Trailer Lid hinge: which side to mount them, pros & cons?

[rustED]

Thanks everyone for all the comments, opinions, and pics of how your trailers are setup, I really appreciate you all listing the different pro's and con's to each setup! You guys gave me alot of things to consider, plus some good ideas I wouldn't have ever thought of, in the end I think I'm going to go ahead and make my lid open from the passenger side on this one. My main reason being safety (as this trailer is going to my brother when it's finished). I really like the double lid hinge idea using the springs bolts that Pete79 posted on his build thread, that was a very clever way to make the trailer accessible from both ends. But my lid is going to be pretty heavy (especially with the added cargo rack), it measures 75" long x 54" wide and I'm going to need some gas struts to help open it, thus the reason not having it hinge from the front. Thanks again to everyone!

 

[spressomon]

FWIW: If I did it over again...I think I'd put the hinge at the front for more convenient access/loading/unloading.

 

[PCO6]

I'm currently building the lid on my trailer. I built the tailgate to swing open like one of my tow vehicles which is a Jeep LJ. It will also be towed by a Jeep XJ. It is hinged on the right/passenger side by TJ hinges. As I will generally access the LJ cargo area from the driver's side it makes sense to access the trailer from that side too. The lid will be hinged on the right side. To me it wouldn't make sense to have the lid open on the right side and have to walk around the opened tailgate to access the cargo area.

The "kitchen table" will be on the left side of the trailer. When it is set up I will be able to look into the trailer with the lid up. Admittedly it will be hard to reach over the table to get things out but realistically most things I need will already be out so I don't see this as a problem. The trailer bed is 5' deep so I should be able to get most things out via the tailgate.

My build ...
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/148123-PCO6-s-Trailer-Build

 

[M35A2]

The top lid of my M416 has an inner lip so the entire top just drops down into place. It can be raised from any side - a prop (1 x 4) holds it open. I carry two the same length so that the entire lid can be slid such that one edge is still on the trailer and the two 1x4's become legs, so now I have a table. Simple and flexible for the need du jour.

 

[rustED]

Well I ended up changing my mind and putting the hinges on the passenger side and making the lid open from the driverside. The main tow vehicle is going to be my old 86' 4runner that has a drop down tailgate. After reading PCO6's post that reminded my that my brother also has a Jeep TJ as a secondary tow vehicle, since the TJ has a driverside swing out tailgate I opted to go with the driverside opening lid.





^^^Homebrewed hinges and handle for lid







Now I need to figure out what length and how many lbs I need for my gas struts!