were able to break free of the plastic bags and were dispersed inside the box. Which was broken as well. So, we'll find out if I'm missing any pieces. Since these are kits, maybe package the bags of parts separate from the frame pieces?


I feel I'm not getting my moneys worth. VERY disappointed that this 'made in USA' trailer has at least the coupling coming from China. Not sure how to deal with this. At a minimum, I'm done with Malone products. This is my last Malone purchase.

BTW, are ball couplers generic? Can I buy another ball coupler (one that seems robustly made and hopefully made in USA) and have it just bolt right on? I'm not sure I trust the one that comes with this kit.

Buy once, cry once is a lesson I'm trying to learn also. I look at stuff I acquired and I can see the relative price increases of the same type until I ended up with the one I want. If I had went straight to the expensive model I was considering, I would have saved more money and be more satisfied sooner.

I wish you luck.

I feel your pain brother.
Last year I bought a Triton aluminum trailer.
I got it home and the first time I went to use it, the tongue jack would not raise it to hook it up.
I called Triton because we were leaving to take our UTV and ATV on vacation the next day.
Triton could not have cared any less.

I had to remove the jack myself, take it to the dealer(90miles 1 one) and wait on another to be shipped IF THEY DEEMED IT WAS NOT MY FAULT. I only had the trailer a few days.

OEM said that the frame, etc is made in USA. But the coupler is generic and may be made in China.

I'm looking at a replacement coupler made in USA:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

A little more disappointed that an American made coupler is available and not sourced for their kit.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Buy once, cry once is a lesson I'm trying to learn also. I look at stuff I acquired and I can see the relative price increases of the same type until I ended up with the one I want. If I had went straight to the expensive model I was considering, I would have saved more money and be more satisfied sooner.

I wish you luck.

Generally do the same. I just haven't figured out what to get for the long term. But I needed an interim, short term solution. Reviews of the trailer seemed good. And reality is that maybe, overall, this is still the better buy albeit disappointing.

But looking forward to figuring out the long term solution.

Unpackaged some more and now the leaf springs are stamped China as well.

GRRRRRRR. So coupling and leaf springs are from China. Yea, these are not mechanically important pieces anyway - let's outsource them. How bad could it be if they fail?

Seriously - Malone should remove "made in USA" from their website. NOT!

Not sure about the leaf springs, but I think I found a coupler made in USA (link posted above).

Although I have concerns about longevity and risk of failure, it's not just about that. I bought the Malone specifically because their webpage indicated Made in USA (twice, actually). That was one strong influence in choosing it over the Yakima.

So while you may be right, I'm disappointed and feeling deceived.

For $30, I think I can get a made in USA coupler if I want. Not sure about the springs.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Seriously - Malone should remove "made in USA" from their website. NOT!

Once you assemble it, it will be!