7 x 14 Trail Boss

[crumvoc]

Those windows look fine to me. I have a 6x10 trailer and put a couple of 15"X30" awning windows. I think that was a good size for this trailer. Give a good deal of light/ventilation without claiming too much wall space. Also, nice looking blank slate trailer.

[Stormcrow]

The angled slider looks like it could work well with the shape of the trailer. (roadside)
McDave

Great idea! I held the window up against the trailer and unfortunately the angle is off just enough to make it look odd. That window also did not come with a screen, so due to those two issues I’ll probably stick with the smaller window. If the angle was a perfect match I would seriously consider using it and figuring out how to find another screen or make my own. Thank you for the input!

Those windows look fine to me. I have a 6x10 trailer and put a couple of 15"X30" awning windows. I think that was a good size for this trailer. Give a good deal of light/ventilation without claiming too much wall space. Also, nice looking blank slate trailer.

Your awing windows look good and I like the fact that when open there is ventilation across 100% of the window area versus only half of the sliding windows, but hey…it’s hard to argue with free! I think I’ll clean them up and start sourcing for replacement felt and seals.

[Stormcrow]

Received a care package from e-trailer, so far they have been living up to the positive reviews I’ve read about them. This shipment is the bolt-on kits for doing a spring-over conversion. I like to go a bit off the beaten path from time to time, so would like a bit of extra clearance.


Deviated from the provided instructions a bit…


They suggested placing “a tack weld” to keep it in place, even though it was designed to work as strictly a bolt-on application. I figure if a tack is good then a full-on weld would be better. Axles cleaned up and ready to align the new perches.


Everything put in place and made permanent. Nothing to brag about on the Welding Web forums, but hopefully good enough to keep me off of the “Trailer Fails” thread…


That's all I had time for last night. Next up is paint and re-installation.

[Stormcrow]

Finished up the spring-over conversion last night. Painted the new hardware on the axles the day before and it was dry enough for installation. While the trailer was in the air and before I put the axles back in I took advantage of the unobstructed view and sprayed a coat of primer on all the new frame-work for good measure.

Everything went together smoothly and looks like it netted me about 5 inches of clearance





Next up is wiring fun...

[Alan_H]

Looking good, I think you have some good ideas going into this one.

[McDave]

It probably won't matter since you are hauling quads, not a street bike, but I'm pretty sure the ramp angle changed when you lifted the trailer. The reason I mention it is because if my trailer (6x12) is in a nose low/tail high position the Harley will bottom out on the kickstand at the intersection of the ramp/floor. Just something to be aware of.
McDave

[Stormcrow]

Looking good, I think you have some good ideas going into this one.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and checking out my build!

It probably won't matter since you are hauling quads, not a street bike, but I'm pretty sure the ramp angle changed when you lifted the trailer. The reason I mention it is because if my trailer (6x12) is in a nose low/tail high position the Harley will bottom out on the kickstand at the intersection of the ramp/floor. Just something to be aware of.
McDave

I had thought of that, but don’t think it will add too much of an added angle for normal cargo and the quads. No motorcycles for me, but good to know in case I need to haul a friend’s bike or some such. I was also counting on the added height to help in mounting the spare tire on the outside of the ramp, too. A little bit of extra clearance between the tire and the ground when the ramp is down. Again, the input is appreciated!


My buddy came over yesterday and helped me with the electrical re-vamp. If you noticed in some of the older pics – from the factory the wires were run underneath the trailer through washers tacked to the cross-frame tubes. Essentially the lowest point on the trailer if you don’t count the axles. Not good for going over rough terrain, plus I eventually plan on foaming and then skinning the underside of the trailer so that would just get in the way. Decided to pull the wire through conduit as I had a bundle of ½” EMT laying around. So first thing was to start drilling holes



Quickly realized that the conduit would be crushed/kinked by the lift adapters, so had to add some height to the lift points. Project creep…more cutting and welding.


Wasn’t sure how I was going to handle the elbow’s and T’s, and my buddy suggested standard electrical boxes since we’re already using the conduit. This will make it easier to run the wire and perform any future maintenance/repairs when the bottom is skinned. Plus I had a few of those boxes laying around, too. ;-) Finished up the evening by cleaning the galvanization off the conduit, paint off the frame tubes, and then welding them in place so everything is nice and solid.


Not sure how much more progress will be made in the next couple of weeks with the holidays coming up.

[wanabxtrm]

Let me know how the ride changes on he axle swap, it's on my to do list, but don't want to pay a welder just yet, and don't trust 'bolt on'.

[Stormcrow]

Let me know how the ride changes on he axle swap, it's on my to do list, but don't want to pay a welder just yet, and don't trust 'bolt on'.

I've actually only towed it a few miles to my house, so not much experience on the "before" with this trailer. I'll keep you posted on the end result, though!


Picked up some new shoes for the trailer:


At this point a couple things became clear – First, the street side spline on the forward axle is bent. After putting the new tire on, it is definitely off-camber compared to the rest. I’m guessing it wasn’t quite as noticeable with the little donut tire on there and the full-sized tire made it painfully obvious. Time for another new axle.

Second – Whatever caused the bent axles also did a number on the tongue. With the trailer on the lift you can tell the c-channel has also been slightly bent.


This tongue-to-frame weld is cracked:


So that needs to be replaced, too. I picked up some 2” x 3” x .188” tubing that should do the trick. The coupler still looked to be in decent shape so managed to salvage that:


Cleaning off all the old paint



Measured and cut small sections of the new tubing and tacked into place:

[Stormcrow]

At this point I realized that I forgot to cap off the end already inside the coupler. Doh. So had to cut them out and finish that up.


Hopefully this doesn’t end up on the “Trailer Fails” thread on the Welding Web forum..


Removed the old c-channel


New assembly installed


I fabricated a small compartment for the wiring junction box and break-away battery to keep them out of the elements. Still need to make the cover.

[Stormcrow]

Minor update...had a little free time last night to fab up the brackets for the wiring junction and brake battery box




There's enough room in there for an additional bit of small gear, not sure what yet...but extra storage is always a plus. Next up is to square away the lid and then it should be ready to paint.

[hankaye]

Stormcrow, Howdy;

Did you check the old tongue to see if the VIN was stamped on it before
disposing of the remains? Not all but some manufactures place them there.

hank

PS. I have serious shop and tool envy of your facilities. Excellent looking work.

[Stormcrow]

Stormcrow, Howdy;

Did you check the old tongue to see if the VIN was stamped on it before
disposing of the remains? Not all but some manufactures place them there.

hank

PS. I have serious shop and tool envy of your facilities. Excellent looking work.

Yes sir, I did! The VIN is stamped on a piece of 3/16” x 1” strap that used to be welded to the top of the frame rail here:

I re-located it to the inside of the new frame rail, in the box, right next to the brake battery. No particular reason for that location, just seemed like a good place to put it.

The “remains” have been “relocated for future re-purposing”. I have a difficult time throwing anything metal away, never know when you might need it for something. When the small scraps pile gets too big I might try my hand at welding it together to form some sort of sculpture.

And thank you very much for the compliments. It’s been a bit of work to get here, but I still feel incredibly fortunate for all that I have.

[aggie79]

Very nice work!

[Stormcrow]

Very nice work!

Thank you! Your teardrop build is fantastic! I can only hope this cargo trailer will be 1/10th as nice. Right now I’d be happy with safe, functional, and reliable.


Got a little more done last night. Added a grounding stud to the frame (left the nuts on to keep weld splatter off the threads) and drilled a hole for the wiring harness to pass through.


Figured I’d try making some sort of lid for the box. The only material I had readily available in the size needed was some thin (22 gage, maybe?) sheet metal. I’d prefer thicker, but this will be good practice as using the brake isn’t something I’m very experienced at. When I do get around to picking up some thicker sheet I’ll flatten this cover and use it as a template. Attaching this to the tongue using some piano hinge I had left over from a jerry can mini-bar project. I was using a cutting wheel on the grinder to trim off excess when this happened:


Good reminder of why safety gear is important. Safety glasses, gloves, and guard on the grinder made the worst part of this incident having to get a new wheel out of the box.

Other than that it went on pretty smooth. Drilled a couple holes in the back of the box and welded nuts on the inside to keep the lid closed. Should be good enough for now to keep the elements out.