My hopefully lightweight 5x10

[itc217]

For those interested, (I know I was when I was researching before I started my build) I'm going to keep track of my:

Cost so far...
Steel, Metal Supermarkets (3x 10' 2x2x1/8, 1x 12' 2x3x1/8, 3x 56" 2x2x1/8 angle)- $197.98
A-frame coupler, Amazon- $16.98
Wood and foam, Menards (2x 4x8 1/2" Maple Ply, 10x 1/4" Luan, 3x 3/4" foam, 2x 1.5" foam, 2x 2" foam, 20x 10' 1x2)- $457.37 (ow)
Dexter axle- $468
Total so Far... $1139.35

Original Post-
Bought a couple hundred dollars of metal earlier this week after spending months drooling over this site then scouring the internet for a prebuilt, lightweight, torsion axle, braked 5x10 trailer (to no avail.) The metal was delivered today and I didn't waste any time gluing it together! I've got a 2x2x0.125 rectangle and a coupler with 2 six foot sticks of 2x3x0.125 stuck to it sitting in my garage. Tomorrow morning I'll put 'em together.



My inspiration for this build is the LG Silver Shadow sitting on the lot at my local RV dealer staring at me, a beautiful trailer but a bit to precious for my wallet! Besides, I needed a project. I think I'll skip the sink and built in stove, but I will add a 5000 BTU window rattler concealed inside the trailer in the rear overhead shelf (plans subject to change.) My goal for this trailer is LIGHTWEIGHT! I'm off to a bad start with a 5x10 instead of a 5x8 and a mandatory A/C, but I'll do my best to cross the finish line under 1000 lb. Wish me luck.

My plan is to skip cabinet doors with the possible exception of the lower galley door, in favor of shelves and cargo nets. I plan to build my walls from 1" HD foam with 1/8" ply skins. I'll weigh it up when I'm getting close to skinning, but I hope I have enough wiggle room to skin the thing in 0.040 mill finish aluminum. Paint doesn't appeal to me as it won't be store inside. We'll see (price may be a factor on this too... no idea how much it will run me.)

I have a 1 1/4 receiver tube on it's way from amazon, and before I fall asleep I hope to find and order 2 leveling jacks. Next on the list is an axle! Now's the big question... Dexter or Flexride? My current TV is a Golf TDI, which is pretty low to the ground. However, I see a new car in my relatively near future. Because of this, the adjustability of a Flexride appeals to me... how big of a deal will it be to find the appropriate rise/drop ball mount to make the trailer sit level if I get a small SUV for example? Another thing that concerns me is the sag of the Dexter over time... not sure if this is an issue or not. The biggest factor will most likely be price, I plan to find a local dealer or two and get a quote early next week for the Dexter. I think my wallet will be the deciding vote.

Anyway, I've started! I can't say whether or not it's a good start but I've got metal dust flyin' and the wife's support! (with 1 condition... the trailer gets A/C! ) Hopefully I'll have it done before the snow melts.

Ian

[Ned B]

Hey a Foamie, check out the summary of the 'big thread' for construction tips! You can find the summary here: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=56186 . Best of luck with the build, we'll be watching!

[itc217]

Not a foamie from my understanding of foamies, I won't be using canvas, I'll be skinning in plywood. I will be using adhesive instead of fasteners quite a bit. I believe in the strength of adhesive and the evils of fasteners when it comes to rot down the road...

Ian

[itc217]

Attached the tongue and moved everything over so the wife's car can fit in the garage again. Off to work, to be continued Wednesday evening!



Ian

[Junkboy999]

Off to a great start. Keep us posted.

[redmech]

Look forward to watching this go together.

[RandyG]

There are many choices of draw bars that will make your trailer ride level. Also check Northerntool for an axle, not too pricey.

[itc217]

I'm planning on a ST205/75R14 tire, or maybe a 14" LT. Using the ST205/75R14 I get a loaded radius of 11.6" from Goodyear, and a Dexter 0 deg low profile axle is -1.08. This puts the top of my coupler at 10.52". The tongue is 2"x3" steel, so it'll be 7.52" from the ground. The bottom of the back of my trailer will be 8.52" off the ground. If I add side facing receiver tubes it will be 6.5"... My question here is... how low is too low?

My Golf is quite low, manufacturer spec ground clearance is 4". This has never been a problem, but a car isn't a trailer being cantilevered around. I don't plan on taking my trailer offload any more than some gravel to get to the good campgrounds, but I also don't want to be too tall as I'd like the top to be as close to level with the roof of the car as possible. So... how low of a ground clearance can I get away with?

Ian

[itc217]

I updated my first post with my costs so far, I'll try to keep this updated as this was info I was really looking to find when I was first researching building a teardrop! I know some people don't keep track because ignorance is bliss, and I might regret not being one of those people by the end!

Made a little more progress, if you can see below the pile of new supplies you'll notice 3 new crossbars, pieces of 2x2x1/8 angle.



I put out feelers to a couple places for a Dexter axle, 60" frame, 75" hub face with electric brakes and EZ-Lube hubs. Most quotes have come back at around $425 delivered!!!! This seems MUCH higher then I was expecting... there are threads out there from 2012 where people say "buy a new axle, mine only set me back $130 with brakes." Maybe they're referring to leaf spring axles and I'm in fantasy land... but $425 seems at least $100 too high.

I'll be heading to the inlaws this weekend, so my trailer will be gathering regular dust instead of sawdust. Hopefully I'll have a post showing some real progress next weekend!

Ian

[KCStudly]

I think the axle pricing conundrum may be associated with the "my head in the sand so I don't get sticker shock on my build total" conundrum.

My 72" inch face to face Dexter D30 leaf spring axle was about $120 picked up, but with the big brakes (drum hubs, bearings and backing plate assemblies, and related hardware kits) the total ended up well over $400, about the same as your quote, IIRC.

I dunno where anyone is finding a new braked axle for that little money.

[aggie79]

Four or five years ago I paid about $270 for a dexter torsion axle without brakes. I also picked up the axle from a dealer so the price didn't include shipping. I think the price you were quoted sounds fair.

[tony.latham]

I ordered my 2000 lb Dexter torflex axle (without brakes) this summer and it was $270 delivered to my door. I ordered directly from Dexter.

[itc217]

Progress has been slow. No building last weekend and this weekend I spent my first night replacing the rear pads, rotors, and emergency brake cables on my Golf. Found both slide pins on the left locked solid. That explains the brakes squeaking for so long... It's like driving a new car now!

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Primed the trailer today. Wire cupped the whole thing and used rust-oleum professional oil based clean metal primer from HD sprayed on with my Wagner sprayer. I loved that thing when spraying the outside of my house with easy latex paint cleanup, but cleaning out this primer was a nightmare. That is, until I realized that denatured alcohol isn't mineral spirits... Oops. Bought some spirits and cleanup was a cinch. I'll tip her on her side to dry all day tomorrow and start on the wood...

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[minitugboattodd]

Take a look at utilitytrailerkit.com for kits with trailer axles, brakes or whatever you may need. They seem to have decent prices. Also look their other websites, Trailerpart.com for individual parts.

[itc217]

That's for the tip Todd, I actually looked at the kits on that site quite a bit but I guess my requirements were too specific.

I actually ended up ordering a Dexter axle a couple days ago, 0 degree start angle 60" frame 75.5" hub face with electric brakes and 1500 lb rubber. It set me back a hefty $428 delivered +$40 for the weld on hangers from Dexterpartsonline.com. Still cheaper than the quote I got from the Dexter factory direct. And much cheaper then the flexride.

Didn't make nearly as much progress as I hoped to this weekend, but I did get the paint on.

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Trouble was, it was too cold and rainy to paint outside and the paint made my garage stink so bad I couldn't work on anything else! Also, as you can see I didn't have much room to maneuver 4X8 sheets of ply around a 5x10 (14 with the tongue) trailer covered in wet paint in a two car garage...

Next weekend we're headed out cabin camping, I might get a little building squeezed in, we'll see!

Ian