HF 4x8 trailer kit- for ony $254- build started

[Gold5one]

Harbor Freight emailed me a 10% off, "no restrictions" coupon this weekend. I stopped in today and bought the, $349.99, 1195 lb version, same one as I purchased in 2014. (I think it was $289). As the order was being rung up, I was offered the HF credit card and the clerk said I could get 20% off, so I said OK, AND I could still stack the 10% off coupon on top of the 20% off. = a $98 total discount- plus my FL sales tax brought the total to $271.
Steel futures have gone way up today and customers are crying about steel shortages again- trailer and RV prices are probably going up in 2021-
So, if any are looking for a lower cost frame option, sign up for HF emails and watch for the 10% off coupon, then apply for the credit card at time of purchase. The 20% off coupons seem to have disappeared here lately.
Now I just have to figure out what I am going to build-
I do know, it will be smaller and lighter than my first one = for better mpg.
Maybe, I can build it in 5 weeks instead of 5 months. Ready- set- go!

[Gold5one]

Well, I got started on the trailer after lunch today. Unlike on my last build, I am installing the folding hinges and rollers.

[Bezoar]

I enjoyed your weekender XL build thread - looking forward to what you plan next!

[Gold5one]

Well, it's a rolling chassis now. I don't much care for the messy job of cleaning out the Chinese blue goo from the bearings and repacking them.
Tomorrow I will finish the odds and ends, lights and wiring.
To pull the rear bearing and seal from the hub, you remove outer bearing, then replace the washer and nut and give the tire a medium jerk to pop out the bearing from the hub, as shown in the middle picture.
It was a very comfortable 77 degrees here today.
This time around, I found out the axle shaft was higher and easier to work on, if you fold and stand the the trailer up on it's storage rollers for that step.






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[Gold5one]

I finally got started on my second build. This is going to be my dollar a pound build.
I have 65lbs of material in that picture- probably around $120 ( or will it be $2/lb?)spent so far. It looks like finished lumber is around $1.00 to $1.50 per board foot right now. Prices took a jump from last month, too. A lot of homes got damaged by hurricanes last year, plus the new home construction has sucked up all the mill capacity.
My last build was close to 1000 lbs empty- this one will be a lot lighter.
The box will be 52" tall x 54" wide = 10" narrower and 10' lower than my Weekender XL.
I measured my new 2020 Dodge Journey and arrived at those dimensions as the max I could have and still manage to be in the wind draft of the SUV.
Door will be in the back.
One single bed along the side -and it will fold up to the sidewall.
Undecided on name for the build yet- Clipper? for small, fast build and I clipped the cost every way I could, just like Bob Henry would.
In about 2 weeks I will start a build journal.
Mark

[TimC]

Exciting! I will be watching this one. I'd like to build a no-frills, light weight trailer on my next build. Will probably go with a foamie as I am enjoying building my sons new foamie and it will be light!

[Gold5one]

I got a call for an OT job in PA, so I left a couple weeks ago. Today, I went to the Lowes up here and I found some nice looking 3 core Luan for $16 a sheet. We don't have that in FL.
So when the job is over, I may be bringing some of it home with me. I saw a guy carrying a new miter saw to his truck and I told him- "we can afford to buy the power saw, but not the lumber! He agreed-

[Gold5one]

I have been working a six-12hr OT job here in Massachusetts- going on 3 weeks now- one more week to go. Today I bought the plywood at Home Depot to start the build - it's a 5.5mm laun type that is made with exterior glue. I can only find 1/4" bcx pine plywood for $37 a sheet where I live.
Five sheets of this cost me $86-
Florida's plywood prices almost made me cancel this project.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/7-32-in-x-4 ... 09#overlay
It was finally up 70 degrees here today- Home depot had about 120 sheets of this plywood this morning- but down to 13 sheets at closing time-
When I arrived at 3pm, the store looked like locusts had ravished the lumber section.



Loaded for the 1500 mile trip home into my 2020 Dodge Journey.

[Gold5one]

I finally got my hitch receiver installed- it took me several days to do by myself, no lift. That was no fun. I had an existing 3" drop ball hitch that worked fine flipped over.
I have been accumulating as much "free" wood as I can. A house down the street is being remodeled and the 2x4s in the top of the dumpster looked fine- just pull some nails out and rip down to size. Due to the sudden jump in gasoline prices, it's going to be about 6" lower now, so the camper will draft behind my car for max mpg. I hope to get started this next week. That 1/4" bcx pine plywood is now $42/sheet- about what I paid for a sheet of 1/2" cdx a few months ago. The weekend warrior/personal home improvement business has dried up at the big box stores for now.

[QueticoBill]

I'm enjoying your build Gold!

[Tom&Shelly]

The weekend warrior/personal home improvement business has dried up at the big box stores for now.

We used to be allowed to scavenge wood at the "transfer station", but there never seemed to be anything worth taking. Last week we saw several good pieces of 2x material in the pile, but there's a new boss enforcing the rules against scavenging (which is why the material was still there, I suppose).

Guess the new Dump King has to make a name for himself!

Tom

[Gold5one]

Well, I got some 2x4s from the dumpster yesterday and ripped them down today. But I had to do it without a table saw, as in a bout of garage cleaning a few years ago, I sold it. Not having that saw put me in a bind, but I put on my "Bob Henry" thinking hat and figured it out. I had a rusty Black & Decker Work Mate that I had saved from the trash pickup and today it rescued me. I was surprised how well my jerry-rigged ripping saw worked. I did buy a new 24t thin blade made for ripping. I sawed two 2x2s from each 2x4- of 7ft, 9ft, 11ft and 13ft lengths.I ended up with 120+ running feet of material= a savings of over $70. I bundled them up 4 each and wrapped packing tape around them in 3 or 4 places to keep them from warping- then stored them in the garage. I need to do some planning before I start cutting up the studding I made today.
I just used 4 screws to anchor the saw down. I had a safety person ready to pull the saw plug out in case I had a jam up.

[bobhenry]

I applaud you and your thinking

I approached the same problem a bit differently when I was without a table saw I cut a kerf in a 18 x 24 piece of 3/4 plywood and drilled 4 holes in the skid plate of my old saw. I bolted it underslung and then screwed a guide to the right width directly into the plywood base. It was far more dangerous than yours as I was staring at an unguarded blade.

[tony.latham]

"we can afford to buy the power saw, but not the lumber! He agreed-

I ran into that guy at the lumber yard hiding behind a bunk of 2 x 8's.

I have no idea or care what the price of Bitcoin is. But every Monday I check the price of OSB at Home Depot to track lumber prices. It's dropped $10 this week so hopefully...

Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

I have no idea or care what the price of Bitcoin is. But every Monday I check the price of OSB at Home Depot to track lumber prices. It's dropped $10 this week so hopefully...

Tony

When I decided to retire, we tried to consider everything that could go wrong financially. An unexpected disaster in the world economy causing inflation did actually come up (at least in my mind), but if you worry about every unlikely possibility, you'll never do anything.

Now, if we can get beef prices down...to say $3/pound.

Tom