My Home Built 5th Wheel
- Thread starter Dataway
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JDeerekid
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2004
- Messages
- 878
- Location
- P-Town, Upstate New York
- Tractor
- Montana 4340C w/Loader, JD GX345 w/54in. mower
very nice craftsmanship. what is the weight of the trailer. I see that it is single axle. Have any interior pictures. Would like to see the mini garage for the bikes 
Scooby074
Super Member
Very nice. What are the materials? Aluminum? What are the sides made of?
OP
Dataway
Gold Member
The empty trailer weighs in the area of 3300 lbs, after "decorating" about 4,000 lbs. All loaded up with motorcycles, gear, etc. about 5200 lbs. The single axle is rated at 6,800 lbs, the springs about 8,000 lbs. It has a set of HD shocks installed. Main chassis is built from 4"x3" rectangular tubing (all chassis components are steel), about 1/8" wall. Minor cross bars are 1.5 x 1.5" x 12 guage square tube. Upper trailer is built from a frame work of 1.5x1.5" x 14 guage tube and 1 x 1" x 16ga tube, skinned with prepainted .045 (approx) aluminum (from a sign company, blue on the outside, white on the inside). Trim is aluminum angle 1/8" thick, all fasteners are stainless. Floor is ( I think ) 3/4" plywood, roof is 1/2" plywood covered in one piece rubber RV roofing. The rear section of the roof is reinforced to support spectators. Windows are either from RV salvage or the bargain bin.
The rear door hinges at the top and opens by air spring assist. The suspension "carriage" is separate from the chassis and slides on large dimension angle iron for a total of about 18" of adjustment in 3-4" increments to adjust hitch weight. Brakes are electric/drum.
Sleeping quarters are in the area that extends over the truck bed, you can see the access hatch for the window AC unit on the lower front of the trailer. It has a propane stove top, small sink, microwave, about a 10 gal water tank (no hot water), small fridge, no toilet, small two person bench that is convertible into a dining area. Just the basic necessities for a three or four day excursion in a location with minimal facilities. Typical electrical system that can be powered by "shore" power, battery, or battery/truck, or generator. Only about 800 watts of AC is available on battery power.
It has a wall and a accordion door that separate the rear section from the "living" quarters.
I don't have any decent pictures of the interior....and right now it's full of stuff as it doubles and winter storage space for motorcycles and gear. But here's some pics of it during the initial stages of construction. I had to build a temporary extension of about 6' out the shop door to accommodate it during the winter months while I was building it. Took about 5 months to build with the wife helping....and she is a good shop helper, can do most everything but the welding.
JohnnyB
The rear door hinges at the top and opens by air spring assist. The suspension "carriage" is separate from the chassis and slides on large dimension angle iron for a total of about 18" of adjustment in 3-4" increments to adjust hitch weight. Brakes are electric/drum.
Sleeping quarters are in the area that extends over the truck bed, you can see the access hatch for the window AC unit on the lower front of the trailer. It has a propane stove top, small sink, microwave, about a 10 gal water tank (no hot water), small fridge, no toilet, small two person bench that is convertible into a dining area. Just the basic necessities for a three or four day excursion in a location with minimal facilities. Typical electrical system that can be powered by "shore" power, battery, or battery/truck, or generator. Only about 800 watts of AC is available on battery power.
It has a wall and a accordion door that separate the rear section from the "living" quarters.
I don't have any decent pictures of the interior....and right now it's full of stuff as it doubles and winter storage space for motorcycles and gear. But here's some pics of it during the initial stages of construction. I had to build a temporary extension of about 6' out the shop door to accommodate it during the winter months while I was building it. Took about 5 months to build with the wife helping....and she is a good shop helper, can do most everything but the welding.
JohnnyB
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Scooby074
Super Member
Looks well done. Thanks for the info. Some of that aluminum sign material would be nice to get, too bad we dont have anybody around here that uses it
LBrown59
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2004
- Messages
- 16,831
- Tractor
- 2003 Kubota BX1500/2004 Kubota Bx23/2005 Kubota BX1500
What size sheets does this come in?
Where would i find it around here?
Been lots of times / things when i could use something like this.
Thanks.
L . B .
Diamondpilot
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2007
- Messages
- 16,316
- Location
- Daleville, IN
- Tractor
- Jinma 254/284 Ford 861 Powermaster at work
Why did you go with the single axle? It would seem you would want dual 3,500#'s for piece of mind with a flat situation.
Chris
Chris
bdeboer
Platinum Member
There is an outfit in Columbus, OH that resells that stuff. If you scroll down you will see some painted material.
Market Pricing
A guy in a hardware store told me about them when I was purchasing a small piece of aluminum diamond plate for the price of their whole sheet.
OP
Dataway
Gold Member
Chris,
One main reason I went with a single axle is I wanted to use full size tires, actual truck size, lots of plys. The smaller trailer tires wear fast and the trailer sees about 4,000 miles a year. Also, manueverability is excellent with a single axle, as is handling on the many curvy roads I have to take. Another consideration was ground clearance...some of the places I have to go require lots of clearance and the large tires and single axle help there.
After several years of use....I'd call it a wash. In retrospect I would like the extra braking power and smoother suspension offered by dual axles. There are arguments for both setups, at this point I haven't seen a convincing argument that would point to either setup as a must have.
I'm not overaly concerned about blowouts or suspension failures. I keep the tires in great shape, inspect frequently, and have an good spare. I grease the bearings each year etc. I figure the trailer is as realiable as the truck that's towing it
Brown,
I ordered the aluminum from these guys:
Robert & Sons Aluminum
It can be had in numerous sizes, colors and guages. I ordered what I think was the "standard" size of 3' x 10'. I ordered something like 20 sheets of it, it came on a couple of pallets to the local freight office. I loaded it up in my truck and headed home. AND...it was about 30% CHEAPER including shipping that it was to purchase it at my local supplier (who have very limited colors and guages). At the time...around 2002 I think, I paid something like $35-38 bucks a sheet for it. At the local supplier it was $60 a sheet for plain white. Shipping back then was maybe $130 from GA to NY.
JohnnyB
One main reason I went with a single axle is I wanted to use full size tires, actual truck size, lots of plys. The smaller trailer tires wear fast and the trailer sees about 4,000 miles a year. Also, manueverability is excellent with a single axle, as is handling on the many curvy roads I have to take. Another consideration was ground clearance...some of the places I have to go require lots of clearance and the large tires and single axle help there.
After several years of use....I'd call it a wash. In retrospect I would like the extra braking power and smoother suspension offered by dual axles. There are arguments for both setups, at this point I haven't seen a convincing argument that would point to either setup as a must have.
I'm not overaly concerned about blowouts or suspension failures. I keep the tires in great shape, inspect frequently, and have an good spare. I grease the bearings each year etc. I figure the trailer is as realiable as the truck that's towing it
Brown,
I ordered the aluminum from these guys:
Robert & Sons Aluminum
It can be had in numerous sizes, colors and guages. I ordered what I think was the "standard" size of 3' x 10'. I ordered something like 20 sheets of it, it came on a couple of pallets to the local freight office. I loaded it up in my truck and headed home. AND...it was about 30% CHEAPER including shipping that it was to purchase it at my local supplier (who have very limited colors and guages). At the time...around 2002 I think, I paid something like $35-38 bucks a sheet for it. At the local supplier it was $60 a sheet for plain white. Shipping back then was maybe $130 from GA to NY.
JohnnyB
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Diamondpilot
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2007
- Messages
- 16,316
- Location
- Daleville, IN
- Tractor
- Jinma 254/284 Ford 861 Powermaster at work
Well no matter what type of suspension and axle setup you went with that is beautiful work. You are a true craftsman and I can see it is very well built with out being overbuilt. Its funny, when most people build a trailer themselves it is grossly overbuilt and in turn does not tow well or handle much load. Yours looks to be well engineered and works great for you.
Nice work
Chris
Nice work
Chris
