Ideas going through my thick head

[frank_a]

A few weeks ago I dug an old axle out of a clump of trees on the north side of the house. It had hid there for maybe three years, since somebody gave me a badly abused and rusting utility trailer. I scrapped the frame and kept the axle, springs and spring holder. As I got it in the shop, thinking what I could do with it, it hit me - build a TD! Fast forward a couple weeks. Hubs are almost done, axle looks okay (more to come), springs and spring holders are shot, junk. I could use this axle for a TD, or could buy something different. Still trying to figure that out. I do expect any trailer I build to have springs and shocks on hangers that can be positioned wherever best for stability and tongue weight.

I'm a hobbyist welder and fabricator whose shop has a very unlevel floor, useless for building a frame on. Our last house had a great shop, a very level floor and was easy to build frames on. As a hobbyist, I usually build a frame three times before it's level and the diagonals are equal. As a result, I am fascinated by bolt together trailers. I see one or more home-built bolt-together trailers on this forum, and am very familiar with HF trailers, having bolted one together years ago. I am equipped for precise drilling, with a floor mount drill press (goes down to 250 rpm for steel) and years of experience drilling holes, tapping, cutting threads with dies, etc. I have built a car from scratch (t-bucket), and just finished restoring a classic speedboat. I love doing stuff like that!

We have two tow vehicles, a Subaru Outback which will do 2600#s, and my 4 cylinder GMC Canyon which will tow up to 2300#s.

I'd like to build a TD big enough for a queen bed (60 X 80), so it probably won't be "cute." I'd like it to be light (i.e., not "overbuilt"). There's three 5 X 10's the in the design library I like, but I have some questions.

Could I do a 5X10 with a bolt together frame?

Could I build a rectangular 2X1/8" angle frame just big enough for some adjustment for the spring holders (maybe 4'L) and triangulate angle towards the front to connect with a tongue? What size tongue? 3X1/8"?

I've been enjoying going through the posts on this chassis forum for a couple weeks. I would very much enjoy any thoughts, suggestions, and/or ideas that will help me move this idea to reality. Thanks!

Frank

[bobhenry]

I'd like to build a TD big enough for a queen bed (60 X 80), so it probably won't be "cute." I'd like it to be light (i.e., not "overbuilt"). There's three 5 X 10's the in the design library I like, but I have some questions.

Could I do a 5X10 with a bolt together frame?

Frank

Well maybe not "cute" just "handsom"



and yes it has a queen sized pillow top Serta that we love.

and yes it is setting on a hybrid bent up old Harbor Freight frame I modified. Start at the very back of my album if you dare to look

a 6 x 12 workbench is not impossible many have built a temporary stand on saw horses to build the frame on. just slide a piece of flat steel plate under the areas to be welded to use as a heat sink.

P.S. I have ran the main tongue tube front to rear and used the rear end as a class 2 hitch reciever for a bike rack or whatever.

Yep there gonna tell ya it adds too much weight

[frank_a]

This is the one with the handrail frame Bob? I've looked at your stuff a number of times. Nice job.

It's bad enough affording steel for a frame, let alone buying a 6X12 piece of plate to weld on. I do not have any space I could occupy with a nearly immovable object like that. I'm not looking at doing a number of these frames, just one! Plus it's a budget concern. A 6X12 steel plate is just out of the question.

The heat and associated oddities that result from welding is one of the reasons I am fascinated by bolt-together frames. This is the kind of detail I enjoy. As long as the steel is cut correctly, and the bolt holes line up, their is no distortion, leveling problems, warpage, etc.

I also see a number of posts where folks say all you really need is a tongue/coupler and axle holder. That's what I'm getting at. Could I bolt together a simple rectangular chassis made from 2X1/8" angle, just big enough to hold the axle/spring set-up, then come forward at an angle from the front corners of said frame to near where the tongue meets the coupler? I could run a tongue all the way rear-ward, no problem. Is this nuts?

I have a long piece of 2" square tubing at home. I need to measure it, but I'm pretty sure it's 1/4" wall, maybe 3/16. What I've read here though leads me to believe a larger square is better and stronger, like 3X1/8"?

I won't be buying steel for a while yet, as I'm recovering from the costs of restoring a classic speedboat. Also, I need a new chop saw, and I want to get a good one. In the meantime, I'd like to figure out what the minimal chassis is that I could build.

Frank

[bobhenry]

Just a small 12" X 12" piece of 3/16 to 1/4 plate to keep from setting fire to a temporary plywood table.

I built mine in the back yard and later moved to the driveway !

[Alphacarina]

I'm a hobbyist welder and fabricator whose shop has a very unlevel floor, useless for building a frame on. Our last house had a great shop, a very level floor and was easy to build frames on. As a hobbyist, I usually build a frame three times before it's level and the diagonals are equal

Get 4 concrete blocks to work on - Much easier than bending down and working on the floor anyway

Buy or build a water level

http://factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/WaterLevel.htm

Use the water level to shim under the blocks so as to get the tops of all 4 of them exactly equal - Place your trailer frame pieces on the blocks and lightly tack weld the 4 corners. Measure your diagonals and tweak the frame until you have both diagonals exactly equal - The blocks will make sure it's level and doesn't have a twist. Weld everything up solid

Bolt together trailer frames are fine . . . . so long as you weld everything before you build on one

I've never had a floor level enough to count on it for welding something like a trailer frame, but it's easy to work around

Don

[48Rob]

I've never had a floor level enough to count on it for welding something like a trailer frame, but it's easy to work around

Don

I agree!

If you are "fabricating" coming up with creative solutions is part of the thought process that gets the job done.

Rob

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/1948rob/blog%20spot/0021.jpg">

[dh]

Just a thought on building level on a concrete floor. I keep a stack of 1/8" shims, a few 1/16" and 1/32" shims as well. Lay out first tube, level with shims. Lay out 2nd tube, level with shims...


EDIT:
I have also used wood carpentry shims for the same purpose, works well.