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So just bought this trailer... not that happy with looking at it at night and buying it... missed some big things, but have to live with it...
Thinking the tongue needs to be replaced, and I'm not sure what else... any thoughts or ideas/ cost wise to fix it right...
I'm wanting to use it for running quick loads of quarter ton of steel to the yard
How long it is compared to a Saturn (can see the bend on passenger side as well) trying to upload more photos
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/y...pslkgsklja.jpg
If you need a trailer, it is hard to beat $259.00 Harbor Freight...
http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...z_alt1_500.jpg
1195 lb. Capacity 48 in. x 96 in. Heavy Duty Folding Trailer
I'm NOT a trailer guy but the bends in the tongue concern me. With the harbor freight trailer you will know what weight it is rated for. Mike.
The bend in the tongue doesn't bother me except it might track a little off center.
It's in pretty rough shape. The question i usually ask myself is what if something failed and it tracked over the centerline into a minivan full of kids on their way to little league practice ? Is it really worth it ? What about a jogger or a kid on a bicycle ? When steel meets flesh it always ends in tears ....
The things i would go over:
1: The tongue is structurally compromised. That should be replaced.
2: Has it got safety chains ? I usually go with 3/8" chain.
3: Check the condition of the springs and the mounts on the axle & the frame. Sometimes the springs develop stress cracks & snap under a load. The bushings tend to rot out over time and need to be replaced every so often.
4: Check the receiver hitch. Nowadays the standard seems to be either 1 7/8" or 2". Make sure it's working right. They get rusty and bent up. Sometimes they don't engage the ball like they should. They're either too tight or too loose. There's an adjustment nut underneath.
5: You might want to throw on a trailer jack if it doesn't have one that's working right.
6: Double check the tires. Looks like they could be weathered / dry rotted. Is there a slice in the sidewall of the tire facing the camera ? Definitely don't run with that if the sidewall is hurt. Could blow anytime. Check the rating of the tires to see what kind of weight they're intended for. See what kind of condition the rims are in. Any rust through spots ?
7: I would pull the hubs and check the bearings. If there's any scoring on the bearings and races they should be replaced. ( It's common for trailer bearings to fail and the tire to come flying off. )
8: It needs trailer lights ?
9: It needs fenders over the tires so that all the stuff on the road doesn't get thrown up into the windshield of the person behind you.
10: Flip it over and check the welds and the frame for stress cracks. Look for any spots on the frame that have rusted through and reinforce the tender spots. The bottom lip of the channel is usually the first thing to go.
11: Think about side boards and some way of securely lashing the load down.
Lol ... okay .... Maybe i should get an old goat avatar ?
Later edited to add:
What you've got is what you've got right ? Do the best you can ? From the two identification tags on the frame it looks like it was a manufactured trailer. Might have been the frame for a U-Haul or camper trailer.
Just an opinion, but it's really more time than money to fix it up. I remade a boat trailer into a heavy hauler years back just using scrap metal off the dump. It's built like a tank and tows like a school bus load of nuns but it's still hangin' in there.
Im not liking the wheel placements. Their cheating space of the trailer in my opinion.
Brand new lights in back
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/y...psk38a0aud.jpg
Tounge underneath the old jack (2 broken welds)
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/y...ps9xfhy2tq.jpg
the worse of the two side for bending on tongue
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/y...psj3lzx4os.jpg
I all ready have a trailer that I can use anytime about that size but it has sides, what I'm looking at using this trailer as is a flat bed to haul car hulls in (yes I know some are going to say buy a car trailer... but the only cars I'm hauling in right now are saturns that weight 1 ton complete, but after Im done with them they are weighing about 600 lbsQuote:
Originally Posted by t00nces2
She tracks dead center both loaded with a huge scrap of wood (how I bought it) & unloaded (how it is now)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mechanic688
Agree completely, but it's what I got so gotta roll with itQuote:
Originally Posted by greytruck
Plan on working on the tounge.. any pricing thoughts on fixing it (bartering with an guy who's a welder by trade)Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrappah
Needs to have jack replaced... but it's not a standard A frame jack (going to have that fixed with welding to mount a standard A frame jack)
Repacking the hub's is a most definitely thing on my list tires look fine in person
Was planning on leaving it as is minus adding fenders and then strapping to the frame, I'm looking at this trailer as my big and bulky mover (so if it hangs a bit it's fine... thus no sides)
It's an old StarCraft trailer, the title said it's registered in 98 as a homemade trailer...
Thanks everybody for the thoughts just trying to figure this all out and go from there....
Looks to me like an old pop up tent trailer
VERY lite weight
I wouldn't invest any money into it > When I get them > I sell them on Craigs for $50.00
I believe it's either that (thinking it is) or boat trailer.... not looking at heavy loads though like I said 600-700 max and it's only for like 6 miles to yard and drop the hulls off
It's definitely a old tent trailer frame that's been seen better days. Honestly I would look for a better frame to build on. I've built a dozen utility trailers from old rv frames. I'd have a hard time talking my way out of a road side safety inspection in that condition. Rottton campers are everwhere with water damage. If your willing to do a little demolition you can get a lot of frame for under 300. Save all the bed frames out of the scrap pile for framing. Great angle iron. Hard steel.
Much better than the HF trailer. My opinion only.
Looks like someone backed up and forgot about the trailer.
Change the bent tongue beam with a new one and re-weld any questionable welds
Congrats...good scrap investment. Will make you money.
Looks to be a diamond in the rough.
This beauty I pulled from under a 4 foot high pile of old rotten lumber behind my ole-mans place. No tires and nothing that resembled a trailer. I rebuilt it over 2 weeks in my front yard. The day i finished it, a guy stopped buy and offered me $500. Said he drove by everyday and was watching my progression. I never even got to tow it down the road once, but man, it turned out nice.
My point being, make it what you want it to be. It can be done. Great job so far.
Before (I put the 2x8s on just before this pic)
http://i.imgur.com/sFH5zv2.jpg?1
After
http://i.imgur.com/cXT4871.jpg?1
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...013_130500.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...416_151539.jpg
Just finishing up this one. 7x13 deck over. Was a Glendale camper. Needs a boat winch. Then onto the next one
Hopefully I am going to be able toQuote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
Its what I have now... kinda need to get by with what I have, need to try and make it work (figure its better then going to u-hual and renting a trailer just to scrap the 3 hulls I have laying round) And I like the thoughts on bed frames never would of thought of that... most defiantly stopping any time I see a bed frame in the trash (have not been doing much picking lately with prices being down, just been stock pilling car parts).Quote:
Originally Posted by cummins
Cummins Also why do you have to go putting pictures of your new made trailer, Its making me want even more to want to learn how to weld myself (instead of bartering) so I can just make trailers as I need them to fit a given need.... nice trailer
Faceball- will see what happens make this work for now to take hulls in and then hopefully sell it and get a better trailer & keep working my way up to a truck/car trailer combo
Not rubbing anything in man just showing what you can do with an old camper and some bed frames. One thing I've found working in a my area "yuppie ville" image is everything. It's OK to be a dumpster diver but when the phone rings for a call. If you show up looking professional as possible the negihbors and friends will be calling with junk to get rid of. Have fun with that trailer make it safe and make money. My phone rings more then my neighbors who's also a scrapper because he looks like he just crawled out of the dumpster was just in lol. Post some pics as you get going on it. I love build pics
Quote:
Originally Posted by Faceball
Not sure that's legal having the leafs bolted to lumber
Forget the legality, it is flat out unsafe.
Ayuh .... not the best design. :(
It's only got a couple of inches of drop before the deck is down on the axle. If there's any kind of a load it will pound the stuffing out of the deck when it hits a bump in the road. Nothing in the way of cross bracing to keep the springs from flexing in or out as the axle starts to bend. Pressure treated 2 x 8's are hard but that Southern Yellow Pine is brittle. It splits quite easily in the cold.
One can only hope that it doesn't end up being a candidate for a Darwin Award.
Most definitely understand your thoughts on appearance... I'm going to have to start learning to weldQuote:
Originally Posted by cummins
I've got a quote on the frame and hopefully be fixed to make the runs to the yard....
Just in time also just bought 2 more cars
Quote:
Originally Posted by cummins
Never got that far. As far as I know, the guy uses it on his farm. I was told it was an old tag-along wood frame camper so it was legit back in the day. I don't think I need to rationalize its design or its intended use. It is what it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste
I've done my share of stupid things when I was younger. Using this trailer as it sits may have been one of them...
I think it's usable, though. I'd definitely have a welder check that tongue out- it would probably be fine, but it's not worth the chance. A little money to fix it up is well worth it. And, if you can upgrade the springs, the thing will bounce like crazy, but it won't bottom out. For going 6 miles, keep your speed down, and you'll likely be fine.
That said, if you get larger, you'll want to keep your eyes out for a better trailer. If you can find a 16' flatbed for cheap at a farm auction, you'll wonder forever how you got by without it.