The first requirement of serving a client means getting your portable restrooms to the job site quickly and efficiently. If you have been wrestling units on and off a truck bed or the high bed of an ordinary trailer, you may find great benefits in buying a trailer designed especially for transporting portable restrooms. 

Gretchen Hole spent 15 years as a portable restroom operator before she changed her emphasis to portable restroom trailers. You might not recognize her married name, but you should know her as Gretchen Menard whose adventures pumping in and around Detroit were chronicled in a series of “Riding Shotgun” videos for PRO magazine. 

Hole has some definite preferences about trailers. Consider her advice when selecting your own. “A trailer is one of those tools that you might not think much about, but a good one will save you time and effort in so many ways,” she says. 

Size matters 

Consider length and the maximum number of units you need to move at a time. Also, do you need a floor or no floor but an easily adjustable bar system to hold units? Here are a few suggestions if you’re in the market for a new restroom trailer: 

• Liquid Waste Industries restroom delivery trailers are made from heavy-duty steel and feature double torsion axles, electric brakes and flush-mounted lights. Available with or without 4-foot side rails, trailers have built-in winch straps on all corners and T-Beam down the middle to secure one side of the skid. Hooks are evenly spaced along the sides to weave through and over skids. Trailers are 23 1/2 inches high for easy loading and unloading. Custom upgrades include gates, leaf spring axles, fold-down ramps, LED lights and choice of hitches. 

• The Explorer Transporter trailer from McKee Technologies features adjustable carrier slats that box-in most restroom skids, including multiple sizes. Models range from 8 to 48 feet, accommodating up to 24 restrooms. All models include independent suspension. A front wind deflector is available. Trailers are hot-dipped galvanized for corrosion protection. 

• Standard and customized portable restroom trailers from Armal feature low bed height for easy loading and unloading. The built-in locking system eliminates the need for straps to secure restrooms. Trailers are 96 inches wide, 175 inches long and 30 inches tall, and hold up to 16 units. Weighing 3,500 pounds, trailers are available in standard black and gray colors. Other features include single axle with brakes, hitch and adjustable 2-inch ball, jack with caster and hinged tie-downs with 1/2-inch rods. 

Hole had a platform on her custom trailer so she could carry four washing stations in addition to a complete load of restrooms. Then there are straps. “Any way to get away from having to use straps is a savings. It’s so time-consuming to have to disconnect and connect straps,” she says. 

For the clientele she served, she also needed a trailer with a floor. Driving a load of restrooms on an open-bottom trailer to a party at the end of a muddy road means the units would arrive dirty, not a good look for the client, she says. 

Perfect position 

You’ve reached the job site. Now you have to position the units. It’s good if you can stop the trailer and drop all the units in one place. If you have to move them around or put a couple in odd corners, you may want to consider a special hand truck that will save you from pushing units along on their bottoms: 

• The Super Mongo Mover hand truck from Deal Associates is available in various configurations, including two axles that allow it to balance when tipped. The hand truck is designed for all restrooms and is easy to use by any worker. Featuring a chemical-resistant aluminum and steel frame, the restroom mover is available with air or solid foam tires and up to eight wheels for maximum flotation when transporting units off-road, across yards or over sand. 

Although Hole’s frequent partner used one of these, Hole didn’t. At 5 feet, 5 inches and 110 pounds, she says she didn’t have the upper body strength to maneuver units onto a hand truck. 

(All equipment listings from PRO Product Roundup, December 2012)