Hahaha, yea so true. I remember going down island for days at a time with nothing but tackle and an icebox. Now it seems like I'm building a village every time we get there.
See ya on the sand brother
Introduction and initial build concept
- Thread starter PINSTER
- Start date
Hahaha, yea so true. I remember going down island for days at a time with nothing but tackle and an icebox. Now it seems like I'm building a village every time we get there.
See ya on the sand brother
Interesting, repairable is always nice. With the size I'm thinking, it'll take a crane to get the body off... So welding it is for me.
Which brings up a good point, I won't be able to flip the frame to work like y'all have... Gonna have to plan it right, maybe one flip
FireMedic82
DIYer
Probably posting the obvious, but don't forget about frame brackets or whatnot to mount the edges of the floor to. Kinda like body mounts on a truck or jeep I guess. That would be the lightest option.
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Haven't honestly gotten that far in the plan yet. I'm wanting to waterproof the floor and add drains (scuppers) so that any run off from the kayaks can drain out without puddling and drying leaving salt. In my head its gonna get a layer of glass over ply like a boat. I want to be able to hose it out to remove the sand that will end up building up
Pinster, Are you talking 18 foot of enclosed space or overall length? Either way that is a very big trailer for single axle. Tongue weight will be quite high unless you really do some figuring on the axle placement. 2x2 is not enough for that length. On your upper frame, what do you plan the spacing at. Your upper frame will give the trailer strength, but you are talking a very heavy trailer pretty much either way. Bare metal frame with axle, 2x4 will be close to 1800 pounds is my guess, most likely more. My 9 foot box tear drops, with axle, no rear door, tip the scale at 1200. I think that was with skid plates though. I would guess, around 2000 with the length almost double, much wider and taller. You can figure another 1000 pounds minimum to skin it I think. Remember all the trailers you see at this length enclosed are now made of aluminum and Styrofoam with luan and fiberglass glued to it. Most are tandem. Building a steel frame on 4 foot centers at the least will make it almost unmovable off road.
Due to width and height, towing at highway speed, will require the axle to be at least at the 60/40 threshold with a standard axle. Your truck will require an equalizer hitch is my guess.
If the sidewall folds, down as they appear, you will most likely need something to lift them. It appears your fenders on the outside, you will have problems sealing the fold down side wall doing it that way, might be wiser to fold it up with hydraulic lifts. It will weigh close to 300 pounds with all the doors, framing and compartments you show. Your corners where they drop/raise from will have to be reinforced significantly. IE 4x4 upright would be my guess.
This is a big trailer. Investing in aluminum for the frame may be a wise idea. But that will nearly triple the cost, plus the spool gun.
Big project, I will be watching closely. If I can help in any way, let me know.
Due to width and height, towing at highway speed, will require the axle to be at least at the 60/40 threshold with a standard axle. Your truck will require an equalizer hitch is my guess.
If the sidewall folds, down as they appear, you will most likely need something to lift them. It appears your fenders on the outside, you will have problems sealing the fold down side wall doing it that way, might be wiser to fold it up with hydraulic lifts. It will weigh close to 300 pounds with all the doors, framing and compartments you show. Your corners where they drop/raise from will have to be reinforced significantly. IE 4x4 upright would be my guess.
This is a big trailer. Investing in aluminum for the frame may be a wise idea. But that will nearly triple the cost, plus the spool gun.
Big project, I will be watching closely. If I can help in any way, let me know.
cwheeler
New member
I have the same thoughts on the weight. If you are planning on towing this any considerable distance down PINS I would take into consideration materials, using aluminum and light weight anywhere you can. I've seen many people burn up transmissions towing heavy loads in the deep sand on PINS.
Just a thought, not trying to discourage your build, just giving my .02.
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18ft enclosed is the idea.
Thanks for the feedback, weight was my biggest concern, but not having done any calculations, nor having any experience in frame building, it's just that...an idea, that turned to sketch, that led to a google search, and here I am. Haha, apparently trying to build a space shuttle. The sketch pictured was done after reading all the builds on the site, incorporating some of the features I liked from each but is in no way based on reality.
So please help me to reduce weight while im in the concept phase.
All features, accessories, materials are yet to be sourced or committed to. For instance the "folding sidewall" is an awning, that was canceled as soon as I drew it, knowing that it would add a lot of weight. The same with the steps leading to the roof, not needing to stand on the roof would require less structural build up to support weight up top.
My only requirements, and the reason for building a custom trailer is to carry a 16.5ft kayak (collapsible tri-maran) down the beach without having to cartop it at 120lbs.
The original concept was a modified boat trailer. Essentially an Aframe boat trailer with upgraded springs/axle/wheels.
Then I figured it should hold two of the kayaks.
Then, went on to decide an enclosed would allow safe keeping of camping/fishing gear. And double as shelter with the kayaks removed.
The trailer as drawn, would be long at 18 plus tongue, but relatively lower/narrow compared to enclosed trailers available.
It doesn't have to be EX-rated, but would need to endure the forces of its own weight going up and down sandy ruts...typically 1ft dips in soft sand.
For material...
Understandably, aluminum was considered but after reading the many alum vs steel debates out on the www, I decided steel would provide the strength along the long frame with constant up/down force. Now whether or not that is the correct assumption, I'm sure is debatable. I do have a spool gun, so I haven't canceled anything out.
Perhaps somebody that has built a long enclosed can chime in and offer a "go or nogo" on this concept? Will it be possible to build an 18ft enclosed that will handle these conditions? Any other weight estimates, or I guess bare minimums with the expected size minus accessories?
The last thing I want to do is build this thing and get stranded 60miles from nowhere!
Thanks all for the suggestions and comments. Really helps to get my expectations in check
Cwheeler: no worries sir. I need some real guidance right now! My usual camp is in the mid 30s-40s, just past some of the deepest softest stuff. Discouraging or not, it'll be me dealing with it down island, asking you for a ride back to civilization when my tranny blows! I've seen them too, and I don't want to add this trailer to the permanent landscape down there.
Thanks for the .02 cents, I'm saving em all up in case I have to go full aluminum
Thanks for the .02 cents, I'm saving em all up in case I have to go full aluminum
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FireMedic82
DIYer
Just my personal opinion, but I don't think the footage is an issue as long as its strong and somewhat light. Which may be the tough part. I would think strong C-channel would be a good idea for the long runs from tongue to tail, with I beams for cross members. With that kind of material you would still be looking at about a 600+ pound frame and axel setup if I had to guess. This one is tricky. What will you be pulling it with pinster?
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cwheeler
New member
PINS can be a bad place to be stranded down island, things can go from bad to worse in a heartbeat, as I'm sure you know.
I am no expert but think the strength and weight savings you would gain by going with aluminum may be worth it in the long run. You may spend more initially but would hate to see you dump a bunch of money in a trailer that may not serve you well. Try finding a local fab shop and pick their brain on what would be the best route. Another benefit to aluminum is gonna be the corrosion resistance from exposure to the the salt.
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I am no expert but think the strength and weight savings you would gain by going with aluminum may be worth it in the long run. You may spend more initially but would hate to see you dump a bunch of money in a trailer that may not serve you well. Try finding a local fab shop and pick their brain on what would be the best route. Another benefit to aluminum is gonna be the corrosion resistance from exposure to the the salt.
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Will be pulling with 06 tacoma v6 4x4 trd/tow package. ~6k tow capacity
Lifted on 33" tires so getting stuck shouldn't be the issue. Power maybe.
But I think I've already picked out the next truck... 2016 tundra trd pro, Hookem!
FireMedic82
DIYer
Err...yeah. I don't know if the tacoma would like that load. I agree with cwheeler. I would focus on aluminum a little more. If you want it to happen, you can make it happen. May just take a little figuring.
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Yeah, the tacoma has never had issues, and pulled plenty of guys out...including some dumb duellies. For the most part, driving smart will keep ya out of most of the trouble down there. That and guys not prepared to "self rescue" when things do come up. Or, rigs that just aren't worthy to be driving streets, def shouldn't be trusted that far from the nearest autozone.
All that said, the Tacoma's ability out there is due to its relatively light weight and fat tires keeping it afloat. So, the trailer is starting to scare me...
So problem with aluminum (based off of web reading) is that comparable strength would be considerably larger than the same strength in steel. No problem right, just size up. But then there's the fact that alum is more likely to crack than bend like steel. So my thinking was that all the bumpy riding would cause alum to fail which cannot be fixed in the field. Steel fatigue and I could probably still limp back home.
I'm no pro either.... Been doing a lot of reading lately, and have changed my mind a few times already.