A-frame or no A frame?

[2bits]

So my bonus is coming in Friday and if my boss lets me off I am going to pick up my 2x3x1/8 square tube, axle, and trailer lights Friday and have the trailer built on Saturday!

My concern/wonder is on the cub/modernaire design there is no A frame designated at the front of the trailer, and there are lots of people doing it that way. All the people I talk to say this is a weak design. These people are professional welders, but at the same time they are the same people told me I was crazy for removing a v8 to install an inline 6 in my truck because I knew it had plenty of power and 20mpg too (I think for myself) So while I respect their opinion, I do not want to do too much and detract from the look just because of the "macho factor".

Mine is going to be 10' long 5' wide. 3/4" plywood sides. I can go either way, and $$ is not a factory in this situation because right is right as far as I am concerned, but at the same time, waste is waste.

So please help me out with your opinions as I enter in to the first phase of my teardrop build!

[bobhenry]

Mine had a little front wiggle that concerned me since I didn't have a front wall to act as a shear wall to prevent distortion. I built the front cabinet with a 1/2 osb back to stiffen it up. The frame was all 2x2 an like you I was able to screw thru my side walls into the frame.As soon as the rear panel of the cabinet was in place no more wiggle. I then built a similar front panel but without the skin then glued and nailed on the top and bottom panels.
Very light 2x2 construction and all 1/4 luan except the rear stiffner panel.
If I had had at my disposal a table saw the would have had 1/2 lap joints in all the framing making it even stronger.



OOPS your talking about the frames not internal bracing !

[GPW]

They're right , of course , the A frame would be stronger... Safety First eh ...!!!

[BrwBier]

Many trailers are built with no a frame and work out quite well. Is the reason some build with an a frame to attach a tongue box? I have seen ones with a tongue box and thought that they looked great and some with out and thought that they looked very sleek and couldn't imangine a tongue box on them.
Brwbier

[Nitetimes]

A few here have had an issue with some minor swaying that went away after the addition of the A frame to the tongue.

[Keith]

Thomas,

We built three trailers all with exact frames as pictures. One of the three had a problem with swaying side to side another one had a problem with excessive tongue flex up and down. It was more of an annoyance looking back and seeing it swaying then anything. It wasn't swaying enough for you to feel it inside the vehicle.

The tongues are 2X2X1/4" wall and we didn't think we would need an a-frame tongue with them. The trailers are 5' X 10' Modernistic style. We ended up welding in an a-frame and it stopped the problem.



Keith

[Gerdo]

I'm assuming you are talking about tongue design.

There are a ton of trailers with a single tube tongue. I had a utility trailer with a 2x3 single tube tongue and when loaded and at highway speeds it would sway. I added some "A" frame bracing and it dissapeared.

A single tube tongus made from, say, a 2x3 the strength is vertical (3") but there is less horizontal strength (2"). IF you go with a single tube tongue a 3x3 would be better.

The heavier the trailer the more horizontal flex you get.

I'm a firm beliver in "A" frame tongues. When you get into bigger trailers they are "A" frames. If it is good enough for them then it is good enough for me. This is one place I will never scrimp.

[2bits]

I could go with or without a tongue box, I think done correctly they can look good. I was just thinking that if these were the way they were built back then and they were fine then I wanted to keep the classic look and the clean design of a single bar tongue. With the responses, I am going to go ahead and build it with an A-Frame tongue. Thanks!

[Mini Renegade]

mine has a straight bar not an A frame, whilst I haven`t towed it yet I cant comment. What I have noticed though is the side to side flex when getting in , this stops with stabiliser legs down though