New sides for my trailer and "double nuts"

newbury · Aug 7, 2014

I've had the trailer since 2009 when I bought it with my B7610

I just started using it last year.

It barely fit's my M4700 but I also wanted to transport mulch, gravel, cut wood, household stuff, etc. . So I wanted removable sides that I could handle myself as a 60+ old f@ with back problems. One area I had to overcome was that it only had 2 stake pockets on each side. I've seen others built w/ sections of sides, but w/o stake pockets I decided to go with 16' long 2x6 PT boards, which I can handle.

I didn't think those were enough for uprights, so I added two uprights "bolted" into the fenders on each side and two attached up front.

Most is fastened together with 5" "square U-bolts" w/ straps. I did the front corners with 8" angle straps on the inside.

My plan is this will allow me to easily bolt in 4x8 plywood sheets for sides if I'm moving light stuff like say a load of furniture. For moving mulch, gravel, dirt I'll put a tarp down and draped up the sides, drop pieces of plywood on top of the base (so I don't tear the tarp with shovels). As designed, w/ 3' high sides it will hold about 10 cubic yards. So I figure 10 yards of compost will approach the trailer limit (12K total, 10K payload). I plan on covering all with a tarp building a back if needed. And when transporting I'll strap tarp across the top.

Disassembly will probably take about an hour or so, due to the fact I've got about 100 nuts to take off about 50 bolts. But I can handle it all by myself with the help of my trusty battery powered drill as a nutdriver.

I went with putting 2 nuts with Loctite Blue 242 on each bolt because I've read that lock washers are virtually useless. I plan on keeping a wrench handy to frequently tighten. Does anyone have a better suggestion to keep my nuts tight?

Total cost was about $150 for lumber and $150 or so for bolts, nuts and angle brackets.

Walkin Horse · Aug 7, 2014

Years ago I found a place that had steel rectangular tubing that a 2x4 would slide in easily and not be sloppy either. I drill a hole through it and welded a 3/4 nut on the back side. When I put the sides on I could put a bolt in it. I later found out that was overkill and the bolts were unneeded. Maybe you could find some that size tubing.

Walkin Horse · Aug 7, 2014

I went back and looked at your pics. I found some hardware at Northern for the corners. They are designed for this and lock the sides to the headboard.

msmith1wa · Aug 7, 2014

Use lock nuts with the nylon insert.

newbury · Aug 8, 2014

msmith1wa said:
Use lock nuts with the nylon insert.

I looked at those but they are expensive.

Deere Dude · Aug 8, 2014

newbury said:
I looked at those but they are expensive.

Buy them by the pound at TSC, not individual wrapped. They are handy and not out of line.

oldballs · Aug 8, 2014

Nice looking job. I did something similar to haul dirt, gravel and rock; as well as move some of my kids' stuff following divorces. My trailer has channel steel on the sides that rises about 6 inches above the floor. I just used some 2x12 planks that I "wired" thru holes in the floor and around the channel sides. That held them upright and worked good for hauling the gravel type material. A large tarp and rope held furniture in place for short trips. My experience with gravel type products on the bare floor showed that I could haul 3-4 tons at a time going to the quarry. Unloading the gravel etc. took a while, much of it done with a shovel into the FEL.

Finally, I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble when needing over ten tons. Also, all that crap got into the floor and trailer frame which hastened the rot of the floor.

And lastly, removing and storing all the sideboard etc. was a PITA. Maybe your setup will stay on all the time. But keep on truckin'.

boggen · Aug 8, 2014

you have a tractor with FEL... *scratchs head*

some nice hooks on the bucket of the FEL (front end loader) some straps or chains between hooks, and the sides. and up off the sides go. or back down into the stake holes. the sides go.

i do like idea of the U bolts. "adjustable" in a sense to lower down to the bottom for a nice clean fit. or raise them up if wanted for other stuff. if ya wasn't going for adjustable sides.. i would of most likely went with "lag bolts" and just drilled a hole directly through each stake and each 2x6. and been done with it. and used tractor to remove or place back each side.

============
ya need to do something in the corners. (front and rear)... if it was metal sides, i would say just weld in some "short pieces of pipe" on each side per corner and drop a piece of rebar down through the pipes. to fasten the corners together. but with wood? sounds like walkin horse found something that would work.

check to see how your ramps are. you might be able to tie rear corners into the ramps. to keep the rear portion of sides bowing out. and shaking trailer going down road. and or wire up a piece of plywood to ramps. to act like a solid back gate. just be easy on how high you place rear piece of plywood. a lot of extra wind resistance would be created.

newbury · Aug 17, 2014

oldballs said:
Nice looking job. I did something similar to haul dirt, gravel and rock; as well as move some of my kids' stuff following divorces. My trailer has channel steel on the sides that rises about 6 inches above the floor. I just used some 2x12 planks that I "wired" thru holes in the floor and around the channel sides. That held them upright and worked good for hauling the gravel type material. A large tarp and rope held furniture in place for short trips. My experience with gravel type products on the bare floor showed that I could haul 3-4 tons at a time going to the quarry. Unloading the gravel etc. took a while, much of it done with a shovel into the FEL.

Finally, I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble when needing over ten tons. Also, all that crap got into the floor and trailer frame which hastened the rot of the floor.

And lastly, removing and storing all the sideboard etc. was a PITA. Maybe your setup will stay on all the time. But keep on truckin'.

For gravel my dually holds 2 tons. If I load the trailer it will be loaded on TOP of plyood which is on top of the tarp and emptied carefully with the B7610. I've got a tarp big enough to wrap up over the sides and "body bag" whatever I'm carrying.

One of the forcing reasons was that there are a few local places that sell mulch and gravel dirt cheap IF you pick it up. They make their $$ on delivery.

Another thing I'm planning on doing is fastening 3/4 PT plywoood to "box" it in 4' high when carrying household goods. I'll just make bolt holes in the plywood and fasten it with the existing bolts. And then strap it all down like they do with semi's.

boggen said:
you have a tractor with FEL... *scratchs head*

some nice hooks on the bucket of the FEL (front end loader) some straps or chains between hooks, and the sides. and up off the sides go. or back down into the stake holes. the sides go.

i do like idea of the U bolts. "adjustable" in a sense to lower down to the bottom for a nice clean fit. or raise them up if wanted for other stuff. if ya wasn't going for adjustable sides.. i would of most likely went with "lag bolts" and just drilled a hole directly through each stake and each 2x6. and been done with it. and used tractor to remove or place back each side.

============
ya need to do something in the corners. (front and rear)... if it was metal sides, i would say just weld in some "short pieces of pipe" on each side per corner and drop a piece of rebar down through the pipes. to fasten the corners together. but with wood? sounds like walkin horse found something that would work.

check to see how your ramps are. you might be able to tie rear corners into the ramps. to keep the rear portion of sides bowing out. and shaking trailer going down road. and or wire up a piece of plywood to ramps. to act like a solid back gate. just be easy on how high you place rear piece of plywood. a lot of extra wind resistance would be created.

I work a one man show. I thought of removable sections but maneuvering them with the tractor would be a pain.
I've got 8" angle braces on each 2x6 bolted inside the corners.
I don't like the idea of lag bolts into 2x4's, they are not as removable and tend to chew up the 2x4's.
As far as the back goes I'm planning on putting 2x4's across BETWEEN the 2x6's, with the 4" side horizontal.

To me one of the beauties of the flat U-bolts is that with my Dewalt portable drill and a deep nut driver it all goes together quickly and come apart quickly.

And as far as "storage" - I think I can find space