Farm Show and Fair Season: Getting a Trailer Ready for Moultrie and Perry
Show season is the one time of year a trailer does a long trip, sits for days in a field and then does the trip again. Here is how to get it ready.
August 13, 2026 · 5 min read
Every fall the trailers in our part of Georgia change jobs. The mower trailer becomes the display trailer, the hunting trailer becomes the livestock-gear trailer, and half of Coffee County seems to be headed either to Moultrie for the Sunbelt Ag Expo or to Perry for the fairgrounds. Those trips have a pattern: a long tow, several days parked in a grass lot, a lot of loading and unloading by hand, and the same long tow home. A trailer that handles a weekly jobsite run without complaint can still let you down on that schedule if you do not look it over first.
Two weeks out: the walk-around
Start early enough that a problem can be fixed before you leave. Check tire pressure cold and look at the sidewalls for cracking; a trailer that sat through summer often has tires that look fine and are not. Our tire care post covers what to look for. Plug in the truck and confirm every light, including the side markers. Jack each wheel and spin it, listening for a rough bearing. Open and close every door, and run water over the roof seams if the trailer has not seen rain in a while. Anything you find now is an easy fix in Douglas and a bad day on the shoulder of US-82.
Loading for a show, not a job
A show load is different from a work load. Display panels, tables, banners, product samples and a canopy are bulky, light and awkward, and they shift. Heavy items still go over the axles, but the rest wants to be strapped to E-track along the walls rather than stacked loose, because it will be unloaded and reloaded several times over the weekend and a stack that was stable on Wednesday is not on Sunday. Our load balance guide covers the weight side. For the rest, label the bins and load in reverse order of setup so the first thing you need is the first thing out.
Living out of it for a few days
Show trailers get used as a storeroom, a changing room and an office. A few things make that easier. Interior LED lights on a battery, because the lot goes dark early and the generator is usually off. A side door so you can grab a box without opening the ramp into the crowd. Roof vents so the inside is not a sauna by noon. If the trailer is going to sit in a field for a week, a set of wheel chocks and a hitch lock matter more than they do at home, and our theft prevention post explains why show lots are a target.
Livestock gear and equipment
A lot of Perry traffic is families hauling show cattle gear, tack, feed and a wash rack setup rather than the animals themselves. An enclosed 7-wide tandem is the standard answer: the gates, panels and fans strap flat against the walls, feed and tack ride in bins, and everything stays dry if it rains on setup day. Fit a rubber mat over the plywood where the wet gear rides, and hose the floor out when you get home rather than a week later.
The trip home
The return trip is where trouble shows up, because everyone is tired and the trailer is loaded in a hurry. Do the light check and the tire walk again before you pull out, retighten the straps at the first fuel stop, and if a tire looked marginal on the way up, do not assume it will make it back. Once home, empty the trailer, sweep it out, open the vents and let it dry before it goes back to being the mower trailer.
If show season is the point where your current trailer stops being big enough, it is also a good time to look. Our in-stock inventory is on the lot in Douglas, we deliver across the state, and give us a holler if you want a unit ready before the next event.
Frequently Asked
What size trailer do I need for a booth at a farm show?+
A 6x12 handles a tent, a table, banners and product for a small vendor. A full display with panels, a canopy and stock usually wants a 7x14 or 7x16 so it can be loaded in an order that makes setup easy.
Can I leave the trailer at the fairgrounds overnight?+
Most lots allow it, and most theft happens there. Use a hitch lock, a wheel lock and a locked side door, and keep anything valuable out of sight or in the truck.
Should I service the bearings before a long show trip?+
If it has been a year or you do not know when they were last done, yes. A bearing that runs warm on a jobsite run can fail on a three-hour interstate pull with a full load.
Ready to roll?
200+ trailers in stock in Douglas, GA. Financing for all credit types.
