Need your advice on trailer design

[stihly dan]

I am having a school build me a wood hauling/car/utility trailer. So far I have it as 18 ft long, 10,000 lb dual axle, winch bracket on the front, ramps stored on the front so they don't rust underneath. stake pockets all around, led lights protected by steel. The trailer will be made of 1/4 in thick square tubing, and the fenders are made of plate steel so I could drive on them if needed. The tongue will be at a 50* angle. What else could be useful? Or am I leaving anything out? I made it like this because I want to get as much use of the trailer as possible. Obviously be used for firewood gathering, I have 3 driving teenagers so I am sure I will be AAA for the next few years. I will also be hauling quads, motorcycle, and the occasional load of loam and gravel. Suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[brenndatomu]

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan already. So this is gonna be a deck-over? I'd been thinking of building a tilting deck-over, well, actually more like a dumping deck-over that is still low enough to drive a vehicle up on with those removable ramps you referred to. My advise, don't cheap out on the wiring, axles (brakes) or the paint (rustproofing) and even if you aren't interested in a dump trailer right now, at least have it built with the ability, you can buy the hydraulics later. We use the heck out of my brothers dump, awesome firewood tool!

 

[cantoo]

Hope you have a dodge to pull that rig.



That should get you some traffic to the thread.

 

[stihly dan]

No its not going to be a deck over. It will be wide enough between the axles to drive a car on there. I wanted the plate steel fenders because they always seem to be used for something other than what there intended for. Thanks for that tilting advice, I had initially thought about having it as a manual tilt. Then talking to the instructor and some other people about some horror stories of them getting stuck in the up position needing several people to try and get it back down. I can see that happening to me. Of course at the absolute worse time. But for future hydraulics, that's something to think about. Although how much effect would an 18 inch lift really have?

 

[brenndatomu]

dodge

 

[stihly dan]

Just put down a deposit, and will have them make it be able to tilt for possible hydraulics later.

 

[rancher2]

I would spent a little more and use 7,000 axles and make sure you have brakes on both axles.

 

[Guido Salvage]

Locking toolbox up front between the rails. Make sure the ramps can be placed at any width, one day you may want to load a tricycle tractor. Find a '70's GM car with the gas filler neck behind the license plate and get the plate bracket. When mounted it will swing back if you hit something without tearing off your plate.

 

[TreeTangler]

Locking toolbox up front between the rails. Make sure the ramps can be placed at any width, one day you may want to load a tricycle tractor. Find a '70's GM car with the gas filler neck behind the license plate and get the plate bracket. When mounted it will swing back if you hit something without tearing off your plate.

That is one of the best ideas I've heard in a long time! They used them clear into the late 80's.

 

[esshup]

Electric brakes, not surge brakes. I really, really wish that someone would make electric "disc" trailer brakes instead of just drum brakes.

The trailer jack on the front? Drill 4 holes in the pad so you can bolt a swivel castor wheel to it to move the trailer around on concrete if empty. Stake pockets on the side rails and make removable sides that interlock and slide into the stake pockets. Bright white backup lights on the trailer - both sides. Backing it up in pitch black areas is no fun without lights.

A place to mount a swiveling crane to pick up something that you might not want to drag up on the trailer?

Too bad it's already started, but making the trailer out of aluminum will save a buttload of weight and allow you to have more payload.

I have an aluminum Triton trailer, and it has grooves where tiedowns can be slid to position, and tightened down. 1/2" carrige bolts, heads go in the slots. Not only on the bed but on the side of the trailer too. I wouldn't trust them for a vehicle tie-down, but for just about anything else they work fine.

I have a dovetail car trailer. I made ramps that are in 2 pieces with a center brace. Extra long to get a car that is low ot the ground on the trailer without scraping it on the trailer. Ramps slide down on 2 square posts on the side of the trailer for storage and have a large wingnut/washer that hold them in place. Wingnuts have holes drilled thru one wing and are close enough together that a padlock with a long hasp can be used to lock them together. No way will they get stolen off of the trailer. If the vehicle has ground clearance, only 1/2 of the ramps are needed.

Aluminum trailer has a 4" tall rail by 1/4" thick running around the bed. I made a set of ramps that can slip over the rail for loading ATV's from the side. It's got two pieces of angle that are spaced about 1" apart to keep the ramps from sliding off of the rail, but can be moved anywhere forward/back to accomidate different width axles.

Car trailer just has 2, 24" wide solid diamond plate runners for where the tires go. I bought some aluminum diamond plate to cover the open area in the center. Used large nutzerts in the trailer frame to attach the aluminum with bolts. If needed the aluminum can be removed without too much work.

On the car trailer I welded a piece of thick walled tube with a 7/16" dia center hole on each rear corner. Drilled/tapped the tube to fit a 1/4"-20 thumb screw. Tube is vertical. I put a 3' piece of 3/8" steel rod in each one with a red reflector on the top that faces forward. Backing up I can tell exactly where the dropped dovetail is now. Thumbscrew holds it in place, thumbscrew is long enough that I run it all the way in and tighten it down when the reflectors aren't in place. Just in case, I have a couple in the trailer box for spares. I mounted the license plate on the rear of the driver side trailer fender and put a light over it. No way will it get knocked off there. I DO like the flip mounting bracket if mounted anywhere else tho. Great idea.

Laugh, but if your truck doesn't have a backup camera, these really help getting the trailer and ball aligned if you are by yourself. https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Accessories/MaxxTow/MT70043.html

 

[NHMike]

A place to have the spare tire mounted. I have a trailer for my tractor that I wish had jacks welded by the dovetail. I use car jack under the dovetail so when I drive on it, I don't get the rise and fall on the ball hitch.

 

[Locust Cutter]

No its not going to be a deck over. It will be wide enough between the axles to drive a car on there. I wanted the plate steel fenders because they always seem to be used for something other than there intended for. Thanks for that tinting advice, I had initially thought about having it as a manual tilt. Then talking to the instructor and some other people about some horror stories of them getting stuck in the up position needing several people to try and get it back down. I can see that happening to me. Of course at the absolute worse time. But for future hydraulics, that's something to think about. Although how much effect would an 18 inch lift really have?

If the pivot point is located properly towards the back, it'll work great. The only problem is if you really want the dump functionality in the future you really need to build it that way now. Most true dumps (not tilting car trailers) are double framed - one for the trailer and one for the dump box. This could be done after the fact, but it would be a PITA and not be very practical. I would second the dual 7K axle idea as, if you're really wanting to haul wood, say it's 10K rated. If it weighs 3400# then you only have #6600 left over for capacity. I you build it 14K (figure another 300# (liberal figure) for heavier axles) then you're sitting at 3700#/10,300# respectively. That makes a usable difference without affecting the trailer weight or pulling manners greatly.

Jacks: I'd strongly suggest a 10K drop-leg in the front and provisions for tilt-down 1.5-3K jacks in the rear. This would allow you to use it as a stationary platform when needed and relieve the axles of some of the burden. It would also be handy for storage for the same reason and take a lot of the load off of the tail when loading heavier equipment/cars. The tool box and spare tire is a must.

Lighting: I'll echo the above sentiments of good back-up lighting (use a distribution/terminal box and the wiring is a lot easier) and wire them to the back up circuit on the 7-pin. It'll save time, money and aggravation when backing at night as well as provide a loading light. Alternatively, you could run a loop of clear LED rope lights around the rear, under the trailer and achieve a similar effect.

Lastly I'd incorporate a W.D. (weight distributing) hitch as they will allow the trailer to pull much easier and afford much more control. My next trailer will be a bumper tow (for financial reasons) but outside of single axles under 14', I'd rather have a GN hitch any day as they distribute the load further forward on the tow vehicle and allow for a much tighter turning circle. They're the cat's pajamas.

 

[Jutt]

I am having a school build be a wood hauling/car/utility trailer. So far I have it as 18 ft long, 10,000 lb dual axle, winch bracket on the front, ramps stored on the front so they don't rust underneath. stake pockets all around, led lights protected by steel. The trailer will be made of 1/4 in thick square tubing, and the fenders are made of plate steel so I could drive on them if needed. The tongue will be at a 50* angle. What else could be useful? Or am I leaving anything out? I made it like this because I want to get as much use of the trailer as possible. Obviously be used for firewood gathering, I have 3 driving teenagers so I am sure I will be AAA for the next few years. I will also be hauling quads, motorcycle, and the occasional load of loam and gravel. Suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Trailer brakes. Sounds good so far though.

 

[stihly dan]

I was already thinking of the 7k axles. Will have to see how much more $$$ they are. I installed a toggle switch for rear lights on the truck bumper, may just tie into that for rear lights on the trailer. I like the plate on the fender. Where would I find rear Jacks. Is it as simple as welding bottle jacks to the rear frame?

 

[esshup]

For the plate on the fender you can get rubber rivet nuts. http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-rivet-nuts/=tiieph They have a rubber flange on one side, brass threaded insert on the other. Drill a round hole in the fender. Push thru, put screw thru plate and tighten down. They swell up and grab tight to the hole. I use stainless panhead screws for my plate.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I would use a gooseneck style jack vs the crappy tongue jacks. That is what I have on my 12k trailer and it works great. Been many times I have had to unhook while loaded and I never worried about the jack not handling it.

One like this: http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Pro-Series/PS1400950376.html

I have a pipe going across the front of the trailer so the crank is on the side.

Drop Legs/jacks on rear is handy. I can tell you that 1k rated jacks aren't enough though. I loaded my Bobcat on the first time after I put the jacks and they bent all to heck.


Ramps in teh front suck. My trailer is like that and it's not fun lugging them around to the back. Also I have to remember not to park close to something on the driver's side so I can pull the ramps out. They are 6ft long, 1/4" C channel and then angle iron for the rungs. Weigh about 90lbs each.

It is nice to have the rear up higher though with the ramps not there. I guess mixed blessing.

 

[Locust Cutter]

I was already thinking of the 7k axles. Will have to see how much more $$$ they are. I installed a toggle switch for rear lights on the truck bumper, may just tie into that for rear lights on the trailer. I like the plate on the fender. Where would I find rear Jacks. Is it as simple as welding bottle jacks to the rear frame?

Honestly the flip-down jacks are a lot easier and cheaper to mount (and ride higher) but you'd have t size them accordingly to the load. Most trailer supply places have them. For flip-downs, you'd have to weld (I'd bolt too for added insurance) on the round mounting brackets on the outside corners, perpendicular to the trailer's length. If you want to do a pair of drop legs you could (and they'd be much stronger and more capable) BUT they would ride up in the air and be a choke point for rear loading, in that you can't drive over them or put anything on wider than their spacing.

On the lights, personal preference, but I've found when backing at night, I'd rather not have any lights on the truck (outside of soft amber side markers) and wholly prefer having the back-up lights on the tail of the trailer. The truck lights tend to wash out your field of view when backing in the dark (especially if you have good reverse lights) and I know where the truck's rear-end is. I want to see where the trailer's rear is, especially when backing into tight confines (like almost every garage/pole barn/barn) that you tend to find on may farms and ranches)where you may have a building the size of the Titanic, but the room dedicated for the trailer leave scarcely enough room to shimmy around... Your mileage may vary.

 

[Marine5068]

Locking toolbox up front between the rails. Make sure the ramps can be placed at any width, one day you may want to load a tricycle tractor. Find a '70's GM car with the gas filler neck behind the license plate and get the plate bracket. When mounted it will swing back if you hit something without tearing off your plate.

Speaking of trailer plate mounts, I moved mine from the stupid position hanging down behind the wheel of those crappy plastic two-bolt hangers on the trailer lights.
I just mounted it low on the trailer's tail gate, that way it's out of the way of road debris thrown by the tire and not gonna get ripped off by any rough roads or firewood trails.
I should have done it sooner though, It's pretty beat up now.

 

[Marine5068]

Electric brakes, not surge brakes. I really, really wish that someone would make electric "disc" trailer brakes instead of just drum brakes.

The trailer jack on the front? Drill 4 holes in the pad so you can bolt a swivel castor wheel to it to move the trailer around on concrete if empty. Stake pockets on the side rails and make removable sides that interlock and slide into the stake pockets. Bright white backup lights on the trailer - both sides. Backing it up in pitch black areas is no fun without lights.

A place to mount a swiveling crane to pick up something that you might not want to drag up on the trailer?

Too bad it's already started, but making the trailer out of aluminum will save a buttload of weight and allow you to have more payload.

I have an aluminum Triton trailer, and it has grooves where tiedowns can be slid to position, and tightened down. 1/2" carrige bolts, heads go in the slots. Not only on the bed but on the side of the trailer too. I wouldn't trust them for a vehicle tie-down, but for just about anything else they work fine.

I have a dovetail car trailer. I made ramps that are in 2 pieces with a center brace. Extra long to get a car that is low ot the ground on the trailer without scraping it on the trailer. Ramps slide down on 2 square posts on the side of the trailer for storage and have a large wingnut/washer that hold them in place. Wingnuts have holes drilled thru one wing and are close enough together that a padlock with a long hasp can be used to lock them together. No way will they get stolen off of the trailer. If the vehicle has ground clearance, only 1/2 of the ramps are needed.

Aluminum trailer has a 4" tall rail by 1/4" thick running around the bed. I made a set of ramps that can slip over the rail for loading ATV's from the side. It's got two pieces of angle that are spaced about 1" apart to keep the ramps from sliding off of the rail, but can be moved anywhere forward/back to accomidate different width axles.

Car trailer just has 2, 24" wide solid diamond plate runners for where the tires go. I bought some aluminum diamond plate to cover the open area in the center. Used large nutzerts in the trailer frame to attach the aluminum with bolts. If needed the aluminum can be removed without too much work.

On the car trailer I welded a piece of thick walled tube with a 7/16" dia center hole on each rear corner. Drilled/tapped the tube to fit a 1/4"-20 thumb screw. Tube is vertical. I put a 3' piece of 3/8" steel rod in each one with a red reflector on the top that faces forward. Backing up I can tell exactly where the dropped dovetail is now. Thumbscrew holds it in place, thumbscrew is long enough that I run it all the way in and tighten it down when the reflectors aren't in place. Just in case, I have a couple in the trailer box for spares. I mounted the license plate on the rear of the driver side trailer fender and put a light over it. No way will it get knocked off there. I DO like the flip mounting bracket if mounted anywhere else tho. Great idea.

Laugh, but if your truck doesn't have a backup camera, these really help getting the trailer and ball aligned if you are by yourself. https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Accessories/MaxxTow/MT70043.html

There are electric disc brake kits. "Titan" and "Tie Down" make some.
Check out the links
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Titan/T4843700.html
http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/items.asp?Cc=DISC-KIT

 

[stihly dan]

I would use a gooseneck style jack vs the crappy tongue jacks. That is what I have on my 12k trailer and it works great. Been many times I have had to unhook while loaded and I never worried about the jack not handling it.

One like this: http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Pro-Series/PS1400950376.html

I have a pipe going across the front of the trailer so the crank is on the side.

Drop Legs/jacks on rear is handy. I can tell you that 1k rated jacks aren't enough though. I loaded my Bobcat on the first time after I put the jacks and they bent all to heck.


Ramps in teh front suck. My trailer is like that and it's not fun lugging them around to the back. Also I have to remember not to park close to something on the driver's side so I can pull the ramps out. They are 6ft long, 1/4" C channel and then angle iron for the rungs. Weigh about 90lbs each.

It is nice to have the rear up higher though with the ramps not there. I guess mixed blessing.

Not to sound stupid but that looks like a tongue jack. What is special about that? weight? I was going to do that but with a wheel.