Equipment Trailer plans

[TuckR]

Hi All,

Googling "Free trailer plans" yields a ton of junk. Does anyone know a good resource for trailer blueprints? This would be for a 16' 7k car hauler style trailer for moving my tractor around.

 

[MTGreen]

Hi All,

Googling "Free trailer plans" yields a ton of junk. Does anyone know a good resource for trailer blueprints? This would be for a 16' 7k car hauler style trailer for moving my tractor around.

You might want to price everything out -steel, deck material, running gear etc. before you dive in. If your goal is making a cheaper trailer than you can buy, you may be surprised that you're not saving much if anything and you're investing many hours of labor.
If your goal is making something different than you can buy or you got a screaming deal on the correctly sized steel/running gear/etc. or you just want the satisfaction of making your own, then I certainly don't want to discourage you.
For plans I would suggest that you visit a local reputable trailer place that sells to professionals like PJ or BigTex etc. (NOT Home Depot, Tractor Supply, etc.) with some calipers, a notepad, and a cellphone camera. The better manufacturers do structural engineering analyses on their designs and you can't go wrong by duplicating them. Also pay attention to where the axles are located relative to the tongue and the bed length as that makes a big difference in terms of loading and stability going down the road.
It's easy to use too heavy materials/overbuild a trailer and have the unloaded weight suck up more load capacity than necessary. Again this goes back to the reputable manufacturer's engineering analyses determining optimal weight/strength/spacing/overlap/etc.
Good luck to you whatever you decide

 

[4570Man]

Building a one of trailer is a loosing proposition. Just buy one.

 

[nyone]

Figure out all the prices yet?

I bought just want you want to build but with a wood deck new for $5300 out the door less than 1yr ago. Appalachian trailer in PA and OH.

 

[crashz]

I'd double check your DMV rules on homemade trailers too. In MA it used to be pretty easy, as you the builder, registered for whatever weight you wanted within reason of the axle(s) and tires (in which you needed proof of buying). They have made it significantly harder from what I recall.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I wouldn't build one. I have a stack of 6x6 x 3/8" angle. Axles everywhere. Hitches, springs, u bolts. Welder and torch. Not interested in building a trailer. Too many can be bought around here. I may extend mine to 20' 3" one day. I hauled a Dodge super cab Cummins and it barely fit. Plus too heavy on front.

 

[TuckR]

Good info here, thanks all. I have two 3500lb axels gifted to me and electronic breaks. I also have a new-to-me tombstone welder just begging for a project. It does look like buying might be the better option for me after all. I’ll store these axles for now.

Thanks again

 

[ArlyA]

Good info here, thanks all. I have two 3500lb axels gifted to me and electronic breaks. I also have a new-to-me tombstone welder just begging for a project. It does look like buying might be the better option for me after all. I’ll store these axles for now.

Thanks again

Why not sell those axles?? I was looking at a car hauler sized trailer this past summer that had a bend axle and need some frame work but decided it wasn't cost or time effective for me to mess with. I think I could have snatched up some used axles at work but I was still nervous about it. I might even have got the trailer for free. I do see used car hauler sized trailers on FB marketplace for sale all the time.

 

[plastikosmd]

Buy a project trailer with good “ bones” and swap in your parts

 

[MTGreen]

I've seen a number of wrecked travel trailers that have decent frame/axles/tongue for cheap because they don't have a deck. Buying one of these, reinforcing the frame and fabbing a deck might also be a cost effective way to get what you need. Going this route also bypasses any homemade trailer red tape if you happen to live in one of the nanny states

 

[4570Man]

I've seen a number of wrecked travel trailers that have decent frame/axles/tongue for cheap because they don't have a deck. Buying one of these, reinforcing the frame and fabbing a deck might also be a cost effective way to get what you need. Going this route also bypasses any homemade trailer red tape if you happen to live in one of the nanny states

Trying to reinforce a camper is a trash plan. They were barely meant to go down the road to start with. The box is structural. They have very little rigidity without it.

 

[MTGreen]

Trying to reinforce a camper is a trash plan. They were barely meant to go down the road to start with. The box is structural. They have very little rigidity without it.

Agreed, thus the frame reinforcement comment

 

[4570Man]

Agreed, thus the frame reinforcement comment

You could reinforce a popsicles stick bridge with enough concrete and steel to drive a semi across.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Trying to reinforce a camper is a trash plan. They were barely meant to go down the road to start with. The box is structural. They have very little rigidity without it.

If that frame is over 1/8" thick I'll be surprised. We have a 30' camper frame. Welded some 18" uprights and put a pipe on top of those. We leave it in the pasture over winter and put round bales in it. Then we move it to another place when we fill it again. We leave rings in the barn and feed there too. Then in spring we get that manure and hay carpet out with the bobcat. We have the back half of a dump truck with a hitch and pto shaft. Put manure in it and chain the tailgate to open 6" or so and it spreads on garden area pretty good.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Good info here, thanks all. I have two 3500lb axels gifted to me and electronic breaks. I also have a new-to-me tombstone welder just begging for a project. It does look like buying might be the better option for me after all. I’ll store these axles for now.

Thanks again

3500 lb axles? My main use trailer has 7,000 lb axles and it's a 16' bumper pull. If you want a project, build a couple of 14' trailers with let down ramp on rear, single axle. Those sell to the side by side crowd. Or, you could get a used trailer with trailer house axles and swap yours in. Then go buy some six or eight lug hubs and backing plates because they will fit the trailer house axles. Six, eight, and mobile home axles use same spindles. Sometimes the seal is a different diameter, but that can happen with any of the three. You can buy the different seal, they make two sizes. Trailer house axles aren't the problem, the hub and wheel is the problem. You can get 14.5" tires for equipment trailers, I know this. But don't use the tires that say Mobile Home on them. That's what the law looks for. The main problem with the trailer house tires is they need 80 psi. You run them low, they will blow.