Slowcowboy, please read all of this before you reply - then tell me what you think.
This is you.
slowcowboy wrote:Hello folks ever conserdered what a heavly modified harbor freight trailer can offer up to the world of off road teardrops. My new build can demostrate a off road tear. I am not rock crawling but I do back road trailes in the windriver moutains in wyoming and would love to show what is possible with a gas shock and a pop up camper 3500 lb axle replacement on a harbor freight frame. beef it up with some heavy gauge angle iron some retired welder, fabercator dad know how and a decent bulldog hitch and some common sense size light truck mud and snow tires 215/75/r 15 all terrain bf good rich tires and it is possible to get a harbor freight trailer frame to be made into a off road trailer.
You added angle iron.
You swapped the tires.
You swapped the axle.
You replaced the hitch.
You state it's heavily modified yourself - so if someone says perhaps it's better to start from the heavier steel, and get a good axle - what's wrong with that? It's another point of view. It doesn't mean you are wrong, or your thread is ruined. It's all good information. You can defend your points without feeling like you are being attacked personally.
Discussing different ideas is what this is all about. It is about ALL that a forum is good for - otherwise we'd just go to the library, get a book and treat it like gospel.
Or worse - make mistakes and not share the learning experience.
THIS IS BETTER -you are "outside the box" - that is a GOOD THING. Nobody is calling you "WRONG". Just stating their own point of view. Not claiming to be "experts" - just saying what they think. Like you.
Try it like this ......... "well I made it work, and it's a good trailer, so I am proof it works" .....no one can argue that. It's true - your trailer looks great, you are right to be proud of it. I LIKE IT! Boxcar likes it. It's cool. I like that you plan to show it being used - more proof that it works. Again, no one can argue with that. No one is trying to.
I would like to ask for pictures of where you added the extra angle iron - I promise not to pick at it - I threw away a Harbor Freight (actually Fred Meyer, same critter) once due to failed bearings - maybe I would have used it with some upgrades like you made. As for building with "struggling to get by", my own trailer was built 15 years ago when I made 11 bucks an hour and had to pay someone else to do the welding - I KNOW how good things can be if you "make do" with what you have - I applaud you doing that and sharing your story.