Custom Trailer Advice? - 5x9 Woodie

[PubUltraStar]

I've been lurking and pouring through the threads on this forum for the past couple of months. Finally made some design decisions, and have a trailer company ready to build a custom trailer for me. I plan on making a 5x9 teardrop, but it's going to be a woodie. I've seen may discussions on the placement of the axle, and other trailer discussions. I figured before I got to overwhelmed with the details, that I would simply ask others who have gone the custom trailer route, what their advice would be. I plan on using a torsion axle, versus springs, and hope to use 14" or 15" wheels. The trailer will have an A-Frame tongue, and I may have them include stabilizer jacks along the back. I decided on custom so I couldn't have to deal with cutting off the rails from a standard utility trailer, or have additional welds done on a Harbor Freight trailer. If the teardrop is going to be as nice as I picture it in my head, I might as well start with the strongest and best trailer for my build. Any and all advice for a newbie is much appreciated.

[KCStudly]

Work out as many details as you can and at least do a "to scale" drawing, if not a full scale cardboard mock up of your sidewall and door.

Door size and location (so that you can sit and spin into the cabin without having to work too hard to get into your laying position), IMO, should take priority over bulky/showy fenders and final axle location. Fit the door size and location to the human form; then determine what size and style of fender you need to fit your chosen tire/wheel (and/or taste); then put the axle where it does not interfere with the door (probably as close to the door as comfortable, depending on other weight balance considerations). If you can put it where the rule of thumb balance point or Angib's spreadsheet says to, then so much the better.

That's my plan, I made sure I could put the door where I wanted it, then checked my fenders and tires against the rule of thumb, and I am keeping an open mind on how I will arrange the heavier items: 12v battery(ies), CI cookware, water jugs, etc.

[eamarquardt]

Hi,

I like your choice of a custom trailer.

Folks have all sorts of thoughts, spreadsheets, and SWAGS on axle placement. Some get it right the first time. Some don't. There have been several posts about moving axles to get an acceptable balance. IMHO the best way to place your axles is AFTER you finish your build. Sound's crazy right?

It works. I imagine that you're gonna use tubing for your frame. If so all you have to do is mount the spring hangers to some angle iron or say 3/8" thick bar stock. We'll call this the spring hanger assembly Drill holes in the angle or bar stock and take a piece of 1/8" strap and weld nuts to it that match up to the holes in your angle iron or bar stock with the spring hangers welded to them. We'll call this piece the "strap nut assembly. Then you build your frame and leave the two longitudinal tubes open at the end. Clamp the axle to your frame so you can move it around during your build if you like. Then build and finish your cabin. Load it up just as you'll be using it. Then move the axle to the point where you get the optimum balance and tongue weight. Drill holes in the longitudinal frame members where required to bolt the spring hanger assemblies in place. Then take the "strap nut assembly' and slide it into the longitudinal frame members till it lines up with your spring hanger assembly. Bolt the "spring hanger assembly" to the tubes by going trough the "spring hanger assembly" through the longitudinal frame member and into the "strap nut assembly.

Sounds complicated huh? Not really. The cost of the extra pieces of steel is nominal. To cut the four pieces of metal required only takes a few minutes. Drilling 3-4 holes in each of the two spring hanger pieces and strap nut pieces should take only a few minutes to lay out and a few minutes to drill. Welding 3-4 nuts on the strap nut assembly will only take a few minutes. Then drilling 3-4 holes in the tubes doesn't take long at all. Even if you have your builder do all of this I doubt that it would cost more than $100. Virtually nothing if you did it yourself.

I've used this technique on three trailers now.

See my album for a picture of the spring hanger assembly and the strap nut assembly. Any questions, just ask.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Gus

[48Rob]

If the teardrop is going to be as nice as I picture it in my head, I might as well start with the strongest and best trailer for my build.

Good thinking!

Keep that thought all the way through your build, and at the end you won't have any regrets.

Though a bit different from the plan Gus laid out, I use this setup for trailers that have no axles, or to do as Gus suggested which is to be able to adjust the axle location.
I recently used a similar setup (less heavy duty than the one pictured) to install an axle on a trailer with no (on trailer) welding.





Rob

[Forrest747]

I like that slider concept until the end of build. Been crunching numbers for frames and finally designed a 1x2 trailer with crossmembers up to just pass teh axle. lightweight strong. a straight 2x3 1/4 inch tongue upto the first crossmember. use 1x2 for the tongued angled supports. the frame will be 5x6. so far the numbers are looking good. one thing i found is that the stablizer jacks are useless at teh rear. i am moving mine to the front to stabalize the trailer when we are in teh trailer.

[PubUltraStar]

Thank you all for the quick replies. I'm planning on using Torsion Axles, and not springs, so I'm not sure how easy it will be to move the axle when I'm done, versus the beginning. Especially, since I have to tow it home after it's built. I'll probably just use the 66/33 model to spacing it to the back. I guess the farther back I put the wheels, the easier it will be to go in reverse, and I will put the stabilizer bars on the front. Looks like having a custom built frame is much more pricey than let's say a HF trailer, but I'd rather have something solid and purpose built. The trailer shop said this:

"The rail is normally part of the frame, so we would build a stronger main frame, custom engineering and heavier steel for a 2000# model, with 14" tires, and basic angle steel frame."