Newbie with questions

[Roly Nelson]

Just being an old woodworker, and having built 3 trailers on HF frames, I don't understand the negative comments about a unit built in China with China steel and China bolts and nuts. What can go wrong, do the nuts somehow become loose, especially with those self-tightening bolts? Once a trailer is built and bolted down to this trailer frame, I feel the trailer frame serves but one purpose, and that is as a unit onto which the spring shackles are bolted. Next time, (if there is another) I will simply bolt a section of angle iron onto the trailer box, above the wheel area, and then bolt on the Dexter units, no axle, no springs, no shackles. No trailer frame needed. Hey metal guys, where am I wrong? Whew, it is much easier for my old brain to just think about wood, but I have an open mind and willing to listen. Also, after packing the bearings with the correct grease, I have over 30,000 miles on my Chinese wheel bearings, so far. At rest stops I frequently feel the hubs for heat, but have found no problems
Roly

[Gold5one]

I remember seeing a 60 year old camper plan that used a heavy wood timber for a frame- - then they bolted two short pieces of angle above the axle to support the springs and 2 long pieces of angle iron bolted to that spring hangers, which went to the front to a ball hitch. No review of how it towed or how long it lasted.

[unituber]

Thanks Roly, your thought are mine too. If I do build another one, I would like to use bigger wheels and different fenders, I'm not crazy about the way mine looks now. I have not looked into it yet, but can I put bigger wheels on this trailer?

[Mary C]

I am very pleased with my trailer, The local store helped me get the extra wheel berings too. The reason people go with the HF trailer is about $600.00. Plus the cost of the welder like in these parts wanted so much I would be living on peanut butter sandwiches for six months. Brian, Chris and everone else, I would have loved for you to have built mine with breaks and the other Flex and Dexter but being that I live on $300. a month to buy food and what is left over is my play money some of us have to go the most inexpensive way we can. Now does that answer your question why so many of us go to the HF trailer. Bluntly stated we are not all rich Americans. I am not complaining but you asked the question. Why do so many people use the HF trailer. I know that some men use it because they are saving for retirement and others because their wives find other things to spend their money on so everyone is different. But I haven't had any problems with cheap chinese junk trailer............just saying.

Craig, you are doing fine we all started our build and most times we had our problems too!

Mary

[KennethW]

I am very pleased with my trailer, The local store helped me get the extra wheel berings too. The reason people go with the HF trailer is about $600.00. Plus the cost of the welder like in these parts wanted so much I would be living on peanut butter sandwiches for six months. Brian, Chris and everone else, I would have loved for you to have built mine with breaks and the other Flex and Dexter but being that I live on $300. a month to buy food and what is left over is my play money some of us have to go the most inexpensive way we can. Now does that answer your question why so many of us go to the HF trailer. Bluntly stated we are not all rich Americans. I am not complaining but you asked the question. Why do so many people use the HF trailer. I know that some men use it because they are saving for retirement and others because their wives find other things to spend their money on so everyone is different. But I haven't had any problems with cheap chinese junk trailer............just saying.

Craig, you are doing fine we all started our build and most times we had our problems too!

Mary

[aggie79]

I had a custom frame made for my teardrop but I also had a HF trailer for years. It was used and abused, but with proper maintenance it never let me down. Another reason people buy a HF trailer is ease of registration. If I ever have a need for another utility trailer that can fold up and store in my garage I would not hesitate to buy HF.

[felixx]

HF type trailers are not available in NZ
I got an arc welder for 26 bucks (2nd hand) and learnt to weld

a buggered old trailer routinely goes for $500 here, I built a new one with top quality hubs, stubs, coupling and lights for the same $

I had never used a welder before november (for me it was pure economics to build from scratch)

Good on you for getting it square and I hope the part arrives soon mate