18 foot travel trailer

L3450 · Apr 19, 2008

Has anyone here ever stripped down an old travel trailer to build a utility trailer out of ?

Any tips / tricks a body needs / should to know before proceeding ?

Its an old Glenelle 18 footer , tongue included in measurement !

toy · Apr 19, 2008

L3450 said:
Has anyone here ever stripped down an old travel trailer to build a utility trailer out of ? Any tips / tricks a body needs / should to know before proceeding ? Its an old Glenelle 18 footer , tongue included in measurement !

My neighbor is doing this type of project now, he has been getting measurements off of my car hauler. My car ahuler has a 16ft bed not counting the tongue, his trailer frame had quite a bit more hanging out behind the wheels so he cut the frame off closer to the wheeles. The frame of my camper trailer is a lot heftyier looking than his, the frame of my camper has rectangular tubing, his doner camper frame has c chanel frame. He asked me to look at his frame to get my opinion and in my opinion I felt that his frame needs more cross bracing to strengthen which he is doing. I also think he needs to sister angle iron the length of the frame to make it stoughter, he hasn't done that yet but I beleive he will. When he puts the deck boards and angle iron around the boards that might make it strong enough to not have to sister the angle iron on the frame we'll see. Your frame might be strong enough to start with without having to reenforce it. It is an interesting project.

bigshovel · Apr 19, 2008

I did this with an old pop up camper frame for my four wheeler trailer. A little more steel here and there, welded new side rails on and steel diamond plate decking, it has served me well abd not to involved of a project. Have fun.

Brad

MrJimi · Apr 20, 2008

Travel trailers are designed to be supported by the box mounted to them, once that is removed you don't have much strength left for anything. And TT are NOT very heavy haulers, usually built light and not heavy duty
Trailers are measured by bed size, not overall length

L3450 · Apr 20, 2008

Then i'll have somewhere between a 12 & 14 foot utility trailer bed length when all is said and done. (in my neck of the woods Travel Trailers include tongue measurement in overall measurement of length, according to a friend who sells / repairs them)

Hope is that angle iron , deck plate floor & side boards will gain me enough support to build a good light duty utility trailer .
( Used mostly to haul an approx. 700 lb. quad pulled by a 4 cyl. Camry )

Is this a project better left alone ?

GT2 · Apr 20, 2008

A quick search brought this http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...-building.html?highlight=travel+trailer+frame
I would think that for what your using it for you should be ok, but the first time you put a tractor or small car etc. on it you could have trouble.

Skyco · Apr 20, 2008

MrJimi said:
Travel trailers are designed to be supported by the box mounted to them, once that is removed you don't have much strength left for anything.

HAH! I've owned a bunch of travel trailers over the years and I'd say the box is useless as any kind of support

Ever see one in a wreck? The box literally falls apart, most are made with 2x2 framing.
Now all that said many travel trailer frames are pretty weak even so...

L3450 · Apr 20, 2008

After a quick trip to Home Hardware this morning to examine the utility trailers sold there i'd have to say an old travel frame with mods will stand all of my intended uses.

Those on sale have a rectangular frame work built of angle iron (2" or maybe 21/2") with equal size cross pieces laid across (welded) to form floor supports . Welded on top is an open mesh which serves as a floor .

Real kicker as i see it is that the leaf spring chafs / slides (between guides) directly against the underside of the rectangular frame angle iron !

Bill_C · Apr 20, 2008

I've had two ancient travel trailers, a Zenith 21 footer from around 1960 and a Serro Scotty 13 footer from the early 70's. The Zenith had a massive frame, it would've made a great utility trailer. The Serro was lighter but still would've been OK for a single-axle "riding-mower-toter". I stripped the Serro to the frame and started restoring it, got tired of the project and sold it. Sold the Zenith too (after realizing from the Serro, what a PITA it would be)...

I now have a newer 25 foot Fleetwood. Although it's got a 6800 lb GVWR, the frame doesn't look nearly stout enough to use as a flatbed trailer, at least not without some judicious reinforcement.