5 x 10 tilt bed trailer

[lfrazer98]

Hello! Just found a 5 x 10 tilt bed trailer and was wondering if anyone on here has built a tear on a tilt bed? If so, did you weld the tongue to the frame, modify the tongue, move the axle, etc? I have a friend that said he could help me with welding, but otherwise, I do not have this skill. Just curious if it is worth buying a used tilt bed trailer, or if it is going to be too much trouble to modify it for my needs. Thanks!

Lauren

[Nobody]

Nothing wrong with a tilt bed trailer Lauren. Most I've seen really don't have the 'balance' correct for a teardrop, i.e. the axle is generally more centered in the length of the chassis rather than farther toward the rear as on most TDs. Also, you'd want to make sure that the tilt latch mechanism can be locked closed so there's no chance of an inadvertent tilt. My harbor freight 1800# trailer had a rudimentary tilt system but I never used it, just replaced the tilt release pins with automotive strength bolts & modified the tongue system to more suit my needs. If your trailer is otherwise suitable, go for it.

I'd recommend about a 60/40 toward the rear location for the axle to provide sufficient balance for your heavy items in the rear galley. The axle location on my HF chassis was very slightly toward the rear but I moved it a few inches more for balance; that & the additional length of the modified tongue provided good tongue weight/balance. We've towed the TD more'n 20K miles since its construction, with a 4cyl 4x4 Nissan, a v-6 Hyundai Santa Fe, & a v-6 4x4 Toyota Tacoma, all with no problems.

[lfrazer98]

Just got back from checking out the trailer and it was rusted really bad. It was 13 years old and rusted through in parts. Thank you for your thorough reply, but it looks like I am going to keep on looking. However, I do have a question for you. For the modifications that you mentioned in your post (modified tongue and moving the axle back), I assume that you had to weld. Is that correct?
Thanks!
Lauren

[Nobody]

No welding required Lauren. The only welding I did on my trailer was the 'perches' for the front stabilizer jacks. The tongue mod was all bolt on, using materials I had on hand (except the 2x2" tongue extension). Somewhere here on the forum I have a post on the procedures I used in the mod. Basically I just bolted a couple of pieces of 2" angle iron longitudinally under the first 2 cross members, removed the 'clunky' HF coupler, flipped the coupler base, ran the tongue extension through the upside down base & between the angle iron, drilled holes for 1/2" automotive grade bolts, bolted it all up, & added a new coupler & safety chains. I think there are pix somewhere in my album.

Oh yeah, when I moved the axle to the rear, I used the 2 steel cross members that fit 'back-to'back' & join the 1800# HF trailer. Those pieces fit exactly inside the side rails of the trailer & provide much greater rigidity for the chassis.The spring assembly is simply a piece of angle iron on which the springs/shackles are mounted, & bolts to the side rails. I just unbolted them, moved them back as far as possible to the next crossmember, squared them to the coupler, drilled a couple of new holes, & bolted 'em up. The wood 2x4 you see in the pic, I used to replace the 2 steel cross members I scavenged for the side rails. Since it is merely to support my floor frame at that location, more strength is not needed...

[lfrazer98]

Thanks for the info, Harvey. I just ended up purchasing a used 5 x 10 trailer. It was the right price, right size, and now I just have to get the proper tools to remove all the accessory metal (rails, ramp, etc). I am very exited to start my own build and the time is finally here. I will check out the photos that you have. It is great that so many people post their build photos. They help tremendously since there are so many ways to build these trailers. Do you have any suggestions about removing all the angle iron attached to my frame? IS it necessary to remove it all down to the bare frame? I will do some searches on here because I know a lot of people modify preexisting trailer frames.

Thanks a bunch! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Lauren

[working on it]

If you aren't set on a particular design yet, than you may be able to use the existing extra metal features of your trailer, without removing them. Depending on the height of the side rails (and front rail), you could use the rail to define the bottom of the door sill, set the cabin floor level slightly below that, and insulate and/or build subfloor storage on top of the existing trailer floor. The ramp (I presume it's on the rear) could remain where it is: use it as a rear porch/platform above the ground level. Raise your galley hatch, sit on a lawn chair on the ramp in the shade, etc....

[tac422]

Lauren,
Can you post a picture of your frame ?
Tac

[lfrazer98]

I just set up a build journal and it should be linked in my signature. I didn't think at all about leaving the metal on the frame. However, you did give me something to think about. I only have one picture in my build journal, but you both should be able to see the side rails and the mesh ramp. Thanks for the suggestions! Lauren

[d120]

a sawzall and a grinder and some goggles might come in handy

[lfrazer98]

Sawsall didn't seems to work well. Using the grinder right now and we got a lot done!