Modifying an Ironton 5x8

[plectrudis]

The Ironton 5x8 is on sale, and I'm thinking of buying it as a base for my Grumman, which will have something like a 5'4" x 10' base.

I'd rather not build over the tires, so am I right in thinking that I need to buy a longer axle to replace the one that comes with the kit?

If I do that, can I screw it on somehow and just take it to a welder for reinforcing, or can you only attach via welding?

Also, I'd like adorable oversized wheels like these:


or these:


Since my cabin's floor is 2' longer than the trailer, and I'm going to want to put a Climate Right AC on the tongue, am I right in thinking that I need a tongue extender?

To sum up, I'm thinking the trailer part of my build will require:
[list=]Ironton 5x8 trailer
wider axle
leaf-mount-suspensiony doohickies
replacement wheels (how big can I reasonably go?)
tongue extender[/list]

Ideally, I'll bolt all of this together myself, and then take it to a welder to reinforce the connections.

Is this a reasonable plan?

Am I missing anything?

Thanks so much for your help!

[KCStudly]

I am building 64 inch wide outside and if I had it to do over I would have listened to the good advice that peopled tried to give me and only built 60 inches wide. There isn't really that big of a difference cutting a queen size foam mattress down slightly, especially since you can comfortably sleep right up against the wall w/o any sense of falling out of bed.

That would give you the outside fenders that you want, will improve your plywood sizing options and cut yield (especially if using available 5 wide birch sheets), and would save you having to buy another axle.

If you are committed to 64 inches wide, you might consider a torsion style axle. Those would be much easier to bolt on, in fact, they are designed to be bolted on. They can be welded, too, but you have to be very careful not to overheat the rubber inserts, and AFIIK it is unnecessary to do so.

From my experience, if your axle has a 5 on 4.5 (5x4.5) bolt pattern, wheels that are sized to fit TJ style Jeeps ('97 thru '06) should work and clear the center hub, at least mine do. You might want to confirm the stud size/lug nut compatibility. Stock fit wheels have less positive offset and may cause problems with side wall or torsion swing arm clearance, but aftermarket wheels or wheels with close to zero offset will probably clear fine. Best to double check and measure before ordering. Aggie70/Tom does a great job of demonstrating how to check backspacing fitment in his Silver Beatle build. I highly recommend reading his thread as it has very clear and well reasoned explanations for dealing with many of the issues that often "bite" new builders.

[kludge]

Free shipping if you order from Amazon.

Might save you $100.

[plectrudis]

I think you've convinced me to go with the 5' wide, KC.

Though my dad thinks I need to upgrade to a torsion axle anyway--just for added safety. I'm still on the fence about this. I'm using 1/2" plywood exterior walls, and I won't be installing a lot of cabinetry, so based on the various weight estimations on this site, I don't think it's going to be a terribly heavy trailer--I'm thinking 1,100 to 1,200ish, and the trailer's rated for 1,950. And I like that it's supposed to be easy to find parts for a leaf axle, in an emergency. I dunno. Still pondering.

Either way, I'm going to get bigger wheels. Dad (Mr. Safety First) says little wheels are more subject to wear and failure. And, I point out, big tires are cuter! They're safer, he says, sternly. Okay, fine. They're safer. (But they're also cuter.)

Trailer is ordered, Kludge--thanks for the tip! Same price as Northern Tools, plus free shipping!