trailer welding

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trailer welding

Postby rhltechie » Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:47 pm

ok guys...and gals..i have asked my dad for help on this, he has been welding for longer than i have been living. he has asked me for steel types and sizes?? stuff of that sort...i have been looking around the site for installing of such and also axle and tongue stuff...and have found a hodge podge of sizes. if i wanted to build a 5x8 benroy is there a site that i could send him to look at for the actual build of the trailer?
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Re: trailer welding

Postby Steve_Cox » Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:07 pm

rhltechie wrote:ok guys...and gals..i have asked my dad for help on this, he has been welding for longer than i have been living. he has asked me for steel types and sizes?? stuff of that sort...i have been looking around the site for installing of such and also axle and tongue stuff...and have found a hodge podge of sizes. if i wanted to build a 5x8 benroy is there a site that i could send him to look at for the actual build of the trailer?


There is a place to look. At the top of the page there is a "trailer tutorial" follow the link. The information you seek starts on about page 13 or so.
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Postby G-force » Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:23 pm

It will be all mild steel. Common choices are 2x2 square tube with a 14gauge or 1/8" wall thickness. Some people use channel or angle iron. As for welding, if stick welding E6013 or E7018 are common choices. Mig or Tig an ER70S is standard for mild steel.
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Postby emiller » Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:29 pm

Here is Larry's and Diane's build that is very use full.
http://www.outbackteardrop.com/
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Postby Dale M. » Tue Sep 02, 2008 10:11 pm

emiller wrote:Here is Larry's and Diane's build that is very use full.
http://www.outbackteardrop.com/


Excellent build.... IF I can ever find the space, I will get my chassis out of storage and finish my build, based on this design...

Like Larry & Diane's build my frame is based on 2x2 by 1/8th wall mild steel tubing... Its probably a bit over build but then once finished it's not something I will have to worry about...

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Postby Alphacarina » Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:46 am

That's a great looking frame! - It would be even nicer though if it were equipped with a pair of Flexifide half axles. You could make it sit lots lower and even adjust the ride height after the trailer is completed

Since your Dad will be welding you something up from scratch, have him design it around a pair of 1400 pound Flexiride half axles (or 2,000 pound if your trailer will be heavier than 1,400 pounds)

http://www.southwestwheel.com/store/p-2317-1400-lb-torsion-half-axles.aspx

The arms on the axles are splined and you can adjust the ride height by just moving them up or down a few splines. The bolt pattern is a standard 5 lug so you can just just about anything you like for wheels and tires . . . . you can probablty even make it where the trailer can use the same spare as your tow vehicle, which makes it handy in that you won't need to carry a separate spare

2 X 2 by 1/8th tubing would be good with a 2 X 3 by 3/16ths tongue

Good luck!

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Postby angib » Thu Sep 04, 2008 3:33 pm

Flexiride now have a website that contains details and drawings of their half axles at http://www.ucfamerica.com/tech.html

Curiously, there's nothing at all about complete axles!

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Postby brian_bp » Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:12 pm

angib wrote:Flexiride now have a website that contains details and drawings of their half axles at http://www.ucfamerica.com/tech.html

Curiously, there's nothing at all about complete axles!

Andrew

I think that UCF's business model has them supplying components to other companies which then build the complete axle assemblies, so as a result there are no complete axles directly available from them. I think if you contact their sales department, they will refer you to a local distibutor, as they referred me when I contacted them.

The largest of their "components" are the complete half-axle assemblies; since they build them completely themselves, UCF publishes their specs.

To build a frame to fit a Flexiride "axle" (really a complete axle and suspension system), there are at least three options:
  1. design it to fit the UCF half-axles (data on the UCF site)
  2. design it to accept the Flexiride cartridges directly (i.e. include a crossmember sized and placed so that the cartridges plug into it; no data published that I have seen)
  3. design it to fit the complete axles from the supplier of your choice (who will get the parts from UCF, and should publish the needed mounting data)
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