New Trailer

Freddy · By: **Freddy** On: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:12 am

Fun project! And, you did a good job. Yup, the ramp will use some gas. I made a short side & leave my ramp home of I don't need it.

You got a deal for $200. It was a few years ago I was going to build a utility trailer. I phoned a place to see about buying axle, hubs wheels & tires. They sold me a beauty of a used trailer instead. It would have been more to build my own. Steel isn't cheap!

I've found a long tongue makes for easy towing, and easier backing up. Things don't happen so fast. No, FFred, not that kind of tongue. That kind of long tongue does make things happen fast.

freetown fred · By: **freetown fred** On: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:52 am

That's what I was thinkin after talkin to Gene Simmons :woot:

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:03 pm

Nice work on that thing Rick! 8-)

Looks built like a brick shithouse!! You could probably haul 5 tons of coal on that thing no problem now.

One option instead of the gate would be to have a setup like my car trailer has - 2 individual ramps on either side, that slide out. They're held in place by a chain and these ring-pins. Just pop the pins out, and slide out the ramps - nice and easy ... although they make one hell of a racket driving with your windows down ... especially in this state with our "LOVELY" roads ... :roll:

Making them out of wood would fix that problem though.

CapeCoaler · By: **CapeCoaler** On: Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:03 am

Or hinge the gate so it is half the height...
Put some pins so the stress is not all on the hinge...

Rick 386 · By: **Rick 386** On: Wed Feb 20, 2013 2:45 pm

CapeCoaler wrote:Or hinge the gate so it is half the height...
Put some pins so the stress is not all on the hinge...

Thought about hinging it in the middle. But with the weight of the steel it would make 1 hell of a pinch point.

I do have heavy pins in it but I also used carmate trailer hinges for the gate. They look to be 1/4" thick steel rolled around a 1/2" pin with a grease fitting as well. These hinges will definitely take the load.

Smitty, I line the ramp idea. we originally thought about making it a side loader and using our pickup ramps. But the kid wanted it an all in 1 trailer.

Everything is a compromise !!!!!

Rick

dcrane · By: **dcrane** On: Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:13 pm

@ Smitty... is their stops to prevent those ramps from pulling all the way out/off? I like the idea of using wood planks in this fasion, im wondering the best way to stop the planks from pulling out all the way? ideas?

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:04 pm

Yeah, there's a piece of metal at the very end that catches the angle-iron frame it sits on. If you want to completely remove it, just lift UP at the end, then, it'll slide right out.

Before I got those ring pin lockers there, I lost the ramps 3 separate times. These damn roads around here rattled them right out. Had the windows up & radio on, so didn't hear them getting dragged for a half mile. :lol:

I was 7 miles down the road when I finally heard one fall out ... and when I went back there to slide it back in, I noticed I only had ONE ramp! Was soooo pisssed!! Had to go searching that whole 7 miles, then I find it a mile from my house. :roll:

F'in MA & their roads .... :bang:

Anyway, if I remember tomorrow I'll post some more detailed pics of it.

Rick 386 · By: **Rick 386** On: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:25 pm

A couple of years ago we were up in Maine snowmobiling. 1 sled broke down so we parked it at Kokadjo.

That night they went to go get it with the trailer. When they got to the sled no ramp !!!!!! :mad3:

Luckily there was a snow bank to back up to to help drag the sled on the trailer.

On the way back to our place they found it standing up alongside the road. Someone found it in the middle of the road and placed it so we would see it.

MA has nothing over the mid winter roads of Maine !!!!!

Rick

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:58 am

Good people up there. Be glad you didn't lose it in MA. Not only would it have got stolen, but 4 do-gooders would've got your plate and called the staties. You'd have no ramp, and a $500 fine for failing to secure dangerous cargo .... :shock:

I thought for sure that's what I was in for. I raced back as fast as I could, thinking someone would be walking off with it any minute. The whole way I was trying to think how the hell I would find, or make a replacement. If I hadn't lost mine in my town, it would've been GONE! Someone would've tossed it in the back of their Ford Fiesta and went straight to the scrap yard .... just enough money for a big hit of TWEAK ... :funny:

dcrane · By: **dcrane** On: Thu Feb 21, 2013 5:46 am

SMITTY wrote:Good people up there. Be glad you didn't lose it in MA. Not only would it have got stolen, but 4 do-gooders would've got your plate and called the staties. You'd have no ramp, and a $500 fine for failing to secure dangerous cargo ....

I thought for sure that's what I was in for. I raced back as fast as I could, thinking someone would be walking off with it any minute. The whole way I was trying to think how the hell I would find, or make a replacement. If I hadn't lost mine in my town, it would've been GONE! Someone would've tossed it in the back of their Ford Fiesta and went straight to the scrap yard .... just enough money for a big hit of TWEAK ...

Yep... I made a 100% stainless steel barrel grill when i was young buck because i had access to materials and tig machines, this thing could cook 50 burgers at once with shelves, etc... I brought it to the beach for parties regularly and one time when i got home i unloaded next to my driveway (instead of putting it back on the rear patio), next day POOOOF GONE! :mad:

scrappers here in Ma. have no issue pulling in you drive if they see something they want... on the street its as good as gone!

@Smitty, how about some pics of your ramps (at the connection point of the bed) pulled all the way out? thanks

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:56 am

Give me a couple hours here & I'll get those for ya.

SMITTY · By: **SMITTY** On: Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:09 pm

Ok - here's some pics of the getup. I'd have removed the whole thing for a better pic, but the end was digging in the snow - would've been a bitch to get back in. I started today in a good mood - I'd like to keep it that way. :lol: