Two months behind schedule, summer project finished (my own "project evolution") DUW

Topic: Two months behind schedule, summer project finished (my own "project evolution") DUW (Read 786 times) previous topic - next topic

Two months behind schedule, summer project finished (my own "project evolution") DUW

October 18, 2008, 10:30:20 AM

This is one of the many reasons I haven't done any work to the T-Bird this summer (another reason being I'm at a crossroads as to where I want that project to go). I've built a utility trailer. Actually, I've rebuilt a trailer. If you want to get fussy, I've re-rebuilt a trailer :hick:

This trailer started out life as a 1969 Irqois tent trailer. At some point in its life it was gutted and my brother bought it for hauling dirt bikes. When he decided he didn't like hauling a trailer (and instead loaded the bikes into his cube van) he gave me this trailer when I bought my first ATV. Here it is as it was when I first got it:

As it was, though, I didn't like it. It was too wide, too heavy, and the frame was rusted out. One time when loading the bike on the tongue bar bent. Time for a makeover.

I basically started from scratch, getting all of my metal from the guy across from my cottage, who is into sping metal. I wanted the trailer to be large enough to put an ATV on, but small enough to be towed behind an ATV. Since the trailer's frame was rotton it was chucked. The only original part of the trailer to be reused was the axle, springs, and wheels. The frame was 2X4" boxed steel (actually old industrial shelving), the sides were simple 1X3 wood strapping. I finished this project not last year, but the year before:

The trailer was a lot better: Easier to tow, easy to back into places, lightweight. I even towed snowmobiles on it:

I still wasn't happy with it, though. First, it didn't have a tailgate (my sping friend did not have enough suitable metal). Second, the wood sides were too flimsy. Third, the loading ramps proved troublesome (they were useless for a snowmobile, and would sometimes pop out of their mounts when an ATV was on them). Fourth, I hated those bitty wheels. The things only last a year, and that's if you can manage to keep them out of potholes (I couldn't). And finally, I had an idea for the front end of it to make it much more useful for hauling ATV's. Time to start over.

The frame was still good, but the suspension and wheels had to go. It just happened that my friend had just sped a mid 90's Mercury Villager minivan. I made some measurements and determined that the axle was perfect: It was tubular, a "drop" design, leaf springs were the correct distance apart, and it accepted standard Ford/Dodge wheels. I cut all the sides off, cut the old suspension off, and was left with a flat deck with a tongue. I welded the new suspension on (my friend had cut the old leaf hangers/shackles when he removed it from the minivan, so I had to fabricate my own). I also started working on my idea for the front: I wanted it to be able to fold down onto the tailgate of a truck, so an ATV could be driven across the trailer and onto the truck, then a second ATV driven onto the trailer. Here the setup is getting a test run (the old axle and wheels were still on it at this point):

Notice that there is still no tailgate and those py ramps are still there (as well as the flimsy sides and scrawny wheels). Time for all that to go. I also wanted to do something about the tail lights (I am always breaking trailer tail lights). In this "in progress" photo you can just see the new tail light housings, plus the new axle installed and the start of the framework for the sides. The trailer is attached to my Saturn in the pic because even while I was working on the trailer, I was still using it (illegally in this pic; there are no fenders!). The plywood in front of the ATV isn't part of the trailer - I use it as a barrier to keep the dog on the patio at the cottage, where this pic was taken, and that was a good place to carry it:

I don't have any more "in progress" shots, so I'll simply show the finished project now:

First on the Saturn:

...And now on the truck, to demonstrate the front ramp:

Trailer features:

This trailer cost me almost nothing to build. The metal was all free s I got from my sping friend. The frame is industrial shelving, the sides, tailgate and front ramp are all framed with old bed frames (they make a good, free source of 1.5" angle iron). Axle & wheels were given to me as well. The tail lights were free - my father bought a box of tail lights for his boat trailer, when he opened the box there were two sets inside. The fenders were cut out of an old washing machine, then wrapped around a bed-rail frame :hick: Even the paint was free - I grabbed a bunch of cans of old Tremclad that were in the garage when I bought the house and mixed them all together (the result was a metallic grey that almost makes the trailer look like it's made of aluminum). The only real cost was two rolls of flux core welding wire.

If you're wondering why it says the ramps are not included, it's because the trailer is now for sale. I've got another trailer project in the wings, this one even better than the one I just finished. You can see the foundation for the next project hiding behind this trailer in this pic (actually, you can see it in several of the pics above, too - it's that tent trailer, whose canvass has rotted so I tore it apart for my new project). I've already got a bunch of bed frames gathered up

Two months behind schedule, summer project finished (my own "project evolution") DUW

Reply #1 – October 18, 2008, 11:16:59 AM

WOW thats awesome. Looks like something they'd charge about 2 grand US for in NorthernTool. Really like the design man, being able to also ramp things into the bed with it. I can't say I've seen that before. I wonder if something like that has been patented.....

I've gotta do something to my own utility trailer. Has tall plywood sides and the tail gate just pulls off, 2 2x4s on the gate slide into brackets on the back of the rear frame. So I don't have a solid ramp thats a part of it, I want to integrate that into the tailgate somehow, and the wood sides are flimsy, I should replace em. When I get around to it :hick:

Two months behind schedule, summer project finished (my own "project evolution") DUW

Reply #2 – October 18, 2008, 12:34:15 PM

Neat project.:D

You know if you're too busy with trailer projects I can take that Tbird off your hands ;)

Two months behind schedule, summer project finished (my own "project evolution") DUW

Reply #3 – October 18, 2008, 01:31:31 PM

thats a very smart design,, great work. I have the same type of chassis for my trailer which came from a pop up camper. my trailer is about 12' long though and whatever feet standard width.

Two months behind schedule, summer project finished (my own "project evolution") DUW

Reply #4 – October 18, 2008, 05:03:19 PM

Quote from: ZondaC12;239754

WOW thats awesome. Looks like something they'd charge about 2 grand US for in NorthernTool. Really like the design man, being able to also ramp things into the bed with it. I can't say I've seen that before. I wonder if something like that has been patented.....

I've gotta do something to my own utility trailer. Has tall plywood sides and the tail gate just pulls off, 2 2x4s on the gate slide into brackets on the back of the rear frame. So I don't have a solid ramp thats a part of it, I want to integrate that into the tailgate somehow, and the wood sides are flimsy, I should replace em. When I get around to it :hick:

Start looking for old bed frames :hick:

Quote from: thunderjet302;239763

Neat project.:D

You know if you're too busy with trailer projects I can take that Tbird off your hands

Yeah, it's in the mail :flip: I haven't been working on the 'Bird because I'm kinda at a crossroads as to what I want to do for a drivetrain. The only thing that's certain is that the SO 302 is going (or being upgraded) and there will be a manual tranny. Other than that I don't know... I could use the 351... build a 5.0HO... install a split port 4.2 (I've got one, my brother just yesterday gave me his '97 E250 van)... 32 valve mod motor (there have been some cheap Mark VIII's for sale lately)... 16 valve mod motor (Cop cars are even cheaper)... maybe even an LSx (dons flame suit). I've also found a Super Coupe being sold for parts (good drivetrain, bad body). I've been mulling the idea of building a split port 3.8 using an SC's bottom end and the van's top end, then making a turbo setup for it instead of the SC's supercharger (which wouldn't bolt onto the split port heads anyway). Of course at this point these are all just dreams...

Quote from: jcassity;239776

thats a very smart design,, great work. I have the same type of chassis for my trailer which came from a pop up camper. my trailer is about 12' long though and whatever feet standard width.

The next project (based on the tent trailer you can see in the background in the first few pics, and you can see its stripped base in the last pic) is going to be much bigger. This one's deck is 50" X96". The next one will be 10' long and 6'6" wide, and will have a ramp on the back, a ramp on one side, and a ramp on the front (to allow three ATV's to be carried with a truck). It's also got surge brakes (my current one, the silver one featured in this thread, is limited to 2000 lbs GVWR by law because it has no brakes).

I'm going big this time because I also plan on building a very small trailer to be towed behind the ATV. The small one will not be made with road towing in mind, it will strictly be for towing stuff around the yard and taking kids on "hay rides". I still have the small axle, wheels and suspension from this trailer, so I'll be using those. My plan is to basically cut a 200 gallon oil tank in half, then weld the suspension and a draw bar onto it. No lights or anything, just a yard/woods trailer.