GTS225 wrote:Well, I'm only an "eyeball engineer", so this is all opinion.
If it's an all welded structure, and the gussets and plating aren't bolted on, I wouldn't hesitate to pull it behind my truck. I think your plating could be reduced to .120" and still have the strength needed for the joint, especially as you're pie-cutting that rail, instead of a full angled cut and (essentially) butt welding the ends back together.
Personally, I don't care for the rather short length, as it's going to get critical for weight and balance loading. Get a bit too much aft of the axle, and your tongue weight is going to go away pretty quick. Backing up with that short of a trailer is going to get tricky, too. It'll jack knife on you in a hurry.
Don't scrimp on the lighting. There's too many "drivers" out there today that aren't paying attention to what's going on around them.
Roger
RJ Howell wrote:I do agree the tongue is habit short, but you center bar should extend forward to fit the hitch anyway, so extend 1-2ft. I have a short utility trailer that I have added a center bar to extend, it was a bear to back up!
I am a fan of the tongue assembly being under the box. By design you have a hybrid tongue, but the A portion doesn't support as it should. The A should go back to the second crossbar and be under it so no breaks in either the tongue or the crossbar.
That leads to my third point of what I like and that's the crossbars on the box are solid, not sections.
My 2 cents and worth each penny... Have fun and enjoy it!
Many designers make tongues at 30″ to 36″. I personally think that’s too short. When the tongue gets to the 40″ to 46″ length, that seems to be the sweet spot.
...the center of trailer axle is only going to be about 6'. Right now I'm not seeing how that will adversely affect anything...
My problem is putting the tongue under the frame without enlarging the trailer by 24" or so... I'm trying to make this thing as light as I possibly can within my means...tony.latham wrote:Not to be too critical but those gussets are overkill. One in each corner would be fine. If you put the tongue under the frame, you can eliminate them altogether....the center of trailer axle is only going to be about 6'. Right now I'm not seeing how that will adversely affect anything...
But keep cranking!
Tony
Yes, I had adopted the 50 degree (a-frame) because it appeared to me to offer more support than say running 45 degree side rails to the tongue to support it or just having a single tongue. I do have the a-frame coupler but now I think i'm going to extend the center tongue rail out at least a foot.Aguyfromohio wrote:If you plan to weld on a standard hitch coupler for the A frame know that they are built to a standard 50 degree angle.
That will determine how your A frame tongue looks.
I originally had .083 planned after having read information from this forum but speaking with others I'm questioning my ability to successfully weld it. I plan to use stick because a sufficient machine is available to me. Two migs are available but they're both light weight 90 amp.. I gained 40 lbs. on the frame overall with the 1/8" tubing and i'm still gnawing away at this...Aguyfromohio wrote:The 1/4 inch thick parts with 0.120 wall thickness tubes seems overly heavy for a little trailer like this. Should last forever, but almost half your total weight is committed to the frame and axle. You can probably get some of that weight back out of the frame and use it for payload.
I do have a 50 lb. tongue box and it will probably haul another 50 lbs or so. unloaded the tongue should have in excess of 20% but I may be miscalculating. My plan is to build the trailer with cargo box and then mount the axle. my ability to move it however is limited somewhat by 21" springs. My concern has actually been too much tongue weight but some trailers seem to be designed in excess of 30% tongue weight..Aguyfromohio wrote:The earlier comment about balance is important. Move the wheels as far back as you can to get some weight on the ball so it's stable. Consider making the whole trailer a bit longer just to allow you to get the the wheels back and the weight forward of the axle for stability.
Stable towing does not come from the shape of the trailer or tongue, it comes from having 15% of total weight on the ball, which in turn comes from placing the wheels far enough back on the trailer. A short tongue causes different problems - hard to control while backing up, and easier to damage the tow vehicle when the rig gets near jackknifed in a tight turn.
Philip wrote:Using 2x3 square tubing. Your not going to need all those gussets.
With expected loads under #1500 total weight. The 2x3 tubing is over kill also. For a trailer with that lite of weight load. I would be looking for 1x2" tubing.
The cross member at the front of your frame box. Notch it and slide it forward just a little to cover the weld of the tonque notch on your outer rail. That will provide all the support you need there. No need for the gussets.
Remember those gussets will be a point for road debris to pile up under the trailer. That will be the first place for the frame to rust out.
Philip wrote:At the attachment point of the axle on that smaller tubing. Use a piece of angle iron wide enough for the spring mount or torsion box mount. Then use a couple of gussets on the inside of the frame to stiffen it.
Return to Trailer and Chassis Secrets
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests