jimgood
Well-known member
I've had this trailer sitting in my back yard for almost as long as we've lived here, which is 18 years. It was built and left by the previous owner. It's nothing to write home about and was in sad shape 18 years ago. It had a rotting plywood deck and sides, about 18" high. The tires will only hold air for a couple of weeks, which is pretty good.
At some point, I parked it in the back yard and threw brush and scrap wood in it. Then it got full and just sat there. A few weeks ago, I took all the brush and scrap wood out of it, loaded it onto the tractor and took it to the burn pile. I threw the rotten deck and sides into the back of the truck for the dump since there were nails in them.
Recently, it's been like my second (3rd?) job cutting back brush lines, cutting up downed trees and picking up Sycamore limbs. I typically use the tractor bucket to load them up and carry them to the burn pile but I can only carry so much.
So it's time to build a flat bed. And, as a special bonus, we'll make the deck hinged so we can add hydraulics and make it dump too. Later. Much later since I don't know **** about hydraulics. In the mean time, a flat bed will have much more capacity for brush and limbs than the tractor bucket and lift arms.
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Went to Lowe's and got some 5/4" x 8' PT boards and some 2" lag screws. This, along with some 1" sq. tube I already had on hand would form the new deck.
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Layed out the tubes across the boards and marked the screw positions by eye, about 1" in from each edge and approximately centered. I drilled all the holes on the drill press. I clamped them back in place on the boards and used used the holes to drill for the lag screws into the boards. I used a piece of tape on the drill bit to mark the depth at 2", which leaves about a 1/4" between the tip of the screw and the top of the deck. Each screw got a washer for good measure.
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I oriented all the boards with the grain this way (they are sitting here bottom up) so if they cup, the water runs off the top. I hope.
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To mount it to the back of the trailer frame, I went to Tractor Supply and scrounged up whatever bushings I could find in 3/4". They keep minimal stock in each size so two 2" and four 1 3/4". Then some 3/4" x 8" bolts, nuts and washers.
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Four 3" pieces of tube marked for notching. These are for the outer bushings.
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I clamped each tube to the trailer to use as a convenient work bench and used the angle grinder to rough out the notches. Then I finished them with the rasp and half round file, which turned out to have exactly a 1/2" radius (lucky).
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Outer bushings welded up and ready to tack onto the rear cross bar. Tacked them in place then welded them up. I did the same with the center bushing but used a longer piece of tube as that was getting bolted to the rear rail of the trailer.
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Layed the deck onto the trailer upside down to finish painting the cross bars.
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Flipped it over and positioned it with the center hinge tubes against the rear of the trailer frame. Drilled these for two 3/8" bolts each then mounted and repainted.
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And there it is.
View media item 61496
At some point, I parked it in the back yard and threw brush and scrap wood in it. Then it got full and just sat there. A few weeks ago, I took all the brush and scrap wood out of it, loaded it onto the tractor and took it to the burn pile. I threw the rotten deck and sides into the back of the truck for the dump since there were nails in them.
Recently, it's been like my second (3rd?) job cutting back brush lines, cutting up downed trees and picking up Sycamore limbs. I typically use the tractor bucket to load them up and carry them to the burn pile but I can only carry so much.
So it's time to build a flat bed. And, as a special bonus, we'll make the deck hinged so we can add hydraulics and make it dump too. Later. Much later since I don't know **** about hydraulics. In the mean time, a flat bed will have much more capacity for brush and limbs than the tractor bucket and lift arms.
View media item 61512
View media item 61511
Went to Lowe's and got some 5/4" x 8' PT boards and some 2" lag screws. This, along with some 1" sq. tube I already had on hand would form the new deck.
View media item 61510
Layed out the tubes across the boards and marked the screw positions by eye, about 1" in from each edge and approximately centered. I drilled all the holes on the drill press. I clamped them back in place on the boards and used used the holes to drill for the lag screws into the boards. I used a piece of tape on the drill bit to mark the depth at 2", which leaves about a 1/4" between the tip of the screw and the top of the deck. Each screw got a washer for good measure.
View media item 61508
I oriented all the boards with the grain this way (they are sitting here bottom up) so if they cup, the water runs off the top. I hope.
View media item 61509
To mount it to the back of the trailer frame, I went to Tractor Supply and scrounged up whatever bushings I could find in 3/4". They keep minimal stock in each size so two 2" and four 1 3/4". Then some 3/4" x 8" bolts, nuts and washers.
View media item 61507
Four 3" pieces of tube marked for notching. These are for the outer bushings.
View media item 61506
I clamped each tube to the trailer to use as a convenient work bench and used the angle grinder to rough out the notches. Then I finished them with the rasp and half round file, which turned out to have exactly a 1/2" radius (lucky).
View media item 61505View media item 61504View media item 61503
Outer bushings welded up and ready to tack onto the rear cross bar. Tacked them in place then welded them up. I did the same with the center bushing but used a longer piece of tube as that was getting bolted to the rear rail of the trailer.
View media item 61502View media item 61501
Layed the deck onto the trailer upside down to finish painting the cross bars.
View media item 61500
View media item 61499
Flipped it over and positioned it with the center hinge tubes against the rear of the trailer frame. Drilled these for two 3/8" bolts each then mounted and repainted.
View media item 61497View media item 61498
And there it is.
View media item 61496
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