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.