MrJimi
Elite Member, Rest in Peace
Now someone needs to come up with a cheap way to dump these long trailers, mine is 25' long and 8'6" wide 
Stakeside and Tie-Down Solutions on Flatbed Trailer
- Thread starter KeithInSpace
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sandman2234
Super Member
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- Dec 4, 2005
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- Jacksonville, Florida
- Tractor
- JD2555 and a few Allis Chalmers and now one Kubota
MrJimi,
Do it like I did, just add a cylinder to it and make it a dump! Better get a good sized cylinder, as mine would only pick up the last 12 ft of the bed, so the front 8 ft doesn't dump.
David from jax
Do it like I did, just add a cylinder to it and make it a dump! Better get a good sized cylinder, as mine would only pick up the last 12 ft of the bed, so the front 8 ft doesn't dump.
David from jax
RobS
Super Member
Wow, that's impressive! I especially like the metal. I had considered something similar but with plywood. I just couldn't bring myself to build it knowing the plywood wouldn't last. My only nits, the barrel locks on the angled pieces don't seem as robust as the rest of your construction and how are the d-rings attached given that you've reduced the wood thickness considerably?
Looks fantastic, you should be proud.
Looks fantastic, you should be proud.
OP
KeithInSpace
Veteran Member
Thanks, Mr. RobS.
The barrel locks are only to link the two panels together. They don't really carry any load at all...any outward force on the panels themselves will get transferred to the fenders, should I load it that way. They are not quite what I wanted, but they were $3.66 and suited the need at the time. May upgrade when I get a better idea, but they do what they're supposed to do.
The d-rings are bolted to the substantial cross-members under the wood with Grade 8 bolts. I've done what I could to spread the load by "upsizing" the washers. Any wood that happens to be trapped between the d-ring and the cross-member is basically cosmetic.
Used the trailer to haul the BX down to Virginia Beach for a project with my Dad. Worked great! Snugged down on the d-rings very tightly with G70 chain and they didn't budge.
The barrel locks are only to link the two panels together. They don't really carry any load at all...any outward force on the panels themselves will get transferred to the fenders, should I load it that way. They are not quite what I wanted, but they were $3.66 and suited the need at the time. May upgrade when I get a better idea, but they do what they're supposed to do.
The d-rings are bolted to the substantial cross-members under the wood with Grade 8 bolts. I've done what I could to spread the load by "upsizing" the washers. Any wood that happens to be trapped between the d-ring and the cross-member is basically cosmetic.
Used the trailer to haul the BX down to Virginia Beach for a project with my Dad. Worked great! Snugged down on the d-rings very tightly with G70 chain and they didn't budge.
RobS
Super Member
KeithInSpace said:
Excellent, looks like a very well built trailer!
whodat90
Silver Member
RobS said:
A couple years back when I bought my trailer (7'x16' landscape style trailer) to move from one house to another, I put 4' tall sides on it with cheap 1/2" plywood in a 2x4 frame as a temporary measure so I could fit more boxes in. I want to say that was 4 years ago, and they're still on and still fine. I cut them down to 3', but that's it. Don't be afraid of plywood. FWIW, the other day I had to go pick up some mulch; I paid for 10 cubic yards. I stopped the guy loading the trailer when it was heaped 3' over the top. Near as I can figure, I had a solid 18 yards in there putting plenty of stress on the sides; no problem. My tires, on the other hand, weren't real happy.
sandman2234
Super Member
- Joined
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- 6,033
- Location
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Tractor
- JD2555 and a few Allis Chalmers and now one Kubota
Skyco is correct about it not being a good idea to weld on chain links. However, you do need to make sure the bolt will stay centered against the bottom of the pipe, and not get sucked up into the pipe. The washer on top can be welded, as you shouldn't be using the top link anyway and it allows the chain to be dropped and stay level or below level with the floor. A couple of spacers on each side of the bolt should keep the bolt centered.
David from jax
David from jax
OP
KeithInSpace
Veteran Member
Not trying to revive old threads, but I had an interesting update to this project.
First, the stakesides have worked GREAT!!! I've gotten two loads of mulch, both of which will filled up to the tops of the sides over the wheels. There was a tremendous amount of outward pressure on the stakesides and they held great. The fenders gave support just where I needed it and the barrel locks did a stupendous job of binding the two sections together.
The gate was easy to remove under load and in both loads it was just the last few teaspoons I couldn't get out of the front corners. All told, I only had to shovel the last two half-buckets...maybe 5 cubic FEET out of 6 cubic YARDS.
The recessed tie-downs couldn't have worked any better. It would have been a real pain if they were raised. Similarly, having the bucket on the deck was great, so the e-trak system would have been a hinderance unless I had countersunk the whole thing.
I could not have ever hoped for better performance from the system. Very , very pleased in how it accomodated my use.
NOW: THE PROBLEM. I was forced to leave the second load in the trailer for 48 hours due to circumstances. In those 48 hours, it did a real job on the inside of the galvanized panels. In a nice little arching shape...the perfect shape of the mulch pile...I have scaling of the galvanization and in some places a nice, thin coat of rust.
I'm not too worried about it since that is what they were made for, but at the same time I'm hoping the metal doesn't eat itself. I'll probably wire brush it for 3 minutes and throw some silver paint on there JUST so I don't get red rust on my when I walk around while loading my tractor.
Don't know that there are many alternatives to the metal...the weight it took without deforming was amazing. I couldn't imagine using plastic unless it was VERY thick. Fiberglass is too flimsy. Wood would be too heavy for the height. Dunno.
Just thought I'd share, though. Not a big deal, it just looks "used", which isn't a bad thing. But the immediate corrosion as a direct result of contact with the mulch was a little unexpected.
First, the stakesides have worked GREAT!!! I've gotten two loads of mulch, both of which will filled up to the tops of the sides over the wheels. There was a tremendous amount of outward pressure on the stakesides and they held great. The fenders gave support just where I needed it and the barrel locks did a stupendous job of binding the two sections together.
The gate was easy to remove under load and in both loads it was just the last few teaspoons I couldn't get out of the front corners. All told, I only had to shovel the last two half-buckets...maybe 5 cubic FEET out of 6 cubic YARDS.
The recessed tie-downs couldn't have worked any better. It would have been a real pain if they were raised. Similarly, having the bucket on the deck was great, so the e-trak system would have been a hinderance unless I had countersunk the whole thing.
I could not have ever hoped for better performance from the system. Very , very pleased in how it accomodated my use.
NOW: THE PROBLEM. I was forced to leave the second load in the trailer for 48 hours due to circumstances. In those 48 hours, it did a real job on the inside of the galvanized panels. In a nice little arching shape...the perfect shape of the mulch pile...I have scaling of the galvanization and in some places a nice, thin coat of rust.
I'm not too worried about it since that is what they were made for, but at the same time I'm hoping the metal doesn't eat itself. I'll probably wire brush it for 3 minutes and throw some silver paint on there JUST so I don't get red rust on my when I walk around while loading my tractor.
Don't know that there are many alternatives to the metal...the weight it took without deforming was amazing. I couldn't imagine using plastic unless it was VERY thick. Fiberglass is too flimsy. Wood would be too heavy for the height. Dunno.
Just thought I'd share, though. Not a big deal, it just looks "used", which isn't a bad thing. But the immediate corrosion as a direct result of contact with the mulch was a little unexpected.
wally040
Member
Imitation is the best form of flattery. Thank you Keithinspace. I saw your stakeside project & had to have one for my existing trailer. Works great, but no need for the floor tiedowns. More work than I thought it would be ( no radial arm saw or router ). I used free used lumber & got the used metal panels for $25.
