why are the welded trailers for sale so heavy?

[Deryk the Pirate]

I'm looking for a 5x8 trailer for my next build and considering a northern tools trailer but don't have a loading dock to ship to so its $495 plus $85 for the driver to slide the pallet to the lift gate....these trailers I see the curbwdeight to be 265lbs but I called a local place and they said the trailer weighed 465lbs.... is it really 200lbs in loading gate and siderails?

[Mightydog]

We had a local utility trailer builder make our two frames. The empty weight is 280 for a 5 by 8-foot frame. It's nothing but the chassis and tires/wheels. Maybe you could check around for a chassis builder for your project? I think we paid about $500 for ours and it came with tires on 13-inch rims.

[Dale M.]

Becasue they are made with real steel and not a box of stamped out parts....

Dale

[dh]

Becasue they are made with real steel and not a box of stamped out parts....

Dale

A trailer leaves my shop, it is designed to take some abuse. A bolt together job is usually designed to handle what it is rated for, no more. Some of the bolt together jobs don't even have a "real" axle.

[Deryk the Pirate]

Any advice to finding a place that welds trailer frames? I talked witha friend a few months ago who is a blacksmith and he said the cost of steel is pretty high that just materials to make a simple frame would be more then $500

Any one here from NJ area who makes trailers?

thanks

[dh]

What are you building on top of the frame? If you are building a light weight 5x8 teardrop with a wood sub floor frame and a torsion axle, you can probably roll in ubder $300 in steel. A heavy standie with no wood sub frame will be in the $600 Range. Sub frame means less X-members, no sub frame means more X-members.

[dh]

Find somebody who knows trailers. Try a phone book under welding, metal fabrication, etc. also try a local google search. I had a trailer in my shop a few years back that one of my competitors under bid me on. The frame wasn't true, and the axle was out of align. I was able to fix it to aliviate tire wear, but when he goes down the road the trailer isn't lined up straight and one wheel sticks out a fraction of an inch farther than the other.

[Shadow Catcher]

One alternative is to find an aluminum trailer.

[dguff]

I think the guy who quoted you 465 lbs just made a mistake.

Jerome

[aggie79]

Becasue they are made with real steel and not a box of stamped out parts....

Dale

Back when cars had frames, they were made from stamped steel. The purlins and girts in metal buildings are "stamped" steel (actually rolled from steel coil).

But back on topic, the section of the steel and the amount of the steel is the primary weight factor. 465# seems awfully high even if you throw in the axle, wheels, and tires. I'd ask them to check that weight again.

[dh]

I hate to be the bearer of truth, but vitually all structural steel is rolled, and rolling and stamping are different animals. Look at a section of rolled C-channle and compare to a section of stamped... No comparison, more material in the corners, tapered legs. Stamped steel has its place and may be just fine for a trailer, but the kits just arn't designed for abuse.

[dh]

Is 465 a shipping weight? Does it include a 2x PT floor? Search something along the lines of steel weight, there are numerous sources for weight info that will give you weight per foot on structural steel.

[aggie79]

Stamped steel has its place and may be just fine for a trailer, but the kits just arn't designed for abuse.

We are in agreement there.

If a trailer is engineered for a weight rating and on-road use, and you exceed that rating and/or use it off-road or in a manner that it was not designed for, then whether or not the steel/aluminum is hot or cold stamped, rolled, or extruded has no bearing as to its failure or durability. Abuse is abuse.

I have a HF utility trailer that seen fairly heavy use and sometimes abuse that has lasted for six years. But, for my teardrop, I have welded frame - 2"x2"x1/8" square tubing frame with 2"x2"x3/16" square tubing a-frame tongue.

[Deryk the Pirate]

Im leaning towards this http://www.franklintrailers.com/carry-on5x8.html the curb weight is 350 lbs, Im sure once i remove the gate and the side rails it has to drop down under 300lbs... I can get it for $588 plus tax... seems like a good deal...any thoughts? I might keep the forward rail for attaching the tongue box to it.

deryk

[bobhenry]

I'm looking for a 5x8 trailer for my next build and considering a northern tools trailer but don't have a loading dock to ship to so its $495 plus $85 for the driver to slide the pallet to the lift gate....these trailers I see the curbwdeight to be 265lbs but I called a local place and they said the trailer weighed 465lbs.... is it really 200lbs in loading gate and siderails?

I typed in "new Jersey Craigslist" and found nine 5x8 trailers from $50.00 to no higher than $450.00 some with extra tires wheeled jacks all kinds goodies. It can't be that tough and N.J. ain't that big, so they are out there.
I have a total of $385 dollars invested in not one but all three rolling chassis the first was a mashed $75.00 HF 4x8 The 2nd a nice 5x8 flat bed utility trailer for $250.00 and the 3rd a small aluminum one for $60.00. Start driving in the alleys and you will find 10 within miles of the house just walk up and ask the worst they are gonna say is" NO its not for sale "

OOPS forgot one.... I went up to see about buying this one and the guy said and I quote " Just get the damn thing out of here and it's yours" So I guess that's 4 chassis for 385 dollars HUH!



Coleman AC/Heat unit , Power vent, 2 way fridge, salvagable windows, cabinets and hardware, The bath in the rear is untouched and has a 4x4 deep soak tub. all the grey black and freshwater tanks are in place. Yep there are deals out there and I always have more time than money.