Lessons Learned from Trailer Build - What would you do different?

[Rigpiggy]

Hi everyone,

New to this site, would like to mention this is a great portal and y'all have really provided me with some great inspirations in the area of trailer building thank you!!!!

Like most newbies, I have spent a great deal of time lurking on this forum and others like it. Shamefully reading, documenting and digesting all of your ideas hehehehehehe planning my Expedition Trailer Build! Now with that said, I am about to embark on my very own trailer build. The key piece missing for me is lessons learned or what would you have done different in your builds. I feel no shame in learning from others lessons and/or opinions, if they want to share them. My intent for this thread would be more of a trailer building DO NOT's guide for newbies....

Hope this catches on, thanks for stopping.

Regards,

Rigpiggy

:wings::wings::wings:

 

[Rigpiggy]

So I will start:

My first lesson learned was simplicity versus complexity.

I wanted my trailer to house and be everything and I have not even started the build yet.... spent months working the design and struggled with so many issues. Then stepped back and went with my original plan of Strength, stability and versatility. Will start my trailer builder late November when I return home, starting from scratch and hope to have frame and basic containers built inside of two weeks. Am sure I will have a lot of lessons learned from the project and you all have already provide a great deal of learning for me.

Thank you.

 

[RagnarD]

Keep parking brakes or make sure to include them in the build.

 

[rnArmy]

I built a little trailer on a Harbor Freight type 4' trailer frame, and I love it. I lengthened the tongue 10" when I put the tray up front. The tub is 40" wide by 50" long. If I were to do it all over again, I'd build it on a modified HF 4x8' non-folding frame modified for a tub 40" wide by 60" long (or 62", but no more than 72"). That extra foot in length would make a huge difference in how much I can pack. It's all about usable cubic feet (length x width x height).

 

[dvsjw]

Keep it light. (The lighter the better... Watch every ounce) The light wight trailer will be less stress on the tow vehicle and easier to recover if needed. In fact less likely to get stuck in the first place.
Keep it simple. (Focus on a clear plan, not a do all trailer.)
A parking Brake would be awesome.
Stay below 35 inch tire if possible. (Hard on axle bearings and gas)
Exact matching of the tire with that of the tow vehicle if possible.
Include your other campers in design or you will be out there on your own in your own trailer.
Trailer brakes are a must. They have saved our bacon on at least 2 occasions in just 4000 miles with the new trailer.
The trailer is part of the path and not just a method to the destination. If it is only a destination use then a flight to France or 150 nights in a hotel will likely be cheaper.
Don't get in a hurry to have it all right now as you camp you will find things that will work.
Buy quality or you will likely buy it twice.
As much as possible have things be used for more than one purpose. (We use a step stool as a step stool, chair and a shower floor...)
Look at the item you are about to get and ask if it is needed, wanted or just looks cool to have before you purchase it. Some times it is just cool, but know that before you get it.

 

[Titanpat57]

Run through the gear, the build, your expectations (including significant other if they will be along) your present and future tow vehicle, your budget, your budget, did I mention your budget?, ALL weather conditions, frequency of trips, just about every /any scenario you can think of imagine.

Do this several times....keep a pen and paper handy. Fine tune, rerun it..

Execute

Good luck

I demand to be comfortable in all conditions, so we can't discuss lightweight or a minimalist approach...not in my vocabulary..:ylsmoke:

 

[java]

Agree completely on keep it light. I kept mine to 520lbs empty.

I figured out what gear I wanted to carry, and sized the trailer to match. Mine is 3 medium action packers wide by two long, and two deep. Really I only carry two, but it turned out that size. I didn't go Fancy, no battery, shower, water tank etc. I have a water can on the font, find a lake, and use a headlamp. I did a couple blue tape mock ups on the garage floor with my gear to determine size.

Miter ALL out corners, I was working with scrap metal, and some of my pieces were just the right length to butt together, its such a PITA to cap and grind and make it look decent....

Mine is pretty deep, and can be a bit hard to get stuff out of at times. Price I pay for two action packers stacked.

Tailgate makes a nice table, but make it fold all the way down also to make it easier to reach things at the front.

Matching track width to the tow vehicle is nice, not really necessary, but sure is nice.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I lurked and read every thread and trailer build I could find.
The Australian trailer guide was a big help.
Spend the time to pencil out your needs and question ever line more then once.
I knew the size, weight, and performance goals before I ever cut my 1st piece of steel.
I feel very lucky it worked as planned but I spent considerable time (too much by many standards)to get there.

 

[Geodoc]

Hi Rigpiggy,

I just built (well, almost built - should finish it up in the next couple of weeks) my first trailer (or, as I like to say, my first prototype). I kept a list of lessons learned, so here it is.

Lessons Learned Building a Trailer
1. Cut all pieces to size, tack up with little welder. Rent heavier duty welder to weld all main parts (do the actual welding in one day).
2. Use a carbide cold cutting ferrous blade to cut the steel
3. Get a tool to accurately measure angles (e.g., composite tongue legs to frame)
4. Get a better sliding miter saw.
5. Get metal clamps to hold pieces in place while tacking
6. Accurately measure diagonals (frame), tongue (from tip to corners), and axle hubs (from tongue tip)
7. Cut sheet metal to put over open ends of tubes (e.g., tongue and tongue supports).
8. Cut all tabs from 1 1/2” angle iron. Round corners and drill 3/8” holes.
9. Get fenders one can stand on.
10. Use 1 ½” angle iron to connect fenders to frame – have both edges of the angle iron connect with the fender. Be sure they can be accessed for drilling from below
11. Put a tongue stand on
12. Make sure the hangers on the rear leaf springs are in the proper position (verify what it is).
13. Put leveling legs on it (2 or 4 corners?)
14. Buy plenty of flappers and grinding wheels before welding
15. Determine axle location as seen below
16. Clean off all slag
17. Keep under cover until ready to primer
18. If sandblasting, get/rent more powerful air compressor or actual sandblaster (mine was a cheap one and didn't work too well).
19. If sandblasting, wear a hat and wraparound safety glasses/goggles!
20. Use jack stands for welding, sanding, and painting. Be sure to have at least 4 jack stands
21. Take/keep tires off when welding, sandblasting, and painting.
22. Cover axle hubs if sandblasting.
23. Primer and paint undercover (preferably in garage)
24. Allow 5 days for primer and paint (24 hours between coats).
25. Spray paint – don’t brush!
26. Put door/window insulation strip on top of trailer between frame and cargo box.
27. Have sufficient camper insulation to put between the frame and the box
28. Develop a wiring plan early
29. Have plenty of wire nuts
30. Check for items in garage before making any purchases – purchase it all in one trip!
31. Have a flat place to glue up and lay glued up pieces. Perhaps 4 same height sawhorses with 2x6 planks. (my box is made of 1" foam board sandwiched between two pieces of 1/8" ply)
32. 2 quarts of 3M appears to work for half a trailer. Get 6 quarts for expedition trailer.
33. 1 tube of Six10 Epoxy was insufficient – get three for the expedition trailer
34. Cut all doors/windows before glassing and so I can bolt the body to the frame

 

[croix]

Biggest help for me was having a scale drawing of what I wanted. I didn't use any fancy CAD or SKETCHUP; just graph paper and pencil with some things in Excel scaled to act like graph paper. My drawings were invaluable for putting things into perspective. The first time I put 35" tires into my drawing I thought I must have done it wrong - there was no way they could take up that much space. The same went for many things and I was shocked at how quickly the trailer space was being eaten up. I looked at my drawings a LOT and made many adjustments before I ever cut any metal. I looked at future possible mods (water tanks, furnace, propane, etc.) and tried to allow for those things in my original design whenever possible. In some cases I allowed for more than one model (furnace for example) and tried to leave enough room for the biggest model. With the drawings I was able to rearrange components to find the most efficient fit. It also identified things like "Hey if I put a water tank there and the pump over here, I would have to run the line through a cross-member. But if I move the pump six inches I can avoid that."

The second thing that helped me a lot was the UNIFIED TONGUE STRENGTH SPREADSHEET. I don't have the link handy a quick search for "tongue weight calculator" on the google machine should get you there. My suspension is only designed to support 2000 pounds but I used this calculator to make sure my tongue/frame design was able to support almost 3000 since I wanted to make sure I didn't have a failure off road. The calculator also put a lot of things in perspective for me. I was originally looking at 2"x3" steel for parts of my frame but realized I could still create overkill with smaller and lighter steel. I put a ton of different numbers into that calculator before deciding on a final tongue/frame design. You might be surprised to see how much 1/8" difference can make in some cases.

The third thing I learned was "Don't underestimate suspension". My suspension was more complicated than it probably had to be, but I had a specific goal in mind and ultimately it works perfect for me. This is another place where drawings helped me to visualize basic placement and prevent interference with other components. The hard part (for me anyways) was recognizing how much suspension travel changes the geometry of the components. I did a LOT of math with varying shock lengths, air bags sizes, shock positions, compressed height, extended height, etc. This is another area where a 1/8" shift can make the difference between suspension that works and suspension that binds. 1/8" can also be the difference between a trailer that tracks straight and true, or wanders and crabs down the road. Get the suspension right and you will save a ton of headaches.

There are several things already listed that I agree with wholeheartedly. Trailer brakes give peace of mind, matching tire/wheel to tow vehicle is nice, matching track width is nice, buy quality or buy twice, and like TitanPat57 says.... budget, budget, budget. Enjoy the build and accept the fact that there will be things that have to change down the road. These things are never really "done" if you ask me

-croix

 

[loren85022]

As a family Guy, I can tell you that by including my wife in the planning of the kitchen portion of my trailer really increased her enthusiasm for camping.

No question that keeping it smaller and lighter should always be a big consideration. That moment when you realize it is too big, or too heavy for something you have planned, is when it starts collecting dust

My last suggestion will not apply to everyone, but it has to do with friendships. All too often somebody volunteers to do some welding, or participate in somehow and then there becomes an expectation. Perhaps they want to use it. Perhaps they want to claim some ownership. My only suggestion to avoid 'free help.' If like me, the trailer is going to take twice as long and cost twice as much as you expected. And what started out as a fun little project can become a strain to the volunteers. Pay as you go.


Sent from my iToaster

 

[drsmonkey]

Learned a lot of the same lessons as folks here, but want to add something for future posterity, as not sure it is relevant info for the OP.

I started with a Harbor Freight 4'x8' and modified it down to a 4'x4' and welded it together instead of bolting. While it was nice to have a starting place, and to use bolts to hold it together for truing and tacking, it would have been MUCH easier to start from scratch. I wasted days removing red enamel for welds and then scratching it all up to take the bed liner finish.

I didn't save any money either, after I swapped the lights for LEDs, replaced the axle to match track width, hub pattern, and add brakes, put on new wheels and tires, built my own wiring system for 7-blade, added a receiver on the end of the tongue, 3 jack stands, etc I basically bought a $300 trailer for $150 worth of metal.

I also wish that I had bought a higher quality welder from the beginning. Due to shop limitations (I have none) I got an affordable 110v 135 amp welder and tried to use flux core and it was frustrating that I could never get a decent looking weld, plenty strong, but ugly. Then I used my brother in laws 200 amp welder with gas for part of the project, what a difference. I added gas to my welder and it helped considerably, but I wish I had saved the $350 and invested more into a dual voltage setup instead.