Lightweight Frame building

[roar]

HI,

After few month of reading it's now time to start the building of my teardrop.

I could not find good trailer that fit my need so i decided to build it. I will bolt it first and get it solderend later. But i don't know the minimal spec for the steell i should use to be safe and light weight (for now i only have a small car). my plan was usign a 2" X 2" X .100" steel square tubing to make a small 4' x 4' frame holding the suspention and the tong on it. And then make a 4' X 8' frame using 2"x2"x .100" corner bolted on top of the first one. The frame will be light around 120 lbs with out the suspention axle etc...

I'm on the right way?

Michel

[mikeschn]

Hey Roar... welcome to the forum,

That sounds a bit heavy. As Buford always says, you're building a teardrop trailer, not a trailer for a teardrop.

I propose you can build something like this, and never have another worry...



Lighter methods have been discussed, and even tried... but for a first time builder, I would stick with the basics...

If you want to do some interesting reading on how to lose an axle... go here... http://www.tinytears.cc/ and click on Tiny Tears Pictures -> Original Boxter


Mike...

[asianflava]

A lightweight frame is what I almost ended up with. Today I went to buy steel for the frame. I told the guy that I wanted 2 sticks of 2X2 1/8. He writes up my order, I pay and he gets someone to pull the order. When the guy brought it out, he was carrying it out on his shoulder. When he got closer I saw that it was aluminum! I went back inside and told them that I needed steel he said that they don't carry steel. I guess it was a minor oversight until the materials came out. "Metals" is part of their name so I thought they had steel too.

[Larwyn]

A lightweight frame is what I almost ended up with. Today I went to buy steel for the frame. I told the guy that I wanted 2 sticks of 2X2 1/8. He writes up my order, I pay and he gets someone to pull the order. When the guy brought it out, he was carrying it out on his shoulder. When he got closer I saw that it was aluminum! I went back inside and told them that I needed steel he said that they don't carry steel. I guess it was a minor oversight until the materials came out. "Metals" is part of their name so I thought they had steel too.

Asianflava,

Where did you go to accidentally find that aluminum? I'll be needing angle and flat aluminum soon and everbody around here only carries steel. I know Home Depot prices are far from the best on steel, probably worse on aluminum.

[roar]

I revised my 'design' a based the new one on your sugestion, I would like to build on like the one you show but the welding is the problem. I have no where near home to do it I will build it a way i can srew it and bring it to a shop that will solder it.

http://tinypic.com/view.html?pic=4ggd2q
http://tinypic.com/view.html?pic=4ggcj4


Roar

[mikeschn]

Roar,

That looks much too difficult to work around... First of all you don't have metal against metal when you bolt it together. Secondly you have a lot of legs sticking up in the air that you have to build a subfloor around. Instead, I would try to do an angle iron frame similar to this one...



Mike...

[ALAN GEDDES]

Mike, I like your frame design for him. Very similar to what I built last tme. The first was 2x 2 sq which was way too heavy and overkill. The last was 2 x 2 angle with only a 2 x 3 sq tongue. He could bolt that together and take it to be welded. A piece of anble must be welded under suspension area to form a box. I think you showed that in your picture.

[denverd0n]

Are you located in the United States? If so, Harbor Freight is your friend. If you want a lightweight trailer and can't weld up your own then one of the HF trailers is probably the best that you can do. Here's a link...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=90154

They're even on sale right now!

[roar]

mikeschn

I will go with somethig similar with your last picture thank's for your help.


denverd0n

I'm in Canada i contacted them and the shipping is higher then the price of the trailer at that price i can get it custom made by a local soldering shop.

I saw some used soldering kit i think i will got one a try to solder it myself (got some soldering course few year ago i hope i will be able to do a decent job)

Roar

[mikeschn]

Solder? Weld? Friction Weld? Spot Weld? Sweat?

Roar, you meant weld, right? Stick welding or MIG welding?

Mike...

[roar]

Stick welding, Has you can see english is not my first language and my english is not as precise i would like

Roar

[Guest]

Mike,
In that diagram you posted above, it looks like the swing arms of the torsion axle are pointing forward. That is backwards isn't it?

[mikeschn]

How the heck did that happen? Yes, the torsion arms should face to the rear. I'll have to get in there and flip the axle over!

Mike...

[angib]

It is not necessarily wrong to have the 'trailing' arms facing forwards - most of the small glassfibre trailer manufacturers (Scamp, etc) face them forwards because they're using torsion axles with an 'up' start angle (ie, the arm sticks up from the axle to the hub). They're trying to minimise ride height, which is why they're using an 'up' angle.

If an up-sloping trailing arm is hit by a bump with both upward and backward components - like driving over a curb - then the suspension is virtually rigid. By reversing the axle so that the arms face forwards, suspension compliance is maintained.

Andrew
Chief Techie, Boffins'r'Us

[mikeschn]

Here's the new bolt together trailer...

I've got the trailing arms facing to the rear...

Also flipped it over so you can see the underside!!!





Mike...

P.S. After you've got it bolted together, you can take it to your nearest muffler shop and let them throw a few welds on for you. Then you can remove the deck bolts, and they won't get in the way of installing the floor!