Thread: Trailer add ons share them here

Jim

That's a really smart solution.

Regards
Paul

You know, talking about that trailer has brought a lot of things to mind that may fit in with the spirit of this thread.
My eldest son has this trailer now and he calls it “The Bushman’s Trailer” because it’s like the bushman’s axe. Three new heads and two new handles but still the same old axe.
I first built it around about 1980. Maybe late 70’s.

It has had many different bodies on it for several different reasons.

It was first a trailer to pull 2 trail bikes and camping gear.
750kg shackle and eye springs to reduce bouncing and timber body and sides to keep weight down.

Next, it was a fold out camper trailer. Frame made from aluminum tubing with corners cut from old folding aluminum chairs.

Next was the tipper version because I was building and hauling sand, gravel etc.
The springs were upgraded to 1 ton with a slipper design. Other than spring changes, no real structural changes.

Next was a tradesman trailer. I built a bench along one side to house a chop saw and all enclosed body. This was now a totally new body on the old chassis.

I quit working for other people so no longer needed a trade trailer but youngest daughter had gotten into horse riding so we needed to cart a pony around regularly.
The tradesman body was cut off and high sides welded on with a flip up tailgate/ ramp. The weight distribution was then way out so the axle was moved further back. Fortunately, because of the old tipping mechanism, the springs were welded to a separate piece of RHS so it was simple to cut and move back.
The weight of the trailer increased dramatically at this point. It was now over 500kg empty. Springs went up to 1 ½ ton.

Moved to Bendigo, and youngest daughter had discovered boys and ponys had had their day, but we needed to cart water from a standpipe on a regular basis. 1 tonne of water plus pallet tank plus trailer itself meant springs went up to 2 ton with new axles, bearings etc.

It was also now perfect for picking up round bales. Fork them over the top and pull back. Bale drops nicely inside.

It’s now sitting up at my eldest sons property. Because of the high sides, he can fit almost 4 cubic metres of firewood in at one time. Stacked higher than the sides which I would estimate come up to my chest. I’ve seen him put 3 round bales on at one time. One inside the frame and sitting on the floor. Another wedged in behind against the tailgate and a third balanced on top and held on with a dog and chain.
He recently used it to pick up a load of old sleepers. A rough estimate was that he had close to 3 ton on board. On 2 ton springs and one thing we have never got around to fitting is brakes.

He and second eldest son are now talking about a complete rebuild. Same basic configuration but landcruiser hubs, bigger guards and hallejuah…..Brakes! for the first time. The boys want to see how long they can keep this trailer going for.

What’s still original?
The basic framework under the floor, one section of the drawbar and believe it or not, the original timber floor. A checkerplate floor is on the drawing board.

Somewhere, I have a hard copy pic of when we were building the tradesman version and I’m heading out to sons next weekend. I’ll snap a pic of it if anyone is interested.

Sounds like a great story Grandad. Sure post some pics. My trailer is a bit like yours although it has always been a box trailer. I have rebuilt it several times. The only original part is the sub chassis and A-Frame. I have straightened and strengthened the A-Frame. Welded more 6mm angle underneath to make very thick box section.

My next upgrade will finally get rid of the last of the original framing. It may have a tipping function but as it will be 8 x 5, solidly built and dual axle I am going to use a hydraulic system. I have a setup which includes a ram, pump and 12volt dc motor. To lift connect motor one way, to lower reverse the motor. 2 hoses.

One could also use a high lift jack. 500mm lift and 8 tonne capacity. Connect a lever to the handle position etc so it can be operated from edge or front of trailer. My design requires the main frame pivot from in front of front axle then up on rear wheels until the back hits the ground. Only the A-Frame stays with car. Some tip trucks operate this way.


The mower trailer was built high so it was narrow to go through our narrowest gate. Then the very old mower died and we bought an old but bigger mower. It wont go thru the gate. Was useful tho when I decided to convert to tipper. Need some height to allow a good angle of tip. The lawn mower wont tip the trailer up as per your tipper design. If you tip the box and drive off it will empy just perfectly and then drop back down on the frame.

Dean

A hydraulic lift is actually more feasible now than it was so many years ago. Being rural, which is something you obviously can identify with, means there are more options available. Second hand rams, pumps and controllers come up fairly regularly in clearance sales.
I think I'd be tempted to go that route if I was going to do it again.
High lift jacks is a good idea. Less things to go wrong.

Here is another not really trailer addition but I have made various changes along the way to get it right. The latest was fitting wheels and hubs from a caravan. Before it had wheelbarrow type wheels.

Attachment 185482

Attachment 185483

The large red item is a high lift jack. Its top is attached to a boom which can be used to lift stuff. The end of the boom (also red) extends out about 500mm. It also has brackets for a pulley from a previous design. I have left them there just in case.

The frame that pivots on bolts just inside the wheels is to lift big round hay bales. There are pins sticking out. There is one straight above the left wheel. These pins drive into the bale. The are in the holes that prevent the bail turning. The short tube at the top of that upright is to put a pin thru to drive into centre of bail. One on each side. 4 pins total. There is one next to mast in its storage position. The cable is pulled by boom, passes round a sheave (The edge is just visible) and pivots hay frame to lift hay. A chain then holds it in position for travel.

The mast can pivot within stable arc but is locked in place at the moment. It has a pivoting jocky stand and the tow hitch bar retracts into the frame to reduce footprint when not in use. It is out at the moment. Yes the boom is bent. I turned it over and added the top bracing rods after testing it to above its capacity.

I have also broken the mast at the bottom welds. You will see a gusset plate on the front of mast and much more weld. Below the mast is the remains of the original mast which is smaller diameter. This dates back to when it was mounted on back of farm only ute as lifting boom only. The rusty steel support is also from then.

It has been an evolution of ideas and has been tested to destruction several times. Just part of the development cycle.

Dean

Originally Posted by Grandad-5

A hydraulic lift is actually more feasible now than it was so many years ago. Being rural, which is something you obviously can identify with, means there are more options available. Second hand rams, pumps and controllers come up fairly regularly in clearance sales.
I think I'd be tempted to go that route if I was going to do it again.
High lift jacks is a good idea. Less things to go wrong.

Amen to all of that except the last one when I am involved. Another option for pumps is to use a car/truck power steering pump. I have a mate who says they work fine. They are easy to get.

I built a hydraulic splitter with seperate hoses, tank, valves and ram. The price to connect everything together shocked my socks off. Hydraulic fittings and hoses came to about $500 and this was about 6 years ago. Now I would design everything I could to be solid connected. Welded on tube is cheaper. May change overall design to suit. Maybe that could be the next trailer addition to post pics on.

As to your last sentence I removed the jack to use it for another job and when I put it back on I fitted it backwards. The pump part of the jack jammed against the mast and before I realised what was causing the stiff operation had bent the cylinder at the base. I could see cracked paint and clear metal where cylinder twisted out of base slightly. I don't know if it can be pulled apart and fixed or not. It still works but wont stay up and valve is hard to turn.

If I knew how to fix it I would as I have a hydraulic press metal lathe and lots of associated fixing gear in the workshop. Maybe someone knows something about them?

Dean

Hang on. You've lost me a bit there Dean.
When you said high lift jack, I assumed a mechanical one.
(Great for pulling up star stakes)
Are you talking hydraulic?

Originally Posted by Grandad-5

This might be an area where I can offer a suggestion.
Not so much for use behind a ride-on, but for a road going trailer.
Attachment 185444

That's a great idea, and something I might apply - I've got the axle and springs from an ancient trailer that I've been meaning to put to use on the farm - I might start a new thread with my design and see what the experts think...

Originally Posted by Grandad-5

Hang on. You've lost me a bit there Dean.
When you said high lift jack, I assumed a mechanical one.
(Great for pulling up star stakes)
Are you talking hydraulic?

The one in the pic of the bale-wrangler looks like the cylinder with integrated pump you commonly find on ute-mounted cranes:
NEW 2000LBS/900KG SWIVEL SHOP CRANE BASE UTE HOIST LIFT | eBay

This is what I was picturing in my mind.

Sorry about that Grandad. Yes I mean a high lift hydraulic jack as per picture. I paid $115 for this one and as I said is rated for 8 tonne and 500mm lift. This is far greater lifting capacity than any trawala style jack I have heard of. Rusty is correct. This jack is designed for this type of application.

With the design you posted, where is the mass centre of the trailer bed?
I will post my design for comparison and interest.

Attachment 185552

This design was only created to test the feasibility of the idea.

Dean

Originally Posted by Oldneweng

With the design you posted, where is the mass centre of the trailer bed?

Wouldn't have a clue Dean.
My only concern in the design stage was the geometry.
I said earlier I used balsa wood. I actually made a 1/12 scale model using balsa for the frame and a set of wheels and springs from a toy car.
I played with different options and was looking at how much effort was required to tip, and what the finished angle was when tipped.
When I graduated to full size, I had the main dimensions nutted out so I just made minor adjustments with the position of the axle.
I accomplished this by welding the suspension to a scrap piece of RHS so I could move it back and forth and just clamp it in place until I got it right.
I ended up leaving that RHS in place because it helped level everything out and as it turned out, I had call to move the axle centre later in its life.
I'd love to say I planned the feature in, but the truth is, it was just dumb luck.

The design you've posted above, you're lifting the front wheels. My design was single axle only and suspension remained flat.

Hi Guys, I have been following this thread with interest.
Many years ago (30 plus) as I was shoveling a load of rubbish out of my ute at the tip a guy pulls up beside me with a car and trailer. He jumps out of the car unlatches a fitting of some kind on the drawbar (he got my interest at this point) walked around to the back of the trailer lowered the tailgate and unhooked 2 tyre chains. One end on each was securely attached behind the tail light area at about the tray height, he then layed out each chain up to each wheel, jumped back in his car and reversed the trailer wheels over the chains.
As the weight of the loaded trailer rolled along each chain it pulled the back of the trailer to the ground and easily dumped his tilting trailer. Drove forward enough to reconnect the chains, scraped out the last of his rubbish with a broom, relatched the tail gate and the front latch and just drove off.
I then returned to my shoveling thinking to myself that I will copy that idea one day but still havn't.

cheers
Gazza

That is brilliant!
Simple and effective in the extreme.