Pickup bed trailer

[NCMau]

I have an opportunity to buy a trailer made out of a full size pickup truck for $300. It is in decent shape with no major rust problems.
I like the idea but I am just wondering if it wouldn't be too heavy for my small Nissan truck. Any plus or minus issues using these bed-pickup trailers?

 

[crashz]

Depends on how it was made.

Most of the ones I've seen are the entire back half of a truck, with the frame cut and shaped for the tongue. It would be pretty strong, as the springs, axle and bed are rated for at least the same as the back GAWR of the truck it came from. Downside is that its probably heavy. The bed alone weighs 500-600lbs if I remember right. I would assume at least 1200 lbs for a half ton donor and heavier for the larger trucks.

 

[yankeerider]

Depends on how it was made.

... The bed alone weighs 500-600lbs if I remember right. I would assume at least 1200 lbs for a half ton donor and heavier for the larger trucks.

I think your estimate for the bed weight is a couple hundred pounds high. I say that because I removed the 8 ft bed from my '93 F250 all by myself, lifting one corner at a time with one arm while I slid either a 2x4 or 4x4 under it from one side to the other to support it so I could drive the truck out from under it.

Still, I think 1200 lbs is a reasonable estimate for the whole trailer.

 

[firefighter jim]

You mean like these? The red one was a winter project in 2004 and the green one in 2005. I'll have to check my notes but I think the red one (61 Chevy shortbed) weighs in at 800 something and the green one (68 Chevy longbed) weighs in around 1100. Both pull straight as an arrow down the road.

 

[firefighter jim]

A couple more pics.......

 

[Diamondpilot]

Jims are done really nice and I am guessing they have the old GM coil over springs. The ones I have been around were done poorly and had leaf springs and were top heavy and pulled awful. I would look at how its done very closely.

If it had a anti-sway bar it would be pretty good.

Also, remember in NC you need seperate brakes once the trailer is loaded over 4,000#

Chris

 

[2458n]

I am sure you have been offered good money for the 1968 chevy trailer. You have at least 400.00 dollars worth of very nice fenders. Made properly it is well worth 300 dollars. The trailer will hold more weight than the Nissan can handle. I currently have a Frontier and would not want to pull a load of gravel behind it. Back when they were called Datsun's many of the little truck beds were made into trailers. Sadly in Ohio the weather often got the best of the beds. With a little truck you can not beat a old snowmobile trailer. Low to the ground , wide, and not much weight.

 

[lostcause]

i know a lot of people use these and like them, but for me it would be more of a last resort, or a case of not wanting to spend any more money than that. you can probably find a decent new 5x10 utility with short stake sides and a top rail for under $1000, and possibly a decent used one for half or a little more of that price. that would be my personal choice

i know a lot of you out there like things that are advertised as "homemade and heavy duty" but i tend to shy away from them. any savings you get from the inexpensive cost will eventually be taken away from the lost fuel mileage from towing an air dam and 600lb of unnecessary weight. if it's a short body trailer, then you end up having to run the tailgate down for a lot of stuff too. i tow a snowmobile trailer with a front shield and those add a lot of drag, so i would expect the headboard and tailgate on the truck body trailer to do the same.

the ones jim is showing are a different animal altogether. those are as much of a work of art as they are a functional trailer. they are also (most likely) meticulously built and cared for. you will have to decide if the one you are looking at is the same. don't get me wrong - they work fine, but in my personal opinion, there's probably a better trailer out there for your application, though probably not in the same price range.

though with one of those trailers you could confuse your friends - before you go on a long trip you would be the only one who has to check the gear oil in his trailer.

 

[NCMau]

Although I still like the idea, I think you guys are right. A 1200 lbs. empty trailer is a bit excessive for my little Nissan . Thanks for the inputs.

 

[firefighter jim]

After checking, my red stepside trailer is 920 lbs. the green stepside trailer is 1150 lbs. Also, as Diamond Pilot suggested, the red one has a coil sprung rear axle however, the green one is leaf sprung. FYI: back in the day (the 60's) Chevy 1/2 tons came with coils with leaf springs optional. GMC 1/2 tons came with leaf springs with coils optional (we're talking rear axles here)(front suspensions ran the gamet from coils, leaf, and torsion).......................Jim