Replies

1. 
   junkhound | Feb 03, 2013 10:50am | #1

   Iz dat cuz ya only seen ur own trailers <G>

   PS:  watch out with that girl in China stuff, the PC police will come after you...... either that, or my dad the commisar wud coom afta U.

   PPS:  Had a beer at crazylegs place couple of years ago with calvin, he can tell ya what i look like <G>

2. 
   diytilltheend | Feb 03, 2013 04:33pm | #2

   SO i guess from the comments nobody in this forum knows anything abt enclosed trailers,,thx anyway

1. 
   junkhound | Feb 03, 2013 07:08pm | #3

   Only diy trailers, everybody with enough money ta buy an overpriced ready made trailer is watch some game

1. 
   MarkH | Feb 03, 2013 08:32pm | #4

   I'm surprised you haven't made an inclosed trailer from an old van.  Remove engine transmission and front suspension.  Save front rims for spares, move rear axle forward.  Make tongue from salvaged metal.  Replace glass with metal from old appliances or water heaters.  Sell leftovers for scrap, or add to personal hoard of junk.  Done...

1. 
   junkhound | Feb 03, 2013 09:52pm | #6

   Never had any use for an enclosed trailer.  Like cal says, for business if ya needed a portable enclosed shop, van. Would have bought that old Chevy 2T box truck for $500 I came across a few years ago instead of making an enclosed trailer - e.g. leave the engine and windshield in place.......

   I have 4 trailers that I interchange the tounge (which has the registration tag) and plates that hauls 8000# with bed from a from a 4 yard box to 6 x 12 flatbed.  Also a 30,000# beavertail for hauling the dozer and bobcat around on.  Really never did have a use for an enclosed trailer. 

   Guess I could always plop a shipping container on the beavertail if I really needed  to<G>

   Edit PS: 

   Actually looks like th 'old place' is getting some new hits and others returning?

   Aint the OP ever heard of hazing or initiation?

   direct answers

   1.  can anybody advice - sure, but be prepared for some answers you maybe did not want to hear

   2. Ive fd a 98 haulmark dual axle 6x14 for 2500 negotible - say your 'day job' pays $50 hour, 2500 is 50 hours BEFORE taxes, say 60 hours after taxes.  If you dont have any welding skills, time to learn.  20-30 hours and a few hundred $$ will build quite a trailer, even from an old van as described. Used trailers usually sell for 50% of the asking price, or less. If you really dont have the skill set to learn welding, offer $1000.

   3. any body know the cut off yr when they started using z post and hat post construction - nope, never even heard of the company, you can search google for that as easily as any of us, easiest to just look at the trailer.

   4.  I heard that construction is not as good as tube - you herd right.  4x4 offroad guys always weld a plate across the U channels on their truck to make it a box beam truck.  Of course, airplane stringers are hat section, but that is a totally different type structure than a trailer.

2. 
   calvin | Feb 03, 2013 09:18pm | #5

   diy

   What would you rather have, comments from someone who owns an enclosed trailer with an engine and steering wheel?

   Van.

   Works great.

   I don't know jack about trailers.

1. 
   Scott | Feb 05, 2013 12:30am | #7

   >>>What would you rather

   >>>What would you rather have, comments from someone who owns an enclosed trailer with an engine and steering wheel?

   Hahaha....so true.

   Personally, I've seen a few home built trailers and I'd say they're pretty much like anything else that someone can build. Some are pure krap, and some are superb examples of skill and judgement.

3. 
   DoRight | Feb 05, 2013 04:04pm | #8

   Yea, sometimes it works that way.  At least florida has not come by and suggested you build one out of 2x4 and white glue.

   I was intereested in the answer to your question as well.  Too bad

3. 
   dude | Feb 06, 2013 10:51am | #9

   trailers

   I built a box trailer years ago after measuring a 12 ft U HAUL down to every nut & bolt

   I made such a good ciopy a U Haulm dealer spotted it & suspected it was stolen from them

   I have had it now for over 35 years & its still going just repainted it last summer !

   A few years ago i needed a dump trailer & made one to fit behind a ranger

   It has a hydraulic lift with its own battery & hydraulic brakes & i use it all the time

   Due to the fact its small (2 yds) i can go on lawns & not damage the grass

   My flat bed trailer tips for unloading lawn mower  etc

   Trailers in my area are very common & one of the reasons is you only have to buy license plates once & never after that !

   If you have a welder ,torch & cutting disk you can build a lot of things

1. 
   DanH | Feb 06, 2013 08:19pm | #10

   The hard thing about a DIY trailer is the axle and suspension -- it you can find a suitable solution for that then the rest is relatively straight-forward fabrication.

   I used to see lots of DIY trailers made with old truck axles and the like, and they were generally terrible.  The truck axle is incredibly heavy and sits up quite high, making the trailer bed much higher than it needs to be.  As a result these trailers were really hard to use and didn't tow well.  I don't see them much anymore, now that manufactured trailers are available for fairly reasonable prices.

1. 
   junkhound | Feb 06, 2013 10:25pm | #11

   Rear axles from front wheel drive cars are great trailer axles for up to carrying 2T

   The best I every found was forged full cross front drop axle from 1T IH 2wd pickup,  still have it on my box trailer, have hauled 4T of dirt or stacked wet logs in it a few times, classE 15" tires

   mobile home axles are pretty easy to come by for about $150 to $200 per axle, usually comes with tire on rims and springs, AND electric brakes. 

   Agree that using a differential axle is a bad design, hauling lots of dead weight and too high for a good trailer. 

   Have the 10kW genset on a independent front suspensin from old Datsun,  makes a good suspension but harder to fab a trailer around than a simple beam axle.

1. 
   dude | Feb 08, 2013 10:46am | #12

   trailers

   Up here in ontario we have a outfit called Princess Auto that sells all kinds of trailer parts including hydraulic hitches ,

   tongue jacks & everything else you need for the running gear

   When they run sales its hard to get into the store & they guarantee no sale is final till you are satisfied

    tested the guarantee many times & have taken back items that were years old with no receipt & got a credit

   If i have the receipt i get my money back no arguing

   They have stores coast to coast in Canada except in Quebec so on sale day due to the fact we are on the border between quebec  ontario the parking lot is full of quebeckers

   If your a diy er & cant find what you need at princess dont build it !