Aluminum Trailer build thread

Robert Haas · Jul 29, 2013

I needed a well built light weight trailer that I can pull behind my TDI VW Golf and or my 2006 Honda Goldwing motorcycle,...yep I want to pull a trailer with my bike.

This trailer will be used as a motorcycle hauler, mostly my dirt bike but occasionally I want to put a sport bike on it for the occasional track day. I can not Imagine much things cooler then to pull up at the race track with my race bike being towed by my GoldWing.

I have built several trailers in the past out of steel, this time I want to try my hand at aluminum. Starting with a small sketch to calculate the amount of material I will need I dove right in.

main frame will be made out of .250 wall 4" x 1.625" channel

lay out is key to this build, pre cutting all holes on the perimeter and cross members while it is flat on the bench sure speeds this stuff up.

this is a 15" Makita chop saw with a carbide tipped blade, cuts aluminum like butter

this is the tail lights that I pre cut the holes for

Robert Haas · Jul 29, 2013

more to come

ilovevocs · Jul 29, 2013

Thanks for sharing your build. What are your plans for the axle and suspension?

scab · Jul 30, 2013

ilovevocs said:
Thanks for sharing your build. What are your plans for the axle and suspension?

A 5-1/2 ton Rockwell, probably.

bad_idea · Jul 30, 2013

Have you welded aluminum before? I HATE welding aluminum, mig or tig. It is too easy to have a nice looking weld with zero strength.

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

As far as welding Aluminum, I own a Miller 200 amp Syncowave but it just does not have the horsepower to do this heavy of a job so I will be using a spool gun on my Miller Mig. I have tested to destruction welds on this exact material before I began the build to assure myself that I was able to build this project to the strength and quality I require.
So going forward here. Once the main perimeter and cross members were cut and punched I built a level flat and square fixture to build on. (Basically a piece of 3/4" Melamie with a 2x4 frame screwed and glued underneath it siting on a set of saw horses on a level slab) The advantage to this is I can clamp the material down and hold it flat and square.

This view shows the perimeter going together.

Cross members going in The lumber laying on the table was temporary spreaders to keep everything straight.

the double cross members are located where the suspension will be mounted up later.

the main spine is a 2" x 3" .250" thick wall tube that will penetrate 3 cross members and terminate against the last cross bar.

the tongue side plates are reversed to place their flat side to the outside as it will be where the landing gear will mount later.

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

For suspension I will be using torsion bar spindles. They offer a nice ride as well as being simplistic to use as long as I engineer a good structure to mount them to.

a third piece of channel welded on the flat side down and welded to the other cross members takes care of the mounting point.

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

The plan will be for this trailer to have a lockable storage locker under the rear floor. To make that happen I needed to add a couple longitudinal pieces to the area behind the axle mount. this will support the deck when a bike is rolled on to it and will further strengthen the tail from deflecting.

one of the things I do on all my trailer builds is place caster wheels on the rear to prevent the trailer from dragging in and out of steep drive ways. So I used a piece of 1/2" thick plate as a mounting point for the caster.

this shows how far it will protrude

I fabbed up a floor for the bottom of the locker and welded it in as well as put in the walls around the caster pockets.

theoldwizard1 · Jul 30, 2013

Robert Haas said:
... main frame will be made out of .250 wall 4" x 1.625" channel ...

... the main spine is a 2" x 3" .250" thick wall tube that will penetrate 3 cross members and terminate against the last cross bar.

Why the difference in tubing size between the sides an the "main spine" ?

EDIT: I missed the fact that the sides were channel not box !

Once the main perimeter and cross members were cut and punched I built a level flat and square fixture to build on. (Basically a piece of 3/4" Melamie with a 2x4 frame screwed and glued underneath it siting on a set of saw horses on a level slab) The advantage to this is I can clamp the material down and hold it flat and square.

Smart ! Very Smart !! A good jig/build table always helps make a quality job ! :thumbup:

What are your spindles rated at and what size tires are you using ?

If you don't mind sharing, what did the basic materials cost ?

Jagmandave · Jul 30, 2013

Caster wheels are a great idea!

How will you compensate for weight front to back so you don't get too light or too heavy a tongue weight?

What will your final weight be? How will that compare to a steel trailer or a commercially built aluminum motorcycle trailer?

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

Time to flip it over and start the top. 3/16" aluminum diamond plate will make up the deck. I will be using Aircraft logistic cargo track as the heart and soul for the versatility of this build as you will see.

so this is the inside of the locker, three nice bays that will be very useful.

The landing gear I mentioned earlier needed a bolt on mount so I just built one out of .250" wall plate

Here you see the aircraft logistic track and the diamond plate. I welded down the track.

lighting and wiring going in in this shot.

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

theoldwizard1 said:
Why the difference in tubing size between the sides an the "main spine" ?

I wanted to "penetrate" the cross members to maintain integrity and strength

theoldwizard1 said:
Smart ! Very Smart !! A good jig/build table always helps make a quality job !

What are your spindles rated at and what size tires are you using ?

If you don't mind sharing, what did the basic materials cost ?

Spindles are rated @ 500#'s each the tires in these pics are not the final size will be using the tiny 8" wheels however full size class 3 bearings to compensate for the higher temperatures due to the elevated RPMs

Cost all in will be around 800.00 not counting consumables or labor.

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

Jagmandave said:
Caster wheels are a great idea!

How will you compensate for weight front to back so you don't get too light or too heavy a tongue weight?

What will your final weight be? How will that compare to a steel trailer or a commercially built aluminum motorcycle trailer?

using the old 33/66 ratio for sing axle trailers with 66% of the trailer measured from the ball to the axle.

Weight will be less then 300 LBS

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

more later

brawls43 · Jul 30, 2013

This is pretty cool, sub'ing for updates!

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

this brings me to finishing off the deck and the lid to the locker. pretty basic just cut to fit and install some off the shelf tool box latches sourced at the local truck/trailer outfitter about 12 bucks a piece. They fold flat and you can step on them with out hurting em so perfect for this application. Inside the locker I welded in the cut offs of the aircraft track so I can store the removable tie down cleats when they are not in use.

This brings me to the fenders, now due to the fact I am running little bitty wheels stock fenders are not easy to come by, however I did locate some that were close in dia. but too damn wide. So I decided to just use some old hot rodder tricks and section them

A piece of aluminum clamped on as a straight edge

break out the plasma cutter and cut these suckers up

half way done

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

Now just tune up the cut a little bit using the same straight edge as a guide

then tack weld them together.

more tacks (must keep the heat down)

continue tacking them together.

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

The tacks will become a continuous weld that I will grind flat and metal finish these, no filler needed.

Imcrazy · Jul 30, 2013

I would be curious where you find your best source of raw materials. I would like to make some aluminum trailer ramps but wouldnt know where to start looking for the materials.

Robert Haas · Jul 30, 2013

Imcrazy said:
I would be curious where you find your best source of raw materials. I would like to make some aluminum trailer ramps but wouldnt know where to start looking for the materials.

Local steel yards stock all the Aluminum I used in this project.

theoldwizard1 · Jul 30, 2013

Robert Haas said:
This trailer will be used as a motorcycle hauler, mostly my dirt bike but occasionally I want to put a sport bike on it for the occasional track day. I can not Imagine much things cooler then to pull up at the race track with my race bike being towed by my GoldWing.

Cool indeed, after your amazing build ! You need to spend a bit of time polishing that aluminum and then give it a shot of clear, maybe polyurethane ?

Stick with a good "high speed/high temperature" synthetic grease and you won't have any bearing/spindle problems.

Did you actually do any load calculations on the material (thickness, channel vs. box) or did you just go "rule of thumb" ? What Al alloy, 6061 ? What temper, T6 ?

Muggzy · Jul 30, 2013

REALLY nice build. I love the casters on the back since I have a steep driveway myself. I'm gonna have to add some to my ATV trailer :beer:

Great use of space with the storage boxes too

Imcrazy said:
I would be curious where you find your best source of raw materials. I would like to make some aluminum trailer ramps but wouldn't know where to start looking for the materials.

There's a company I use from time to time called onlinemetals.com they have pretty good customer service and very reasonable shipping rates

Robert Haas · Jul 31, 2013

sorting out some of the details here

mtnkrake · Jul 31, 2013

Did you hinge the locker lid or does it just lift off.

Robert Haas · Jul 31, 2013

rotty said:
Did you hinge the locker lid or does it just lift off.

lift off.

SSFOS · Jul 31, 2013

Really like the sticker - OverHaased

theoldwizard1 · Jul 31, 2013

SSFOS said:
Really like the sticker - OverHaased

!!!!!

Tiny tires ! I'm sure they are highway rated, correct !

matthew_turner · Jul 31, 2013

very nice!

Sorry if I missed it - Are the storage areas sealed or did you put in drain holes?

Where did you source the axle,...?

Robert Haas · Jul 31, 2013

Tires are DOT highway rated.

Locker area will be water tight, as well as upholstered with a tweed lining.

Started working on the ramp today. 3/16" aluminum 7' long. it has a couple lugs in the trailer end that lock it into the logistic aircraft track on the tail of the trailer so it wont slide off when in use. Still need to fabricate a spring latch that holds it from falling out.