DIY Expo Trailer Builders Q&A Thread

[1store]

I don't know if to late look at e-trailer they give free shipping .You may have to leave the page then a pop up will give free shipping

$400

seams very high .We pay $ 275 with 10'' brakes from rock

 

[lacofdfireman]

I don't know if to late look at e-trailer they give free shipping .You may have to leave the page then a pop up will give free shipping seams very high .We pay $ 275 with 10'' brakes from rock

Is that with a custom size and shipping and springs, and mounts? If so I'll cancel. It's not to late. They said 2 weeks to order.

I love etrailer but never saw an option for custom sizes in axle widths.

Also who is Rock? Contact info please

 

[1store]

We have custom sizes made there all the same price . Spring pads on top are bottom same cost. We do m100/416 conversions. So most trailers are 40.5 to 46'' wide We are close so we pick up. Did you look at e-trailer when they do sales cost lest than production. Ever $ you can save = more toys

 

[lacofdfireman]

I don't know if to late look at e-trailer they give free shipping .You may have to leave the page then a pop up will give free shipping seams very high .We pay $ 275 with 10'' brakes from rock

We have custom sizes made there all the same price . Spring pads on top are bottom same cost. We do m100/416 conversions. So most trailers are 40.5 to 46'' wide We are close so we pick up. Did you look at e-trailer when they do sales cost lest than production. Ever $ you can save = more toys

So I canceled my order thinking I could buy one from etrailer and called them up. They said they don't do custom lengths as they are a distributor. Well it's back to square one. Give me some ideas of who I can use that will do a custom length and ship. Thanks

 

[1store]

rockwell , redneck . We have a few that get longer axles.Off -e bay for $150 -200 with free shipping remove 1 leaf on the spring. cut at both ends NOT IN THE CENTER. After cut, grind out the welds cut tube. Then shove spindle reweld you might have to freezes the spindle , heat tube tap in.LEAVE THE NUT ON THREADS . try rockwell America trailer are redneck, BLACKSMITH shops near you.Your frame will come in around $200 for steel support@rockwellamerican.com There one in co. If you need my ac to buy with cash and if it will save you money let me know I get not a thing out of it just try to save you a little.

 

[lacofdfireman]

I don't know if to late look at e-trailer they give free shipping .You may have to leave the page then a pop up will give free shipping seams very high .We pay $ 275 with 10'' brakes from rock

rockwell , redneck . We have a few that get longer axles.Off -e bay for $150 -200 with free shipping remove 1 leaf on the spring. cut at both ends NOT IN THE CENTER. After cut, grind out the welds cut tube. Then shove spindle reweld you might have to freezes the spindle , heat tube tap in.LEAVE THE NUT ON THREADS . try rockwell America trailer are redneck, BLACKSMITH shops near you.Your frame will come in around $200 for steel support@rockwellamerican.com There one in co. If you need my ac to buy with cash and if it will save you money let me know I get not a thing out of it just try to save you a little.

Thanks. I think I burned my bridge with Six States. They weren't happy about me cancelling. Oh well. I'll check in to RedNeck and Rockwell and see if they will ship.

 

[wagex]

i didnt read the whole thread but i seen you asking about tongue length what i did on my trailer was make the tongue extendable i put a 2" tube inside a 2.5" tube with holes for a pin every foot that lets me extend it from 3 ft to 9ft.. i know it sounds overkill, but i just made the middle tube as long as the back of the trailer better to have too much than too little i guess. i also drilled and tapped a hole on top behind the length pin to hold the tube down and keep it from moving around, i can extend or shorten the tongue in about 1 minute but its normally at about 5ft long since i haul some 9' kayaks on the trailer

 

[lacofdfireman]

Contacted Rockwell today for an axle. There price was $350 shipped and 3 weeks to build. Not sure where you guys are finding these cheap axles but I'm definitely not finding them.

 

[Rod_SATX]

That does seem high. I just ordered a 61" 3500# Dexter Axle from a local shop with 5 on 5" hubs for $215. This includes having to be cut and sleeved, 2 day turnaround.

 

[lacofdfireman]

May just be where I live. I called Redneck Trailer Supply today and they wanted $275 plus $200 in shipping... Guess it's back to Six States for me. I'm thinking the $400 axles I canceled on is probably as good as I'm going to do..

 

[wagex]

if you have a tractor supply around they usually have pre-built axles for just over a hundred bucks, that's what i put on my trailer i think they are all 5x4.5 though.

 

[fd9031]

Axle

I always start with axle then work my way around that.

 

[OldGreen]

Was up until 2am reading through about 50 pages of this thread spending time in any DIY Trailer build thread I could find. I thought it would be a great idea to start a thread where people can ask some of you DIY Expo trailer builders questions. Even after about 5 straight hours of research I came away with a lot of questions. I realize it's hard to get concrete answers because every trailer is custom built to what each owner wants but there has to be some ideas on a few of my questions so let me start asking away and hopefully some of you DIYers or even those of you building military type trailers can chime in and help answer.

1. When building a trailer do you build it around your axle? Meaning do you buy your axle first then decide trailer dimensions after? Or is it the opposite. Do you build up a frame and then order an axle to fit your frame.

I built mine to the tow vehicle. In my case it is an LJ with 60" wide axles so that is where I started.

2. Frame building materials. I've seen everything from Square tubing to C channel to angle iron. Why did you do what you did and what size material did you use?

I used 3x3x.120 for the tongue, 2x3x.120 for the main frame, 2x2x1/8 angle for the cross members, and 1x2x.095 for the superstructure.

3. As far as the trailer tongue goes how long is optimal so you can basically jackknife without hitting tow vehicle? Also what size tongue material is used to fit your hitch on the trailer size?

Mine is 4' long plus the hitch. It just has a regular ball mount now but I may go to a difference set up.

4. How do you locate where to put your axle and axle hangers?

Mine is a little different here because I wanted it not to matter where I load stuff. . .so it is 25/75 front/rear. It looks a little goofy and, contrary to what everyone would think, it tracks around corners very well. I think that is because it is still a short trailer. The other issue with shorter tongues is that they are very difficult to back up when you don't want to jack-knife them. I get the pros and cons but this works for me.

5. What is the ideal size of an off road expo trailer for an RTT raised above the lid of the trailer? And how tall should the sides be?

You want to make sure that it is at least as far off the ground as your ladder is tall. Mine is 4' to the bottom of the RTT. OR, you could build a lift system. I like KISS.

6. What is the typical cost breakdown of a trailer build ie Axle cost, materials cost etc?

I'm $600 in to mine plus the RTT so far. All brand new stuff except for the tires which were new spares from a couple of my Jeeps.

7. Where did you source your axle from and do you use brakes or no brakes?

No brakes and Amazon.com


8. What size axle is best to use. Looks like most people buy a 3500lb. Where to buy?

It depends on what you are going to do with it. Mine will never weigh over 1200lbs loaded and I use 225/75R15 tires, not 35s to match the Jeep. Why? I'm a function over form guy. trailer that weighs less than 1/4 of what the Jeep weighs will never need that much flotation. Ground clearance isn't an issue because nothing hangs down. It still has more clearance than the Jeep on 35s. So, bigger tires and bigger axles just create more unsprung weight and drag. The argument for carrying one spare is weak. The only reason to have it all match is that it looks good that way. I get that. . .but I'm a hack.

9. What size leaf springs? Where to buy
1000lb trailer leaves from Amazon. However, I would like to play with a set of XJ leaves I have in the shop along with some shocks. The trailer rides great with camping gear on it but it is a little bouncy empty in the mall parking lot.

These are just some of the questions I have about taking on and building a custom trailer. I'm sure I will have more but this should get me started. As I am saying this will be my first attempt and I will start a separate build thread. Just thought this would be a great place for potential builders like me to ask questions and hopefully get some interest from those of you who have been there done that giving back and answering our questions......

Here is how it sits today. The RTT isn't even completely mounted yet and I just built the superstructure last night. I built the trailer itself in the summer and already have over 2500 miles on it over all types of surfaces from freeway to deep snow. I love it so far even though it is a redneck hot mess!! Wait. . .there's more. It isn't even close to done. Probably never will be. Also, see that yellow bin? You can get those at Costco for less than $10 each. The trailer was specifically built to fit 4 of them nested into the front and rear open areas.

 

[lacofdfireman]

Just need to clarify before I order some 2" wheel spacers for my trailer. Since my center hole on my wheels is smaller than the trailer axle I will need to order 2" spacers. All the spacers I am seeing say hub centric. Is that the correct ones to order? I thought it would be lug centric but I don't find any lug centric wheel spacers. Looking for 2" 5 on 5 or 5 on 4.5's. Anyone have a preference for these of who to order from?

 

[FosterWV]

Just need to clarify before I order some 2" wheel spacers for my trailer. Since my center hole on my wheels is smaller than the trailer axle I will need to order 2" spacers. All the spacers I am seeing say hub centric. Is that the correct ones to order? I thought it would be lug centric but I don't find any lug centric wheel spacers. Looking for 2" 5 on 5 or 5 on 4.5's. Anyone have a preference for these of who to order from?

Spidertraxx, great quality