Yesterday was the big day, i got the VIN tag, license plate and title in the mail........ will be ready to go by the end of the day, to bad there is record snow here. my garage; trailer is inside. It's hell'of loud in the garage with lid open, not as loud with box closed........... a friend has a second speaker mounted under the trailer, i think i might do that also (gonna see how loud it is in a hotel parking lot, it'd be nice to hear in my room) i like that idea, I'm thinking the same thing, gonna make out of wood. I did get alittle carried away with it, but i knew i would. i've added acouple extra vintage lights and reflectors, now thinking about adapting a pop-up shelter to cover part of trailer and have a shaded sitting area also (i get vendor spots a few time a year, mainly cause it's a good place to hang out)
gonna look like a christmas tree if i don't stop adding lights........ l like the Oldsmobile lights on back of fenders the best.
One of the nicest trailers I built was one that I got some used semi refer floor from a trucking company. Refrigerated semi trailers have aluminum floors that are ribbed to stand forklift traffic. Usually they get dented right inside the door and rear area. They rebuild them and take the floor out. The front half is usually good. I got enough to do a 20 ft trailer for 100 bucks. It is perfect, makes the trailer light, doesn't rust, doesn't need paint, and is ribbed and will handle car weight easy with no additional reinforcing. Put it down with stainless steel deck screws and roll.
I'd have liked to make an aluminum trailer, but it just wasn't in the budget, i'm still looking for a good deal on a sheet of diamond plate to wrap the front railing with. figure i'm about 95% complete..... ready for a road trip. working on a car cover now.
bringing back my old post for a few updates and lesson learned after 5 years and many miles. the ramps were too long, I cut them in 1/2 and they work fine. trailer had more flex than I suspected, causing inner fender rivets to work loose allowing inner tire rubbing/smoke a few times. winch battery keeps going dead and along with issues with recharging from tow vehicle. 1 of the 6 boards rotted (other 5 are still good). used 1/8 diamond plate for new inner fender wells with 2 x 3/16" flat plate around. plan to install some cough couch LED mini lights around perimeter (bomber lights just keep getting smashed/burning out etc...) putting winch battery in tow vehicle with an isolator and large plug to trailer
If a trailer is, say 21 feet from ball to rear, the pivot on the axles should be 2/3 s from front. 14 feet and no highway boogie if loaded correctly
Since this thread started, I purchased an aluminum tilt trailer. Installed a Home Depot cross bed tool box with an 8000 pound Warn winch inside the box with provisions for jumper cables. Also installed the Warn remote control that was worth every penny!
Here's one I just finished to haul my champ car and Anglia. I bought an old house trailer frame and cut it down. The electrical box up front houses a HF remote winch. I had to make the fenders easily removeable to get the champ car on as I wanted to keep the trailer footprint as small as possible. before after
There you , It's pretty cool when the OP comes back and updates his long gone thread. Especially when it's on a subject that a lot of us ponder quite often even if the trailer is intended to be a project hauler. I've got an old camp trailer that I bought dirt cheap that will be a flat bed trailer one of these days and the main reason I bought it besides the price was the clear title. Right now it is the licensed 50.00 storage shed. Years ago I bought a set of plans and downloaded instructions to build a tilt bed car trailer off Ebay but at the price of material I think I can buy one for less than I can build that one now.
really nice, and I like recycling/repurposing too..... I can't tell exactly but I have a set of good condition old RV trailer 4-bolt wheels that may match the ones on your trailer, if they are and if your looking for a spare you can have'em. so i'm trying to figure out how to mount these 36/37 hub caps on my wheels. I have the correct clips, but they hold the cap about a 1/2" off wheel.
got wheels back on and installed hubcaps, still have pretty good to-do list, but at least I can use if needed.
That is 1 nice trailer. On my last 2 , I fixed it so I could slide the ramps out the back and just slide them back in. A lot better than lifting around on them.
Forgot to mention, I took a trailer, tag, in on trade for my enclosed I had. The guy had a winch on it and the battery in the tool box. He'd put a small solar panel on the lid of the box that acted as a trickle charger to keep the battery up, worked great.
well I finished painting it green.... and repairing/adding LED lights. also my new HAMB topper just came in the mail, I figured what the hell.
Do you get any condensation in the tongue box? My trailer's box is BIG, 7' X 3' X 3' in aluminum diamond plate, with a lift up door on each end. I bought this trailer used, and I'm rebuilding it, and changing a few things to tow the Bracket Car with. Drill some 1 to 2 inch holes in the bottom of your box to help with condensation, and your alarm may be a little louder also. The runners on my trailer are are diamond plate aluminum also, riveted to the frame. It had sat for some time under some pine trees, and water found it's way into the main rails through some of the rivet holes. Then the water froze inside the main rails, and bulged them out in a couple of places; one even has a 2 inch split. Now there's holes drilled underneath to let water out. I thought about using industrial wire grating for the runners, but it's too costly to justify. I had thought I could buy the trailer fairly cheap, rebuild it, and have a pretty good trailer; it looks it'll cost just as much after I replace the tires. I have a 12K lb. winch to go in the tongue box, my gas generator, and a small air compressor. This was a nice trailer when new, but it sat for so long everything deteriorated. The guy I bought it from only used to for his business, a VW repair shop, and I don't know why he went with such a large trailer for such small cars. He never even connected the electric brakes on both axles; they still looked new. Are you painting with a brush or roller? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I've not had any condensation issues and used a brush and regular Rustoleum paint. And I agree, it's more expensive to build a trailer than buy one, but that's how most project vehicles are for me.... But you get to make it how you want (within your skills and budget)
Still working on my never finished trailer project, built a 3rd removable ramp, to load/unload "Reverse Trike". Added a 30 watt solar panel and Battery Tender controller awhile ago, and have had zero issues with battery holding a charge since then. Also finally bought an electric 4000 lb. powered "Tongue Jack", been looking at them for years and just love it.
Bumping an OLD thread because I'm thinking about upgrading my 18' (includes 2' dovetail) dual axle (3,500#) car hauler with a wood deck. I'm thinking 20' (includes 2' dovetail), 5k axles, steel deck, toolbox, winch. Mostly haul vintage cars here/there/everywhere, but occasionally need to transport something like a crew-cab diesel dually 4x4. Anyone have any recent experience with a home-built trailer?
Do you know the actual curb weight of a diesel dually 4WD CC truck ? This thread is entertaining but No Way In Hell would I modify a lightweight or boat trailer to transport a vehicle on a public road. In the event of an accident - the driver of the vehicle towing a home made trailer is personally responsible responsible for any damage that results from an accident resulting from design and/or construction. A state inspection on a home made trailer and plates & registration does not constitute roadworthiness - in the event of any accident involving the trailer - the driver’s insurance company may decline coverage. This also applies if you modify an existing manufactured trailer by altering the design (like replacing 3500 pound axles with 5200 pound axles). The moment you get on a public road towing a home made or modified trailer you are - literally - on your own. Jim
I actually do know the weight of a crew cab diesel dually. Pretty sure this thread is about building a trailer from scratch, not modifying a boat trailer or similar to carry a vehicle. I'm well aware of the liability issues as well. Thanks
I typically don't reply to this kind of comment, but I just re-read it and am wondering why the negativity. We aren't talking about the Space Shuttle, some people can build roadworthy vehicles (or trailers) get them inspected by competent mechanics and be safe to tow/drive on public roads. This trailer is now 13 years old and has hauled lots of vehicles and stuff for many thousands of miles.
Hardly appropriate on a forum dedicated to building, modifying and driving hotrods.! Obviously you are only "here " for business purposes , not because you are a builder of traditional hot rods .
“ Hardly Appropriate “ is seriously contemplating taking a 7000 pound GVWR trailer - adding two feet to it - replacing the existing 3500 pound axles with 5200 pound axles -then loading a one ton crew cab diesel dually 4 wheel drive pickup truck on it that weighs a minimum of 9000 pounds and expect to safely safely tow it down the road ….. An 18 foot open deck trailer with 3500 pound axles made of steel is engineered & designed for a 4000 pound load in most cases. Adding two feet of deck space to it and installing 5200 pound on it stresses the frame beyond the design - putting a vehicle on it weighing 200% of maximum capacity creates a disaster waiting to happen on a public road. I share those public roads with fellow motorists every day when I transport vehicles. I have seen firsthand the carnage caused by folks with modified car hauler trailers. Jim
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