homemade dual axel trailer

[radioman]

My father had a small massey ferguson lawn dump cart that is made with thick metal sheet for over 30 years. I have tried to find another one just like it and no one makes it like it anymore. I bought a crappy lawn dump cart from tractor supply with nice tires but the sheet metal is like 1/16 thick! It doesnt hold up well and I had to tack weld it back together in many places. So it time to make my own that would be easy to service and keep for many years to come.


I need your help to see if my dream can come true or not. I am thinking of making a towbehind trailer for my BX with daul axels that is onyl 4 ft by 6 ft or so long. I am hoping to take apart two OLD junk lawn tractors for the rear tires and maybe the axels.

My questions are: can I use old bed frames for the frame of the trailer or is it too soft and thin? Has anyone taken old lawn cheapo tractor transaxels apart and salvage the axels and use rear tires? What should I think about when building a small trailer for my BX ? I am hoping to use next to free parts for building this trailer, but right now its a pipe dream until I realize it can be feasible. I have a 110V welder, buncha of hand tools and a can do attitude.

I was thinking of using the rear large tires from lawn tractors for trailer tires to support more weight and be more stable for hauling firewood in winter mostly and dirt for summer projects. I proabably will make it a dump trailer and will do it manaully but I want to optimize it and make it hydralic ready as well for future when I get too old to lift. I might make it mostly out of osb or plywood and will replace it every 5-10 year due to dryrot unless someone can point me to 1/4 thick sheet metal.


I would appriecate ideas and suggestion so I can collect parts over the winter for a spring project.

 

[GE222]

radioman,
I feel for you. I have been using a couple of "garden carts", and while they work for light items, they can't take muck weight or abuse.
I have been kicking around a tandem axle cart as well. I was going to use regular trailer axles and tires. It was going to be built heavy, but no so much as that it can't be moved empty with a large garden tractor. The reason for trailer wheels and tires is to make it "road ready"

I was also planning on a hydraulic dump with a hand pump. For a bed, I was going to use 1/8 inch steel. Several shops can shear and bend it on a brake. The remainder of the parts, I was going to make.

 

[RedDirt]

radioman,
I think bed frame angles would be way too light for your project. The ones I'm familiar with are only about 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/8. Seems you'd want 3 x 3 x 1/4 minimum or 4" channel for a small trailer with some weight capacity. You can certainly take a clue from your TSC trailer and build it heavier.

Is your dad's trailer still around? Can you post some photos?

Maybe hit up the local junk yards and see if anyone has a small travel trailer frame and running gear that you can modify. That could get you started with a frame to cut down, one axle and a hitch. Then you'd just need the other axle and your axle pivots.

 

[kennyd]

Check out the Country Manufacturing trailers RadioMan...They might make a great base for you. LOTS of older threads here on TBN about them also.

 

[snowjoker]

What about a cheap HF 4x8 trailer.. they aren't much money and should carry more than garden tractor tires.

 

[radioman]

Good ideas guys, however due to being laid off, the funds isn't there. I thought about the harbor frieght trailer and modify it with the tires I got. I was just wondering if I "could" make do with what I got laying around and have something to keep me busy while my kids are in school. It sure would beat waiting for that phone call that may never come.

The question here so far that is burning in my mind is the lawn tractor transaxels. Has anyone taken it apart and can it be salvaged to get rid of the housing ? I saw a thread on here where someone didnt take it apart and used it as is.

 

[radioman]

OH forgot about my father's dump cart- yeah its still around kicking alive and he is still using it I'll have to take pictures of it someday when I visit him.

 

[Oldmax]

Some Mowers have frames you could use the frame from one of them and the front wheels . if you could find a garden tractor the front wheels are 8". I have one with decking boards for a floor & side boards Is made from angle about 2 1/2 ".

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you dont want to buy anything and have enough bed rails, you might still be able to use them by making a box with 2 of them and stitch welding them together and using that for the frame. If you have enough, you could also double that for about half the distance in the axle area and have a double box which would probably carry a pretty good load especially if you crossbraced them so they wouldnt twist.
Another thing you could use for tires is old golf cart tires. You can find them for $10 each on any craigslist complete with rims. There is an abundant supply around my house since lots of folks are putting lift kits on the GC and using them for hunting. Not sure what you could use for an axle for them without buying the axle. You can find lots of golfcart parts at buggiesunlimited.com But you could carry all your bedrail frame would safely hold with a single axle unless you just want the double axle for aesthetic reasons.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Here's a link to the build I did that is very similar to what you are proposing. I used 2 lawn mower axles, used ATV metal shipping crates, and re-claimed wood.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/87841-dump-trailer.html

I've been using the trailer regularly ever since I built it, and I love it. Nearly all of the cost was in the pump, the battery, and the paint. If you don't make it to dump, you'll be able to do it very cheap.

I've loaded the trailer clear full of damp dirt and dumped it just fine. The axles never have showed any signs of stress. I didn't do a thing to the axles. I just leave them in neutral.

Feel free to ask whatever questions you want. I'll monitor the thread and try to be helpful.

 

[dts1449]

I made a small wagon for a garden tractor many years ago out of an old riding lawn mower frame and the rear trans-axle. The bed was about three by four foot made from half inch treated plywood. It was nothing to look at but it did work better than carrying things by hand. I would caution you about how much the trans-axle can carry, I overloaded mine once and the housing broke in two. I really didn't put that much weight in the wagon. Lucky I had a buddy that ran a small engine shop that had a scrap housing so I was able to repair it. I just watched how much I put in it from then on, took two trips with it instead of trying to move stuff all at once. DTS

 

[BearKiller]

Plain old riding-mower wheels and axles do not lend themselves to use for much else.

The wheels sleeve over the axle-stubs and are held on by some means of a key, such as an E-clip, Cotter-pin, whatever.

There are no bearings involved in the wheel/axle connection.

Also, due to neglect and people being stingy with the anti-sieze, once a mower wheel has been on there for a few months, it will be siezed up and rust-welded solid, and nearly impossible to get off.

Far better on the cheap is to get the spindles/bearings/hubs/tires/wheels off any old el-cheapo car/truck and just flat-weld the spindles to the trailer frame.

If the car is front-wheel-drive, use the rear spindles; if it is rear-wheel-drive, use the front spindles.

Also, swipe the other wheels/tires and the spare while you are there; it is much better to grab the extras now, than to comb the junk-yards later.

If you want a seperate axle set-up, the rear axle from a Datsun, Ranger, LUV, etc. can be used in it's entirety, springs/hangers too, if you so desire.

 

[radioman]

iplayfarmer- your trailer thread is what I am thinking of, except lower sides and lower ride. I haven't thought about using the whole mower frame as part of the trailer and turn it into a wagon. Right now with your ideas I am still tossing them around in my head trying to decide what I really want. I might as well take one mower apart and see if inspiration hits with your ideas tumbling in my head. Keep the ideaw coming.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Plain old riding-mower wheels and axles do not lend themselves to use for much else.

The wheels sleeve over the axle-stubs and are held on by some means of a key, such as an E-clip, Cotter-pin, whatever.

There are no bearings involved in the wheel/axle connection.

Also, due to neglect and people being stingy with the anti-sieze, once a mower wheel has been on there for a few months, it will be siezed up and rust-welded solid, and nearly impossible to get off.

In my experience, all you have said is absolutely correct. That's why you just use the whole axle. There are already bolt holes in place. They are stronger that anything else you'll find on a garden cart. It is so easy.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

iplayfarmer- your trailer thread is what I am thinking of, except lower sides and lower ride. I haven't thought about using the whole mower frame as part of the trailer and turn it into a wagon. Right now with your ideas I am still tossing them around in my head trying to decide what I really want. I might as well take one mower apart and see if inspiration hits with your ideas tumbling in my head. Keep the ideaw coming.

Take at least one mower apart. That's when the idea to use the whole axle hit me. I was trying to get the wheels off to use with different axles. When I got them off and saw the mounting holes and felt how easily they turned I felt silly for not thinking of it before. I'm sure you'll get some other good ideas as you're working it over. Keep us posted on your progress. The help I got from the forum here on my build was priceless.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Radioman,

Any progress on your plans?

 

[radioman]

iplayfarmer- I am still debating between your advice and my preferred way to take apart the axels. The reason I am debating it is I prefer to have the axels as close to 4 ft wide as possible for stablity. The ones I have are more close to 38 inches I think. The other issue is getting enough angle iron cheap. The only thing I have is the small bed frame ones. I think Ill have to visit the local scrap yard and see if they can let me poke around for something. 5 years ago, I saw a old wave runner trailer and I really wished I grabbed that one to modify!
Anyway , I have been thinking on how am I gonna attach the first axle that closest to the tongue. I have envisioning that due to how well my father old dump cart is made, the cart body was attached to a triangle metal directly to the axels. This allowed for a higher dump and ease. I was figuring if I had a decent sized I beam for tongue and the rear axle connected the way I was thinking. This presents a problem with the front axle- either connect it to tongue axel solidly or use equalizer trailer parts. If front axel is solid and I go over a dip, the weight would be all on the rear. Keep in mind, It doesnt have to dump, but it would be nice If the feature wass there so in the future if the funds is right, I'll add hydralics for it with minimal modifications.

 

[aczlan]

iplayfarmer- I am still debating between your advice and my preferred way to take apart the axels. The reason I am debating it is I prefer to have the axels as close to 4 ft wide as possible for stablity. The ones I have are more close to 38 inches I think. The other issue is getting enough angle iron cheap. The only thing I have is the small bed frame ones. I think Ill have to visit the local scrap yard and see if they can let me poke around for something. 5 years ago, I saw a old wave runner trailer and I really wished I grabbed that one to modify!

Try J&J Auto they often have a trailer or two kicking around out back in the yard.
They also have (had?) a decent selection of Volvos in the yard (if you are into them).

Aaron Z

 

[BearKiller]

Radioman,

Why not make the two axles into a "walking tandem" ??

Make two triangles; each bottom corner of a triangle gets connected to an axle, one triangle on left, one on right; the top corners of the triangles connect to the frame of the trailer and must pivot.

Regardless of terrain, with a walking tandem, all wheels remain in contact with the ground.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

iplayfarmer- I am still debating between your advice and my preferred way to take apart the axels. The reason I am debating it is I prefer to have the axels as close to 4 ft wide as possible for stablity. The ones I have are more close to 38 inches I think.

My experience has been spot on with what BearKiller said...

...due to neglect and people being stingy with the anti-sieze, once a mower wheel has been on there for a few months, it will be siezed up and rust-welded solid, and nearly impossible to get off.

Your mileage may vary, but I predict you'll have a very hard time getting the wheels apart from the axles. If you decide to go wider, my advice would be to scrounge a trailer to modify or poach rear hubs off of a front wheel drive car. GM hubs are nice because they come off flat on the back lend themselves well to DIY projects such as this.

As for attaching your axles, you might consider putting the two axles on a walking beam with a pivot in the middle of the beam. I attached a sketch of the setup. The blue rods are the axles. The red rod is connected to a single pivot point on each side of the trailer frame. Then the axles can flex and adjust to the terrain, etc. You'll have to work around it when you're adjusting your dump angle, but that's entirely possible.

For nearly all trailers, the optimum setup is for the midpoint of the wheels to be 60% back from the front of the trailer. For a two axle, 10' trailer this means putting the midpoint between the two wheels 6' from the front of the trailer.