Buy a trailer (instead of a pickup truck)

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Including a pickup, altough it would spend more time as a front yard ornament

I resemble that remark! (F150 is in the middle of the front yard, backed up to a tree, so that I could get a bit higher up with the trim saw).

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I resemble that remark! (F150 is in the middle of the front yard, backed up to a tree, so that I could get a bit higher up with the trim saw).

Would a trailer (or a portable ladder) be too low for that? Or that was just intended to look manlier?

[oil pan 4]

I have a little oil pan 4 business venture I am going to try.
Build new trailers from scrap yard metal and bits of trailers left at the scrap yard.
I bought enough I-beam steel Friday to make about 2 trailer frames for $60 and there is more to be had.
I have numerous 2'' and 1-7/8'' couplers, set of trailer leaf springs, a few trailer brake lights in my junk collection.
There are several 3500 trailer axles (with springs) at the scrap yard with bad tires and rims, said axles appear to take GM 5 lug wheels, which I have a set of 15s I would like to be rid of.
I would like to reduce the junk pile in my garage and line my wallet with some of that fancy fold'in money.

[4862forestgrove]

I regularly haul 1000 lbs with my Prius and Harbor Freight 1720# trailer.

BB

[NH scrap]

Originally Posted by TornadoRed

The guy who buys an efficient car, instead of a pickup, is likely to save enough on fuel that he can afford a lot more toys.

i have both, but the $1200 car sees 5 times the use.
i would also add that trucks are not cheep, not if you get a good one.
i got mine used (toyota tacoma) for $10,000
i'm a real cheep dog but after buying a bunch of $500 to $3000 worn out trucks that i was always working on (the parts store loved me)
i figured i would buy a GOOD used quality truck that would give me years of service.

also when i need to haul a couple ton of scrap metal to the scrap yard
(1 hour round trip) that clearly is a job for a truck. the cluch in my car has never been changed out & has almost 300k on it, don't think it would enjoy pulling much of a trailer.
now it would however pull a super light weight trailer with a light but bulky load on it. for hauling real weight i'll stick with a truck.

[NH scrap]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I have a little oil pan 4 business venture I am going to try.
Build new trailers from scrap yard metal and bits of trailers left at the scrap yard.
I bought enough I-beam steel Friday to make about 2 trailer frames for $60 and there is more to be had.
I have numerous 2'' and 1-7/8'' couplers, set of trailer leaf springs, a few trailer brake lights in my junk collection.
There are several 3500 trailer axles (with springs) at the scrap yard with bad tires and rims, said axles appear to take GM 5 lug wheels, which I have a set of 15s I would like to be rid of.
I would like to reduce the junk pile in my garage and line my wallet with some of that fancy fold'in money.

the price & quality of the trailers that i have seen at places like home depot & tractor supply is crazy. 1st they are really light duty 2nd they are going for real money 3rd some of the welds look to be done by a 10 year old who is having a bad day. i was thinking about making a jig & building a few myself.
check out youtube there are a few god vids there that explain some things that i wasn't clear on .


good luck

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by NH scrap

i got mine used (toyota tacoma) for $10,000

Yeah you can't get a good one for less than $9,000.
My friend bought his 1996 for $6,[something] in 2005 I think it was?
Bought it from a single owner, had a lot of miles for 10 years did I mention the single owner was a stone mason and he used that Tacoma and a big 2 axle trailer for his stone masoning business.
Needless to say it needed shocks, springs (all around), clutch and rear wheel bearings.

You might be able to get one like this for under $5,000, as long as it doesn't have the diesel and manual trans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFnVZXQD5_k

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by NH scrap

the price & quality of the trailers that i have seen at places like home depot & tractor supply is crazy. 1st they are really light duty 2nd they are going for real money 3rd some of the welds look to be done by a 10 year old who is having a bad day. i was thinking about making a jig & building a few myself.
check out youtube there are a few god vids there that explain some things that i wasn't clear on .


good luck

Light duty? I know you are just being nice now. They are flimsy as hell and I don't see how they get the weight ratings they do.

I already have one trailer frame done, a twin I beam 124x66 inch deck. Needs axles and lights.
I am working on a 98x64 deck made out of very heavy 1/4'' thick hot rolled C-channel.
The scrap yard has tons of this 64'' long C-channel set aside, I can buy them for $3/each. I think the 98x64 inch deck is going to be my standard design and I will make bigger ones depending on what shows up at the scrap yard.

look for a post in the DIY section tonight on the subject.

[freebeard]

I have a little oil pan 4 business venture I am going to try.
Build new trailers from scrap yard metal and bits of trailers left at the scrap yard.

If I were building a trailer what I'd like to try would be like a log truck trailer, a dolly on a telescopic boom. Except it would be three axles of your 15" wheels for a low deck height and the boom would be sized to carry a 20 or 40' shipping container. The I would need camper jacks with angle-iron brackets that clamp into the corners of the container to off/on-load it.

What do you think the dolly would cost (I'm thinking about moving empty containers)? The boom would need to extend from 15 to 25'. Maybe a lodgepole pine?

Ultimately, I'd like to get an aluminum 40' container and cut it down to 32' to get an R-license, taper the ends according to good aero protocols and add wheelboxes and permanent independent torsion axles. When I move out of what I'm in that could very well be my new residence. I'm thinking the uninsulated aluminum box and insulate and panel it myself.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by freebeard

If I were building a trailer what I'd like to try would be like a log truck trailer, a dolly on a telescopic boom. Except it would be three axles of your 15" wheels for a low deck height and the boom would be sized to carry a 20 or 40' shipping container. The I would need camper jacks with angle-iron brackets that clamp into the corners of the container to off/on-load it.

What do you think the dolly would cost (I'm thinking about moving empty containers)? The boom would need to extend from 15 to 25'. Maybe a lodgepole pine?

Ultimately, I'd like to get an aluminum 40' container and cut it down to 32' to get an R-license, taper the ends according to good aero protocols and add wheelboxes and permanent independent torsion axles. When I move out of what I'm in that could very well be my new residence. I'm thinking the uninsulated aluminum box and insulate and panel it myself.

It sounds doable. I am working with my mechanical engineer on the smaller trailers for now, he says my small 98''x64'' standard trailer is ridiculously over built even if it has a 2000lb rating (I was thinking I would stick a 1200~1500lb rating on them just so they would be built like a brick lavatory).

I can't think of what the container mover would cost to build, steel is so cheap, but springs, axles, spindles and tires are not. Smaller axles are kind of costly, big axles are very costly, looking at around $350 per axle new and that is with out tires. I don't know about you but that's unacceptable to me, I know people have piles of these things they want to get rid of, I just need to find them. Word is these axles can be had for around $150, but I don't know if that includes tires or not.
Other wise it creates a $ problem that gets passed down to the end consumer.

Check the DIY forum for trailer builds.