Oct  27  2018

Made New Again !

 

I’ve been wanting to build another one of these.  AND now I’ll be needing one..  I’m planing to change my quad for a side by side.  And the only way to carry it properly is on a wider .. lower … trailer.  If it tilts for loading.. then better yet.

This old trailer was out on the farm.. it’s free..  BUT.. the only part that’s good is the 6 x 8 ft. deck frame and the tilting lock.  The old rear end from a car is toast..  And the hitch part is just not the way I would like it to be..

But I love this lock for the tilt.   so I carefully cut it off..   The small hitch frame I will use latter for a yard wagon.   Hear is a chance to use the axle and new 10″ wheels I have from the Colman Tent Trailer I took apart a year ago.  At 64″ hub face to hub face it’s perfect.

So I carefully rebuilt it.   And painted it..  The 10 inch wheels will be lower to the ground.  And I have 2 new never used wheels and two good spares.  I will need new springs, but i have all the other new bits…  so the running gear will be new… Put aside and ready to install .

So time for a new frame.  I bought new  2-1/2 ”  box steel.  Then welded an H shape that’s a bit wider than what you see above.  The old frame and the front piece of angle were cut out.. ( in red) .  That old frame was all bent up..and too tall..   that added extra height, which I did not want.  And the front piece was also bent..

After new notches were cut in the two cross pieces the old deck and the new frame fit together nicely.   I should mention that the new frame where the springs will mount to is the same as the wheel base on a RZR side by side.  That means the weight is held on the strongest part of the deck.

 

This cross piece is where the trailer tongue will attach with a hinge for tilting the trailer. But I need to add a few more bits…  two more cross supports , and some shims so the decking is level.  One of the issues with this kind of trailer is … where do you put lights?  Well they need to be tucked under the deck.  Same with the license plate.

So I’ll be using these pieces I cut out for a different trailer and did not use.   But they will work nicely.

 

And there ya go..   As well you can see the shim pieces tacked on top of the frame to level off for the wood deck.  Time to flip the whole thing over…

UpSideDown !

Several things are happening here..  The welding is finished on the underside…  and I’m working on the tongue.  The hinge , latch and hitch are all done..  Even a rest hoop that doubles as a safety chain mount.

The latching mechanism has been resized and should work great..  spring loaded so when the deck comes down…click!  Not sure if I’ll be happy with this.. will see.

Spring is Here !

Not really…  Today I went to Kelowna for some supplies..  includes two new 3 leaf springs.   Now I will know how much clearance the 10 inch wheels will have under the deck..

Well look at that.. I’m needing to ad 2 1/2 inch tube to the frame to give the tire 3 inches of clearance under the deck…   So we’ll have to see what the tilt angle ends up being..    Ends up to be 28 degrees.

I’ll need this left over piece cut in half…   more welding..  Good thing I have the extra pieces.

I tacked them in place and attached the springs..  put the axle on top.. and the wheel.. and whadya know three inches of clearance.

Took it all apart and finished up the welds with the big welder..  got to be strong.   Ready for the paint !   I randomly choose a brown..  witch turned out more like tan..

It’s like the base coat for a camo paint job.. good enough.   And it took two days to dry !   The next step for me is to do the wiring while it’s easy.

All the wires are inside the main frame tubes as much as possible.  The side marker lights are LED’s  I’ve recessed them a bit to better protect them. The taillights are not LED..  but they are bright.. and they too are recessed in a rubber grommet.   In the past I and others have broken too many trailer lights..  So now I’m careful how and where I mount them.

I am now ready to flip the trailer over on to it’s wheels…  and finish the top side..   Time for a new page..  cause there’s much more work to do…

ON TO PAGE  2:

Nov 21 2017

These are (interesting to me)  rare things that I have found :

Some I have fixed up and passed on ..  and a few I still have stored.   Now someone may argue that some of these things are not really that rare .  But if it’s uncommon for the average Joe to own them.. So here I is list them.  I’m going to start with the tractors / mowers ..  these were my hobby for a long time.  Many of these were documented in my old blog.  But now I’ve lost that because I wasn’t using it enough when I got my own domain with a new blog..  The one you are reading now.

This is a GE electric lawn tractor..  I went almost to Edmonton to get this from a farmer..  I never got it running and flipped it for more dollars.. to a collector of these rare tractors..  yes they are hard to find.

Here’s it’s big brother ( bigger motor) no mower deck, that was lost.. I found this one locally..  And I still have it ..  Very rare.

This is a Toro Groundsmaster..  A very serious mower.. with a large deck..  I had two !  and I still have the parts one waiting for me under a tarp.. needs a lot of work..  maybe not very rare but still hard to find..

Oh yes..  a very rare Struck mini dozer..   So cool.. got it running great.   works just like a big one..  but the size of a lawn mower.  8 hp.  I found this way up Kootenay Lake..   sold it..  I have a video

Rv’s that are unique..  and a bit on the rare side..

My 1977 classic GMC motorhome.  Hard to find a good one in Canada..  I used it two seasons and sold it for a profit..  they gain in value if you keep them nice.  I went back to pulling a trailer.

Our 94 Award 27 ft trailer..  Loved this trailer..  used it for many years.. but it started to have structure problems.. so we sold it cheap.

1986 Winnebago LeSharo motor home.  Not very common.. cause they always broke down..  French motor !  I have replaced the motor in this one .. But it runs like crap.  Sold it cheap as is… It’s story HERE

Let’s included the Boler Trailers !

# 1..  1973 Boler..  Fully restored by me in the winter of 2017-18.   Now lives in Edmonton.  See the Blog post  HERE

#2  1979 Acorn/Scamp,  currently in the shop and having a new floor installed.   I’ll update the photo when it’s done..  /you can see the blog post  HERE

ATV’s..  These are fun projects..

Early 1970’s 6×6 BAZOOO !  yes that’s correct spelling.  I fully restored this one winter.. and It ran good..   But I just couldn’t see myself keeping it.  I sold it to a collector of rare 6×6’s .. it now lives in a museum in Indiana.  full story   HERE

A rare 1974 Terra Jet.  4×4 amphibious ATV..  yup it floats !  It’s unfinished and stored for now..  I need to install a motor.  and do the body work..   Full story  HERE

Then there was a boat..

Very rare indeed.. 1959 Perfomer Seven Seas ..  I got about half way done and decided I would never get to finishing it ..  so I sold it to a fella who will..   I’m keeping in touch with hi, and hope to see how he does..   Full story  HERE

 

Aug  2017

It was free… and you know how that goes..  It was also broken..  So.. time to make something different from the old girl.   I’ve done it before..  made a nice useful trailer out of a old funky one..  I wish I took a photo of the Coleman before I took it apart.. But I forgot…    So the photos start with a stripped down trailer (frame) ready for some decisions on what to make.

But let’s talk about why I took it apart !

Why not just fix it up..  nope.  where do I start..  How about with the broken lift mechanism.  We had to hook up our portable winch to pull on the four cables that lift the roof.  The treaded block that is pulled along the crank rod was stripped.  And it was easy to see why..  The roof was so heavy from water leaking in and soaking the foam and wood that even our 2000 lb winch needed help.  so we went from corner to corner lifting and blocking … then taking up the slack with the winch ..  till the roof was up.   The roof was a mess.. and the canvas was ripped and things were just bad..  So I stripped the canvas off..  and removed the roof..  that darn thing must of weighed 1000 lbs !  It’s taken me two days to get the Coleman down to just a frame.  A pile of aluminum,  a pile of wood and a pile of steel.   And I’ve gained a few parts..  stove, sink, furnace, power panel with 30 amp cord, roof vent, ice box and two sheets of plywood..

She was big as tent trailers go..  11 ft long.  with the fat 10″ wheels.  and brakes !  All aluminum & steel.

What a great blank canvas for a trailer !  I will need to spend some money though.  new tires / wheels so that I can use the one good one as a spare.  Also a new 2″ hitch,  and treated deck boards should finish it of nice.   I plan to move the rear bumper in so that the deck is 11 ft long.  That balances the trailer better.  And I’ll trim the sides in flush with the wheels..  that makes the width exactly 6 ft.  The plan is to build it similar to the tandem  trailer I build and have been using for a few years now.

 

Love this trailer..   this has  worked very good.  But for the little guy I will do solid sides with stake pockets so you can add height.  Oh and same height all the way around not raised in the front

For now I have to put this project aside to do other stuff.

Sept 9 2017

Well I can’t work on the LeSharo till I get the motor hoist back..  So I got the new driveway done..  and now I’m thinking I’ll tackle the new trailer.   I’m off to PA to get two new wheels for it..  I have new lights and a new 2 ”  coupler..  so I can get to work.

I removed some of the crap .. like the propane tank holders, chains and the wiring .  And today I stripped the frame of all the stuff that I don’t need …and some stuff I’ll change

Now I can pick it up..  so I put it up high on the saw horses.  Oh and it’s upside down for a bit till I get a few things done.  First thing is moving some of the cross pieces.  One by one I’m spacing them out more evenly.

The brakes got put on this project .. when I bought a Boler project..I will need the frame for that..  so.. nothing more to see here..

So see how I use the frame on the Boler !

Aug 2016:

Realizing that ramps were not working good for lawn tractors.. I needed a small tilt deck trailer that could be towed by the Carry.  This all was before I sold the Carry.

I bought this off a fella for $100.  a few months back.  It’s an old tent trailer frame.  Which does not tilt,  the tongue is a little bent, but the wheels and springs are like new..

And it has new lights !  BUT it’s seven feet wide..  I want the trailer to be only five feet wide.  So time for some mods.

Here’s the frame after removing the wood.  There is jack stands on all four corners.. Some are bent up, but all of them haft to go.  I can use the bits I cut off to make the frame a bit stronger.   I need the rear to be tapered and slim so it comes close to the ground when tilted.  So I’m cutting off the rear bumper.  The main frame is four feet wide. The wheels are another eight inches on both sides.  So I will need narrow fenders..  and the lights will have to move forward so they don’t hit the ground.

Cut Cut Cut .. Weld Weld Weld…

I plan as I go.  And so far it looks good.. I fear I’m adding more weight with all the extra metal..   But I don’t want a flimsy trailer.

I moved the axle to the top of the springs..  and that lowered the trailer by 4 or 5 inches.  Now I’m concerned that the deck will hit the wheels..  Once I flip it back over I will see.

This took awhile to figure out..  and a few trips to the metal stash to find the right bits.  But I got it.. very “over built ” tilt system for the hitch tongue.  Then I flipped the trailer back on it’s wheels and could see two things..   The wheels are close to the deck..  So maybe small shallow fenders?  And the deck is just a touch heavier on the front so it won’t stay in the tilt position.   I was thinking of all kinds of ways to fix this..  adding weight to the rear.. no..   Finally I thought to tighten the hinge bolt  !  Now it stays wherever you put it.

Here’s a view of the hinge.  I purposely located it forward of the axle so the deck would drop down..  DUH.. the real hinge point is the wheels.   So with the bolt tight things work fine.

Here’s the right side up view of my pin and pocket for the tongue.  Very sturdy..   There’s a few more things to do before the deck wood goes back on..  Like these…

Tail light holders !   And a mount for the hand winch…

Yes a hand winch will sit atop this platform.  Keep it simple and light ..   I’ve got the tongue all fixed up with a spare tire mount a hoop for the safety chain..   And I used the best jack stand  and welded it on the bottom of the tongue ..  CAUSE I CAN.

Looks like this now..  The jack stand is adjustable for height and folds up to the tongue.  The wiring is done too.

So now we have lights..   Oh and here’s what the winch looks like.

Just needs bolts and the strap… simple.   So I’m ready for the plywood to go back on..

It’s a perfect 5 ft x 8 ft.  and I had enough of the plywood .  I also mounted the tie down rails that were in the box of the Carry.   So it’s all done !

It’s sits level hooked up to the little truck.  Good

And tilts nicely to the ground with only a 3/4 ” lip

A winch for the dead tractors & spare.. We are styln…  I have the registration now and a new plate.  Like everything else at time I sold the little trailer..

Spring 2014:

Boy oh boy .. I’m I distracted from the stuff I should be doing..  Too much to do .. If I was retired I could maybe get it all done .. Here I go with yet another project.  When this trailer was offered to me for a price that was hard to pass up I didn’t have to think about it long..  Especially considering that my good old utility trailer that has served me long is rusting badly..  And now when I pack some weight..  well twice now the spring shackles have broken from the frame..  Also I can’t carry my Kubota in the little 4 x 8 trailer.

No it’s not a car hauler.. It’s built from an old travel trailer.  So the frame is not strong enough for a car.. but it will work great for tractors.  It has brakes… something Dave’s trailer does not have.. It’s nice and low ..and balanced.. tows great..  The deck is treated 2×6 and measures just over 5 ft between the fenders.  And 16 ft long.  Those wire hubcaps are only on one side.. so I’m removing them. It needed a new safety chain.. and then you could use it.  Lights and brakes work good.   However there is no ramp for loading..  And the tires are old..  but they are just common size car tires.

How to make it MINE..

I’ve had the trailer sitting in the driveway for a week now.. thinking of a ramp for the back..  And today I pulled those hubcaps off and gave the trailer a bath..  Then Dave showed up and said, ” hey we should pull the hubs and grease the bearings”.   So I lowered the front of the trailer to the ground and put some blocking under the rear.. then lifted the front up with the tractor till the wheels are off the ground..  If the tractor can do that then it must not weight more than 800 lbs.  Cool. While servicing the hubs.. and the trailer up in the air I wanted to have a good look under.. Yup I’m thinking that the wiring under the trailer is messy… Not surprised with that.. and to find some wasp nests.. too..  not surprised again.  Also a lot of the nuts were missing from the bolts that hold the deck on.. Hmm.   I don’t care much for the pipe structure on the front.. and there is no sides for mounting stuff..  So I’m going to spend a few days and make this trailer GREAT.

Starting by removing the floor & the pipe railings. Then I can add to the frame, paint the frame, and re-do the wiring.  Here’s the want list…

•  Stake pockets for removable sides
• Tie downs inside
• Ramps for the back / or a wind gate
• A front structure that will hold a winch

Here you see the work is started..  I have acquired four newish tires for a good price.. That will take the flat worries away.. I was given some heavy mesh that will make good ramps.  Dave & I have been debating the width of the trailer..  There doesn’t seem to be a good reason to have the trailer wider behind and in front of the fenders.. So we may just keep the 61 ” width all the way.. and we may trim 12 ” off the back..

I’ll sleep on the width thing.. In the mean time I sand blasted the rims and gave them a satin black paint job..

And they are unique.. notice the Four bolt pattern..  and the large opening..  These could be hard to find.. good thing I made them nice again.

Here you see the new tires on the rims…on the trailer..  Also you will see that we’ve stripped the wood deck off, fenders off..  and now it’s time to decide what to do..

 

The frame is very minimal as you can see.  and some of the cross members are very light.. I could bend them easily.  So after looking at all this weakness.. we need to beef things up a bit.   The first thing is to add a third frame right down the middle.   A 2×2 ” square tube would do nicely.  That would take a bit of the flex out of the frame.  Then we will replace the lighter cross pieces with more 2×2″ tube.  All welded to make a more rigid ladder frame.

Also we decided to shorten the trailer by a foot on the tail.  This will do two things :  First it will mean less stress on the back of the trailer when loading something heavy.  Second it will move the two axles back further and make the trailer handle better.   Sadly we will loose a foot in length..  but hey it’s long enough for me..

Here you can see the shortened frame, and the new 2 x 2 center frame plus cross pieces.

The 2 x 2 square tube runs the whole length and has stiffened the trailer a lot.  We added new outer frame pieces and there will be a 4″ deep plate on the outside.  When the 2×6 decking goes on this should be a strong but lite trailer.  And yes I decided to take the deck out to the outside of the fenders.  I have also forgone the stake pockets for a 12″ high wall on the sides..  sloping up to a 24″ high front wall.   No wind gate either..  just two 16″ x 48″ mesh ramps that will slide from side to side and fold up.

This has turned into quite a lot of work.. but the result is great.. You can see in the photo above the vision I had has taken shape.  A spare tire and winch mount on the front.  The 12″ high frame on the sides acts like a truss and stiffens up the frame.

Here’s a photo of the winch mount.. I have a new 2000 lb winch for the trailer..  At the bottom is of coarse the battery tray.   I also bought a new hitch & jack.  This will be a new trailer when done.. and it’s registered as a 2014 U-Build .  Prior to this photo we used the tractor to lift one side of the trailer and had it up on it’s side.  That allowed us to rewire the brakes.  Proper soldered connections & loom , all routed through the 2×2 center beam.  I also took the opportunity to give the underside a quick coat of grey paint.

June 29 2014:

Another case of “put aside”..  The weather has been ify for painting..  and other stuff got in the way of finishing the trailer.  But today with improved weather I got er done..

All the welding & grinding is done..  cleaned it up good and gave the trailer it’s grey paint job.  Once the paint is dry I’ll wire in the lights.  Then it’s decking time.

Here’s the lights all on.. took a few hours .  all the conections are behind the license plate..  The wires all run through the 2×2 square frame.  Clean !

At the front  they all meet here..  easy to get at and make changes..

DECKIN !

2×6 treated lumber & 2″ heavy metal screws..  And lots of cutting.

Got the fenders back on too.. and they fit perfectly.  All that’s left to do is the ramps and wire up the winch.

I did not realize that at some time during our construction .. the shackles on the front axle got flipped around.. and this caused the tires to rub together.. it took me a bit of head scratching to figure out what it was that was wrong.  But I got it..

With the completion of these heavy duty ramps.. the trailer is getting closer to being 100% .  The ramps adjust for width and can be removed.  The Kubota fits with room to spare. It looks like I may have  a mowing job.. so this trailer will be used.  now we need to see how many quads we can carry !