An Air Tow trailer is a ground-loading utility trailer. Instead of pulling up to a fixed ramp and pushing equipment up an incline, the entire deck of an Air Tow drops to pavement level. Your cargo rolls on flat, the deck raises back to travel height, and you strap down and go. It is one of the biggest quality-of-life upgrades a trailer design has seen in decades, and it is the reason more Wisconsin renters ask for our Air Tow than any other single trailer.
This guide walks through exactly what the trailer is, how the ground-load system works, what it hauls best, and how it compares to a standard utility trailer with a ramp. If you are trying to decide whether it is the right rental for your job, this is the page that will save you the phone call.
The Core Idea: Loading Angle Is the Whole Game
Every trailer problem you have ever had — scraped bumpers, spinning tires, mower decks catching on the ramp, safes tipping, golf carts high-centering — comes back to one thing. The angle between the ground and the deck is too steep for the cargo. A short ramp on a tall deck creates a big angle. A long ramp fixes it but is heavy and awkward to store. The Air Tow trailer solves the problem structurally rather than with a longer ramp.
Instead of a fixed deck and a hinged ramp, the Air Tow uses an air suspension and a pivot at the axle. When you park to load, you release the pressure, and the whole deck lowers to the ground. The rear of the deck sits on the pavement. Your cargo drives, rolls, or is pushed onto a completely flat surface. Then you re-pressurize the airbags and the deck rises to travel height with your load already sitting flat on the trailer.
Rule of thumb: if a standard utility ramp makes you nervous about the load, an Air Tow makes the problem disappear.
Air Tow vs a Standard Ramp Trailer
Every trailer in our fleet loads somehow. Our 6' x 12' utility trailer has a spring-assist rear ramp. The car hauler has slide-out ramps. The tilt deckover pivots the whole deck for construction equipment. Each of those solutions works for its cargo. What the Air Tow adds is the ability to load things that hate any ramp at all.
A standard 5' x 8' or 6' x 12' utility trailer has a rear ramp that folds up when you tow. When it drops, the top of the ramp meets the deck around 22 to 24 inches off the ground. That is a real angle. It is fine for a wheelbarrow or a couch or a lawn mower with big drive wheels and momentum. It is not fine for a heavy zero-turn mower, a golf cart with small hard tires, a lowered vehicle, or a safe on furniture dollies. Ramps punish anything with small wheels or low ground clearance, and they eat up horsepower on anything heavy.
The Air Tow eliminates the ramp entirely. There is no transition angle at all — just flat pavement flowing into a flat deck. That single change unlocks about six categories of cargo that are miserable to load any other way.
What the Air Tow Hauls Best
Zero-Turn Mowers
Zero-turn mowers are the single most common Air Tow load. A 60-inch commercial zero-turn weighs 900 to 1,300 pounds, sits low, and has drive tires that lose traction on a steep ramp under power. Landscape crews trailer their zero-turns dozens of times a season, and every one of those loads is faster and safer on a ground-load deck than a ramp trailer. Roll on flat, strap the front and back frames, and go. No wheel spin, no burned belt, no chunk of ramp paint on the underside.
Golf Carts
Golf carts are the second most common Air Tow load in this part of Wisconsin. Between Fond du Lac county residents hauling carts to lake homes on Green Lake or Winnebago, cottage owners moving carts up to Door County or the Northwoods, and small dealerships transferring carts between lots, the golf-cart market for a ground-load trailer is huge. Golf carts have small hard tires and low ground clearance. On a ramp they scrape front and rear and can lose steering on the transition. On the Air Tow they simply drive onto pavement.
Low-Clearance Vehicles
Sports cars, lowered trucks, project cars, and anything that sits close to the pavement all fight ramps for the same reason golf carts do — the approach angle. The Air Tow's flat load makes it possible to haul cars that would otherwise need trailer skids, boards, or aluminum ramps to clear the transition. This includes classic cars, race cars for weekend track events, and low-clearance work equipment.
Palletized and Bulky Cargo
Anything that lives on a pallet or a set of dollies loads flat much better than up a ramp. That includes vending machines, safes, appliances, ATMs, industrial parts, small manufacturing equipment, and shop tools like heavy toolboxes. You can walk a pallet jack onto the deck rather than trying to muscle it up a ramp.
Compact Equipment With Small Wheels
Walk-behind mowers, scissor lifts, small forklifts, floor scrubbers, and similar equipment with hard tires and short wheelbases benefit hugely from a flat load. These machines behave badly on ramps because their short wheelbase and small wheels lose grip and stability at the ramp angle.
Air Tow Specs at a Glance
- Deck size: the useful hauling area you need to plan around when picking a trailer
- Coupler: 2 5/16 inch ball
- Wiring: 7-way plug
- Brakes: electric, with a Fondy Bluetooth controller available at pickup
- Trailer weight: 3,650 lb
- Payload: 9,885 lb usable
- GVWR: 13,535 lb
Payload is the number to remember. Almost nobody hauls near it — most mowers, golf carts, and vehicles weigh a fraction of what the Air Tow will carry. The specs matter mostly to confirm your tow vehicle is set up to pull the loaded trailer safely.
Tow Vehicle Requirements
The Air Tow uses electric trailer brakes. That means your tow vehicle needs to send a brake signal, either through a factory brake controller or through the Bluetooth controller we can pair to your phone at pickup. Most half-ton or larger pickups (F-150, Silverado 1500, Ram 1500, and equivalents) with the tow package tow the Air Tow comfortably. Smaller SUVs and crossovers may be under-spec even if the numbers on paper look fine, especially with a heavier load. When in doubt, text Nick your vehicle year and trim before booking.
Ball size is 2 5/16 inch. If your hitch is a 2-inch ball, you will need to swap or use a different receiver. Fondy has spare balls at pickup if you need to buy one on the spot.
Loading Step by Step
- Park on a level surface. Air suspension needs the trailer to be square with the ground when you lower it.
- Chock the tow vehicle wheels. Set the parking brake.
- Release the air suspension using the trailer control valve. The deck lowers smoothly to pavement.
- Verify the rear of the deck is fully resting on the ground with no gap.
- Drive or roll cargo on flat. Center it left to right and position it so tongue weight is roughly 10 to 15 percent of loaded trailer weight.
- Re-inflate the suspension. The deck raises to travel height.
- Strap every wheel or corner independently with rated straps. For equipment, use frame-mounted points, not accessory brackets.
- Double check that the airbag pressure is holding and no straps have shifted before pulling onto the road.
Tip: a slight forward-of-center load balance is safer than a rearward load. Rearward loads make the trailer wag at highway speed.
Where the Air Tow Does Not Make Sense
The Air Tow is not the right trailer for everything. If you are moving loose gravel, mulch, dirt, or debris, a dump trailer is a better tool because it unloads by itself. If you are moving furniture and boxes that need to stay dry, an enclosed trailer is the right choice. If you are hauling a car and want a low load height and side rails, the standard car hauler is often cheaper and simpler. The Air Tow shines when the loading angle is what makes the job hard, not when the cargo is loose or weather-sensitive.
Where to Pick It Up
The Air Tow is picked up at Fondy Trailer Rentals, W4637 Lakepark Drive, Fond du Lac, WI. All rentals are by appointment so Nick can walk you through the ground-load system, the brake controller, and the tie-down setup. There is no counter to wait at and no line to stand in. You text Nick, agree on a pickup window, and roll out with the trailer ready to work.
FAQ
Is an Air Tow the same as a drop-deck trailer?
They share the same idea — get the deck to the ground for easier loading — but a drop-deck usually means a permanently lowered center section. An Air Tow uses air suspension to lower the entire deck flat when you need to load, then raises it for travel. In everyday conversation people often use the two names interchangeably.
Do I need a big truck to tow the Air Tow?
A standard half-ton pickup with a tow package works well for typical loads (mowers, golf carts, single vehicles). If you plan to load near the 9,885 lb payload, use a three-quarter-ton truck. Text Nick your vehicle and cargo and he will confirm before booking.
Does the trailer come with a brake controller?
The trailer has electric brakes. If your vehicle does not have a factory brake controller, Fondy has a Bluetooth controller available that pairs to your phone. Ask when you book so it is ready at pickup.
Where is pickup?
W4637 Lakepark Drive, Fond du Lac, WI. All rentals are by appointment.
What does the Air Tow cost to rent?
The Air Tow is $250 for 4 hours, $300 for 24 hours, $720 for 3 days, and $1,260 for a full week. No mileage limits.
Can I use it for a car that will not run?
Yes. Because the deck lowers flat, you can push or winch a non-running vehicle on more easily than up a ramp. Bring a portable winch or plan to push with a helper if the car does not roll on its own.
Can I rent it just for a couple hours to move a mower?
Yes. The 4-hour block is exactly for that kind of local job. Text with your window and Nick will confirm.