July 28 2023

Yup I’m getting an early start on the  “Winter Project”

Something more reasonable this time..  Won’t take six months to complete… but I could take my time ! Got lots of that !

Perfect…  When I saw this one for sale I just had to have it ..  12 ft X 6 ft ..  5000 lb capacity ( small car).

Needs some love for sure..  Those sides are toast..  And that’s not all.  Needs new deck, wheels, wiring. hitch. lights ( although these do work) And a paint job.  In other words..  just my kinda trailer.  BUT ! I towed it home two hours at full speed.. with no problems.  I won’t start on this till the fall ( that’s a lie).   Here’s a video tour…

My Avalanche was going in the garage right away.. But a trans cooler line broke and leaked all the oil…  so I had to use the Buick to fetch the trailer.. Not a problem, the Buick can tow 5000 lbs and the trailer as it was weighed in at 1800 lbs.  But the Avy will not be fixed till the 8 th of August…  so A bit of delay.  So yes I’ll start work on the trailer..

I want to save all the metal bent or not..  So I’m using a cut off wheel to cut the rusty bolts holding the wood on.

Getting there..  And so is the outdoor temperature ..it will be hot today. Most of the bolts were so rusty there was no way you were using a wrench.  I think I’m just in time to prevent some bad rust against the fender walls..  Lots of dirt and duff was trapped there.

And now for the floor..  Great idea to throw OSB sheets over the rotten decking..  Yup !  Now it’s falling apart too !  I think I’m going to need a shovel not a crowbar.

I think we need a new deck !

How about some nice pressure treated 2×6… Yup that should do it.  However that’s a much later thing.  Hours of sweat later and….

We have a clean frame and the parking area too !  For now all that rotten wood went into the other trailer.  So hiding under all the old wood is a nice sturdy trailer,  with 3500 lb drop axles, 10″ brakes.  And 4 leaf springs.

All designed to keep the trailer low, and pack some weight.  Nice… that’s the way we want it.  As you have seen looking at these photos what’s left of the paint is copper color..  The registration shows yellow ?  Well it will be neither when I’m done..  I should mention that the frame is made of 4″ x 2″  steel tube, cross pieces too.  No damage or bends either.  So I have an excellent foundation for a very nice flat deck trailer.  Do we just give it a new deck and a paint job…. NO.  We make it better than it was.  Make it safe to tow , and reliable with proper trailer tires, new hitch, brakes that work!  LED lights.

Metal Works !

I really want to reuse the angle pieces that were the support for the sides.   But boy is the one long (12 ft) piece bent up bad..

Hard to see just how bad in the photo…  I’ve been hammering and jumping on these for hours..  I may be able to straighten them more when I weld them in place.

Better view of the bent-up-ness of the one..  I need to get them looking better…  Buying this much metal is very pricey.  I’ve got the upright pieces from the side to.. ( not bent).

Those “fold overs” are from the factory… they were at the top. I’m not asking why… These are approximately 24 ”  long , and the new pieces I need will be 12 ” … So there’s lots to work with.  Not so with the long ones..  Need every bit.

Alrighty… Time for a new page, about the PLANS!

Page 2

May  16  2021

We always thought we would stay in this house…..  But

In late March 2021…  I took note of the price of homes here in Grand Forks going up.  Considerably !  And … there was only a few on the market.  Bidding wars in Grand Forks..   Unheard of until now.  When I mentioned this to the wife …she jokingly said “lets go to Drumheller”

Well that opened a can of worms..

And so after a bit of thoughts on the idea. Living close to the kids and Grand Kids, the pros the cons.  I checked out the house market in Drumheller, and WOW lots of homes to choose from and much lower prices than here.  So We decided to list our home.

 

And with a messy driveway and the shop full of stuff…  IT SOLD !  In two days..  no conditions and over asking !  Unreal.  I guess we are off to the Drum to find a house.  We have two months !

This was a very interesting process..  scary too. But it’s better to sell your home then look for another…  instead of buying another before you sell your home.

We had a bit of time at home to short list the possibilities.  And there was one that was #1 on the list.  The home on Pinter Dr was the first one we wanted to see. and the only rural home too.

This home was in a Rosedale area of Drumheller.  Just a tad under an acre of nicely treed property , and some very nice outdoor living space.  Plenty of flat parking for all my trailers.  Most of all QUIET.  But the house did not impress Mo at all. The photos made it look better than it was..   It needs some work.  To be expected on most homes.

So we were off to see more homes…

For the next two days we looked at lots of homes .  And most were worse than the first house.  But some were promising too. Some were more money than we wanted to spend, but move in ready.  But all were missing the yard space and elbow room from neighbors that we like. Sometime during those two days we got stressed thinking we would have to compromise.  On the second day at the last unimpressive house…  Maureen told the agent and me that maybe she was too hard on her opinion of the Pinter Dr home, and wanted a second look.  Well that was interesting..  We did that and talked about the things that she did not like.  I assured her that things can be changed and improved..  So we put an offer in… and after a little back and forth we got the deal we wanted.  So we have a place to move too.

Purging & Packing !

Moving sale !  Big one .

It spilled out into the driveway.  We sold a truck load of stuff in the first day !  Plus we were filling a dumpster at the same time.  Very little of this pile was left after two days.  HI FIVE..  Added to that I sold some bigger items & found homes for other stuff.  One trailer load of wood to the landfill.  Three trailer loads of metal to the landfill.  My shop was loaded into the horse trailer.

And I mean loaded… packed tight.

 

Eric came from Calgary and we loaded two more trailers.  So three trucks each towing a trailer..  This was the shop and the toys…

Like the boat and the Kabota.

The ATV and kayaks.  We made a trip to Eric’s place and stashed all this there..  It’s now in Alberta and only two hours drive to go fetch.

Mid May..  and we are doing good!

Mo has packed up most of the house..  We are having movers come on the 28 th and taking all the house hold and furniture.  I will be making a trip this week to take the travel trailer to the Drumheller house and parking it there.. And talk with the lady who sold us the home.  A scouting trip to see where the movers need to put things. Cause we will be making the drive there when they are unloading.

This is the piles of boxes in the garage. Wow!  And as for the things the movers are not taking.  well that will fit on the two trailers and in the two trucks on moving day.  More to come:

The Visit:

It’s the 20 th of May and I’m heading for the Drum with our travel trailer.  Driving through a bloody blizard in May !  Another Alberta welcome..  Fortunately as I drove closer to Drumheller the weather got real again.  The very nice lady we are buying the house from allowed us to park things in the yard.  Nice.  This gives me a chance to meet her and learn some things about the house.

Big yard !  I had most of a day to sit on the patio and wander around and take some photos.  Ask questions and get answers to some mysteries.  All good and I felt better knowing more about the house instead of worrying about what we will find.

But the best part is looking closer at gems like this fantastic cedar gazebo.  And the 18 x 14 barn..  It’s legit !

What I thought was and old crappy shed is dry and can be secure storage.  I also checked out the house in detail.  And there is only the things that we knew about..  A great visit with Tari on the covered porch.  And off I go home.  I now have a clear sense of where our stuff goes.

Moving Day:

Wow I had a big garage !  The movers have come and gone.. we are sleeping on the floor… sitting in camp chairs..  Cats are freaked out (just wait).

The Big Day Has Come !

We hit the road early.  got our selves a CONVOY.  Two trucks pulling trailers and the Kia.. Two howling cats..  Dave was the one with the quiet ride.  I had the girl cat and she voiced her displeasure for five hours.  It’s a 10 hour drive to the new home, and our convoy did not stay together..  I only stopped once for a bathroom break and fuel.  While we were driving the movers were unpacking our stuff into the house with help from my Son.  They had food in the fridge and supper made.  Welcome to Rosedale / Drumheller, Alberta.  Also called the Badlands.

And the rural property that I always wanted but far away from Grand Forks.  So now that we are here let’s start a new page :

The Move Page 2:

Sept  30  2020

Finishing the Trailer :

Once I joined the two halves together upside down it’s easy to do a good wiring job..  Consideration for the folding must be made.

This is were I do things a bit different..  First off I use loom to protect the wires,  Mostly the vehicle plug end.

A hole through the tongue on the left side and the loom passes through that with a tie so it can’t be pulled out.

The other thing I do is run the ground wire directly to the lights instead of relying on the frame as most do. This is far more reliable on any trailer because ground connections to the frame can rust and become poor. Plus this trailer folds up and there is two painted hinge points that would not allow ground to work well.  Bright ideas means bright lights !

Here’s how I solved the hinging problem..  Enough of a loop to accommodate the folding but keep it tucked up..

 

When the trailer is flipped over this with be the right hand light.

The lift table is SOOO great..  just roll the trailer over and lift to a comfortable height for working…

Well it’s all done and listed for sale..  She’s a cutey ..  folds up and stands up like it should.

And it’s still a very useful 4×8 trailer.   Nice and light.

End of this post..  it was fun …  Rob

Sept  22  2020

–Cleaning & Painting :

Well I looked at the frame sitting on the saw horses out side .. and it looked like a real chore working on it..  SOOO   I took the whole thing apart… all the nuts & bolts.  They were rusty and some of them broke.

Now I’m left with just a pile of metal pieces that are easy to clean.  These cross pieces are all the same …so they can go in any order.

Same goes for the stake pockets..  I bought all new bolts to put it back together.  AND !

I’m keeping the folding ability.  These are the hinges,   all they need is a good cleaning and a bit of straightening.  I will also need to replace the angle iron feet the the trailer would rest on when tipped up for storage.   The weather turned to rain so I had to bring the whole works inside.

The whole trailer ( minus the wheels) is here on my lift table.  All cleaned and ready for painting..

And we have it..  just like new!  I”l let these cure for several days.  Then when we have a nice day I’ll go get a sheet of plywood and put the puzzle back together.

All eight stake pockets are spiffy again too.  Everything has a nice coat of paint now.  And it cured enough to put back together.

Here’s the front half of the frame..  like putting a puzzle together.  I left the bolts loose so I could use the plywood floor to square the frame up.

Of coarse I put a coat of stain on the underside of the plywood.  That’s 5/8 ”  GIS plywood fastened to the frame with 1/4 ” galvanized carriage bolts.  Not SCREWS !  This is strong and will last for many years.   Screws will become loose and rust easily…  bad!

Like I said all new bolts with locking nuts are used .  The stake pockets are on now too. Ready for wiring and lights.  Let’s have another page for the finishing …

  PAGE 3

Sept  15  2020

Yes K Mart !

 

Here’s the proof…  These were kit trailers ,  they sold them in a box ..you bolt it together.  There is no welds…all bolts holding the frame together.   Can Tire , Harbour Freight and others sold them.  The date says 1995.  Sure why argue with that 25 years young.

How did I get it ?

Someone was moving across Canada and selling things like trailers.  Cheap and with registration.  That always catches my attention. Doing the ubiult thing is a pain.  So I put more value on a trailer with papers.    And this is what it looked like… Kinda home made.  Little 8 inch wheels hiding under there.

I could see that there was another trailer hiding under all those wooden parts.  The lights were broken and the wiring was hanging down… but sorta worked.. didn’t care.. I replace that stuff anyway.

Time to see what’s under this mess.  Maybe mess is too harsh.. cause it did work for the guy..  Sooo  out comes the screw gun and the crow bar.

I get down to this and there’s a legit 4×8 trailer .. with fenders , stake pockets and lights.. (however the left taillight is missing).

The plywood deck is actually ok..  but there’s too many holes from screws.  So I think I would replace it.. Need to repaint the frame anyway ..it’s a bit rusty.  Needs new tail lights and wiring ( done right).  Make new sides and there you have a good trailer.

Let’s Fix it  !

The first step is to strip it all down.  So just the basic frame is left.  Amazingly it’s not super rusty… and just like the registration says it’s grey !  I’ll keep that color on the frame but use the tough black paint on the axle , hubs and springs.

Here’s the plywood floor with a few of the bits and pieces.  I will be replacing the 1-7/8 coupler with a new 2 ” coupler.  And the bearings will be checked for excessive ware .   It was discovered that this trailer was a folding trailer. The 8ft deck folded in half and the tongue folded up too…so you could store the trailer in a small space.  Someone added some welds and a few bolts to make it rigid.  And that’s fine.

This solves the lights and wiring …as well as a new 2″ coupler.  I have 3 of the wiring kits.. So it’s nice to find a home for one. Bearings however have been a bit of an issue.  The hubs had play in them.   Seems the standard trailer kit is not a good fit.  Fortunately one of the four bearings was good and fit ..  so with the number we were able to order three more.. Once the hubs are good  then we are down to the cleaning and painting.

Let’s do a Page 2

May  23  2020

The one I bought is ok.. just ok.  It is 48 ” long but only 40 ” wide.   I wanted one that was the same width as my ATV.   Solution..  build one.  I have the old axle from the Scamp trailer.  So I bought a set of new 8 ”  wide trailer wheels that fit.

Nice !  but the axle is wayyy too wide.  So I cut 24″ out of the middle. That put the wheels on the same track as my ATV.   I also wanted more clearance for traveling over things in the bush..  So i turned the axle 45 degrees so the arms point down.

Mounted that up to some angle and we have the start of a tiny trailer.  Then build a 4ft x 4ft  frame with steak pockets and that is the size I wanted.

Made a tongue that allows the deck to tilt..  and  there you have a tiny trailer !

Added a stabilizer jack from an old tent trailer, and a new 2″ coupler.  Prefect !  Now I’m painting up some 1/2 ” ply for the floor and sides.

And yes the wood parts are blue… just like the ATV.

I sold it to a neighbour after moving to Alberta.

Sept  6  2019

This story starts with having to dispose of an old damaged Travel trailer..  It was obviously in the flood from 2018.   It was a mess, and needed to go to the landfill.   We moved it into my second driveway and salvaged what we could..  not much !

However the frame and axles were good…  The tires held air and the brakes were still working..  The frame is a good 5 x 2  box steel  with only surface rust.  So why not keep the frame like we did last year with the other two free trailers.  This was a big trailer… the body was 28 ft long.  So we cut the bolts holding the body to the frame and lifted and blocked the body..   At the landfill they used the big loader to push the body off ( flattening two tires in the process) So we were left with just the frame.   No cost because it was a flood trailer.

And here we have a very long but nice frame.  First off… remove all the extra bits ..  like steps and those side pieces and the propane tank holder..   Then I cut 7 ft off the rear and removed the axles.

 

I spent weeks cleaning and painting the axles.  They were in great shape.  The brakes were like new…  Bearings to needed only to be re greased.  These are 3500 lb drop axles made in Edmonton..  with good Dexter electric brakes.

I adjusted the brakes .. very handy working up here…  and replaced all 14 nylon bushings.   The frame was flipped over and the spring hangers were moved forward to the proper position for a 18 ft trailer.

Now the axles are back on..   Also bought new 8 ply tires .. load range D.  heavy duty…

Cleaned and painted the rims.. of coarse !  And we can now mount the wheels back on as well…  but first I need to clean up the frame

 

Here is a cleaned up… but unpainted frame.  ( because there is more to add ) I put the wheels on so I could move it to the other driveway… making room for the other old trailer frame.  Needing some of the steel from the rear end.

So I cut the whole back end off just behind the wheels.  This frame is C-channel  not box like the one I’m building.  And that C -channel is perfect for the uprights on the sides.

Here I have one side done.  The tall upright at the back is that way to hold the mesh ramp in the closed position.  As I progress it will all make sense..  to me at least.

Also important was the re – attaching of the rear bumper…  this makes the trailer 18 ft long on the deck.  Perfect !  There is a gusset plate  on the inside of the joint.   And I will have more to add outside too.. I’m getting better at anticipating useful stuff.. like tie down points.

Here I’ve added a rod across the upright channels because this trailer is for carrying things that need to be lashed down.

Today was sunny again so I got to the welding..  Top rails are on.

So are the taillight pods.  One more day of welding should do it.

And so I’m done the welding.. it  was a very nice day.. and I put in long hours to get it done..  This is what I did…

 

Rear tie down points..   These are important ones and the same for the front tie downs..  Great place to easily hook straps to.   Why not weld them in place now.. Then they get painted..

The holder for the box and the winch mount..  In the plans for sure.. I have a steel locking box and it will keep the winch and battery safe and dry..

And last of all the hinges for the windgate / ramp.  And after a test I had to move them a bit..  They can now be welded in place.

Today was a nice day so I did as much painting as I could…

All but the very back where the ramp needs some adjustments..

After welding a few bits on the rear..  and a spare tire holder …we are good to finish the painting.  And there in the pile of bits I had removed from the trailer frame was the spare tire holder..  Originally on the back bumper.. but now works great on the right side in front of the fender.  and speaking of fenders….

I got to work on those too.  Next is the wiring..

I got a start on that today..

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Installed all the penny LED marker lights..   These are tiny but bright !  Supposed to rain tomorrow..  So I would change gears and  work on the RZR 800…  Yes I have two projects on the go…. one in the shop and one outside..   Depends on the weather..\

Rainy today.. so working on the RZR…

Here’s a photo of where we are at..  It’s on it’s wheels.  Just missing a few things..  but I got a break in the weather and all the wiring , the winch and box are done now.

And yesterday we got the decking and installed it..

Looks great !  I’ve taken the trailer for a spin… and it tows as well as it looks.

The winch and battery are in the box with room for storing other stuff.  Just the windgate / ramp left to install.

Spring 2020….  Used the trailer last fall the take two ATV’s up hunting … rough roads..  and some of my welds broke.  So this spring I fixed those and made new mounts for the ends of the fenders.  Good to go again.

April  1  2019

It’s Spring !

This was the photo in the ad for a trailer that I could make better.   We settled on a price without the boat loader.. I have no use for that.  I’ve been looking for a wide, low flat deck trailer for a while …even considering building one from scratch.  And this one is as close to perfect as I’m going to get..

My friend was going to Kelowna …so he picked it up for me.   Tows great just the way it is.. The rack did not come with it .

And here’s what I got..   12 ” wheels, EZ lube hubs, LED tail lights, Swivel jack, new 2″ hitch and 2×6 treated wood deck..   All good stuff to start with.   This trailer started life as a double jet ski trailer.  I started by cleaning up the tongue.

I removed the step and the plastic grate . Don’t need those.  Then I replaced the safety chain and re- routed the wires through the tongue tube.

Nice and tidy now…   Oh and extra bolt in the coupler makes me feel better too.  Next the wheels.

The white rims look good but the tires were only rated at 880 lbs each…  too close for me.. These 12″ on black rims are more robust.. rated at 1200 lbs each..  And they are new !

I finally got the shop back .. Cleaned it out..   Now the trailer can be modified.

The first thing… remove the decking so I can add more framing for extra strength.

The next thing… add more length for the RZR..  this works great.. the front wheels park on this.

And then a support for the new mesh loading ramp.

Painted with the decking back on and the LED tail lights..  and we are good to go…  I used the trailer like this before getting the ramp built.

And it works great..  And I got the mesh ramp built too !

Now no need for those other ramps..  And that’s a wrap…

Nov  2  2018

And on we go…    It was a delicate operation…  but I used my Tractor to flip the trailer end for end..

Now you can see the angle of the tilt…. and the clearance the wheels have.

It’s a bit steeper than I would like ..  but if you want the wheels tucked under than this is what you get..  And isn’t it interesting how it’s balanced !  Hopefully I can keep that after I add the side rails.

Except for a hole for the wires..  and clamping the wheel jack on..  the tongue is finished..  As soon as the paint is dry I’ll attach it to the trailer

And there we have it !  And surprise !  I welded the side rails on too.   The latch worked out great..  I now have the jack / wheel on the front..  so it a three wheeler..  And I’m happy with the weight..   I can push it around quite easily.

here’s a bit different view.  The side rails are low… about 6 inches.  And the front cross bar acts as a wheel chock.

The jack is on the drivers side…  because it should be…  Still need to finish the painting,

Done…  All that’s needed now is the deck.

Not So Old Anymore !

All done except the road test … and getting registration.

Sold !

Right after I registered the trailer and took it for a test run..  Which proved I know how to build a trailer :)…   I put it up for sale and sold it within the day..   Bye Bye..   On to the next project…

  Acorn Trailer