Trailer question, please help

[inkydinkydragon]

My husband and I are new in everyway. Neither of us have great construction skills.....lookout ER were coming in...lol[/color]

Anyway we had a fabulous trailer given to us. I was pretty psyched because we talked about a "quit smoking" project. We love camping and figured wy not use it to MAKE a camper.

It came with new marine grade plywood floor and the dimensions are
8' X 6'

BUT......

it used to be used for snowmobiles and so the tires are under the trailer. I know it can hold approx 1100 pounds, but is it going to be an issue? I have zero experience or knowledge on this. It does have stiff leaf springs. Is it useable as is?

ALSO---> what is better plywood or sanded pine board? and has anyone tried using a marine battery for an electrical source? Anyone have a good design for a beginner?THANK YOU

[Guest]

Inky,
Welcome to the board!
Guess what?
We now only have three states now that doesn't have a T&TTT member.
Thanks, I'll cross Maine off of the list!
Hawaii, Mississippi and Wyoming are what's left.

Check with catrinka, I'm pretty sure that she went with a snow mobile trailer on her project.
Plywood is stronger, because of the cross grain laminations, but it depends on what application you're talking about.

As far as designs go there are many.
Go to the Hall of Fame and check out Andrew's website.

[JunkMan]

BUT......it used to be used for snowmobiles and so the tires are under the trailer. I know it can hold approx 1100 pounds, but is it going to be an issue? I have zero experience or knowledge on this. It does have stiff leaf springs. Is it useable as is?

I don't see any reason why you couldn't use the trailer. It will ride a little rougher than a trailer with a torsional axel, but I would guess that most tears use spring axels.

Because the tires are under the trailer, it will look a little different than a traditional tear, and will also be wider than most tears (I'm assuming it is made for 2 snowmobiles?). Not knowing how it is built, I couldn't say for sure, but you may be able to narrow it to a normal teardrop width without too much trouble. Possibly a decent base for a different type of tiny trailer.

[inkydinkydragon]

I have been looking at some plans and I think that, considering our severe lack in carpentry skill, we will go for more of a boxy look. It kinda makes me sad, but gotta be realistic here. This is a short term project and we can always make another
I do think we will go with the 6 foot width instead of minimizing it for standard sizing. We have 2 labskies (lab & husky mix) and they would be so broken hearted if there was no room.


I have a couple of other questions though. (see I am full of them)

-Fiberglass: Is it practical for waterproofing?
-Roof: Should we put a slight slant on for water run off?
-shelf weight & framing: What size lumber should be used for framing and how do you reinforce the shelf to accomodate a TV w/o putting too much strain on the wall?
-Windows: What is recommended to make all opening water tight (i.e. vents doors windows& hinged connections)

Thanks AGAIN! Amybeth

[Big Guy with a Little Guy]

Amybeth:

Structurally, your trailer would work just fine, but you have to realize your floor height is going to be at least a foot higher than usual. Your roof height might end up being higher than you want. If you are really concerned, you might sell the trailer and buy or build one that is more suitable.

[inkydinkydragon]

Amybeth:

Structurally, your trailer would work just fine, but you have to realize your floor height is going to be at least a foot higher than usual. Your roof height might end up being higher than you want. If you are really concerned, you might sell the trailer and buy or build one that is more suitable.

floor height? You mean the actual height? why would it be affected by width? lol....maybe I am having a duh day!

[BrianB]

I'm pretty sure Karl is saying that because your wheels are under the trailer instead of on the sides, your trailer will sit much higher than most teardrops. So high it might look a little goofy, so that's why he suggested selling or trading it for another.

[mikeschn]

Hi Amybeth and welcome!

A snowmobile trailer with tiny wheels. I'm not sure I'd use up your precious labor to put a teardrop on that. It would look strange.

A better option is to find or buy another trailer that is better suited to a teardrop design, such as the ones on this page
http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/chassis.html

There is one other option. Find out what kind of axle is on your snowmobile, and in particular what your bolt circle on the wheels are. You may be able to put larger wheels on it, and put a cutout in the floor, and end up with recessed wheels like this...

http://www.mikenchell.com/images/dreamcamper5.jpg

Best bet is to think about it a lot and review ALL the options before deciding...

Mike...

[Jiminsav]

as for marine battery..yeah, thats pretty much what we all use for 12 volt power..car batterys arn't made to drain down all the way and be charged up..they like to stay charged..so yeah..go steal a marine battery off a lobster boat..

[catrinka]

=
Check with catrinka, I'm pretty sure that she went with a snow mobile trailer on her project.

Hi Inky and welcome to the board. I'm actually still in the planning stage of my trailer. We started out looking at using a utility trailer base but have since switched to getting a fiberglass trailer and finishing it off to our requirements. Sorry I can't help you any.

[Guest]

Whoops,
Sorry, I thought you bought a snow mobile trailer. (Snow-Cat?)

[doug hodder]

What about giving it a Cabin Car look? If it were me, I'd take a digital black and white photo dead on from the side view, size it to scale, print it, overlay it with tracing paper and start drawing up what you might like the sides and top curve to look like. I'm not computer savvy or have the programs to do it in CAD, so that is how I would go about it. Don't get flipped out on the curve on top. Sides are still flat, and the top is only 1 curve, not compound like on a boat. It's a great opportunity to learn a lot and there are plenty of answers here on this site. Yes, I know my methods are pretty Neanderthal, but that's how some of us do it. Good luck and go for it. doug

[Arne]

Cathy, what brand and size is your trailer..? I'd like to take a look at it.

[catrinka]

Arne - Go to http://www.trailersunlimited.com and you can see all of their products. They are made here in Edmonton.