Tiny Trailer Build

[RJ Howell]

If your debating axle placement and weight locations, this site may be of assistance.

https://mechanicalelements.com/trailer-axle-position/

[swoody126]

If your debating axle placement and weight locations, this site may be of assistance.

https://mechanicalelements.com/trailer-axle-position/

a key element i found in this link is the axle assembly in the charts appears to be moveable/adjustabe fwd n back

this allows for fine tuning baance/tongue weight

side door positioning then becomes a potential issue

the "5-P's" holds true ;-)

sw

[NevadaBlue]

Thanks for the link and info.
The axle is adjustable, but it appears now that leaving the door in the original position is a workable solution.
Of course, I want enough tongue weight for stability and I think I can achieve that by placement of the battery and water supply.
I’m hoping to use the scale at the dump to weigh this thing when it is done. They have a drive-across scale and I think they will let me weigh truck/trailer combo and truck alone to get the final number.

[NevadaBlue]

The design is settled enough to buy materials. I decided on 5/8” ACX plywood for the floor and a gallon of 100% acrylic exterior paint to seal it. This is a test... no color added to see how it looks. I need to build the floor to use as a work bench to build the walls and assemble the thing. I got 5mm underlayment plywood for the sides. This stuff is beautiful! It looks better than the birch plywood they had. Home Depot had an excellent selection of the cheap dimension lumber today. Straight, few knots so I got all that too. I’m using RustOleum red primer to coat the trailer frame. Got Loctite PL adhesive and Titebond III glue because of recommendations found here. Thanks for the help. Hope to get started soon.

[NevadaBlue]

I made some good scores today. My neighbor has a 5th wheel trailer that is falling apart. He let me glean some parts and I may go back for more. Today I got an awning window, and the front window awning/guard piece. That will allow me to make my front window rock proof. I also got 6 light fixtures: two singles, two doubles and a couple of ‘eyeball’ swivel lights. The hurricane hinge on the front awning/guard is seven feet long!
I may go back tomorrow and get another window and a cargo/storage door or two. The glass in the windows is tempered. I am impressed.

[tony.latham]

I got 5mm underlayment plywood for the sides.

I use a lot of that stuff.



Better than 1/4" AC.



Tony

[NevadaBlue]

She has a name, even though she hasn’t been born yet.

Lazy T is her name. We live on Lazy T lane and I’m lazy and am building a trailer, so...

Lazy T.

I have found a treasure trove of parts on an old 5th wheel trailer a neighbor is tearing apart. Light fixtures, rocker switches, volt meter for the battery, a nice crank out window, two different size utility doors, a 12 volt water pump, and that cover for the front window.
Hope to start on the floor next week, I think I have finalized that part of the plan.

I want to thank everyone here for all the fantastic ideas they have shared. I am reading the ‘Tips & Techniques’ thread now, up to page 111 of 168 I think it is. LOTS of useful stuff. Thanks!

[NevadaBlue]

I need some advice here please. I want to use that HEAVY old car door and will of course have to rebuild the lock mechanism and replace all the missing wood. Installation will entail cutting the fiberglass topper and leaving a proper opening in the lower side wall on that side.
I’m thinking I should frame this door like a pre-hung house door. That is, build the frame for the door and install it, seals and all, maybe with a temporary threshold. That way, I will know exactly how big the openings in the upper and lower wall need to be. Make sense? Oh, the door, being a car door is curved on the outside. A 1x6 frame will readily accommodate that curve.

This pic shows the line of the outer door on a 1x4 which isn’t quite large enough. The hinges will need to be 3 different lengths too.

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[Squigie]

My own preference would be to frame the door with steel and then trim with wood. If you're going heavy, you might as well make the whole assembly out of the same material.

[Pmullen503]

Does that door have a functioning window? I get why you would want to use an old car door, especially if it had a working window. I would suggest putting the door on the back and making the box the same height as your door. Then the curve of the door won't matter as much. You'd have kind of a Dutch door with the topper glass and the car door.

Unless you really want to do the work to blend the box and the topper to fit the door on the side.

[NevadaBlue]

The door is just the frame and skin, no window. My plan is to install a crank out awning type window in it. I do want it on the side, since I am planning a sheltered galley in the back. I’m digesting 59,362,994 photos I have saved off the site to get the best ideas and tips included in that galley.

[NevadaBlue]

My Dilly is naked!

I decided I had to do something today, so I stripped off the old plywood floor from the trailer and all the huge eye bolts that tied down the sailboat. Next will be the cross arms that supported the pontoons.

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And, this will be the tongue box. It is a surplus aluminum box that originally held lighting for an army tent.

B7171BCD-CA16-4898-87F7-CAF1BFB5D471.jpeg (101.19 KiB) Viewed 2892 times

I hope to start cleaning and painting the trailer frame soon.

The trailer has a VERY long tongue (which also allows tilting) that will have to be shortened. I haven’t yet decided on how long to make the tongue. The overall trailer box itself will be 6’x8’.

[PatrickM]

Thought of doing this a few times.
cheers

[NevadaBlue]

I just stripped off the rest of the lights and those HUGE cross arms that held the Hobie Cat pontoons. OMG, at least 100, probably closer to 150 pounds of steel and hardware gone. Now to strip the wires and old boards and start cleaning and paint prep for the frame.

[swoody126]

just finished wiring a custom boat trailer i'm building for my Michalak AF-3(still a WIP) with these new waterproof low temp solder connectors

following the instructions they worked really well

the solder melts easily and is quite easy to watch whie it works

2 methods of heating

propane match and heat gun

it is easy to overheat/burn thru the plastic w/ the match if you aren't careful

the heat gun is my favorite heat source

looking closely i can see where the waterproof heat activated sealant oozed from around each end of the connectors giving me confidence

i've snatched on the wires of a couple test connections and they wouldn't pull apart

here is butt one source

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NZ ... Q4G5FQ8TDQ

i am always having to wire/repair the wiring on trailers for various reasons so i opted for a larger variety

for quicky/temperary repairs i have always kept a supply of the blue pinch style connectors that use a pair of regular pliers to squeeze

and the crimp style do come w/ a heat activated waterproof sealant

butt since they take heat anyway why not use the soldered units

i gave up on the non-waterproof type several years ago

there are a lot of folks who will say i over-kill my wiring and they get by w/ twist-loc/wire nuts...& electrical tape

i just don't like surprises

CARRY ON...

sw