Trailer rebuild- a summer I will never get back.

[cockeyedMFer]

Where do you guys find trailers for so cheap. I had my heart set on a 16' or 18' PJ manual tilt car hauler with 5K axles but the lowest dealer wanted $3600 with out add ons and tax.

But $850 in 2003 dollars...what's that today, 1500-1800?

Anymore the cheapest trailer locally is a Gatormade and they're almost 2k for a very basic 7k wood decked trailer. Around '09 or so there was a spike in trailer prices that hasn't gone down.

As for the value of your labor, take the amount of money saved, divide by the number of hours and if its anywhere close to your current wage, you're doing ok. Just think of it as a summer job

Looks well worth it though. Love the color!

 

[JESSE1]

Your trailer looks great. It looks to be built much more heavy-duty than most factory built trailers.

 

[sixdogs]

Great looking trailer and an excellent rebuild job. Now you know exactly what you have.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I took an old home made trailer my dad owned and I am currently rebuilding it...
Got it down to the frame and now have 1 coat of paint on it...
I figure with paint, 4 new tires, and wiring I am gonna have over $700 in it not counting my time and the flooring...
We've got some 1" boards stored in the shed so that will save a bunch...
It is 16' but with brakes on both axles...
Not pretty but functional...

You have done a great job on that trailer...
I hope mine looks half as good when completed...
Lots of love and time involved...

 

[The Fred]

The good thing about doing your own work is that when it breaks you know what to do and where to look to fix it.
NICE job, just one question; why CAT yellow paint when you have Deeres in your signature?

Inquiring minds want to know

Fred

 

[aczlan]

The good thing about doing your own work is that when it breaks you know what to do and where to look to fix it.
NICE job, just one question; why CAT yellow paint when you have Deeres in your signature?
Inquiring minds want to know

Per his earlier posts, it is because he has a neighbor who works for CAT and got him the paint at cost.

Aaron Z

 

[bubbacuse77]

But $850 in 2003 dollars...what's that today, 1500-1800?

Anymore the cheapest trailer locally is a Gatormade and they're almost 2k for a very basic 7k wood decked trailer. Around '09 or so there was a spike in trailer prices that hasn't gone down.

As for the value of your labor, take the amount of money saved, divide by the number of hours and if its anywhere close to your current wage, you're doing ok. Just think of it as a summer job

Looks well worth it though. Love the color!

True, Every lower cost trailer I could see looked to have everything very basic. Which I'm sure works for some people but I wanted to have some custom touches. Thanks for the kind words, I love the color as well.

 

[bubbacuse77]

I took an old home made trailer my dad owned and I am currently rebuilding it...
Got it down to the frame and now have 1 coat of paint on it...
I figure with paint, 4 new tires, and wiring I am gonna have over $700 in it not counting my time and the flooring...
We've got some 1" boards stored in the shed so that will save a bunch...
It is 16' but with brakes on both axles...
Not pretty but functional...

You have done a great job on that trailer...
I hope mine looks half as good when completed...
Lots of love and time involved...

LOTS of TIME, I can't count the days I put into it? I titled this post, "The summer I will never get back", because almost every bit of free time was spent on this rebuild, mean while my 3 year old son kept asking if daddy would play with him. I had no idea it would be this involved and I felt terrible every time I told my boy, "later, let me weld a bit first".

 

[bubbacuse77]

The good thing about doing your own work is that when it breaks you know what to do and where to look to fix it.
NICE job, just one question; why CAT yellow paint when you have Deeres in your signature?

Inquiring minds want to know

Fred

Fred, I have JD tractors but I like every color tractor and piece of equipment. I ran an air to ground bombing/gunnery range for the last 5 years and we had all kinds of CAT equipment and I jumped in it when ever I got a chance. Besides I just liked the way it looked on a trailer vs the way green trailers look. Just my preference.

Thanks for the kind words

 

[cockeyedMFer]

I told my boy, "later, let me weld a bit first".

Well in 14 years when he wants to borrow the trailer, he'll understand

 

[CHDinCT]

Looks familiar. Did the same thing, sort of, to my trailer this summer too. Stripped, sanded, primed, painted, re-wired, added brakes and replaced the fender skirts. I hate to think what I have into it, but it's worth more to me now than probably anyone I'd sell it to. Just need new tires, which I'll get next Spring.

Nice job on your car hauler. Like the yellow too. Don't see many/any that color. I went with ye'old Rustoleum Gloss Black. Good 'nuff!

 

[bubbacuse77]

Well in 14 years when he wants to borrow the trailer, he'll understand

That made me laugh a bit, Thanks

 

[bubbacuse77]

Looks familiar. Did the same thing, sort of, to my trailer this summer too. Stripped, sanded, primed, painted, re-wired, added brakes and replaced the fender skirts. I hate to think what I have into it, but it's worth more to me now than probably anyone I'd sell it to. Just need new tires, which I'll get next Spring.

Nice job on your car hauler. Like the yellow too. Don't see many/any that color. I went with ye'old Rustoleum Gloss Black. Good 'nuff!

Chris, I don't think I could ever sell this thing now. When I rewired I made sure to use oxguard / dielectric grease on all the connections and heat shrink to hopefully keep the connections from corroding apart in a couple years. I hate to leave it outside now thinking that I will have to repaint and redeck it earlier than later but I'm not sure I have the room inside.

What did you use to put the deck down? Long self tapping screws or bolts?

 

[Turbys_1700]

Chris, I don't think I could ever sell this thing now. When I rewired I made sure to use oxguard / dielectric grease on all the connections and heat shrink to hopefully keep the connections from corroding apart in a couple years. I hate to leave it outside now thinking that I will have to repaint and redeck it earlier than later but I'm not sure I have the room inside.

What did you use to put the deck down? Long self tapping screws or bolts?

The trailer I am fixing up attached the deck with small bolts...
I would say 1/4" x 2"...
The gentleman that built the trailer put bolts in every cross member...
I counted 9 cross members...
I don't know how many holes that equates to but at 2 per 6" wide board at each cross member you are looking approximately 300 bolts total...
Needless to say I ain't gonna use that many when I re-floor...

 

[cabover4us]

I have a"92" Doolittle 16' landscape trailer, and use it for everything, tractor, cars, supplies, etc....
But, it's getting rough, it needs a complete rebuild, I did add brakes to the other axle some years ago, and glad I did. My son's friend borrowed it and dropped it off late at night, in the morning I found some damage, heavy gauge grating on full width ramp has huge hole, and rear back edge is bent out away from wooden floor three inches.
Noticed axles are extremely rusted, metal just flaking off, fenders also rusted.. Five years ago I rewired whole trailer, put wire in rubber reinforced tubing with junction boxes with plastic screw terminals. Well guess what happened to screw terminals, you guessed it, rust..
Needing the tractor in Greenwich, I hooked up to trailer, no lights, all the junction boxes needed wire nuts, snipped out all the screw terminals, we're off like a dirty shirt...
Not sure if I'll buy new adjustable ramps or make my own, but definitely have to replace axles, I'm surprised they haven't broken in two yet.
The main pipe that's the spine of this trailer is rusted through in a few places also, so I can see buying pipe and steel in my future.
Where should I buy axles from? Northern Tool?
1987 John Deere 855 #7 back hoe

 

[CHDinCT]

What did you use to put the deck down? Long self tapping screws or bolts?

Used carriage bolts, which is what it came with when I bought it used - two per 6" wide PT board X two cross members. Just got new bolts and used the same holes, but turned the PT boards over. The boards are held down by angle iron at the front and back, so no bolts there.

Probably should have replace a few of the boards, but time and expense was mounting and come late August, I just wanted to be done with it. :laughing: Like you (and your rebuild is more complete than mine), never thought I'd spend as much time on it as I did.

 

[bandaidmd]

The trailer I am fixing up attached the deck with small bolts...
I would say 1/4" x 2"...
The gentleman that built the trailer put bolts in every cross member...
I counted 9 cross members...
I don't know how many holes that equates to but at 2 per 6" wide board at each cross member you are looking approximately 300 bolts total...
Needless to say I ain't gonna use that many when I re-floor...

my 16' has the ends of the 2x10 boards trapped under steel and is bolted with 5/16" carriage bolts on 2 crossmembers about 4' from each end so basicly the boards are "attached" every 4'

 

[bandaidmd]

I have a"92" Doolittle 16' landscape trailer, and use it for everything, tractor, cars, supplies, etc....
But, it's getting rough, it needs a complete rebuild, I did add brakes to the other axle some years ago, and glad I did. My son's friend borrowed it and dropped it off late at night, in the morning I found some damage, heavy gauge grating on full width ramp has huge hole, and rear back edge is bent out away from wooden floor three inches.
Noticed axles are extremely rusted, metal just flaking off, fenders also rusted.. Five years ago I rewired whole trailer, put wire in rubber reinforced tubing with junction boxes with plastic screw terminals. Well guess what happened to screw terminals, you guessed it, rust..
Needing the tractor in Greenwich, I hooked up to trailer, no lights, all the junction boxes needed wire nuts, snipped out all the screw terminals, we're off like a dirty shirt...
Not sure if I'll buy new adjustable ramps or make my own, but definitely have to replace axles, I'm surprised they haven't broken in two yet.
The main pipe that's the spine of this trailer is rusted through in a few places also, so I can see buying pipe and steel in my future.
Where should I buy axles from? Northern Tool?
1987 John Deere 855 #7 back hoe

try eastern marine in Delaware, great place for all things trailer. I have shopped in the store and online, there good people to deal with.

 

[bandaidmd]

Then after about a week I thought, suck to have a trailer I don't trust to put my tractor on. I also hate junk, so began the end of my free time this summer. I started tearing it down to pieces, literally and rebuilt it from scratch. The only thing that stayed in tact was the front, but it got heavy modifications. As you can see I basically started from scratch. I pieced in a new side rails to where the bend started then also "sistered" another 3x5x.25 inch angle over top of where the axles are and over the weld joint to add strength. The pictures on the right are during during dissemble and the two on the left are the rebuild.

Great job on the rebuild!
So basicly you bought a title and some scrap steel for $450 lol

 

[bubbacuse77]

Great job on the rebuild!
So basicly you bought a title and some scrap steel for $450 lol

Yep, and a pattern