5x8' trailer mods

[Ign]

I had previously posted about a Hot Deal on these trailers. In fact, the deal was barely lukewarm but one user had mentioned he might want to see what mods I had planned so here's a start.

Will update more later.

Nothing here is groundbreaking fab, so if you have anything better to do with your time, perhaps better to do that.

I'll start with my single most pet-peeve on light duty trailers: the spring plates. They're ****** and unsafe.

Better plates on trucks and larger trailers are formed with BENDS in them so that when your u-bolts effectively act like a fine thread press the plates don't just curl around the leaf spring.

Option 2 is the bigger hammer method: in crudest terms usually anything thicker or bigger is stronger. Since I had some 1/2" flat bar just clogging the shop floor I used option 2

You can see in the "before" pic one plate was already bending. You can't achieve anything resembling a torque value if other parts of your assembly yield first....

Fortunately in my case the stock u-bolts had enough length to accommodate my thicker plates

 

[Ign]

Next was the 1-7/8" coupler. Just NO. There is no, none, zero reason for this stupidity. 2" and 2-5/16" should suffice for EVERYTHING bumper pull.

Furthermore there were 2 more problems with the tongue in my estimation:
1) when connected I happened to stand at the front deck and realized how "twisty" the single-tube tongue is, and
2) I really needed an 8" drop draw bar because the trailer tongue was so low.

I ordered a 2" BullDog clamshell coupler from Zoro and simultaneously raised the coupler about 3", and triangulated the tongue. All was accomplished with scrap sq tube I had lying around.

Also added a tongue jack.....'cause setting the coupler and wiring down in the mud and ice is BS

First pic "before"

 

[BroncoAZ]

Mods look good. I too despise 1 7/8” trailer balls.

 

[ndnchf]

Good thread, watching for more mods and ideas. Thanks

 

[bad_idea]

Nothing here is groundbreaking fab, so if you have anything better to do with your time, perhaps better to do that.

Sadly I have nothing better to do with my time. I am on the road wasting away in a hotel room waiting to go to work again. Spend my evenings drooling over you alls projects. Can't wait to get home and get back to mine. Worst part, I don't even have a trailer. Yet. Tucking ideas away for later. Looking good.

 

[Ign]

Sadly I have nothing better to do with my time. I am on the road wasting away in a hotel room waiting to go to work again. Spend my evenings drooling over you alls projects. Can't wait to get home and get back to mine. Worst part, I don't even have a trailer. Yet. Tucking ideas away for later. Looking good.

That was exactly my problem, wasting away on layovers returning from travel.

Most of everything I've done is metal fab 101 but I do feel the spring plates are overlooked.

Years ago I was watching an episode of Renovation Realities. The camera was following behind the homeowners who were pulling what looked to be a HF kit trailer. Suddenly I said to my then-wife, "Something with the trailer axle moved." Shortly thereafter the owners and camera crew came to same realization.

The show loved it 'cause it added to the drama.

Of course it's impossible to say what exactly failed as those shows never focus on details, instead showing a shot from afar of an axle no longer square to the deck....and the fact it was a HF trailer and thus ASSEMBLED by some consumer muddies the waters further....but still I have a sneaking suspicion of what caused their axle to go wonky

I later helped a friend assemble a HF kit and even with a basic 3/8" ratchet you keep chasing "snug" because the plates just keep bending LOL

 

[Strouty]

Next was the 1-7/8" coupler. Just NO. There is no, none, zero reason for this stupidity. 2" and 2-5/16" should suffice for EVERYTHING bumper pull.

Mods look good. I too despise 1 7/8” trailer balls.

1 7/8" trailer balls are like pennies.

 

[Ign]

1 7/8" trailer balls are like pennies.

Speaking of, $1 and .50 coins are EVERYWHERE in Ecuador. I know why we don't have many left in the States, we apparently shipped 'em all to Ecuador LOL

 

[fiftyv8]

This probably a timely reminder for all of us to check our U bolt tensions in general.

I know I was in total shock a couple of years ago to discover how loose my U bolt plate had become over time.

I ended up adding lock nuts to each thread from then on they have never moved...

 

[Ign]

Scrap u-bolts at the rear for tie-downs (remember I warned you this isn't groundbreaking fab!)

 

[Ign]

Here's a weird thing: these corners (pointing) were previously just open. But I felt like if I added tie-downs on the top rail at the rear it would just lever the rail inboard. I felt like closing up this corner might add a bit of rigidity to the rail if a strap is tugging on it.

 

[Ign]

Top rail tie-downs on the front half of the trailer

For awhile TSC was selling these J-hooks as weld-on tie downs. They're nothing more than ratchet strap hooks minus the strap. They were cheap so I grabbed some just for occasions like this (2nd pic)

 

[sberry]

I got one in now I got walk out and fix,,,, I don't wanna, feel free to come help.

 

[Bretny]

You can never stop modding a good trailer if used regularly. Theres always something that can be usefull.

I have a 06 car trailer. Just last year i stripped it down and still added stuff to it. Mostly drive on fenders and more anchor points. You can never have to many anchor points.

 

[Ign]

You can never stop modding a good trailer if used regularly. Theres always something that can be usefull.

I have a 06 car trailer. Just last year i stripped it down and still added stuff to it. Mostly drive on fenders and more anchor points. You can never have to many anchor points.

No, and I'm astounded at the unsafe **** people do because of lack of anchors. And people are just too lazy or dumb to address the problem. You don't need welding capability, plenty of bolt-on D-rings out there and they're not that expensive at all

 

[ckcorder]

very nice work!!

 

[Bretny]

No, and I'm astounded at the unsafe **** people do because of lack of anchors. And people are just too lazy or dumb to address the problem. You don't need welding capability, plenty of bolt-on D-rings out there and they're not that expensive at all

And the ammount of worn through ratchet straps on the side of the road due to no good anchor point.

 

[Ign]

So I never officially finished my trailer, needing still to build a spare tire mount for it to be considered complete in my head. I have the spare itself, just no mount built yet LOL

However a friend has the same model but with wood deck. He wanted the bottom sides enclosed for hauling manure and 2' walls added all around.

I also installed a tongue jack and he too did not want the 1-7/8" ball so I cut it off for a 2" coupler.

I installed a total of 8 tie downs plus the front bump rail, which is just 1/2" Sch40 pipe (I have the die for my JD2).
Walls are 1/2-13 expanded.

One pic of test fitting the (my) spare BEFORE paint. One thing I love about mill+DRO+MachineryHandbook is dead-on 5-bolt bolt patterns (even though I only utilize three holes when I build spare tire mounts)