Trailer idea

   / Trailer idea #1  

handirifle

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
1,713
Location
Central Coast of CA
Tractor
Massey Ferguson 1010
I am not at home, curently, so I can't post a pic, yet. I have a trailer that was given to me. I just needed to put tires on it, so I did. It was a farm trailer, used to haul grape bins from a vinyard. It is approx 5x12 (I have to measure) and is not currently road legal, for other than agriculture.

It is VERY heavy duty, but single axle, (mobile home type axle, and 14.5" tires) so it will be about at it's limit I guess to haul my MF1010. The bed is made up of rollers, most in good working order, hence my question.

I was considering making a sort of modified dump trailer from it. I would like to still be able to haul my tractor, BUT was wondering if I could effectively make a trailer bed frame, that sat on top of the rollers, pinned in place for normal use, and when un "pinned" I could use something like an electric winch to "roll" the top trailer bed,and it's cargo off the back.

Would this work?

My MF1010 weighs about 3700, I think, and for that I would most likely use std ramps and drive up on it, but though if I had say, a load of dirt or gravel the roll off bed my make an easier unload. Worth the effort you think?
 
   / Trailer idea #2  
My MF1010 weighs about 3700, I think, and for that I would most likely use std ramps and drive up on it, but though if I had say, a load of dirt or gravel the roll off bed my make an easier unload. Worth the effort you think?

I have an MF1010 and I think your weight estimate is high by at least a factor of 2. With a MMM it might weigh as much as 2000 pounds. I'm going by memory so I could be wrong.

Clem
 
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   / Trailer idea #3  
Many on here will argue with me, but I would dump that mobile home axle and replace it with a regular trailer axle. 1) when you have a flat, it's a TON easier to find a standard trailer tire than it is a mobile home tire and 2) mobile home axles aren't made for regular use.
 
   / Trailer idea #4  
I am certain that it would work, but you need some serious engineering to do it right.

If you just put a sheet of plywood in there over the rollers with a couple of pins to prevent fore and aft motion, the plywood will probably fail at the point where the pin goes through it.

If you put a sheet of something stronger than plywood, like steel, with welded on bosses to take the stress at the pin attachment points, the sheet will be heavy and awkward.

Even though I think it would work, I don't know that it would work quite as you expect. For instance, suppose that you find a sheet of some suitable material, put it in the trailer, pin it and load it with something like dirt.

Now, suppose the dirt is evenly distributed on the sheet. When you get to the far end and want to unload, you can probably roll 6' of the sheet out of the trailer and it will stay essentially level. At a little over 6', the sheet will tip down, the aft end will hit the ground, and the front end will go up in the air -- all with the dirt still on it. I don't think the angle is going to be steep enough for the dirt to slide off like a dump trailer. So, you will still be left with the issue of how to get the dirt off the sheet.

If the sheet is strong enough, you could pull forward, and presumably the trailer would come out from under the sheet leaving it to crash to the ground with the dirt still on it. Unless the sheet is not strong enough, in which case it will break and wind up broken and under the dirt pile.

You are still going to have to remove the dirt pile from on top of the sheet. Unless you are very good with your FEL, the sheet of material will take a certain amount of punishment during this phase.

* * * *

The trailer sounds ideally set up to move boxes of material from one point to another at very low speed, very easy to load and unload.
 
   / Trailer idea #5  
Many on here will argue with me, but I would dump that mobile home axle and replace it with a regular trailer axle. 1) when you have a flat, it's a TON easier to find a standard trailer tire than it is a mobile home tire and 2) mobile home axles aren't made for regular use.
I for one won't argue. I'm a truck driver, and i see those thing sitting everywhere along the roads.
If not the tires, it's the wheel bearings. The wheel is usually 500 yards down the road.
 
   / Trailer idea #6  
I wouldn't assume it's a moble home axle unless you know for sure. Was the trailer homemade? I have a late 70's factory made tripple axle equipment trailer that has axles that use the same tires and wheels as the moble home axles but they are not moble home axles. The great thing about these axles is the tires and wheels are easy to come by. Moble home dealers sell them around here for $25. For that price I have 4 spares.

I'm not sure what you plan on hauling with the dump bed. Things like dirt and gravel add up quickly weightwise and with a single axle you may be very limited. You may find that anything you can make, like CurlyDave said, that's strong enough to take the weight may just put you to a point where you either can't move it easily or the weight is too much.
 
   / Trailer idea #7  
I wouldn't assume it's a moble home axle unless you know for sure. Was the trailer homemade? I have a late 70's factory made tripple axle equipment trailer that has axles that use the same tires and wheels as the moble home axles but they are not moble home axles. The great thing about these axles is the tires and wheels are easy to come by. Moble home dealers sell them around here for $25. For that price I have 4 spares.

with mobile home tires you need 4 spairs for every two tires,:laughing:
 
   / Trailer idea
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Curly dave
Good points and that was an area I had pondered over a bit, but still don't have a solid answer. I pictured more of a frame on top of a frame, that would be pinned to the main trailer. That frame wouldn't roll more than half way off, or just enough to tilt backwards. It would make it easier, at least to unload, theoretically anyway.

It may not really be a trailer axle, but sure looks like one, and yes the tires are expensive. I will swap axles when these tires wear out, but for now they're new and I will use it as is.

Maybe I'll just put removable sides on it and is it till I want something different.
 
   / Trailer idea #9  
with mobile home tires you need 4 spairs for every two tires,:laughing:

My biggest problem is the tires dry rot and leak from lack of use. :laughing:
 
   / Trailer idea #10  
If this thing is anything like what you are describing and my imagination is working properly, I see a dead end.
It's one of those situations where by the time you are finished "modifying" the original structure, the result is so far removed that the original is lost.
You are looking at more or less saving the side rails and that's it.
Hardly worth the effort of demolition, let alone the rest of the work and materials.
Rent a dump trailer if you have to have one. If it's gonna be a sit-around for the occasional use it is not worth your time.
 
 
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