kick start

[satch]

Now that Doug has welcomed me (those drops are a work off art),It is time for the first question. I want to build a 5x9, but hf price for a 4x8 is hard to beat($250).I really don't like the "over the wheels" look, I thought widening the frame 6" each side, with a tortion axle and 13" tires(the hf has 12" 4 bolt). My biggest concern, is DMV regestration, should I reg before mods,or after,and as a utilitytrailer, or a camper. I got the fever to start building,and my girlfriend(who,btw, thinks this idea is totally nuts) thinks a 4x8 would be too small.I seem to agree.

[bobhenry]

I want to build a 5x9, but hf price for a 4x8 is hard to beat($250).I really don't like the "over the wheels" look, I thought widening the frame 6" each side, with a tortion axle and 13" tires(the hf has 12" 4 bolt). My biggest concern, is DMV regestration, should I reg before mods,or after,and as a utilitytrailer, or a camper. I got the fever to start building,and my girlfriend(who,btw, thinks this idea is totally nuts) thinks a 4x8 would be too small.I seem to agree.

If the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Dept is like it is here get it bolted together and throw a piece of plywood on it and plate it as a utility trailer. The more information you give them the more complicated your life becomes.

My wife watched me in the drive for 2 months shaking her head. She wanted nothing to do with my hairball idea UNTIL I ask her opinion on the galley. She was at my elbow with this idea and that. We had our 1st honest ot goodness campout on 1/19/08 went to 1 below with 15 below wind chill. It was the brain child of other forum members and I got caught up in the idea. She braved the cold and had a ball. She is still showing pictures around and telling stories.

Mine is a 5x10 but alas with wheels under. But I stiil like the results Hell I might even get it finished someday.

[toypusher]

Ya know, for the costs of buying and modifying an HF, you should about be able to just build a custom frame and have what you want. It might be a few bucks more, but you would have what you wanted in the first place.

I believe that registering a trailer as a utility trailer before building your tear would be easier and cheaper.

[satch]

I want to build a 5x9, but hf price for a 4x8 is hard to beat($250).I really don't like the "over the wheels" look, I thought widening the frame 6" each side, with a tortion axle and 13" tires(the hf has 12" 4 bolt). My biggest concern, is DMV regestration, should I reg before mods,or after,and as a utilitytrailer, or a camper. I got the fever to start building,and my girlfriend(who,btw, thinks this idea is totally nuts) thinks a 4x8 would be too small.I seem to agree.

If the Bureau of Motor Vehicle Dept is like it is here get it bolted together and throw a piece of plywood on it and plate it as a utility trailer. The more information you give them the more complicated your life becomes.

My wife watched me in the drive for 2 months shaking her head. She wanted nothing to do with my hairball idea UNTIL I ask her opinion on the galley. She was at my elbow with this idea and that. We had our 1st honest ot goodness campout on 1/19/08 went to 1 below with 15 below wind chill. It was the brain child of other forum members and I got caught up in the idea. She braved the cold and had a ball. She is still showing pictures around and telling stories.

Mine is a 5x10 but alas with wheels under. But I stiil like the results Hell I might even get it finished someday.

I think she wiil change her mind once I start, atleast my 8yr. daughter is ready to swing the hammer

[satch]

Ya know, for the costs of buying and modifying an HF, you should about be able to just build a custom frame and have what you want. It might be a few bucks more, but you would have what you wanted in the first place.

I believe that registering a trailer as a utility trailer before building your tear would be easier and cheaper.

Yeah,I'm sure, but I'm still floating ideas, plus I'm not sure if I trust my welding that far.

[bobhenry]

The frame you see in my pics was a damaged hf 4x8. The idiot tried to load a 1200 pound boulder on it and the backhoe operator dropped it. Frame was badly bent. I used the tongue and axle set only and a pair of square tube handrails a buddy gave me to replace the frame rails.

Last night I cut the 2x4's for the torsion box floor for and old school wheels out tear. I got the frame for free. Look around and stop and ask there are good donor trailers in every alley and farm back lot. Mine has abot a 1930 drop front axle for the carrier and a God awful mess of a steel frame. I guess they planned to haul a Sherman tank on it. I'll sawsall off a bunch of the unnecessary scrap iron. And will probably replace the tongue. ( Kinda short ). Keep your eyes open and you will probably find yourself adjusting your build to fit your found treasures.

[Dean_A]

I agree about registering it as a utility trailer. Every state has different rules, but once it's a Teardrop, it can get really confusing for the DMV folks to classify it, and you may end up paying more. I have my frame built by a welding shop that specialized in trailers, and they handled the reg. process for me for another 50 bucks. When I picked it up from them, it came with the VIN stamped on the tongue, and the plates and tags. Best 50 bucks I ever spent.

[satch]

I agree about registering it as a utility trailer. Every state has different rules, but once it's a Teardrop, it can get really confusing for the DMV folks to classify it, and you may end up paying more. I have my frame built by a welding shop that specialized in trailers, and they handled the reg. process for me for another 50 bucks. When I picked it up from them, it came with the VIN stamped on the tongue, and the plates and tags. Best 50 bucks I ever spent.

Thanks Dean, that will be an option I will look into

[doug hodder]

Ca. DMV isn't that bad. I've titled/ licensed 3 with receipts only on scratch built frames. I'm thinking it was like 35$ and about 45 min, including the wait. They have to install a VIN on mine. If you title it as a utility trailer, it may effect your ability to get the extra insurance on it if you want it. Mine are titled as "special construction". Just a thought. Doug

[satch]

Ca. DMV isn't that bad. I've titled/ licensed 3 with receipts only on scratch built frames. I'm thinking it was like 35$ and about 45 min, including the wait. They have to install a VIN on mine. If you title it as a utility trailer, it may effect your ability to get the extra insurance on it if you want it. Mine are titled as "special construction". Just a thought. Doug

thanks for the info bro, how's the weather up in "Hangtown"?

[southpennrailroad]

Hell do they ask you to define it once you have it built and have a load on it. Just tell them its a load once you have it built. As long as you don't have it over loaded it is still a utility trailer carrying a camper. It carried the supplies home and now it is carrying the same load only in different form. You didn;t get stoppe for bringing the material home did you?

[Aaron Coffee]

Here in South Dakota it is very little trouble to license a homebuilt trailer. Just fill out a form, have it weighed on a certified scale(I was lucky the DOT had a portable scale setup just 3 miles away), stamp or weld the vin number that is on the form on the trailer, and pay the license and title fee(seems like it was around $40). I didn't need to show reciepts or state a value. The only problem was I listed it as a teardrop and they wanted to know the manufacturer, so changed it to homebuilt. It is listed on the title as a 6 x 10 camper.

[doug hodder]

Hell do they ask you to define it once you have it built and have a load on it. Just tell them its a load once you have it built. As long as you don't have it over loaded it is still a utility trailer carrying a camper. It carried the supplies home and now it is carrying the same load only in different form. You didn;t get stoppe for bringing the material home did you?

Here in Ca. you can title/license it as a utility trailer. Thing is, if you want an extra insurance policy on it as a tear, it has to be titled as something other than utility. Here, the usual category is "special construction". I would think that most other states would have a similar policy. If you want to insure for 7K+, insurance on a 5x10 utility trailer probably would draw some attention from your insurance Co. I can only speak for the situation in Ca. DMV doesn't care how you title it...but the insurance co's will. Doug