Building a trailer..................or maybe not!

[aaytay]

I've been thinking about building a smaller (medium duty) single-axle trailer that will haul 1 Cub Cadet with a snowblade or 1 Cub Cadet with a large mowing deck to use locally instead of dragging the 18' twin-axle car-hauler for these short trips.

I already have a nearly new #3,500-rated Dexter axle with springs and hubs that was pulled off an older trailer a few years back, so that part is taken care of.

I also figured I had an ace in the hole with a source of good solid metal. A VERY old boat trailer that was given to me a few years back. This thing is HEAVY! After dragging it back out of the woods and looking it over I realized that it would take me an entire day to cut apart, and would only yield about half of the necessary steel. Not to mention what steel a guy could get out of it is old and probably not very straight.

So, I started a shopping list, "scrapping" the idea of using the old trailer for it's steel and buying all new instead:
Steel - $436.00
A-frame Coupler - $29.99
Spring Hanger Kit - $19.99
Pair of 15" mounted trailer wheels and tires - $320.00
Pair of round steel fenders - $110.00
Tongue Jack - $40.00
Light Kit - $28.00
Paint Supplies - $40.00
TOTAL - $1023.98 (plus my time and welding supplies)

Well, there goes my "cheap little trailer" idea...

The reason I'm posting this is to ask if anyone here has any better ideas or experience building a trailer to keep the costs down. $1K is WAY more than I'm willing to spend to get this project off the ground.

 

[junderwood]

Art,

Buy a used trailer and clean it up. Use the extra time to work on Cub Cadets.

 

[stanner]

buy a ratted out pop-up camper all you need is a sawzall and some marine plywood...

 

[thoffman]

Art,
I think you might be really surprised at what you can but a trailer for these days. Spend the few extra bucks and get one build to you likeing <font size="-2">(And you won't even have to get off the couch!)</font>.

 

[lhinds]

Art i use a 5x10 tilt trailer for hauling a single tractor. The trailer is also used behind a cub cadet hauling wood, dirt, or anything i need to move. The stand up ramp behind will cost you about 2 or 3 miles per gallon when pulling at highway speed.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Art, I know you know of Johnson Trailer I think you should get this one: 83" X 12' w/ATV package: $1,439. Then I could borrow it.

I'd even store it for you.

 

[vthomley]

Art, I have a 4x10 sorta home made trailer built off a boat trailer frame that I really like to use. You can run over to my place a take some pics if you'd like. Yea take pics and post them on here, it was -16 this morning, too cold for me to be out there taking pics.

I built a wood frame on top of an odd boat trailer 11 years ago and it still works great. Its a bit higher than I'd like but it works. It also makes a very nice platform for working on Cub Cadets.

 

[dschwandt]

Can Ya get 'em in Cub Cadet Yellow w/stainless fenders I wonder??

Dave S

 

[pbell]

Art,
I've towed trailers a mile or two, and A couple of things to think about them, is:

Where are you going to use the trailer? Short local trips on state or county roads, interstate hwy, etc. At higher speeds, a longer trailer tows better (within reason) and easier to back.

A tilt bed trailer with the axle centered in the bed length does not tow very well at hwy speeds, it will sway or wip side to side (don't believe it, follow one sometime), and is hard to get the needed tongue weight on the tow vehicle with one. The axle needs to be aft of the bed length centerline for the trailer to tow correctly and safely. There is a forumla for this but I don't remember it.

A 5' wide trailer(bed width) is very hard, if at all, to see, behind a full size tow vehicle (PU, Surburban,van etc), which makes it hard to back up. I would not go smaller than a 6' X 10' (bed size).

Ramp gates will cause some drag at hwy speeds, but are much easier to use than individual ramps, specially as your hair gets grayer (<font size="-2">notice I didn't use the "old" word)</font>

 

[aaytay]

Paul-
Thanks for the thoughts. Yes, this trailer would just be for local stuff. (Country Hwys, etc) I know the rear gate will 'drag', but for the limited/local use this thing would get, it shouldn't be an issue. The 18' car-dragger would always be avaiable for those longer trips when Kraig and I go visit Don T.

Good point about the width being "hidden" behind a full-size truck. I never thought about that. Either way, this trailer would be govern by the width of the axle I already have. I can't remember the exact width of the spring-pads, but think it was somewhere around 60".

I'm also not a fan of tilt-bed trailers for GTs, so that's out of the question anyway.

Vince-
BRILLIANT!

Kraig-
NOT so much!

 

[dfrisk]

ART - Whatever you do, build or buy a trailer, keep it under 3000# capacity so no license/registration required in WI. If you go over 3000# then it's easier to BUY a trailer. Your 3500# axle may be hard to explain if you get stopped.