Harbor freight trailer

[Airspeed]

I am having no luck finding a trailer at a decent price,even people who are selling their Harbor freight trailers are asking for more than a new one.
I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new Harbor Freight trailer.
I assume for my 5'X10' tear I will need the larger one they sell, but can the 12" and 13" wheels be replaced with a 14" or 15" 5 lug rim or will I have to replace the hubs to do that?

Thanks Guys (and Gals!) Aaron

[asianflava]

Find someone with a welder and custom make a frame for your trailer. All it takes is some square tubing, an axle, wheels & tires, and a coupler. The friend with a welder should have a saw.

[Airspeed]

I have a MIG welder,horizontal metal cutting bandsaw,torch etc. But the cost of steel,axel,suspension,hubs,hitch and hardware adds up pretty fast.actually more than a new H.F.trailer. That is why I have been trying to find a used one or an old boat trailer. I have a boat trailer that would work perfect but it has a 64 Dorsett runabout sitting on it.
I am just trying to save some money so I can put more into the tear.
Thanks ! Aaron

[glassice]

Do you have a old scrap yard near you most seam to have old boat and old home build traillers that might help

[madjack]

Aaron...you can't easily or cheapy change out the HF wheels for larger ones...first the bolt pattern is all wrong and second, they are too close to the trailer body...the easiest way would be to chage out the axle/hubs which negates any money savings in buying a HF trailer in the first place...that is besides the point of difficulty in finding repalcement seals/bearings for many of the HF trailers...I am VERY partial to building your own...recently bought steel and a Dexter TorqFlite axle...the cost was 300 bucks...about what a HF trailer frame costs...they came with standard 5 on 4.5 hubs and can be ordered to accommodate any size wheels and tires...round, steel 10.75" wide fenders for 15" wheels cost 16 bucks apiece and lights...well you can spend very little very much so overall the cost was not out of line...IMNSHO...especially considering what you get....
madjack

[angib]

madjack,

This seems to be a common question and I think it would be good, especially for newbies, to put up a new (sticky) thread on 'Make Your Own Trailer Cost' or some such.

Of course you might feel the smart-arse who suggested it should volunteer to do it, so it's lucky I'm in the wrong country to do so.......

Perhaps somewhere for others to add their costs and sources? Of course the trick is then to avoid having an off-topic discussion on that thread.

Andrew

[madjack]

madjack,

This seems to be a common question and I think it would be good, especially for newbies, to put up a new (sticky) thread on 'Make Your Own Trailer Cost' or some such.

Of course you might feel the smart-arse who suggested it should volunteer to do it, so it's lucky I'm in the wrong country to do so.......

Perhaps somewhere for others to add their costs and sources? Of course the trick is then to avoid having an off-topic discussion on that thread.

Andrew

Andrew...a thread going off topic...here...on this board...surely you jest

...as far as the cost thing goes, I am starting a new build and hope to document cost for each segment of the build...the biggest problem is the fact that, depending on your location, your build technique, your ability to get a price break from Billy Bob and a whole host of variables make any such breakdown relatively useless to anyone besides your next door neighbor...but we shall see......
madjack

[critter]

Hey Madjack,
I was trying to keep up with cost of mine but then i thought if she ever finds this there aint gonna be no more good junk going on or in it!So i just throw all the reciepts away and guestamate... works for me, Mine cost about 600.00 . .give or take!

[madjack]

Critter, you are a wise man...the wife insisted on A/C so I ordered a Pet Cool...I am definitely hiding that bill....
madjack

[Arne]

I'm just going to hang this on this thread.... I unpacked, finally, a 1,800# h/f trailer I bought last year.. in prep for no. 2

The new one is made in China, not Romania or wherever (pretty much the same tailer as far as I can tell)... and it comes with a REAL trailer hitch... has a mounting plate and all... saved me some engineering work, and purchasing some parts... really nice.. instead of that crap screw-down clamp it had before.

And the plate angle almost matches my new design, so will be able to use it with a minor mod (on graph paper, not in real life).....

[Joanne]

I'm going to sound like a broken record, but here goes anyway. If you start with an existing trailer, be sure to find one that is mechanically sound. I started with an old trailer that needed a lot of work. I spent almost as much money getting it back into shape as I would have to start with raw materials. My trailer has hubs that aren't even made any longer so I may end up with an axle swap in the future.

With that caveat, a boat trailer can be a great starting point if you have the metal working skills. Many of them come with 15 inch rims and, generally speaking, you can find bearings, seals, and dust caps at any parts store.

It seems like one of the online trailer supply places had a "kit" that included all the hardware. You just supplied the steel and welding. I don't know if that would work or not.

Joanne

I have a MIG welder,horizontal metal cutting bandsaw,torch etc. But the cost of steel,axel,suspension,hubs,hitch and hardware adds up pretty fast.actually more than a new H.F.trailer. That is why I have been trying to find a used one or an old boat trailer. I have a boat trailer that would work perfect but it has a 64 Dorsett runabout sitting on it.
I am just trying to save some money so I can put more into the tear.
Thanks ! Aaron

[diverguy]

oh but Joanne, you have such a beautiful trailer. that speaks more than money. here is my two cents.
my cubby, 4 X 8 HF trailer, i bought for ease and convience. $229.00 and complete in one day. no welding and in my opinion quite sturdy. bearings dont go bad per say the grease just get dirty, and wears out the bearings. so i pack mine well and once a year. i have another trailer that i have used for years and the bearing are good as new. i pack often. downfall is i cant really say i built it all from scratch. but that is no biggie.
custom build your own trailer and you have the real PRIDE of building something. you can say i truly built this on my own. (as i will on my next.) help from buddies does not need to be revealed at the gas station.
just my opinion, i think either way is fine, just need to figure out what you want and go for it. as far as money goes. a hundred years from now it wont make any difference.

[cgray]

I would love to build my trailer from scratch, but honestly welding is not something you can just do. You have to learn it over time and experience.

I would love to have better suspension like the Dexter axle.

Then once you build the trailer out of raw metal you have to paint it to keep it from rusting away.

So the HF trailers are a really good deal once you add it up.

The redtrailers.com i have not decided if they are a good deal. They are twice the price and are constructed almost the same as HF except they have a better tongue build.

I have not called around, but i really dont think i will find a local welder that is willing to weld up $300 in materials for less then $300 in labor. Then on top of that i have to paint the trailer. So we are close to $700 right off the bat, but we get a custom setup which can be worth a lot!

If i were to try to buy this trailer pre built it would be $1k with the dexter axle (that is a quote i got for 5x8 with dexter). So i think you are still saving some money if you can find a welder that will do it for less then $500.

I am in the same dilemma! This is my first built. Now my secret weapon is i have experience with fiberglass and i hope to build the entire structure that goes on top of the trailer out of fiberglass and foam with a basic wood skeleton.

Are there any welders in Ohio that are willing to trade labor for fiberglass labor? Maybe this is the best way to get the best of both worlds. I build two fiberglass bodies and the welder builds two frames.

I think i got off topic, but i could not stop my fingers from typing!

[Kens]

I don't get it? Why don't more people buy the TSC trailer? Welded titled and AMERICAN go figure?

[asianflava]

One of the big advantages to a Hf trailer is that it is easier to get tagged in some states.