The Plan ... so far

[jdarkoregon]

Webber, Its going to be awesome! Can't wait to see how it turns out. I hope mine can be just as good! It must be nice to be retired, I'm still slavin away just to try and keep my kids from going hungry.

John Oh Yeah, your drawings are absolutely AMAZING!

[GPW]

I was able to retire early(52) because in my "frivilious youth " I invested in the wife's education(she's got more degrees than a thermometer) ...Now she has the POWER JOB and I am the pool boy ..." coo coo ka choo".... and no kids , of course

Everybody down in these parts needs to be made aware of these TD trailers .... very usefull for this crowd.... and everyone asks me to build them one .... Ret. is my excuse ... Hey , now that I've got my BUGOUT ESCAPE POD finished (well ,never finished... but useable) The second one will be strictly for the "COOLNESS "... and FUN of course

[asianflava]

I was able to retire early(52) because in my "frivilious youth " I invested in the wife's education(she's got more degrees than a thermometer) ...Now she has the POWER JOB and I am the pool boy ..." coo coo ka choo".... and no kids , of course

That's my plan too, she's the one with the degrees and certifications. I told her, "I don't care if you make more money than me, just make shure it's A LOT MORE money than me."

[Laredo]

Sounds like the ideal place for a dual axle.

[GPW]

OOOOoooooo!!!!!??????? Now there's an idea????

Might be overkill ???? EH ???? It ain't THAT heavy!!! ....hahahahaha

[GPW]

While still waiting for the welder , I'm finishing up all the smaller details , like installing two fire extinguishers, a smoke alarm ,some flashlight hooks ,trim the threshold on the door... so many little things , and so many things I think of to add..... I'll need an 18 wheeler to pull it ....
Started collecting materials for the second one ... and now that I know what I really need I have time to shop around for the best price...already have the trailer (which I will modify / work over in advance this time ) and most of the wood... Cool !!!... and with the utter simplicity of this second one , many expensive problems will have been eliminated... and be the maximum usage for a trailer this size... My trailer (#2) is 54" wide ... so that's the new width ... alot smaller than the current 72 3/8" W

[GPW]

Hmmmm ? 54" wide trailer (outside of the frame )... sure would be nice to use 48" wide standard materials ??? How do I allow for that extra 6 " ?????? should I build the TD on a skid , bolt the skid down to the trailer on the outside ??? Build outside cabinets /storage ???? Any ideas ??? I could just mount the floor frame on the cross members and be done with it .... ????

[Miriam C.]

GPW
Mine is 6'4" and I just split the difference with ply down the middle on the bottom and built a box on top. I left 1/2" on each side so I could sit the side on the rail.

Enjoy this one
Miriam

[GPW]

Miriam , not quite sure what your description is describing ... got any pics ???

There are an awful lot of box trailers and utility trailers in the city now ... mostly for all the workers ....They are everywhere... all have these short tongues ... none over 4 feet ...shortening my 7 foot tongue , begins tomorrow ... simple fab job ... I'll take pics of the process , so anyone needing to modify a trailer will see our approach anyway ...

[GPW]

Today is Tongue Wednesday .... Ready to take the TD on it's longest voyage so far ... a couple blocks down the street to the welder... Will take pics for all who are interested in some trailer mods ... Fab is FUN !!!

[GPW]

Did the tongue modification , in "Big Daddy's " driveway ...he's the welder and the lead singer in the band , a natural front man , super welder, and a babe magnet at 67 .... hahahahaha TRUE !!!!
It was hot , overcast , but we still got sunburned ... but we got it done now and all I have to do is prime and paint ..... for some reason seems to tow better too (new coupler is nice/solid ) I have pics and will post as soon as I have the time to download the old school way ... welding shots ...
Our man, Jude (Chucklehead ) stopped by and we got a chance to really shoot the (your word here)....share ideas ,watch Tommy weld , and get sunburned , while his son got to play with the other junior on the 4WD , now he wants one .... AND THEN IT RAINED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GPW]

Musically :
Well I went to a welding party
had my trailer weld.... ded
Stayed out in the sun so long
My skin turned mighty red...

Glad to get that done .... Pulls nice now and not so long ... backed it in the driveway ... OK !!!! chipped all the slag and buffed the welds , then primed it with rustoleum .... and then it RAINED !!!!
Our man Jude on the left showed up to inspect the proceedings ... we had a good time ... !!!!

more results at http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/album_personal.php?user_id=2349&sid=957931138e45167ca5040bddbc39d1fd

[GPW]

Finally went to the local trailer place ... got a pair of nice tires and galv rims...and I asked him for a stud for my hub .... got one , but he told me , the replacement studs never go in as tight as the factory jobs... so he instructed me to put a little tack weld on the back so it doesn't come loose and rotate in the hub which would prevent removal of the nut , and wheel .... he said a little grease on the studs would prevent alot of problems like that ... ... good advice for us all ...

[GPW]

Update: All that's left to do now is change the tires and U bolts ... and that darn broken wheel stud ..... tried beating on it with a punch ... NO GO !!!
Everything else is done and the project awaits "christening"(?)...and a visit to The State Police ... for an ID #... wonder If I can get one of those "personalized license plates??? Hmmmmm.... BUG OUT...
WAY too much scraps left over, gotta' start on TD#2 (all I need is sides, got EVERYTHING else, even a trailer) after hurricane season , and this one will be Normal TD size (Not 150%) and built in my Studio .... cool !!! er, warm !!!

[GPW]

Revelations of how DUMB your humble narrator is is indicated by the fact that the wheel studs were screwed into the hub (?) We found out after we had drilled and cussed this part out the hard way ....DUH!!!! Old U bolts were quickly removed using a cut off wheel on a grinder ... tried a Portaband , but wouldn't fit ...Those lock nuts sure were tight .... I think I'd have preferred a lock washer and something that went on a little easier ...

Also . Premature failure of the luan surfaces indicate how badly I was screwed by the Home Depot ( which I will try to avoid from now on ).. cracking with the top grain , about every 16"... all across the roof (where it was bent ) Bends were not that sharp at all , leading me to the conclusion that they sold me C**P... I didn't know they had mahogany in CHINA....Possible that since the ply was applied cross grain on the roof , cracking was enabled .... has to be the gaps in the ply ...

I guess the fix will be a good sanding and some HEAVY DUTY roof type paint , or just glass the whole roof , paint and then be done with it ...this things too wide for aluminum , unless it was "seamed"...

Moral : Beware Box stores dealing in inferior merchandise... I know you guys have said it before , but it just bit me in the.......
Gosh , I sure have learned alot by building a TD ... FUN and educational ...
Not worried by the minor setbacks , just the Cosmic 10% denying force...
Ouspensky