Car Dolly

[andyfletcher]

Anyone know the basic specs for a car dolly.

Some rough ideas. I have in mind using a pickup "I" beam with king pin knuckles. I'd extend it to 8ft wide. I'd connect the tongue to the center of the I beam by a hinge type joint capable of left/right movement only of the tongue.

To get the wheels to turn with the tow vehicle I would connect left and right tie rods from the wheel tie rod arms to the tongue at a point roughly 10inches or so ahead of the hinge, the distance depending on tie rod arm lengths.

I would install the diamond plate ramps, and at the top of these, I'd have a wheel trough for each wheel. The troughs would be positioned center of the I beams.

A hand winch I'd position on the tongue forward. Haven't figured out how to bolt/chain down each wheel for transit for each type of vehicle out there. Is there a universal tie down that's safe and approved for this setup.?

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I've owned a few over the years and think you ought to look closely at some to see how they're made. You've got a couple major design differences with what I've seen in your description here. You also ought to be aware you can buy a brand new one with warranty for $600-$700.

I'm not sure you're going to save much doing it yourself after you buy tires, wheels, lights, wiring, wiring plug, ratchets, wheel baskets, hardware and a coupler plus all the steel you'll need then etcher, primer and paint for finishing it, but that's your call.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope this helps. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[bobodu]

I agree with Gary In Indiana that you might be best off buying one.Not because he lives down the road from here either.....I got a similar trailer given to me by a lady in Fort Wayne that was made from the front end of a pickup with the tie rods welded.It's a great trailer for hauling horse manure from the county line to my house,but if you are hauling anything over 1000lbs,she wants to swing ( violently) from side to side at 55mph.I think the geometry is off .I dunno...after nearly gettin' thrown off highway 30 into a ditch..... /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Ozarker]

Check with U-Haul. They were selling off all their car dolly's a few months ago. May be a few left.

 

[DiskDoctr]

Andy,

What state are you in? In Pennsylvania it is a real hassle to title a homemade trailer. It takes several weeks for your application, complete with photos, to get processed, and that's if you have all the necessary safety and regulations met.

I know some folks who never could get their trailers titled, so we've avoided it all together.

Of course, places like NC are dirt simple, so it depends.

I've found the cost difference between buying one and building one (estimated) to be about 10%.

Also, any high-speed trailers, such as a car dolly, needs to be very closely aligned or it will pull funny or have excessive sway.

Now I like to save a buck as much as the next guy, but considering you may be towing a $20k-$40k vehicle with it, be sure to carefully consider your own skill level when deciding to build one.

I just bought a 6'x16' utility trailer and the price was pretty cheap. I did add a tapered trailer tongue utility box and foldup stabilizing jacks to the rear (for loading, prevents strain on your hitch lock when all the weight is behind the rear tires while driving tractor up or down ramps. We are going to add recessed D-ring tiedowns, too. This was all better to buy and addon than build from scratch.

Of course, a car dolly is simpler and smaller than a utility trailer and only uses a single axle, but it's up to you. I would recommend you check your state's titling requirements before you decide, just to avoid potential pitfalls.

Either way, good luck. Post some pictures if you do decide to build, we'd love to see it!

-JC

 

[bobodu]

Oh Yeah!!! Forgot about the titleing hassle.In Indiana it took me two trips to the BMV(waiting in line of course),two half days waiting for the sheriff to check for any old numbers and then again checking to see if I put the new ones on,six weeks waiting for the BMV to send me the numbers,two hours driving around looking for someone to make up the number plate( got a dog tag machine to do this) and about $85.
Now I would like to ask for advise on the violent sway problem I have with my trailer.I first had this problem after I put on new smaller tires(needed the clearance from the fenders).Seemed alright before that.I guess I could measure from the tongue to the steering knuckles...but that doesn't mean they got the geometry on the tongue right either......

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

On the subject of getting a title for a home built trailer in Indiana, there's one more issue. What you get when it's all said and done is a title branded as 'Rebuilt' as though it had been wrecked, totaled out and reclaimed from the salvage yard and repaired. Needless to say, that's not exactly what I'd like for my trailer.

I had a little 4' x 8' foldable flat trailer like we've all seen for sale at Sears and the big box stores that I bought from a neighbor years ago. He gave me his MSO/C of O which had his name in place but he'd never gotten a title as, at that time, Indiana didn't require a title for trailers. I used the VIN from the paper and bought my plate then just renewed from there.

At some point my former father-in-law borrowed it and, since I didn't really need it any more, he kind of 'adopted' it as his own. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif One thing he never did in the entire DECADE that he had it was ever get a new plate for it. He towed it to Boston and back more than once and all over Indiana over the years without ever being questioned about it. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I ended up getting it back a few years ago and turned it into a motorcycle/fuel tank hauler (just for my 100 gallon diesel tank). By that time Indiana law had changed and titles were required in order to plate trailers and I had no paperwork for one and couldn't even discern a VIN anywhere on the trailer so had to claim it as home made and go through that same process. As bad as that is, it gets worse. While I have a manufactured trailer that's never been in any kind of accident, I have a 'Rebuilt' title for it. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Gotta love that BMV. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[DiskDoctr]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Now I would like to ask for advise on the violent sway problem I have with my trailer.I first had this problem after I put on new smaller tires )</font>

Bobodu,

This may sound oversimplified, but did you lower your hitch when you lowered your trailer by using smaller tires? I'm thinking that it may have to do with the height of your hitch to trailer to angle to rear wheels of towed vehicle. I think the tongue is always supposed to be level, right? This is a trailer for the front wheels only, right?

Other possibilities are bent or unbalanced wheels, loose hitch (wrong trailer ball size?) twisted or broken axle/suspension (check underneath for any broken U-bolts, welds, or springs.

Another thing to try (maybe the easiest quick fix to try, next to the hitch height) is to attach some weight ahead of the trailer axles. Maybe on the tongue?

This is the same as having a trailer loaded too far to the rear and a light tongue- after about 40MPH, it will sway and can become violent. On utility trailers with brakes, braking will help "stretch out" the trailer and bring it back under control while slowing down.

With a very short car dolly, and the play between it and the rear wheels of a towed car, along with no trailer brakes (usually not heavy enough to require them), I imagine it could be wicked... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Let us know if this helps.

-JC

 

[Ozarker]

I did the same thing....put smaller tires on to lower the height of the deck. Trailer started to sway just as you describe. The problem turned out to be a broken belt inside one of the used steel belted tires I put on it.

 

[andyfletcher]

Thanks all for the posts and tips. Guess if I have problems with the feds I can always use a buddy's address in another state for the plate and we can share the rig. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

About the sway. The axle will have a certain amount of camber. The toe in is adjustable thru the tie rod ends and that's not the problem unless it wasn't set to the pickup's designed toe in. (If the dolly was fixed wheel I figure the toe in could be set to zero.). Someone mentioned hitch ball height.
Pretty close to the the solution I think. If the tongue is raised
the camber is being changed as the tire now rides more to the rear of the vertical camber axis looking at the tire flat on.

So you might want to try to lower the hitch to designed height as was already suggested.