Build a lid or cross bars?

[Chris Cordes]

Alright well I am trying to decide what direction I want to go next with this trailer. So far I've compiled a list of pros and cons for each method but I would like input for people with some experience with this. Ive never seen anyone make a lid for a sears/david bradley trailer(maybe for a reason?)
Lid
Pros - Ability to put more objects inside the trailer securely and relatively out of the elements, Ability to put loose items into the trailer not just boxes containing things, covers contents from others views and animals
Cons - Heavier, more expensive, seems like trailer may not be deep enough to allow for quite as much storage unless a tall top is built leading to more costs and structure concerns, generally not removable for larger loads
Lifted cross bars
Pros - Lighter, cheaper, can fit into pre existing holes so its removable, easy access to supplies
Cons - Exposed gear, inability to pack loose items in trailer, not as rigid as lid, doesnt allow me to take anything more than I currently do.

So what do yall think? Heres a pic of how the trailer sits today

 

[Robert Bills]

Here is my solution to the conundrum:

 

[navigator]

Given how you are packing things now, a normal lid might not be deep enough as you mention above.
It appears you either need a deep lid or use the cross bars.
I envision when you say cross bars you mean with some kind of tarp covering.

The effort/expense for the cross bars and tarp is relatively low. You could try it and see how you like it. If you really like it maybe invest in a better cover than a tarp. You could have one made to fit. It would also allow you to possibly remove the crossbars and use it as a utility trailer from time to time if needed. If you absolutely hate it you can then build a deep lid and you haven't lost too much on it.

I feel like you really want to do a lid but figure a standard lid is not deep enough and a deep lid might be too much. Another thought, is go with a shallow lid and modify the outside of the trailer/tongue area and put taller things like fuel cans there. You have some really nice totes in your trailer but they might be too tall. With a lid though you could use smaller cheaper rubbermaid type totes and get various sizes that fit. With a lid you could move to more permanent fixtures too like on board water, maybe some pull outs at some point.

 

[Chris Cordes]

I really like the way that set up is with the tarp. Did you have the cover custom made? And ya those bins were like 15 bucks haha but the reason the trailer is packed like that is because I don't have anything else I bring besides a cooler. I run into needing more space when 3 other people go and I'm packing their gear as well. I think I will try the taller bars with the tarp. I'm not too worried about the cost of the lid but I am worried about paying for it and it not being a very good solution for what I want. Then I feel like I've wasted a lot of money for something useless

 

[navigator]

Robert made his post right before I did, I like that set up as well.

 

[Chris Cordes]

How did you attach the frame of the rack system? I really don't want to weld and ruin the paint

 

[hikingff77]

Looks good to me. However, it provides only limited amount of security for your items, if that's really a concern.

 

[Robert Bills]

I don’t have close-ups handy of the rails and mounting, but I’ll describe it as best I can:
The top for my trailer was custom made by Can-Back when it was still being operated by the original owner in Azusa CA. The company was subsequently sold and relocated to Arizona. It is my understanding that the new owners had difficulty finding a reliable subcontractor to sew the canvas and there is nothing currently in production. (A typical problem when someone takes over a company but doesn’t have the skill to do what previously was done in-house.)
In any event, the Can-Back base rails are 1x2 box steel, which was bolted to the flat top of the pickup bed that the Can-Back top was originally designed for. My Bantam trailer has tubular bed rails and stake pockets welded inside the tub, so I fabricated a flat mounting surface by welding pieces of 2x3 box steel (which fit inside the stake pockets) to ¼” flat stock. The flat stock covers the sides and front of the trailer tub. Basically, the 2x3 pieces slide into the stake pockets and the flat stock sits on top of the tubular rails. Bolts through the sides of the stake pockets hold the entire assembly in place, and the assembly can be unbolted and removed as a unit if necessary. That solved my problem of not wanting to weld on my vintage trailer or fill it with holes.
I found the following photos in a Google search. They are for an entirely different Can-Back application, but should give you an idea of how the frame is attached to the base flat surface.

As for securing items from theft - the fridge is locked down, and even if a thief could break the lock, the framework for the top prevents the fridge from coming out the sides or the front. The thief would have to remove the chuckbox, and the 15 gal. water tank (held in place with metal straps and bolts, in order to slide the fridge out the rear. The other gear boxes have padlocks. Frankly it would be a lot easier just to steal the entire trailer, but I have the tongue set up to remove the coupler entirely, which will make towing a logistical nightmare for a “theft of opportunity.”

 

[Chris Cordes]

Very cool thank you! I plan to eventually mount a roof tent so my bars would need to be larger but I like this concept. The only thing concerning me would be if I had the tent at that height would the trailer get too tippy

 

[Robert Bills]

I wasn''t considering a rooftop tent when I restored my trailer as they had not yet become the tent du jour and I was trying to maintain the look of the covered wagon canvas offered by Bantam as an option in 1946. The height of the canvas top is exactly the same as the distance between the top and bottom of the trailer tub so that the "covered wagon" canvas looked balanced. In other words, the height was based on aesthetics more than any practical concern. (However, I did place the fridge in the trailer and measure the height of the lid fully opened to be sure that the top was tall enough for the lid to clear.) If I were doing it today, I would probably make the top lower so that a rooftop tent wouldn't move the center of gravity so high that I risk a rollover at every offcamber obstacle, and I would use stronger tubing and three crossbars for the rack rather than two. My rack was designed for kayaks, not the 400 lbs+ of a tent with occupants.

Another idea I had at the time was to use a hard top with canvas sides that would roll up. Back in the day, the Chuckawalla Jeep Club in Southern California used a similar design on club members' Bantam civilian and WWII military trailers, with a vinyl covered sheet metal top (a la '60s era automobile vinyl roofs) and 1" tubing for a framework.