This only took me about a day to build

Good looking trailer!

Originally Posted by Filthy

this is my first trailer, but it makes sense to own one, as it basically doubles my load size, and keeps my truck bed empty for those random road side pickups. what do you guys/gals think?

absolutely agree every scrappers list of essential tools should include a magnet, a scale, and a Trailer. without these three it doesn't really matter what other tools you have in your arsenal at some point one of those three will be absolutely necessary to get the job done correctly

Sweet! Nice job man

Cool! Nice lookin rig

Looks great, but don't fall victim to the temptation to overload it. 4 X 8 X (what is it, about 2 feet deep?) wouldn't be much for a homeowner to fill with mulch, but it is a lot of cubic feet to fill with metal. It's hard to tell how beefy the frame is, but I'd be particularly careful about putting that whole half ton of load up near the front of the bed. It's a pretty good span between the axle and the hitch. (Just thinking this way because the kind of stuff I dig up is mostly ferrous, and could well weigh 100 lbs a piece, and half a ton would only be ten pieces. It won't look very full, but it'll be heavy. Your experience may be different.)

Looks sharp and sturdy..job well done

Good to know you've thought it through.

(Plus, this is the internet. You never know who might be lurking out there, reading this thread and thinking "Whoo-hoo! I can build me one of them.", and then go out and load it up with cast iron radiators til they're spilling over the sides... )

Does the tailgate open? Do you lock your coupler? He's right about overloading the front. When I was building mine, and looking for ideas, while idling along a row of trailers parked along one end of a home building center parking lot, saw one with a single square tubing tongue that was bent horribly upwards, and that alone caused me to add several more angle irons from the tongue towards the axle for added reinforcement.

When you get a known load, you can also mark the sides, either leveled in from the top of the tires, or using a framing square on the side of the trailer to the top of each tire, placing a mark on the side of your trailer with a number beside it for the weight at that point. I first did that using some bags of cement I bought on sale, and stacking them evenly in the bed of my pickup, each time I removed another 200 pounds worth, I marked each shock, from then on, any heavy load in the truck & I'd watch those marks

I wish I had the space for a trailer...I have serious envy. Unfortunately I have to be creative with my loads and eat up more than I would like in gas with more frequent trips....

Nice job on the framework. I thought about going with the same exact one. I ended up buying bigger but don't regret it. You will make your money back many times over.

Originally Posted by Filthy

thanks, i took it out for a test run last night, just around the block. and i registered it with the state this morning. i look forward to getting some good use out of it.

the leaf spring idea had occurred to me, though im not sure where to begin with something like that, and it may suit my needs as is quite well. thank you all

Check Tractor Supply or a farm store, they usually have trailer repair and replacement parts and accessories. You might find one of their tongue jacks to be a handy addition too, there's a side jack or a center one, not sure what tongue yours has, the center type jack bolted right into my trailer tongue, which I bought there also. I think the side jack simply straddles a rail somehow. Some have wheels too, i didn't get a wheel on mine, but it might be easier for moving the tongue a bit for hooking up. I recommend always keeping that coupler locked, on or off your vehicle