Trailer Build - any tips?

[Clint]

Hi All

I'm just designing myself a general purpose trailer for hauling motorbikes, firewood, garden rubbish etc. Thinking of about 2.4 long, single axle, needs to be beefy enough to haul a decent load down a rough track.

Current random ideas are:
Got the old 16" Prado wheels lying around, maybe use them with smaller tyres, old hilux front hubs & stubs?
Leaf springs or Duratorqs?
Steel 75x40 RHS chassis, 19mm ply deck, 1.3 wide What spacing for the x-members?
Full length ply mudguards/shelves for sitting on & having a beer when the wood is cut
Paint or Galv?

Any design/build tips appreciated.

Cheers
Clint

[Smurf]

If you want to use the toyota rims, I'd go to BNT, TWL or Supercheap etc and buy new trailer hubs, they are available in the correct stud pattern.
Easier to fit, they just fit inside a 50mm box section axle and weld on, and they have new bearing etc as well.
If you go single axle make sure you set the axle slightly back from the centre of the deck, it makes the trailer handle better on the road and also makes it better when trying to back the trailer. generall rule of thumb is 60% percent of deck in front of axle
I have a home built 2.4 metre trailer and the axle is right in the middle of the deck and it bounces like a bugger with no load or even with a light load it doesn't sit as nicely as it should. I'll be moving the axle back approx 200mm soon when I need to replace the deck.

http://www.championtrailers.com/UTILITY ... R_KITS.HTM

http://www.cad-design-and-drafting-serv ... plans.html

[Sketchy_Racer]

I have just built a 1200 x 2400 flat deck trailer to do the exact same thing, have put removable wheel chocks for the bikes and holds 3 bikes easy as. Cost me 800 in the end to build, register and wof it for a year.

Get your self one of these kits http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/other-accessories/auction-401736994.htm

They work out much cheaper and less hassle than buying everything separate.

I used 50x50 2.5mm wall thickness SHS for ours. It does flex a little if loaded up (I put a 1.5t lathe on it and it bannana'ed a bit) But it did return flat once unloaded.

I got my steel from Steel Plus 16m of it at a cost of $140.

Scored some wheels off trademe for $30 with decent tyres

Oh and built it all with a 60 stick welder I got off trademe too.

Most annoy part is just finding some thick walled steel for the axel, but got a bar of 5mm wall 50 dia from the scrap yard which the 40mm dia stubs slid into easy as.

and a simple formula for the axel placement i found is for every foot of length on the deck, place the axel one inch back. Eg: a 8ft deck has the axel place 8" back from the centre of the deck. '

Hope some of that might be helpful.

Cheers,

-Sketchy

[mikee]

When I built mine I went to Petrol station or a Hire centre and measured one of theres.They seem to tow well and back up easy and mine turned out good.

[sig]

galv for sure .my first trailer i painted with all the right stuff ie etch ,primer topcoats etc but only lasted abot 13 years .now both my new trailers are galved and they are great .go multivolt led lights as well.a bit dearer in the short term but certainly great in the long run .my 2 cents worth

[Swamped]

I used an idea similar to sketchy. Measuring off another trailer is good too.

Just keep the drawbar longer rather than short. Makes backing a lot easier.

I ran a piece of super heavy channel off a crane as an axle with duratorques bolted to that. Was an average size single axle that could carry a pallet of pavers or a loader bucket full of stone. If you could get duratorques cheap like I did they were great. Would never go leaf sprung again because of em because of how it tows empty and loaded.

[SMOKEY]

I believe the balance of a trailer is the length of the draw bar combined with the length of the deck and the formula that I was taught is, for every ft,of draw bar length move the axle 1/2" behind deck center , eg, if length of draw bar is 6ft put axle 3in behind deck center , and like the others say,

LENGTH IS EVERYTHING,

FITZY.

[Clint]

Thanks heaps guys, some good info there to consider. Just priced up a few bits down at TWL; not too bad really. I should be able to do it for around $1K all up which was about what I had thought. The trademe kit looks real good value but I want to go a bit heavier duty than that.

Cheers
Clint

[rangimotors]

Thanks heaps guys, some good info there to consider. Just priced up a few bits down at TWL; not too bad really. I should be able to do it for around $1K all up which was about what I had thought. The trademe kit looks real good value but I want to go a bit heavier duty than that.

Cheers
Clint

sounds good, maybe you can post up pictures, prices and even part numbers of what you buy and create a build thread for the rest of us that are interested.

Good luck

[Big-AL]

i bought a boat trailer and modified to carry my suzuki on, it had a moveable axle. i found this useful as i could move the axle to suit the purpose.

[WRNGLR]

I (my Dad ) turned a ute deck from the wreckers into one, has Isuzu MU mags and 1000 kg rated springs, tows really well, will post pics tomorrow

[WRNGLR]

here's the trailer pics, made up from a ute flatdeck bought for $50 from the wreckers so most of the steel is already there, only had to buy hubs , stubs, springs, hitch coupling, ply for deck

[wjw]

I got my trailer kit from BNT 1.5Ton set was about $400 for everything. Just add rims & tyres.

btw make the wheel track the same as your truck if you want to use it offroad,

[chrome]

not a tip but......

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =399471599

[mercutio]

I got my trailer kit from BNT 1.5Ton set was about $400 for everything. Just add rims & tyres.

btw make the wheel track the same as your truck if you want to use it offroad,

and if you are going to use it off road try and set it up with the same stud pattern as your 4x4

[rolla4wd]

Can never have to many tie down points. Steel guards around the lights are good saved my lights a few times

[tweake]

go for hot dipped galv. cost of paint these days makes it close in price to galv. plus paint scratches off really easy and then it rusts. only catch is you need to make drain points for the acid and then galv to drain out of. keep the tubes open so galv goes up inside. otherwise they just rust from the inside out.

deck material, i prefer ply. while it doesn't last like hardwood its easy to replace. also its less slippery as metal decks.

i like the old ute tray ones. even the old well sides can be ok for trailers.

leaf springs prefered, if going for a really low trailer you might want duratorqs. but i wouldn't touch duratorqs without shock absorbers. you can get the kits for them.
even on leaf springs, shock absorbers are very good. you can get proper trailer ones in most counties, except NZ. either import or use car ones.

[Clint]

and if you are going to use it off road try and set it up with the same stud pattern as your 4x4

I probably will do that, unfortunately making the trailer so it will fit a 33+" tyre so the cruiser wheels would work as a spare would make it pretty tall.

I thought about shocks but how to fit them in without the trailer ending up too wide? Given Duratorques are about 5x the cost of leaf springs I think I'll pass on those, being really low isn't critical.

I measured up a mate's trailer in the weekend, his 1350 x 2400 deck worked well for 2 motorbikes, me mum's trailer's 1200 wide deck was definitely too narrow. A 1350 wide deck would give an overall width of about 1850 which is pretty close to the width of the cruiser.

I think I will go galv & ply deck.

That trailer on trademe is a bit hard case - strongly built, offroad wheels, but the rear lights hung way down where they're sure to get wiped out on any rough track or careless backing move??

Cheers
Clint

[chrome]

yer the hanging lights were the main mistake i made with this trailer but with 2 years of use i havent busted them yet....
looks like its sold today too.
definatly go with 18mm treated ply it is worth the extra cost and at that thickness it stays strait and solid for years, even with concrete and junk getting thrown in.

[Clint]

Thanks all for the advice.

Got stuck into the build yesterday. Gone for a 1350x2400 deck, chassis is 75x40x4mm RHS perimeter & drawbar + 4x 75x50x5 angle crossmembers. 25x25x3mm RHS for the side frames & full length mudguards. Deck will be 18mm ply. Should be strong as buggery I reckon.

Would like to get some old hilux or patrol hubs & stubs if I can find some for cheap but will just use some TWL ones otherwise.

Will get some pics as it goes together.

Cheers
Clint

[Clint]

Sides started & deck laid out:



Full length mudguard frame onto the sides, a bit of fiddling & multiple clamping required but it seems to have come out fairly square:



Cheers
Clint

[Clint]

Made some progress over the last week. Main chassis frame is now largely done. Heard a few bad reports on cheap LED lights so splashed out on a set of wired submersible Hella stuff with plug etc at TWL, a set of 1500kg springs plus a heavy duty brake type coupling for better articulation & ease of fitting brakes if I deecide I need them in future. Add 4x tailgate clips & that was the 1st $500 spent, still waiting on a bill for the steel.

Found some landcruiser hubs/stubs & some 15x7 wheels in a mates workshop, price = beers Might have to machine up some mounting plates to make a nice strong axle.

Will get some pics when I find the camera...

Cheers
Clint

[WRNGLR]

Made some progress over the last week. Main chassis frame is now largely done. Heard a few bad reports on cheap LED lights so splashed out on a set of wired submersible Hella stuff with plug etc at TWL, a set of 1500kg springs plus a heavy duty brake type coupling for better articulation & ease of fitting brakes if I deecide I need them in future. Add 4x tailgate clips & that was the 1st $500 spent, still waiting on a bill for the steel.

Found some landcruiser hubs/stubs & some 15x7 wheels in a mates workshop, price = beers Might have to machine up some mounting plates to make a nice strong axle.

Will get some pics when I find the camera...

Cheers
Clint

Dude how'd the trailer turn out, where's the pics ??

[Clint]

Progress has been a bit slow due to too much 4wding, motorbikin & other projects rather than there being lots of work in it, but starting to get there now. It's been quite an enjoyable project actually, compared with building stuff for vehicles it's easy, everything is straight & square.

pic from a while back:



I now have the tailgate frames made & fitted (even managed to get both tailgates to fit either end - precision bro!) Axle is built & bolted on. This weekend I'll assemble the hubs, fit the drawbar sections & make the coupling mount. Will get some pics. Hopefully by Sunday it will be a roller & ready for a test drive. Then I can use it to go get the ply & sheetmetal for the deck & sides.

The steel bill was about $500, it's all pretty heavy duty though.

Cheers
Clint

[Rotazuk]

Probably a bit too late but I made my general purpose trailer tip-able . Welded two plates on the inside of the deck in the middle ( recommend just aft of middle thou ) with a bolt each side about 16mm I bolted the draw bar . At the front of the trailer I put two spring latches to hold the drawbar to the deck . Very easy . Great at the tip etc , back up to the edge drop the tailgate , pull the two pins and tip the trailer . Everything slides off and away you go . I will try and get a couple of pic's , it has crap on it but I have to unload it anyway .

Chris

Pic's make more sense

Pins


Hinge/drawbar mount


Tipped

[Clint]

Probably a bit too late but I made my general purpose trailer tip-able...

Cheers, I did think about doing that but decided on KISS in the end. Nothing like a rainy weekend to make some progress in the shed, just need some bolts for the coupling mount now & it'll be ready for a test drive & good to go get the sides & deck materials.

Cheers
Clint

[Clint]

The hub mounts & axle are probably a little excessive but I like overkill



Note for anyone doing this, the landcruiser stubs extend back inboard of their flanges so you need to machine a recess in the axle flange or make a spacer.

A bit of bling for the hub end caps:



Drawbar on & starting to look like a trailer:



Just deck, side & tailgate panels to go on now.

Clint

[Nivapulledout]

how did the finished product turn out? I am looking at building my own now.

[Clint]

Sorry for the late reply. Came out real good. Actually just got it all back together 2 weeks ago after having it galvanised so I'll get some pics, looks like a bought one now.

Cheers
Clint

[IcedJohnno]

Keen on some more info on the hubs / stubs please.
I have just put Hiace front stubs under my trailer, with 15" 10 ply tyres and its excellent with 2.5 tonnes on board. (Single axle set up) However i want to change it to six stud hubs to suit my spare, so keen to know more about what you have done.