Equipment Trailer plans

[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.