What gauge?

[NightCap]

I was doing some wondering (dangerous most of the time) I wonder what gauge of steel harbor freight uses on their trailers. Do any of you know off hand? I got some real good advise from Doug on the gauge I want to use for a trailer but I am doing some comparisons.

[sdtripper2]

Nightcap:

For questions on harbor freight trailers you can call 1.800.444.3353

For example to answer your question for the 1800 LB trailer:
HF model 40597 ITEM 40597-0VGA HF 1800 LB.
HF CAPACITY SUPER HEAVY DUTY 48" x 96" UTILITY TRAILER WITH 5 LUG
12" WHEELS AND TIRES NOT FOLDABLE
Fenders 15 Gauge Formed Steel
Frame 11 Guage Steel

***

[bobhenry]

Bear in mind the frame rails on the HF trailers are cold rolled into what is refered to as a hat shape. These folds add strength to the rails much the same as a crease in a sheet of paper stiffens the sheet. So it's not the thickness alone but the form that adds strength.

[Arne]

A h/f trailer might seem a bit flexy, but once the box is on the top, it ain't going no where.....

When my homemade tongue broke (at an ill conceived butt weld with no reinforcing plating, my fault), the trailer slid down the highway for about 800 feet (from 55 mph to stop).... and even that butt weld held up for over 15,000 miles till I hit a huge pot hole in a construction area. Even then, it would have been okay, but I had flipped the axle to on top of the springs, and there wasn't much space between the axle and frame (only about 2 inches), and I'm sure it bottomed out, and that is what caused the weld to fracture

The only real damage to the trailer was when the wrecker tried to pull it up onto the bed of his trailer..

The broken tongue, unseen under the a/c box on the front caught on the lip of the wreckers trailer, and the frame was bent a bit by the winch cable pulling on the frame....

If I had noticed that and lifted it up over the lip, which I did too late, there would have been NO trailer damage at all..

oh, my new trailer has NO butt welds.....

[angib]

The data I've received is that the 1800lb HF trailer has a 2.25"x1.5"x11g(0.12") channel section frame and that is shown on my Tongue Strength page - it has a vertical strength that's a little bit more than a 2"x2"x14g(0.083") square tube.

However I've also seen reports that the tongue members of the 1800lb frame are actually a C-section, where the flanges curl back in on the 'open' side, which would make them quite a bit stronger.

With all you guys with HF trailers, surely there's someone who can accurately measure theirs?

Andrew

[doug hodder]

Nightcap...I think something to keep in mind is what is available near you for materials...Not all suppliers are going to have a complete selection of gauged material to pick from...you ought to call and see what they have or typcially carry as a regular, then formulate a plan of attack...anyway...just an idea...Doug

[Tear Les]

The data I've received is that the 1800lb HF trailer has a 2.25"x1.5"x11g(0.12") channel section frame and that is shown on my Tongue Strength page - it has a vertical strength that's a little bit more than a 2"x2"x14g(0.083") square tube.

However I've also seen reports that the tongue members of the 1800lb frame are actually a C-section, where the flanges curl back in on the 'open' side, which would make them quite a bit stronger.

With all you guys with HF trailers, surely there's someone who can accurately measure theirs?

Andrew

I forgot to measure the thickness of my crossmembers.

The main frame pieces around the perimeter of my 1740 lb HF trailer are all 1-1/2" X 3" X 1/8" (or some metric equivalent I suppose since they come from China). The crossmembers are all 1-1/2" X 2-3/4" X ???.

[Wangofree]

I'd like to interject a couple of things. I don't think HF offers the HF model 40597 ITEM 40597-0VGA HF 1800 LB trailer anymore. I've searched and couldn't seem to find it. HF says it's "discontinued". I believe the only alternative left is the 1740lb 4 x 8 Model 94564. I suppose this trailer will make an adequate frame for a tear.

My other question, looking at the instruction manual, I'm wondering if any fellas substitute the included metric bolts with some heavy duty stainless steel bolts or does anyone actually have these trailers welded up for extra strength? Is there enough steel to get a good weld, in addition to the bolts that are used for fabrication?

I'm planning on building this after my wife's 2 other projects, a carport and patio cover....so, in about 3 years, maybe.

Thanks.....Mike

[bdosborn]

My other question, looking at the instruction manual, I'm wondering if any fellas substitute the included metric bolts with some heavy duty stainless steel bolts or does anyone actually have these trailers welded up for extra strength?

I wouldn't use stainless steel bolts as they are usually ungraded and not very strong. I built my trailer twice, once with the bolts that came with the trailer and then again with grade 5 bolts and washers. The frame was *much* stiffer with grade 5 bolts. Some people have welded their HF frames but I think most of us are pretty happy with it bolted together.
Bruce

[Alphacarina]

The data I've received is that the 1800lb HF trailer has a 2.25"x1.5"x11g(0.12") channel section frame and that is shown on my Tongue Strength page - it has a vertical strength that's a little bit more than a 2"x2"x14g(0.083") square tube

So a simple box frame of 2 X 2 by 1/8th steel would be considerably stronger than an 1800 lb Harbor Freight trailer frame?

Here I go 'overbuilding' again

Still, I wouldn't consider a single 1/8th thick 2 X 2 (even without any butt welds) as sufficient for a tongue - I'll use 2 of them in a 'V' for that

Don

[steve wolverton]

Wow! What are the odds of your camper sliding to the side of the road where barricades were already set up? How lucky was that!

[Wangofree]

I wouldn't use stainless steel bolts as they are usually ungraded and not very strong. I built my trailer twice, once with the bolts that came with the trailer and then again with grade 5 bolts and washers. The frame was *much* stiffer with grade 5 bolts. Some people have welded their HF frames but I think most of us are pretty happy with it bolted together.
Bruce

Thanks Bruce, that's good to know.

Mike

[Joanne]

Wow! What are the odds of your camper sliding to the side of the road where barricades were already set up? How lucky was that!

[Tear Les]

I'd like to interject a couple of things. I don't think HF offers the HF model 40597 ITEM 40597-0VGA HF 1800 LB trailer anymore. I've searched and couldn't seem to find it. HF says it's "discontinued". I believe the only alternative left is the 1740lb 4 x 8 Model 94564. I suppose this trailer will make an adequate frame for a tear.

My other question, looking at the instruction manual, I'm wondering if any fellas substitute the included metric bolts with some heavy duty stainless steel bolts or does anyone actually have these trailers welded up for extra strength? Is there enough steel to get a good weld, in addition to the bolts that are used for fabrication?

I'm planning on building this after my wife's 2 other projects, a carport and patio cover....so, in about 3 years, maybe.

Thanks.....Mike

Hi Mike,

I got the HF1740 so that's the one I took the dimensions off of in the above post.

The bolts that came with my trailer are graded bolts (I'll have to go back and look at the markings to tell you which since I don't remember what they are now) with nylon locking nuts and they're hefty (I can measure them if you'd like but the bolts take a 17mm wrench and the nuts a 16mm. So what's that? Like maybe a 12mm bolt body?).

Once put together the trailer is very rigid. It's total overkill for the trailer I'll be building on it (a 10-footer) as I hope the total weight comes in around 1000 pounds but I did want the larger axle and 5-lug wheels.

I can't tell you how many boat trailers I've delivered to customers over the last 10 years; some of them rated to 12,000 pounds. Every last one of them has been bolted together and none of them has ever come back to us even after thousands of miles of use hauling very heavy (and frightfully expensive) boats.

This bit about welded trailers and bolted trailers is a bunch of hooey. If done properly they both work; if done improperly they both fail. I can guarantee that given what lawsuits are these days that if one or the other didn't work it wouldn't be on the market. All you can do is choose what makes you most comfortable and go with it. I'd never tell someone not to weld up a HF trailer if that was going to give them the peace-of-mind necessary to tow it without worry. It's pretty much 1/8" steel so it ought to weld without trouble.

My next trailer will be welded (and I know I'll build another already) but it's because I want specific dimensions and not because I feel the trailer will be better somehow; it just allows me more flexibility than a pre-cut bolt together kit trailer.

Good luck on the "Honey Do" list! (Mine's long too! )

[BrwBier]

[]

I wouldn't use stainless steel bolts as they are usually ungraded and not very strong. I built my trailer twice, once with the bolts that came with the trailer and then again with grade 5 bolts and washers. The frame was *much* stiffer with grade 5 bolts. Some people have welded their HF frames but I think most of us are pretty happy with it bolted together.
Bruce

I'm not an enginer or anything so maybe someone could explain how the grade of bolt could increase stiffness?