Box Rocket Homemade trailer build.

[R_Lefebvre]

I've been thinking more and more about building a new utility trailer for myself this winter, once my big camping trailer is finished. As I've said, I like the simplicity and efficiency of this design. Now, I may have missed it but what are your box dimensions?

See, I've got this 4x8 utility trailer right now, it's been a good trailer, I'd end up selling it to buy parts for the new one. I'm just thinking I'd like something a little more rugged to be able to take on logging roads and stuff to get landscaping materials, or for lightweight camping in more rugged locations than my big trailer can go. One of the requirements to be able to replace my utility trailer is to be able to fit 4x8 sheets, somehow. I was thinking about a 4x6 box size, with the axle roughly 4 feet behind the front of the box. Then the tailgate could drop down, and that's how I'd get 8 foot sheets in. I realize the tongue weight would be heavy when the gate is up, and maybe a little low when it's down and loaded with 8 foot wood, but I think it would be an acceptable compromise? With the gate up, it would normally have light loads, so the tongue weight bias shouldn't be an issue. With the gate down and a light tongue, we'd only be talking short trips from Home Depot.

The other design requirement is to fit two dirtbikes in it. I think this could also be done with the gate down, like shortbox pick-ups do. I think with the axle biased to the back, the weight would work out fine.

The other thing I would change would be to put the sheet metal inside the frame, instead of outside, so it would work better for loads like dirt. I also wouldn't worry about a lid at all. If it was used for lightweight camping, I'd rely on waterproof bags or boxes.

Edit: I've also been teasing the idea of building it out of all aluminum. Ultra-light weight, so I'd have my two options. It would be great for lightweight camping on really tecnical terrain, but I'm just not sure how it would work out for a "working" trailer. I'm thinking, by the time I made it thick enough to be strong enough, it wouldn't actually be saving much weight? You know, I would think 14ga sheet metal would be plenty, but I'd probably use 1/16" aluminum. I have welded aluminum, but it is a little more difficult. More importantly, I'm limited to 1/8" with my welder, and I'm not sure a 1/8" aluminum frame would be strong enough?

Thoughts?

 

[Box Rocket]

I've been thinking more and more about building a new utility trailer for myself this winter, once my big camping trailer is finished. As I've said, I like the simplicity and efficiency of this design. Now, I may have missed it but what are your box dimensions?

See, I've got this 4x8 utility trailer right now, it's been a good trailer, I'd end up selling it to buy parts for the new one. I'm just thinking I'd like something a little more rugged to be able to take on logging roads and stuff to get landscaping materials, or for lightweight camping in more rugged locations than my big trailer can go. One of the requirements to be able to replace my utility trailer is to be able to fit 4x8 sheets, somehow. I was thinking about a 4x6 box size, with the axle roughly 4 feet behind the front of the box. Then the tailgate could drop down, and that's how I'd get 8 foot sheets in. I realize the tongue weight would be heavy when the gate is up, and maybe a little low when it's down and loaded with 8 foot wood, but I think it would be an acceptable compromise? With the gate up, it would normally have light loads, so the tongue weight bias shouldn't be an issue. With the gate down and a light tongue, we'd only be talking short trips from Home Depot.

The other design requirement is to fit two dirtbikes in it. I think this could also be done with the gate down, like shortbox pick-ups do. I think with the axle biased to the back, the weight would work out fine.

The other thing I would change would be to put the sheet metal inside the frame, instead of outside, so it would work better for loads like dirt. I also wouldn't worry about a lid at all. If it was used for lightweight camping, I'd rely on waterproof bags or boxes.

Edit: I've also been teasing the idea of building it out of all aluminum. Ultra-light weight, so I'd have my two options. It would be great for lightweight camping on really tecnical terrain, but I'm just not sure how it would work out for a "working" trailer. I'm thinking, by the time I made it thick enough to be strong enough, it wouldn't actually be saving much weight? You know, I would think 14ga sheet metal would be plenty, but I'd probably use 1/16" aluminum. I have welded aluminum, but it is a little more difficult. More importantly, I'm limited to 1/8" with my welder, and I'm not sure a 1/8" aluminum frame would be strong enough?

Thoughts?

Well sir, we follow similar lines of thought. For utility uses I've found my trailer to be really great. It's a bit of a compromise because there is the occasional need to haul more or haul something bigger that the trailer's capacity, but I quickly forget those things when I see how well it works on the trail.

Here's my thoughts on what you describe, and some feedback about my own trailer. First of all, I made a mental mistake with mine. I thought "yep 4x6' box should be pretty versatile." My mistake was that I made the perimeter of the frame 4x6' so the interior of the box is roughly 4" too short in width and length. Obviously a problem for hauling sheets of plywood or drywall. Wish I'd have caught that one. So you're on the right track with your thinking. On my trailer the height of the walls is 19" so just shy of 2' but it is enough that if I were able to carry sheets of plywood with the gate down it would barely hang over the gate. Something I would have no problem with. Another thought on the size.....fitting bikes should work just fine as you describe. Also, most ATVs are 4' wide at the outside edge of the tires so with a 4' wide interior space you could also carry an ATV perfectly.

As for axle placement, I have mine placed slightly behind the centerline for a little extra tongue weight. I debated that decision for quite a while going into it but I'm very glad that I put it where it is. It has resulted in excellent handling even when empty with no sway or dodgy behavior at all. I consistently have a few items on the tongue that add weight, mainly my 20lb CO2 tank. Most of those tanks are aluminum, mine is steel so even when it's empty it is heavier than the aluminum ones. That is mounted directly to the front of the box and I'm unsure of the exacty weight but I believe it is ~50-60lbs or so when full. I also have 10 ga. of water that I carry at the front of the box. Most of the time those cans are empty, unless I'm camping. But there is that weight also. I also have my Coleman steel belted cooler that is carried in front of the CO2 tank and water cans on the tongue. A lot of the time the cooler remains on the trailer but is empty again unless I'm camping etc. and then it is usually just used for beverages. But all of that in combination with the axle placement contributes to ~150lbs or so of tongue weight which from my experience up to this point has worked out perfectly for my trailer. I try to load things inside the trailer to compensate and balance things as necessary. For what you describe, short runs to Home Depot or the garden center even if you are a little light on the tongue shouldn't be a big problem. The other reason I placed the axle slightly toward the rear was for when I disconnect the trailer at camp I wanted it to be fairly stable just sitting on the tires and the tongue jack. I still haven't put the tongue jack on the trailer but it is pretty stable when I have it resting on a jackstand. I will still add some sort of rear stablizer to make it really solid for the future time when I have a RTT mounted. Maybe I'm over-simplifying but in my mind you can't have too much tongue weight until it is overloading the rear suspension on the tow rig or the capacity of the hitch. Tongue weight improves handling so although I probably have more tongue weight than necessary most of the time it hasn't been a drawback as of yet.

Putting your skins on the inside of the tub is fine for a smooth surface for hauling dirt etc. This is another point that I debated for a while. I chose to put the skins on the outside purely for aesthetic reasons. I just didn't like the look of the exterior frame as much (on this particular trailer). However, I still wanted a smooth surface for the same reasons you mentioned. So my solution was to weld some captured nuts into the tub uprights so I can quickly and easily bolt in some plywood skins on the inside. Right now the plywood skins that I have are the same height as the walls of the trailer but I have thought about making another set that is taller to give me much more load capacity. I like this solution because it not only gives me a smooth inside surface, but also I don't have to be as careful with a shovel and worry about nicking the paint or bedliner in the tub. The wood takes the abuse rather than the trailer wall. Additionally having the exterior skins provided me a place for all of my tie downs (on the tub uprights) without having them protrude into the cargo area and making it difficult to slide items in and out on the floor or against the walls.

Materials........
Truly I'm not sure how much weight you would save by building it out of aluminum. For the size of the trailer I personally think the weight savings are negligible. The reason to use aluminum IMO would be for rust prevention not for weight savings. I used 16ga. sheet for the floor and skins on mine. Some suggested going heavier guage but so far I have never felt like I went too light and I'm glad to be saving a little bit of weight that way.


On a side note....I had the opportunity to meet Martyn from Adventure Trailers last night. He was passing through Salt Lake City and was stopping to visit with Paul May, the owner of Equipt Expedition Outfitters who is a good friend of mine. Paul invited some of us over for a chance to meet Martyn, have some food and check out the new AT Teardop trailer. First off, Martyn is a very nice chap and was great about offering information and suggestions. I was really glad to meet him. Secondly, the Teardrop trailer is a ************ little trailer and falls right in line with the top notch products offered by Adventure Trailers. I was excited to check out the new couplers that Martyn is offering. I have a lock-n-roll on my trailer which works great and I have no complaints about. However, the new coupler from AT is a slick and simple design and I believe is an improvement over a lock-n-roll if you go with the heavier duty version rated at ~10K lbs. The 3500 lb rated version that Martyn had last night will be more than adequate for many trailers but for me the peice of mind of having something with a higher rating is worth it.

Good luck and I hope I've offered something that helps.

 

[ntsqd]

I think that I've mentioned in the past that I built a bicycle trailer while in college. I considered using aluminum instead of steel for the frame, but found from a simple analysis that in that size trailer (box sized to fit exactly 3 brown grocery bags) that the needed section in aluminum resulted in a final frame weight that was not significantly different from the steel section's design, and cost 3 times as much!

I'm fairly certain that those numbers do not scale proportionate to the size of the trailer, but it would not surprise me if aluminum is still not quite a favorable choice until the trailer's size gets quite large. As Adam mentioned, I also think that the choice of aluminum over steel has to have other considerations besides just weight.
The only picture that I have of the bike trailer online:

This trailer's frame is what you see. The floor is a piece of 4 x 8 x 3/4 plywood, but it is not even fastened down. It sits on a couple light cross members and a perimeter flange. The trailer's net weight is sub 500 lbs. but I have seen it carry a load of gravel that filled it 2/3 full. The "frame" was made from G.I. 2.5 ton truck flatbed side boards carefully cut and welded together.

 

[emohn]

The other issue I have with aluminum is that it fatigues MUCH more than steel ever will. I have seen MANY aluminum racecar trailers with cracks at or around welds, spring hangers, and other structurally critical parts due to cyclical loading and vibration of carrying a load down the road. This reason alone is worth the weight penalty of steel over aluminum, and once you figure in price, it's a no-brainer. Unless you HAVE to go for the last 10% in weight reduction due to having a very minimal tow rig, I would stick with steel for a frame and find other areas to shave weight using aluminum - like the cargo box itself, skins, fenders, and other attachments.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Seems like you guys are in the same thinking. Aluminum would be neat, but not really offer the weight savings you would assume. Case in point, my Seadoo Trailer is a Triton Elite, all aluminum. You know how spindly a Seadoo trailer is, there's nothing to it. But, this one weighs 250lbs empty, IIRC. Mind you, it's a real nice unit, and is designed to carry the 800+lb 3-seater units, but still. 250 for *just* the frame, 2x4's with carpet on them, tires and suspension.

Now, I *may* eventually replace the steel doors on my big beast with aluminum doors, to save weight.

 

[TJ Willy]

Very nice work on the trailer! Very nice indeed. You have me motivated.

And I must say, this following photo is fantastic. This is what it is all about... (the other boys too course!) I love the look on the little girl's face.

We have a 22 month old girl I have been really wanting to take camping. My wife is 9 months pregnant right now, and our little boy is due any day now. I can't wait for all of us to hit tent city.

 

[Box Rocket]

The fenders on my trailer have taken a beating on the last couple trips. Lots of rock chips on the forward half of the fenders so I'm debating my options on a fix. Do I spray the fenders with bedliner, install some aluminum treadplate to the front half of the fenders, or just repaint them?

Suggestions?

 

[ntsqd]

Re-paint and then "Helicopter Tape".
Sample Source:
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3155

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3323

You've seen this material on late models. Typically the leading edges of a pick-up truck's bed has a stripe of it applied where gravel etc. would chip that paint.

It was originally developed to keep rocks from damaging military composite helicopter rotors.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Do you think that would really be enough for *that* much abuse though? I agree on it's use on the front of cars, etc... but I don't know about a trailer.

I took mine on some gravel roads this weekend, and it sure was painfull hearing the gravel pinging off the front wall. I will have to solve this problem too.

I did use "Gravel Guard" inside my fenders, its a black coating, kinda thick like bedliner, but remains softer, which is what you need. We'll see how that works out.

Maybe the solution is... mudflaps. (horrors!)

 

[ntsqd]

It 'cured' the problem with the Lola Sports 2000 (T8990) that I used to crew on. We even put it inside of the fender areas to keep the rocks from "starring" the composite from the backside. I don't know that it is the end-all, be-all solution, but based on my experience with it and with bed liner (pro stuff and DIY) I would use the tape on my own vehicles before going with the bedliner. Partly that is a bias against the cosmetics of the bedliner and partly that is how impressed with the tape I became.

I need to shield the exposed frame of the TrailBlazer and I've planned on using the tape there. With the shape of that frame being what it is the glass fenders don't see much in the way of a pelting from the tow rig.

 

[Box Rocket]

Tape is an interesting idea. I'll have to give that some thought. Could be a good way to go. Thanks for the suggestion.

Oh.....and I've got Mudflaps:snorkel: maybe they just need to be longer......yuck.

 

[warspyder]

I know this is about a year after you asked, but I just stumbled across this thread. Our trailers are very simular. I used an old set of stock Jeep YJ springs on my trailer and no shocks. August 2009 we towed the trailer just over 1700 miles on a mix of gravel roads, rough trails, and highway. The only times I had any issues with the trailer was on the highway at highway speeds. Whenever we hit uneven pavement the trailer wanted to bounce, the big problems were cattle guards and train tracks, the smaller problems were uneven bridges. I will keep using my trailer without shock but I plan on adding shocks sometime.

Hope this helps. Your trailer looks great! We were under a time crunch when we built mine so it just has a plywood box on it for now.

Mark

 

[Firetacoma]

Wow, I am interested in building something VERY similar to this within the next decade or so. :sombrero:

Just out of curiosity, and I know the answer is "it varies" but ballpark figure, what would the cost be to build a 4x6 trailer similar to this? $1000? $2000? More?

 

[Box Rocket]

Wow, I am interested in building something VERY similar to this within the next decade or so. :sombrero:

Just out of curiosity, and I know the answer is "it varies" but ballpark figure, what would the cost be to build a 4x6 trailer similar to this? $1000? $2000? More?

to date I have ~$1600 invested into this trailer. Big $ costs were the steel (~$250), the Lock-n-Roll hitch, and the wheels.

 

[Firetacoma]

Awesome! That's actually very affordable! Thank you for being willing to share that!