Trailer size and design question

[scoutleader]

I have a 4x8 fold up trailer in need of hubs, tires, and new receiver. My question is there a design that I could build on this frame that would let me have one queen size bed and maybe a fold down full bed? I was thinking about building something that would come out even with the wheels. I would like the wheels to not be totally by the body but a cut out around them. I do not trust a blow out from a tire. I would still line the opening with metal to keep from having a tire eat at the body.
I do not want anything fancy on the inside, just a place to rest our heads from a good day on the river or trails. Also want to keep the weight down due to the long haul vehicle does not have a great tow rate(1200 lbs).
Is all this possible?
Danny

[robert johnson]

Danny, take a look at the "vintage plans" at the top of the page. The Lil'Guy might work if you left out the kitchen and made a foldable bed up front. there are a lot of good ideas if you study vintage plans.

good luck......Bob

[Alphacarina]

Easier (and cheaper in the long run) than planning and designing for a blowout is to buy wheels and tires more suitable for the speed and load so that you never, ever have a blowout in the first place

My brother has about 20,000 miles on a 14,000 pound 5th wheel RV which rolls on 4 Load Range 'E' 235/85-16 radial tires on 8 lug wheels bolted to a pair of 8,000 pound axles. The tires are the same ones his diesel pickup uses, and he's never ever had any 'tire issues' with either the trailer or the truck - With 75 to 80 PSI in the tires, they run stone cold

Good tires for a teardrop are much cheaper and easier to find . . . . but if you're dead set on using the Chinese made 12 inch ones that come with the Harbor Freight trailers, then maybe designing for an occasional blowout would be a good thing

Don

[tomsglr]

If you are going to have the tires under the body you can do it like this.

Just build the frame around the fenders. That way the wood is protected from spray off the tires and blowouts. You can also make the frame as wide as you want. 6' wide on the inside would probably let you put a full size fold down bed crossways. Mine is 5' on the inside.

[jeepr]

Isn't a queen size bed about 5' wide? If all I was worried about was sleeping. I would make a kind of bunk bed inside. The queen size on the bottom and the full size above it. If the trailer was 8' long, the upper bunk could be placed all the way toward the rear so the inside person on the bottom won't be sleeping in a hole. That arrangement would still give you around 18" of storage at the foot of the bottom bed.

Figure a queen is 60"x80" and a twin is 39"x75". If you made the top bunk fold up some how, you would have a ton of room inside. The hardest part to design out is the galley. I would at least make a rear hatch. It gives you a lot more options down the road.

[mikeschn]

Just build a version of the Generic Benroy... which is 5' wide, about the size of a queen sized bed. Tweak things to fit what you got, and voila!!!

Mike...

[scoutleader]

Thanks everyone, since I will need to replace the hubs can I get a set that will let me run the bigger tires? Mike the Benroy is what I have been looking at since I found this site.

[bobhenry]

4x8 HF axle and tongue . Frame was trashed when the previous owner tried to load a 1200 # bolder on it. Chubby is 63" inside and has a queen size bed in it. After this shot I put 2 layers of 3/4 " foam to bring the floor level with the steel fenders which I left intact for protection . I then covered the foam with a layer of 7/16 osb over the fenders.

[scoutleader]

Bob,
What size tire are you running? I think this trailer came from Sam's about 1990? We used to haul our ATV and riding lawn mower. It has been sitting in the weeds at my brothers house for about 5 years. I will be going home in a few weeks and digging it out to find out what kind of shape it's in.
Danny

[bobhenry]

They are the HF 12" that came on my 40 x 48 motorcycle tear. I put the 8" off of this frame on the motorcycle tear to drop the tow height and put it's 12" on Chubby. I found out it is all but impossible to change a tire if the need arises on mine. Make sure you leave enough room to remove and reinstall the tires.