Slunnie's enclosed trailer build

[Slunnie]

Because everybody loves a trailer build.

I havent built one for a while, so here we go. Hopefully I don't regret posting this up.

This is the old banger, it is an enclosed karting trailer and built as lightly as possible for a fairly lightweight load, but it is such an amazingly useful and handy trailer. An oldie but a goodie!

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These days however the enclosed trailer gets used for heavier duty work such as lugging fencing gear, engines and gearboxes, firewood etc. I want to design and make a replacement trailer so that it can be that elusive trailer that can do everything, well as best as possible.

The trailer needs to have heavier load rating, it needs to have a stronger floor, it needs to be able to tie down loads in the load space, it needs to be able to better accept loading by engine crane with roof clearance, it needs to be able to receive loads from ANL , I would like it to not leak water (not that the old one does) and I would like the 2 side swing doors to be better designed for usability.

Day 1
So, here it starts. The chassis is 50x50x4 RHS. I always run heavy wall main chassis rails to ensure suspension points are secure and don't require plating, they are the keystone to a good trailer and I hate it when trailers skimp in this area. The trailer spec is 1500kg, and I would almost always run a 75x50 chassis for that load rating, but this trailer is pretty short it will be well supported by the drawbar and suspension points. The cross members are spaced at 400's, so the trailer is 2 sheets long at about 2470mm iirc long and so the floor is well supported. The chassis has been cut, assembled, squared, tacked, checked, top and bottom welds.


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[Homestar]

Great, I do like a good trailer build thread.

As to you regretting it - stay tuned, the experts will surely tell you how to do what you already know how to.

It’s one of the reasons I stopped posting on some of my threads - got more comments like ‘you should do this’ or ‘This is how you do it’ even though I wasn’t asking for advice and had been doing what I was posting for years and really just trying to put something up others would be interested in.

Hope this doesn’t go that way, I’m happy to sit back and watch your progress. [emoji106]

[John_D4]

Looking forward to following along

[Slunnie]

Great, I do like a good trailer build thread.

As to you regretting it - stay tuned, the experts will surely tell you how to do what you already know how to.

It’s one of the reasons I stopped posting on some of my threads - got more comments like ‘you should do this’ or ‘This is how you do it’ even though I wasn’t asking for advice and had been doing what I was posting for years and really just trying to put something up others would be interested in.

Hope this doesn’t go that way, I’m happy to sit back and watch your progress. [emoji106]

You're on the money, I bracing myself for it! :lol2:

Hopefully it is seen as a good build.

[Slunnie]

Chassis is fully welded with fillets. Suspension points are added and welded in. These are 1500kg slipper springs, simple and effective. The axle is a 45mm square, when running 4WD tyres as I rule of thumb I go straight to 45mm irrespective of load rating for strength. Brakes are over-ride, cable operated disc brakes. Slimline bearings and Landcruiser 6 stud hubs running hilux wheels. The axle length was specified for these hilux splitties with 50mm tyre clearance to chassis on each side, but it looks like there may be more than that (did I add 50mm/side and the supplier do the same???). I've got some 17" Hilux steelies that may bring the clearances in a bit, will check it out a little later. The axle is in a SOA arrangement rather than a conventional setup, this is to bring the trailer ride height up higher. The normal tow vehicle is my Disco2 which sits about 6-7" higher than standard, so having the trailer axle setup like this actually levels it out. Drawbar has been added, this is made from 75x50x4 with a clearance to the body of 1350mm. The coupling plate is on but obscured. I've done this a little differently also, rather than overhanging the plate so the front bolts are off the end of the drawbar, this time I have shifted the coupling plate a little further rearward and I will drill out the top of the drawbar so the couplings front bolts go through the coupling plate and through the top of the drawbar. It looks a bit tidier, see how it goes... I'm sure I'll find out why we don't normally do it that way shortly. :lol2: Trailer is ready to flip onto its wheels, my Yr12 are really handy for this!

Oh, just looking at the welder, we run a fleet of these WIA 270C Mig welders. I cant speak more highly of them. The cabinets are really intelligently designed, they know what fails and why and have designed for it. eg, drop down lids. These are transformer rather than inverter, so they are heavy but should also have longevity. The welder is very forgiving and great for people learning to weld while at the same time they have a lot of grunt, the settings can be off a little bit and a good weld can still be put down. The students have about 3 base settings and almost all work is done on those settings. We run 0.8mm wire for flexability between thin 1.6mm welding and chassis etc up to about 5-6mm and the odd bit of 10-12mm plate. We run about 10-15l/min gas flow rate with Argoshield light. With a 270A gun we melt very few contact tips these days. I'd recommend these, they do run on 15amp but for heavier work over 6mm need 20amp single phase.

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You can see below how the spring over axle arrangement levels the trailer behind my Disco2.
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[Bluetoes]

We run Fronius in our workshop (spoilt I know) but they are the bees knees and are built for the tasks we do
18 months old and over 1100 hrs of arc time so far with know faults as yet

[Slunnie]

We run Fronius in our workshop (spoilt I know) but they are the bees knees and are built for the tasks we do
18 months old and over 1100 hrs of arc time so far with know faults as yet

Thats good going! These WIA units are now 5 years old, no idea re arc time, but will check out the Fronius also when they get turned over.

[Graeme]

I've done this a little differently also, rather than overhanging the plate so the front bolts are off the end of the drawbar, this time I have shifted the coupling plate a little further rearward and I will drill out the top of the drawbar so the couplings front bolts go through the coupling plate and through the top of the drawbar.I assume the coupling plate is underneath the drawbar and that the bolts through the top of the drawbar are the bolt heads so that you're not clamping an air gap.

[Slunnie]

I assume the coupling plate is underneath the drawbar and that the bolts through the top of the drawbar are the bolt heads so that you're not clamping an air gap.

In that picture with the trailer upside down so you can't see the coupling plate, but when the trailer is flipped onto it's wheels the coupling plate will sit on top of the drawbar. I'll just drill through the top of the drawbar only and then instead of couplings bolts only going into the coupling plate, they will also go through the top of the drawbar and I'll just fit the nuts from inside the drawbar... assuming all goes well! There won't be any air gap with the bolting though, if I went all the way through the drawbar it would need crush tubes also, but I dont think I need to go that far with it.

[Tins]

Great, I do like a good trailer build thread.

As to you regretting it - stay tuned, the experts will surely tell you how to do what you already know how to.

It’s one of the reasons I stopped posting on some of my threads - got more comments like ‘you should do this’ or ‘This is how you do it’ even though I wasn’t asking for advice and had been doing what I was posting for years and really just trying to put something up others would be interested in.

Hope this doesn’t go that way, I’m happy to sit back and watch your progress. [emoji106]

Can't wait to tell you how to build your train set, Gav... Has to be next...

[Graeme]

I'll just fit the nuts from inside the drawbar... The part that I didn't envisage! I assume that you've provided enough clearance between the ends of the drawbar and the tow-bar for when driving over significant humps such as when dropping off the top of a sand-dune - you did state multi-purpose!

[Slunnie]

The part that I didn't envisage! I assume that you've provided enough clearance between the ends of the drawbar and the tow-bar for when driving over significant humps such as when dropping off the top of a sand-dune - you did state multi-purpose!

Hmmm, thats a good point! I hadn't actually thought of offroading it like that. We must be due for another desert trip! It might need an offroading coupling for that! Hopefully it should be ok because it is an over-ride braked coupling rather than an Electric or non-braked coupling.... I hope! I might be doing some grinding otherwise. But, I'm not expecting a problem. You can see the coupling sticks out a fair way from the coupling plate.

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[Geedublya]

Hmmm, thats a good point! I hadn't actually thought of offroading it like that. We must be due for another desert trip! It might need an offroading coupling for that! Hopefully it should be ok because it is an over-ride braked coupling rather than an Electric or non-braked coupling.... I hope! I might be doing some grinding otherwise. But, I'm not expecting a problem. You can see the coupling sticks out a fair way from the coupling plate.

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Just get a Mchitch coupling (https://www.mchitch.com.au/product-page/2-tonne-brake-over-ride-drop-on-mchitch). Extra length and suitable for off-road use.

[Graeme]

I recall being told of the pin in a Treg coupling getting bent when a certain D3 known to you dropped off the top of a dune too quickly.

[chuck]

Slunnie

Your D2 is still looking good.

Long time since i have seen it.

In Toolangi with D2au.

[roverrescue]

Simon
Unless you grind out and replace all chassis members with 65SHS4 and use a 275A machine that trailer is sure to catastrophically fail running into a bus load of haemophiliac nuns...

I know boats

S

[Slunnie]

Just get a Mchitch coupling (https://www.mchitch.com.au/product-page/2-tonne-brake-over-ride-drop-on-mchitch). Extra length and suitable for off-road use.

They look good! Apart from at home, hopefully this trailer wont be seeing a whole lot of offroad. Looks like an actual uni joint in it?

[Slunnie]

I recall being told of the pin in a Treg coupling getting bent when a certain D3 known to you dropped off the top of a dune too quickly.

Oh yes! :lol2: Not only one of the first D3's I'd seen, but definately the first airborne D3 that I had seen! :lol2:

[Slunnie]

Slunnie

Your D2 is still looking good.

Long time since i have seen it.

In Toolangi with D2au.

He Chuck thanks, although it needs a few touch ups and some engine work at the moment but after all this time it's still great to drive. That was a great trip in Toolangi!

[Slunnie]

Simon
Unless you grind out and replace all chassis members with 65SHS4 and use a 275A machine that trailer is sure to catastrophically fail running into a bus load of haemophiliac nuns...

I know boats

S

Hey! That was my evil but secret plan! It has taken me a long time to organise all of those haemophiliac nuns onto one bus! :lol2:

[Slunnie]

Just out of interest, this is my planning sheet. I could glorify it by calling it a workshop drawing, but that would be unfair to legit workshop drawings. It's how I calculated parts, parts into metal lengths, joints etc and consolidate the trailer design. It meant that I could spend an hour on the cold cutting saw and have all of the metal for the project cut, cut exactly to size and be ready to go. Calculating and pre-cutting makes the building process so much more efficient than otherwise and it eliminates any gaps. Every part in the trailer is marked with a part number and the drawing shows its location in the project.


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The trailer is flipped onto it's wheels now, thanks boys! You can see how the coupling plate has gone on with a bit more clarity now. The coupling plate is welded underneath but not on top at the moment, I'll weld the top later.
While sitting on top of the chassis I have welded up the frame that forms the top of the enclosed box and also a second matching frame to form the flip top lid. I've formed these up on top of the chassis to make sure they are a perfect match and that nothing goes out of square when the box is made up. The chassis is square to within 1mm of the diagonals, but if there is any error then this method duplicates it into the other parts so that everything stays consistent. Even though these 2 parts are not needed right now, they needed to be made now before the carcass construction starts.


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About the coupling, I've taken a couple of pics of how it will look installed (brake plate isn't in place for the photos), but there should be loads of space for the towbar to not connect with the brawbar.

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[roverrescue]

Don’t sweat the hitch mate
Nearly every tandem boat trailer in Qld is rated at 1995ATM even if the rig is wayyyyyy over that and they all use those hitches - will be fine

You’ll also find most boat trailers have their brake pads slipped out and left on the bench - prevents rust issues albeit hampers trailer brake effectiveness!

S

[Slunnie]

Don’t sweat the hitch mate
Nearly every tandem boat trailer in Qld is rated at 1995ATM even if the rig is wayyyyyy over that and they all use those hitches - will be fine

You’ll also find most boat trailers have their brake pads slipped out and left on the bench - prevents rust issues albeit hampers trailer brake effectiveness!

S

Thats boating experience for you! :lol2: I agree, I think the hitch will be fine. I think if I was doing remote/desert etc work with it I'd design it a bit differently in the chassis and suspension - I didn't even think of it when I started doing the drawings.

[Slunnie]

The carcass has been constructed here, uprights gone in and tacked into place and the top of the box put on. Well that was an interesting experience. I construct using a builders/carpenters square and then check by measuring the diagonals. So it turns out the builders square is not actually square. Even the kids were looking at it wondering wtf. Fortunately because everything was squared up the same way, when the top went on it pulled everything back to square again. Square has gone in the bin, I'll show more sympathy from now on, 6 replacements are on their way. The carcass is just tacked up and the rear/top member will remain only tacked so it can be removed a little later on. I ummed and ahhhed about whether to run the centre upright at the front, and have decided to run this to increase strength if there is a car crash - just make it a bit stronger like a headboard from a ute tray or tabletop trailer. Pleased that ordeal is over! :lol2:

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[roverrescue]

Are you designing in some rear wheel arch storage boxes mate?
Looks like enough clearance and if it’s not an off-roader might be a good place to store the pesky little things?

Steve

[Slunnie]

Are you designing in some rear wheel arch storage boxes mate?
Looks like enough clearance and if it’s not an off-roader might be a good place to store the pesky little things?

Steve

Thats a good idea, I hadn't thought about that. I need to get this done and out fairly quickly, so will probably not be able to that, but they would be good. Soap and water would be good too!

[Slunnie]

Bit more done.

The carcass has been fully welded in now, there was a bit of movement from weld contraction but it all seemed to correct itself fortunately... well, I think...

The interior is lined with rope rails so that everything can be supported and tied down into place. I think that they will also be really good to mount a shelf if I ever need to. These are just 20NBx2.6 but will be pretty strong I'd say! They're spaced at 230mm and tacked into place. I've got an even spacing using timber spacers (see bottom corner, they're still in place), starting at the top rail and then working down, shortening the spacer as I went. I'm thinking that after the floor goes in that I might add another unplanned rail between the floor and the lowest existing rail for a lower mount and to catch everything that slides around in the bottom of the trailer before it smashes the sides out.


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[jh972]

I'll be interested to know the weight when you go over the weigh bridge
(Trying to ignore comments about flying D3s and sheared Treg pins)

[Slunnie]

I like it when there is something to show for your efforts, but there isn't much today. The rope rails were only tacked in but have now been welded. The floor has also been cut in. That was an interesting exercise as it couldn't be test fitted, it was just measure, mark, cut and hope for the best... What made it difficult to get the floor in was that it was cut around the uprights which already makes it difficult to get into place, but the rope rails wouldn't allow it to just drop into place. Some 75x50 and 50x50 over the top placed under the middle of the sheet to bend the sheet down to flex it into position and it eventually found it's place in the trailer. I can assure you that front floor panel will never be taken off the job, and if somebody does get it out, then they deserve to keep it! :lol2: The floor is just sitting there at the moment, it still needs welding. The floor is 2mm Gal.

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[Slunnie]

I'll be interested to know the weight when you go over the weigh bridge
(Trying to ignore comments about flying D3s and sheared Treg pins)

A certain sensitivity to those comments, no! :lol2::lol2::lol2::burnrubber:

I'm really not sure what weight it will come up at, I'm guessing probably about 400kg though, maybe up to 500kg. I'll fill the tyres will helium first! :lol2: It wont be a light weight though.

Have you still got your lightweight one? That one is a beauty!

[Slunnie]

A little bit more done. I've changed the hilux splitties out for 17" hilux steelies. The offset is quite a bit different between the two rims, with the 17's sitting a fair bit further inboard. I don't think the clearances are enough between the tyre and the chassis so will be putting the splitties back on. I do want to run the 17's on the trailer and to save the set of splitties for a future project, I'll have a think about which way I want to approach this though. Safety chain is on, coupling is in place but not bolted down yet, I'll do that after I get the jockey wheel.. hopefully tomorrow! The flip lid, I've added a cross-member into the middle of it to support where the sheets will go, hinges have been welded on (3x). The hinges are HD gate hinges which come in left and right orientations, they've been stripped and combined so they're all the same and fold in a way that allows the top to fold all the way down. They have been welded in so that the top is not removable, hopefully that will save any accidents, injured people and a damaged trailer. In the rear corners I have also cut out the beginnings of light boxes, just 2mm hot rolled that has been cut to width and a 25mm fold in the top. It will get boxed up a bit more a little later and used to brace the wall from flexing around.


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[John_D4]

Why 17” rims? I personally thought that was an unusual pick.

[Slunnie]

Why 17” rims? I personally thought that was an unusual pick.

It is a bit. A local bought a set of 5x 17" Hilux rims, kept 2 to replace the wheels on his box trailer and then I bought the remaining 3 from him with the intention of fitting them to this trailer, being single axle plus a spare. It just happened that they were 17", but with the trend towards larger rims on 4WD's it really didn't worry me too much and I didn't mind to bring that more modern design element into the trailer even if trailer design hasn't evolved much beyond being steel boxes. :lol2:

The 16" Hilux splitties I have as a set of 6 and so I wanted to use them for a tandem axle build with a spare.

[Slunnie]

Today, borrowed a jockey wheel from our components supplier until stock arrives, and installed it. Welded the top of the coupling plate to the draw bar and installed the coupling, splitties swapped back on again.

Framed up the rear doors. To do this I installed the hinges onto the carcass, they are set so the door isn't removable. Measured and cut 50x50x2 RHS door uprights and 50x50x3 EA for the top and bottom rails. Measure with the hinges in place and setup with an 8mm spacer underneath between the door and the trailer floor and an 8mm gap between the doors so they can swing open. The gap between the doors and the carcass is whatever the hinges generated. The top gap is about 10mm. Trailer bodies are quite flexible and these gaps will allow it to move around without rubbing, wearing and bending everything, its not good to have tight fits. Everything was spaced and clamped into place, tacked and then the doors removed and fully welded before the external welds were ground flat so a skin could be sheeted on to it. Once the door frames were finished, they were reinstalled and checked, fortunately they stayed square and didn't twist. The hinges were then tacked in place and these are now ready to be fully welded before the rear door skins go on.

Still... waiting on 20NB and 50x5 flat.... argh!


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[Tombie]

Looking very nice there Slunnie...

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Looks like something could transport livestock......

[Gav 110]

Maybe goats[emoji12]

[shwza]

That's awesome. Thanks for putting up the build it's been a great little story to follow

[Slunnie]

Looking very nice there Slunnie...
Thanks Tombie, its a bit of fun and it's motivating the kids to get cracking on their projects.


Looks like something could transport livestock......
It is very stock trailer at the moment isn't it!


Maybe goats[emoji12]
Home to papa! :lol2:


That's awesome. Thanks for putting up the build it's been a great little story to follow
Thanks, it's my pleasure. I hope its mildly interesting, maybe a few others will build also.

[Slunnie]

Bit more progress. The drawbar crossmember to mount the spare tyre is now in. The tyre is just sitting there though. Behind the trailer the sheet has all been cut so that it can be skinned when it is up to that stage. The skin is all 0.95mm Gal.

The guards are 2.1mm checker plate. I scabbed around and found enough to make a set of guards. These were cut to length and then were cut to width. They are a L & R set. The outer edges were folded at 45 degrees at 1" from the edge and then 2" from the edge. Then they were measured for overall guard width, cut on the guillotine and a 90 degree bend in the panbrake with a 1" fold on the body side. That forms the section profile of the guard. Then where the bends are needed I used an angle grinder with cutting disc to cut the folded sides and tapped the sides to misalign for folding the guards into an arch. Into the panbrake and set to 45 degrees (+ springback of about 15 degrees for this which was abnormally high!) and the guards were shaped. Trimed where the sides overlapped, tacked and welded. Boom, matching checker guards which will hopefully be a bit more interesting and wont bend when I walk over them!

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[shwza]

Thanks Tombie, its a bit of fun and it's motivating the kids to get cracking on their projects.


It is very stock trailer at the moment isn't it!


Home to papa! :lol2:


Thanks, it's my pleasure. I hope its mildly interesting, maybe a few others will build also.

It's more than mildly interesting it's great heaps of detail and reasons why things are done plenty of room to move. I want to learn to weld so plenty of information and ideas here

[Slunnie]

Metals is finally in! Boxed up the light boxes with some 50x5 flat MS. I thought it might be cool to make a brace for the sides also to help stop them from flexing around a bit, so continued the outside of the frame for the light box up on an angle to meet the trailer enclosure. Then I thought a couple more might look cool as well. Extra bracing, aerodynamic for a box and a bit Mad Max in its styling. Hopefully they don't reject it at rego... I guess I'll sheet it and add LED lights if they do. Something different.

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[Tins]

It just happened that they were 17", but with the trend towards larger rims on 4WD's it really didn't worry me too much

Hmm.. Any 17s on the four vehicles in your sig???

Two different sized spares, or an upgrade to 17s for the cars? You know you want to.

[Slunnie]

Hmm.. Any 17s on the four vehicles in your sig???

Two different sized spares, or an upgrade to 17s for the cars? You know you want to.

All of the four vehicles in my sig have 16's but my trailers have 6 stud so are only compatible with the blue ute (LC60 axles), but the blue one doesn't have a conventional towbar and so cant tow normal trailers anyway. Oh well.

Maybe 18's or 20's for the Disco2 one day..... but that one day might be a million days away. I'd like to fit a big brake kit which would need 18's, but that needs a bigger engine to go with it.

[Milton477]

Good job Slunnie. Watching with interest.

[Slunnie]

Good job Slunnie. Watching with interest.

Thanks Milton, hopefully I can get a bit more done on Sunday.

[Slunnie]

Added an additional rope rail, this one just skirts around the bottom. this will give just a low tie point and help stop stuff smashing into the sides. All of the rails are now fully welded in. The floor has now been welded in, just around the outsides, but not underneath yet - I wasn't ready to get burnt today! :lol2:

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I started to sheet the thing... I had been wondering if the walls being 1mm thick was too thick. After hitting it with the welder, I'm now wondering if the walls are too thin!! They wont take much heat when welding, thats for sure and they move around a lot when welding also. It's obviously been a while since I've sheeted a trailer. I've sheeted the front and both rear doors. They still need more work, but its a start. The sides will be a nightmare I suspect. Its about now that I'm regreting doing the rear light cluster all Mad Max. :bangin: I'll pay for that one later!

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[Slunnie]

After a few days of neglect, I finally got around to cutting the sides in. It was a pretty straight forward process cutting the sides around the rear light housing, and it came out reasonably well. I'm sure it could have stuffed up very easily but luck was on my side. Both sides are on and hanging with tack welding across the tops of both sheets, but they still require welding all round. Now it has a skin around it, it's sort of mysterious as to what is on the inside... maybe its a couple of girls jelly wrestling, maybe its secret drinking bar, perhaps a portal to another universe, could it be full of bullion, but more likely its just a pair of checker plate mud guards that are waiting to get welded on.. :lol2:

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[Slunnie]

It's been a while, a little sidetracked with other projects. The axle has been swapped out for one that is 75mm longer to accomodate the Hilux 17" rims which have a different offset compared to the Hilux 16" splittie that were on it. It's still a 1500kg 45mm cable disk brake setup. The sheet was tacked in place and then tacked all around the outside. To try to prevent movement, the sheet was also tacked on the inside. The sheet is held on with tacking as it wont take the temperature of stitch welding without blowing apart. It's not a great way of doing things, but I'm hoping that if my 20year old trailer which is done like this is able to stay together, then hopefully this one will also. The floor is stitch welded in, this was done with a standard 25mm/200mm.

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Just how the interior turned out, the lid has been flipped up a bit in the RHS pic. I'm thinking after the trailer has the finished applied that the lid will have an opaque polycarbonate cover put on it to allow light into the box. The flip lid is held down with a few overcentre latches

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This trailer gets external sprung sliding bolts to lock the doors. I'm doing it this way so that the locks are accesible and the doors are better supported when there is load against them. The lower cross member has a flange welded onto it that the sliding bolts will go through - I will round off the corners later. Top cross-member will be replaced with a totally new redesigned part, the current one is in place just to support the carcass during construction.

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[Graeme]

Will you need to apply a thick spray-on or stick-on coating to the insides of the walls to dampen flexing?

[Slunnie]

Will you need to apply a thick spray-on or stick-on coating to the insides of the walls to dampen flexing?

If it is like my current trailer then it should be ok. Nothing has fatigue cracked and its only noisy when loading and unloading. Surprisingly its pretty quiet on the road, so hopefully this one will be the same. If it does get noisy then I’ll probably put a pool noodle over one of the rope rails to dampen it. I’m looking at a powder coat finish, it’ll be interesting to see if that changes things by thickening the sheet up a bit.

[Slunnie]

A little more time on the trailer this afternoon.

The top rear Xmember is removable. The original carcass Xmember there was removed and replaced. This is just made from 50x5 flat and 50x50x3 EA. The ends are made from 12mm round with the ends machined into a taper to make fitment easy. The design allows a few things:
1. It is removable to make loading possible using hoists.
2. Prevents water coming in through the top of the doors.
3. It allows upper door sliding bolts to lock into it.
4. Locks into place when the lid is closed.

I was going to insert a crush tube into the trailer frame for the Xmember to locate in, but it will drain into the corner post and so it wont work. The Xmember now will just locate into a hole, and I will just use a 50x50 plastic plug to seal the top which will allow access if anything falls in the hole.and drainage if needed. The holes for the bottom sliding bolts are drilled and the locks are operational. The tops ones... well, I broke the new drill bit in the bottom holes - very annoying!

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Guards are now on also. Levelled the trailer with a digital spirit level and then levelled the guards. Done using centres from the axle line. The guards sit 150mm over the tyres which is a fraction more than the chassis clearance of the fishplates (it is sprung over, so the fishplates are on top of the springs). Hopefully the tyres don't hit the guards! I managed to catch fire welding the guards on, I haven't done that for a while! I just caught a spark in the cuff and it lit up. No burns due to an old shirt underneath.

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[Slunnie]

Bit more this afternoon.

Top rear Xmember drilled out for the upper locks. Its actually a pretty cool setup how the doors lock in top and bottom. That top cross member is as solid as a rock when the lid is locked down, no movement at all. Hmmm, I'd better put the other bolts in those latches.

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The flip lid has had a cable put on it. Just some chain link welded top and bottom, 3mm plastic coated cable (so it is quiet and not abrasive) and a couple of D shackles. Its also really good because to close the lid you can just grab the cable and it pulls the lid across. Its close with the front latch on the lid, but it all works well.

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Spare tyre has been mounted underneath. It is mounted using 50x50x6 EA and 1/2" threaded rod. Because I made an error and placed the axle 1"/ft rear of centreline instead of 1/2"/ft rear of C/L the spare is in a good spot behind the axle to take some weight of the nose. It sits just behind the axle, so I don't think it will promote trailer wagging. I think that location will also settle the trailer down over bumps when empty. That said, it is really really hard to get the spare tyre onto the bolts. It may be better with a lighter tyre like the normal Ford pattern etc, but with the steel 4WD tyre it was a massive PITA and very heavy! It needs a winch. That said, it is in a good spot. Valve faces down so pressures can be checked. If it falls out, It'll probably take me a year to notice.

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[Graeme]

You must like a challenge, not using a winch and using 4 bolts instead of 3!

[jh972]

Let's hope you never need to use it!

[Slunnie]

You must like a challenge, not using a winch and using 4 bolts instead of 3!

You’re not wrong! Actually, not only just getting the wheel on, the other thing I found is that it is difficult to get all 4 wing nuts tight, because as one gets tightened, another one will loosen off. It may potentially be better to drop a bolt out again. Well if not, it may very well just do it by itself.


Let's hope you never need to use it!

I hope so too! I think out on the road there would be no chance of getting the flat back into the holder!

[Slunnie]

Just some fluffy bits done yesterday. Tied the leading suspension points into the drawbar with 50x5 flat to increase rigidity. I build with heavy wall in the lower chassis rails and drawbar so there isn't cracking issues ever, even at the expense of weight, however these additional plates on the inside and outside of the chassis between the suspension mount and the drawbar are there to provide additional reinforcement by removing any flex which may lead to a failure. The way we do this normally has never resulted in a failure that I'm aware of, but this will make sure. On the inside there is a cutout in the DS plate to allow the wiring harness to pass through. Those new plates also gave the guards a bit more weld area for increased rigidity.

172316

Tail lights have gone in. I'm using a plug and play system because it is easy. The students gave me crap about having blinkers at the top and not the outer sides, its just like that to make sure that the blinkers can be viewed from the necessary side angles, but I think even if they were mounted the way the students like it would have been absolutely fine.

172315

The top and bottom plates that the doors lock in to have been trimmed back and rounded off a touch. I've done this as a bevel rather than rounding just so it fits in with the trailers square design aesthetics. Just dresses it a bit better than what it was and hopefully no injuries come from it.

172313

The missing bolts have gone into the door sliding bolts. This one was an interesting one as a nut wouldn't fit behind the door because it closes onto the floors rear Xmember. In the end I drilled it out 5mm and tapped an M6x1 thread and used the door as a nut instead. Then just trimmed the excess bolt thread off. I might loctite those bolts after it gets painted so they don't eventually fall out.

172314

[Graeme]

As the tail-lights aren't likely to be visible from the side, a small yellow strip reflector on the outside of the tail-light surrounds might help ensure that the back edge is visible side-on if side clearance lights aren't to be fitted.

[jh972]

I am very pleased to see, Simon, that you are copying the taillights of my Hay R trailer! Well done.

[Slunnie]

As the tail-lights aren't likely to be visible from the side, a small yellow strip reflector on the outside of the tail-light surrounds might help ensure that the back edge is visible side-on if side clearance lights aren't to be fitted.

Good point. I just spent a bit of time then reading the NCOP VSB1 to make sure I get this correct after your comment there. It looks like I'll have to run a white clear reflector on each side of the front of the trailer. The sides will need an amber at the rear and at the front of the box for each side, and I might try to get one on either side of the coupling to give visabilty of the length.


I am very pleased to see, Simon, that you are copying the taillights of my Hay R trailer! Well done.
Are they the same taillights or the box they go on? The tail lights are great, they're a slimline LED set. It'll be interesting to see if they draw enough current to trigger the trailer lamp on the Disco2.

[Slunnie]

Sheet welding... I'm always banging on to stitch weld sheet otherwise everything will bend and buckle...righto teach, just stitch it. So I look at my guards which are welded to the chassis and through the sheet walls to the carcass so that they are rigid. Then I stitch the sheet walls to the guards and think to myself that the welding looks pretty cool and the sheet hasn't moved too much. So in the spirit of looking cool I MIG seamweld the entire guard to the sheet and buckle it like a champion. :bangin: Oh well, done now and at least water shoudn't get through it.

172369

A couple of SCA mud flappys to make it legal.

172370

[John_D4]

Not sure if you’ve realised that your indicators are upside down [emoji16]

[Homestar]

Can't see anything in the regs that says which way up they have to go or you having a laugh and I've missed it completely? [bigwhistle]

Technical Requirements (https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/vsb1/vsb_01_b.aspx) - Section 13
Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 13/00 - Installation of Lighting and Light Signalling Devices on other than L-Group Vehicles) 2005 (https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C01072) - 10.1
Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 6/00 - Direction Indicators) 2005 (https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2021C00479)

Couldn't find anything in this lot to say which way up they should be - is there a local document that adds to these that you know of? I'm genuinely interested here, not having a go as that the way I have my caravan lights.

[Graeme]

I've always had the indicator lights at the top where I consider them to be most visible. When the light clusters are horizontal the indicators must be outermost.

[jh972]

Ah well, I was just stirring. I just walked outside & checked - they're the same as the Madigan's trailer, not the Hay R one. But I have them mounted as your students suggested!!
Sorry you're enduring lockdown now, but glad no more cases there so far..

[John_D4]

I was really just stirring. Although it does make my CDO (OCD, but alphabetical) itch to see the indicators on top, there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s your trailer.

[Slunnie]

Ah well, I was just stirring. I just walked outside & checked - they're the same as the Madigan's trailer, not the Hay R one. But I have them mounted as your students suggested!!
Sorry you're enduring lockdown now, but glad no more cases there so far..

John I'll have to see the Madigans trailer, I'm not sure if I've seen it. Was it an evolution of the Hay River trailer?


I was really just stirring. Although it does make my CDO (OCD, but alphabetical) itch to see the indicators on top, there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s your trailer.

I thought you were stirring!! :lol2:

I should rotate them, and have the blinkers on the inside! That'll even set off people that don't have CDO! :Rolling:

[jh972]

Simon, the Madigan's trailer was a small, lightweight aluminium box, under 200kg, (199 actually) with steel frame, ply floor leaf springs, Rancho shocks, no jockey wheel (weight); canvas cover (no tailgate) & carried spares on the draw bar. It carried 7 jerry and across inside.

172511

[Slunnie]

Simon, the Madigan's trailer was a small, lightweight aluminium box, under 200kg, (199 actually) with steel frame, ply floor leaf springs, Rancho shocks, no jockey wheel (weight); canvas cover (no tailgate) & carried spares on the draw bar. It carried 7 jerry and across inside.

172511
Thats very cool John, I like it. I hadn't seen the Madigan trailer before I don't think!

[Slunnie]

Drilled out the number plate holes, position and fit the number plate light. I trialled external wiring, but ended up going internal as it was so much neater.

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Built some roofracks. 3x Tradie racks. Just 50x5 ends with 20NB rails and spaced 50mm up for a low profile. Nothing too heavy duty.... or heavy due to the flip lid.

172565

[Graeme]

Presumably you'll put sealant around the cable in the hole to prevent movement.

[Slunnie]

Presumably you'll put sealant around the cable in the hole to prevent movement.

Actually the numberplate light will probably need sealant once it is painted, but I've got rubber grommets to put in the holes so hopefully it prevents any chaffe and keeps the water out. Sealant in addition to this is a good idea!

[Graeme]

I've used sealant instead of grommets mostly because of the flat base of the lights.

[Slunnie]

Trailer is back from the Powder coaters now. It has been done in matt off white. In the sun you need sunnies on to look at it, its bright! Sand blasted, primed, 3hrs to put the powder coat on and baked. The owner has given me a lot of crap about doing it in white, she thinks Aztec Silver is the go! Admittedly we do use Aztec silver on most of the work that we send her and it is a good finish. I'm pretty pleased with how this has turned out though, it is amazing how paint can transform a project.

Now it needs reassembly.

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[Slunnie]

Oh wow, I didn't finish this thread. The trailer components were reassembled post powdercoating and made mobile again.

180319

Rego was done, sailed straight through, however the process was pretty slow due to RTA delays. Interestingly I'm now the manufacturer. The trailer weighs 560kg, GVM 1500kg, load capacity 940kg. I was hoping for 1000kg but the tie rails and roof racks may have tipped me over. Well, to be fair it has been built pretty strong, you would take it through the desert or up to the cape and not be worried about it not coming back.

180318 180315

Polycarbonate roof arrived and test fitted. This is prior to installation. The roof is a 3mm UV stable Polycarbonate opaque white roof so that it lets the light into the trailer and its not as dark as they normally are. It will also remove some of the weight so that it is easier to operate the opening roof on it. The top and bottom wrappers are still on the plastic sheet. That came off when it was screwed down.

180316 180317

I'll take some pics of the finished product a little later.