Kevin Braun
Mountain Biker
I'd be interested if you want to make some cash from it.
save me some effort and fab time
Box Rocket Homemade trailer build.
- Thread starter Box Rocket
- Start date
I'd be interested if you want to make some cash from it.
save me some effort and fab time
Box Rocket
Well-known member
I'd be interested if you want to make some cash from it.
save me some effort and fab time
Honestly it is so unique to my trailer that I am positive it would not fit with what you're doing. It would be way more work to modify it to work than it is worth. That along with shipping it would be ridiculously expensive given the dimensions.
diggerline59
Enginerd
Sorry if these have already been asked, but I have two questions.
First: With your Spare tire on the back of the trailer like that, do you have any negative issues in regards to having that weight back so far? I will be running 315 duratracs on my trailer which puts it at roughly a 100lb combo, so the load that far back on my trailer has me slightly worried.
Second: Now that you have mentioned that you're going away from the telescoping rack, do you have anything negative to say about that type of system? After having almost rolled my bantam trailer twice on my last trip out, I'm looking for a way to lower the COG on my trailer, and the telescoping rack seems like the best bet to do it. Any lessons learned that I can incorporate into the design would be very helpful!
I really like what you've done with the trailer and it has been used for a lot of inspiration in my build, so, thanks!
First: With your Spare tire on the back of the trailer like that, do you have any negative issues in regards to having that weight back so far? I will be running 315 duratracs on my trailer which puts it at roughly a 100lb combo, so the load that far back on my trailer has me slightly worried.
Second: Now that you have mentioned that you're going away from the telescoping rack, do you have anything negative to say about that type of system? After having almost rolled my bantam trailer twice on my last trip out, I'm looking for a way to lower the COG on my trailer, and the telescoping rack seems like the best bet to do it. Any lessons learned that I can incorporate into the design would be very helpful!
I really like what you've done with the trailer and it has been used for a lot of inspiration in my build, so, thanks!
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Thank you. Here's some responses to your questions.
First: The dynamics of the trailer definitely shifted when I added the spare tire to the back of the trailer. In order to balance it out I needed to have both water cans, and a fuel can, plus my CO2 tank at the front of the trailer. That has seemed to create a good balance and the trailer currently behaves as well as it ever has. Personally I like the rear mounted spare but it is important to keep proper balance with a slightly tongue heavy bias.
Second: The only negatives are that there is potential for a slight amount of binding as the rack goes up or down. This is a result of the gas struts trying to rise at different rates. It has never been a big problem on my trailer and if it hung up at all, a little nudge would even it out and let it keep going up. Also, there is the potential for dust/grit to collect on the greased 'male' legs of the rack which can cause the rack to not raise and lower smoothly. A couple solutions would be some kind of expanding 'boot' over the legs to keep dust from collecting. Or (what I did) just periodic cleaning and regreasing of the legs. I would typically clean the legs and add a little grease after every couple of trips.
I've really liked the telescoping rack and I'm not moving away from it because it doesn't work. It just isn't a necessary feature on my trailer any more, and a lid is. Good luck with your build. I was surprised at really how simple the rack was to build. Just do your best to keep all the tubes plumb and keep in mind that small amount of warping caused by the welding could make some of the tolerances tight.
Adam, I hope you don't mind answering a few more questions about your rack. I am picking up the steel to start my rack build this weekend.
I purchased a M101A3 trailer. These have "pockets" that are used for the bows that support the tarp. My thought was to use these existing pockets to install the female posts of the rack. Based on the height of the trailer, the male posts will only stick up 2" in the down position.
My concern is that they are 4' 5" apart and am concerned about the span. I will be running at least two pieces of steel from side to side on the rack that will support the tent (32" on center). Do you think this span is too far? Thinking rack needs to support ~800lbs, tent and 3 good sized people.
Also, I noticed that your rack is actually smaller than the tent. Is the tent totally supported by the two rails 32" on center? I'm going with the Kukenam XL Ruggedized.
I purchased a M101A3 trailer. These have "pockets" that are used for the bows that support the tarp. My thought was to use these existing pockets to install the female posts of the rack. Based on the height of the trailer, the male posts will only stick up 2" in the down position.
My concern is that they are 4' 5" apart and am concerned about the span. I will be running at least two pieces of steel from side to side on the rack that will support the tent (32" on center). Do you think this span is too far? Thinking rack needs to support ~800lbs, tent and 3 good sized people.
Also, I noticed that your rack is actually smaller than the tent. Is the tent totally supported by the two rails 32" on center? I'm going with the Kukenam XL Ruggedized.
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Box Rocket
Well-known member
No problem at all answering questions. It sounds to me like you have a good plan. I wouldn't be worried about the span of the rack depending on the material you use to build the rack. The platform on my rack was built from 1x2" rec tube with 1/8" wall. My rack platform is the 4 sides (obviously) for the perimeter and two additional "spreaders" spaced evenly across the width. I'm getting a little extra rigidity because of the 3/16" angle brackets for my folding table that slides in underneath the tent rack.
As for the span, that's actually going to be pretty close to the same as what mine is. My rack legs are on the outsides of my trailer "box" and the box is 4x6' so mine is very close to the same 4'5" that you describe.
HTH.
As for the span, that's actually going to be pretty close to the same as what mine is. My rack legs are on the outsides of my trailer "box" and the box is 4x6' so mine is very close to the same 4'5" that you describe.
HTH.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Well I wasn't able to get the lid for my trailer built before CruiserFest like I had hoped but that didn't stop me from using it. I had my wife and 4 kids along for the Cruiserfest trail ride from City of Rocks in Idaho to Grantsville, Utah where the main event took place. The drive up the CoR was uneventful. We arrived there on Tuesday evening and hit the trail Wednesday morning. About 100 miles in I noticed a new noise from the trailer. When I took a look I found that I had broken the driverside spring hanger off the frame and the shackle had collapsed to the rear. This pushed the tire toward the rear in the wheelwell. I will point out that when I built this trailer it was my first major welding project. The spring hanger broke because of poor weld penetration at the frame. 100% my fault. I have since improved my welding abilities over the past 6 years. Anyway, the tire wasn't contacting the fender so the axle wasn't going anywhere. We used a ratchet strap around the axle to put enough forward tension on the axle that it wouldn't move back any further, but we left the shackle collapsed so that more stress wouldn't be transferred to the strap when the suspension would compress. Essentially the shackle became the fixed end and the busted hanger side became the end of the suspension that could move.
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We drove a couple hundred miles of highspeed dirt this way until we arrived in Wendover for a fuel stop. I was able to find a shop that would let me use their welder and weld the hanger back to the frame. Holy crap, the welder at the shop was aweful so the welds weren't pretty but they held. Did another few hundred miles without issue.
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I posted this in a message on FB in a off-road trailer group, but I'll share it here too. This is another reason that I like leafsprings on my trailer. Granted this break happened because of a poor weld but even with good welds, components can fatigue and fail over time. Considering that I have a put several thousand offroad miles on my trailer since I built it back in 2008, and those miles haven't exactly been mellow driving, I have had exactly ZERO issues up to this point. So I can't complain that this failure happened. The more important point is had the suspension on my trailer been an airbag/trailing arm setup and I had broken a bracket off the frame I would have been up "poop" creek as they say and the trailer would have been utterly stranded until a welder could be brought to the location. In this instance that location was very remote and would have taken a long time to get to. Instead, with the simple leaf springs I was able to put a ratchet strap on it (purely as a precaution) and continued for a couple hundred miles of dirt roads at speeds usually in the 50-60mph range. No way that would have happened with a different suspension setup.
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This isn't meant to start a debate, since I fully recognize the benefits of an airbag/trailing arm suspension and I believe they have their place. However, for me and the way I use my trailer and the places I try to take it, I find the simplicity of leafsprings to be more reliable and I've never felt like my trailer didn't ride well as a result of leaf springs.
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So get out in the dirt and explore!
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We drove a couple hundred miles of highspeed dirt this way until we arrived in Wendover for a fuel stop. I was able to find a shop that would let me use their welder and weld the hanger back to the frame. Holy crap, the welder at the shop was aweful so the welds weren't pretty but they held. Did another few hundred miles without issue.
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I posted this in a message on FB in a off-road trailer group, but I'll share it here too. This is another reason that I like leafsprings on my trailer. Granted this break happened because of a poor weld but even with good welds, components can fatigue and fail over time. Considering that I have a put several thousand offroad miles on my trailer since I built it back in 2008, and those miles haven't exactly been mellow driving, I have had exactly ZERO issues up to this point. So I can't complain that this failure happened. The more important point is had the suspension on my trailer been an airbag/trailing arm setup and I had broken a bracket off the frame I would have been up "poop" creek as they say and the trailer would have been utterly stranded until a welder could be brought to the location. In this instance that location was very remote and would have taken a long time to get to. Instead, with the simple leaf springs I was able to put a ratchet strap on it (purely as a precaution) and continued for a couple hundred miles of dirt roads at speeds usually in the 50-60mph range. No way that would have happened with a different suspension setup.
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This isn't meant to start a debate, since I fully recognize the benefits of an airbag/trailing arm suspension and I believe they have their place. However, for me and the way I use my trailer and the places I try to take it, I find the simplicity of leafsprings to be more reliable and I've never felt like my trailer didn't ride well as a result of leaf springs.
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So get out in the dirt and explore!
slimtwo
Adventurer
Hey Box Rocket, glad you were able to effect repairs and continue on your trip. How is your tent lifting platform working out? I have come up with a lifting design myself, and was considering gas struts to lift it, but I couldn't get the right angle to have enough force to lift it, unless I mounted the struts down into the bed of the trailer. So I came up with a pulley set up and a hand winch. Works good. Of course I haven't mounted the tent yet, so it has only been the weight of the lifting platform, but it should still work fine. Have fun!
Happy trails!
Happy trails!
Box Rocket
Well-known member
I really like the design of the rack/lift system on the trailer. I blew out one of the struts a couple months ago so it hasn't been functional, but as long as the struts work, the rack is great. One thing to note for anyone doing a similar setup, is that there is some maintenance to do on the male tubes of the rack. Those need to be cleaned and greased periodically to keep the lifting working smooth. Not a big deal, but just something to remember.
I mentioned this before that I didn't fix the bad lift strut because I plan to remove the rack and replace it with a new lid on the trailer with a rack built onto the lid.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Small update. I've had years of trouble-free use from my Lock-n-Roll coupler but this past week at CruiserFest I managed to bend the coupler. It's a similar type of situation that has been seen before with these couplers. I'm pretty sure it happened when I was backing up the trailer with the trailer almost jackknifed and the coupler turned upward which stopped its ability to rotate causing the bend. It's something I've done a thousand times over the past 6 years and never had an issue but the planets aligned this one time for the perfect storm to cause the bend. The bend wasn't so bad that I couldn't use the coupler. I continued to tow with it for a few hundred miles without issue.
I am still a fan of the Lock-n-Roll and from what I understand the couplers have been redesigned since I bought mine to eliminate this very issue. I would have had no problem running another LnR coupler, but for sake of comparison I purchased a Max-Coupler that should arrive today. I look forward to testing it and comparing the two couplers.
I am still a fan of the Lock-n-Roll and from what I understand the couplers have been redesigned since I bought mine to eliminate this very issue. I would have had no problem running another LnR coupler, but for sake of comparison I purchased a Max-Coupler that should arrive today. I look forward to testing it and comparing the two couplers.
MtnClimber
Ready To Explore!
I've had my MaxCoupler for almost a year and absolute love it. It's been thru the VOT and back and numerous trips to the North Maine Woods (northmainewoods.org)
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Don't get me wrong. I have been eying the Max-Coupler since they first came out. I'm sure I will love it. As for the LnR, all I'm saying is that I've been impressed with it for the last 6 years of use. There was one minor flaw that ultimately caused the failure, but that flaw has been fixed in their design. So I guess all I'm saying is that either coupler should work wonderfully for anyone with an offroad trailer.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
My new Max-Coupler was delivered today. I spoke a bit with Chris from Kilby Ent. on the phone (the Max-Coupler is his design) and I'm really looking forward to trying it out.
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and the whole reason for the change.....here are a few photos of my bent Lock-n-Roll. It's not *too* bad and I was still able to tow with it, but this much bend was causing some tension I'm sure in the side to side rotation while towing.
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and the whole reason for the change.....here are a few photos of my bent Lock-n-Roll. It's not *too* bad and I was still able to tow with it, but this much bend was causing some tension I'm sure in the side to side rotation while towing.
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