Burley_Industries prototype expedition trailer
- Thread starter Burley
- Start date
Did you happen to keep track of how many linear feet, and specs, of the tube you used? If you did you can calculate the weight of that, and the weight savings based on different types of tube or materials.
As I recall you used .120 wall for the bulk, correct? You could probably replace the vast majority of that with .062 and suffer little to no degradation in usable strength. An almost instant 50% weight savings on tube alone. Material cost savings as well, and you can still charge the same end price!
Step 1- Idea for a Trailer.
Step 3- Profit.
Happy Dance.
Burley
Adventurer
I did that awhile back but not terribly accurate because I had a few large redesigns but I came up with around 800 lbs if I remember right. I used .120 wall for the frame and .088 for the 'box'. I had a similar idea of using thinner tubing. Maybe 0.088 for the frame and 0.65 for the rest. .120 square tube has rounded edges and .088 has square edges and mating the two is difficult. I also think more rectangular tubing will help with the manufacturing ease and give the trailer a more refined look.
Burley
Adventurer
http://www.mcmaster.com/#5071A62
I highly recommend them. I absolutely couldn't be happier with them!
I highly recommend them. I absolutely couldn't be happier with them!
Burley
Adventurer
I finally got the trailer out and into the mountains. We ran into some impassable snow drifts on the way up had to detour through some new area but we found a great little place to camp. The trailer pulled awesome even with my massively under powered 80 series. It tracked straight, stayed planted over bumps and best of all, held all of our camp gear! Having an empty vehicle is a strange but great thing when heading out for an adventure.
The spot we picked to camp wasn't ideal for pictures but provided the best shade. Here are a few pictures, enjoy:
The spot we picked to camp wasn't ideal for pictures but provided the best shade. Here are a few pictures, enjoy:
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Great that you got it out for a maiden voyage! Always love photos. :sombrero:
Ideally the trailer's lid should open the other way so that when parked at the side of the road the owner is not standing out by traffic trying to yank things out. Something to consider if another is ever built.
Another handy feature is grab handles similar to the Canadian M101. Allows a group of folks to manhandle a trailer if it gets sideways on a trail. Happened to me once on an uphill road and I could not proceed forward and backing up was foiled by the sideways trailer. Friends dragged my trailer into alignment and I was able to safely back down.
Ideally the trailer's lid should open the other way so that when parked at the side of the road the owner is not standing out by traffic trying to yank things out. Something to consider if another is ever built.
Another handy feature is grab handles similar to the Canadian M101. Allows a group of folks to manhandle a trailer if it gets sideways on a trail. Happened to me once on an uphill road and I could not proceed forward and backing up was foiled by the sideways trailer. Friends dragged my trailer into alignment and I was able to safely back down.
Burley
Adventurer
Great that you got it out for a maiden voyage! Always love photos. :sombrero:
Ideally the trailer's lid should open the other way so that when parked at the side of the road the owner is not standing out by traffic trying to yank things out. Something to consider if another is ever built.
Another handy feature is grab handles similar to the Canadian M101. Allows a group of folks to manhandle a trailer if it gets sideways on a trail. Happened to me once on an uphill road and I could not proceed forward and backing up was foiled by the sideways trailer. Friends dragged my trailer into alignment and I was able to safely back down.
Interesting idea on the grab handles, I'll keep that in mind. I understand the idea of the lid opening on the drivers side, the only issues I see with that is when on a mountain road and you need to stop and grab something from the trailer, often the side of the road is a drop off. The last place I want to stand when trying to grab something from the trailer is next to a 100+ foot drop off. In town I definitely can see the benefit though. Thanks for the input!
Burley
Adventurer
I made it out again this last week with the trailer. We left Friday night after work, camped along the side of the road, then Saturday morning made it down to Old Scott's Ranch just South of the Idaho-Nevada border on the Bruneau River. It was a great weekend trip, and a really good test bed for the trailer. The long wash board roads revealed an issue with the tailgate. Over time, on rough roads, the lock pin on the latch assembly of the tailgate works it's way down. It has a spring built into it to hold pressure on the pin but still it continued to work it's way down allowing the tailgate to come open. I ended up tying it shut as a 'trail fix' until I can dig into whats causing it. I may have to end up going back to the spring loaded pull pins as a secondary lock for this trailer. I'd like to go with a twist style cam latch on the next one. Maybe even two, one on each side.
I'm also not 100% sold on the drop down tailgate also. While it's nice for sitting on and using as a bench in camp, it makes reaching into the trailer, for something I forgot to pull out, difficult. It has pros and cons that I'll continue to weigh out as I further put the trailer to the test.
Another thought I've had lately is about firewood bins. I'm not able to store firewood on the lid like I initially thought I might be able to and storing it inside the trailer is not ideal. On the next one I'd like to build the trailer not quit so asymmetrical. With the tent deployed, there is no need for the fender shelf on that side. This could make for a prime spot for a firewood bin and other needed storage space.
Let me know what you guys think.
Here are some picture from the trip.
The first night on a grassy plain.
The trail as it heads into the canyon.
The creek that was next to the trail quickly became the trail.
Made it into Saturday nights camp
I'm also not 100% sold on the drop down tailgate also. While it's nice for sitting on and using as a bench in camp, it makes reaching into the trailer, for something I forgot to pull out, difficult. It has pros and cons that I'll continue to weigh out as I further put the trailer to the test.
Another thought I've had lately is about firewood bins. I'm not able to store firewood on the lid like I initially thought I might be able to and storing it inside the trailer is not ideal. On the next one I'd like to build the trailer not quit so asymmetrical. With the tent deployed, there is no need for the fender shelf on that side. This could make for a prime spot for a firewood bin and other needed storage space.
Let me know what you guys think.
Here are some picture from the trip.
The first night on a grassy plain.
The trail as it heads into the canyon.
The creek that was next to the trail quickly became the trail.
Made it into Saturday nights camp
colorado matt
Adventurer
the trailer growing in my mind I have thought about when the tailgate drops it limits your reach so I think I agree with your thoughts on swinging to the side or maybe a side door near the front ... sliding the propane bottle to one of your new storage created by rethinking the fenders would give room for fire wood or ? .... also thought one of those side tool box things on top of the fender hidden by the tent .... congrats on finding and admitting changes that you want instead of bull headed "it just fine" attitude that would never make anything better ... still snow here where I want to be camping so I am a little jealous .... thanks for the updates .... Matt
Burley
Adventurer
Yeah Matt it's tough deciding where you want all the extras, spare tire, jerry cans, shelves, firewood bins, etc. Especially when I'm not around them much in person. It's hard to say what I like and don't like, what works and what doesn't work. There final placement determines a big part of the overall look of the trailer as well as the usability and functionality of the trailer. I knew I wouldn't nail it perfect on the first one, that's why I called it a prototype. I'm learning a lot from this one and the next one should be even better.
