Was in the process of rigging out a 5x13 foot double axle trailer for my mobile welding business. I know some of you on here run trailers and just thought I would ask about the placement of my equipment as this is a new setup for me. As for equipment I will have a miller bobcat 250 my cutting bottles and side mount tool boxes and probably some type of ladder rack built on it. Also do you think a jeep grand cherokee trail rated will handle pulling the trailer safely. I don't want to risk my life or anyone else's on the road. Thanks!Miller Bobcat 250Westinghouse ac arc welderIts better to be hated for who you are than liked for who your not.
Reply:I would be ore worried about the transmission. Grand Cherokees are not known for good rugged power trains, unless they have gotten better in the last few years.Bruce DeLaetHeavy Equipment Mechanic and Welder1948 SA-200 short hood1949 LincWelder 1801963 SA-200 red faceMiller S-32-P
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lacement depends upon having enough tongue weight for the trailer being towed. Means your Welder is going to be primarily forward of the axle. Bottles maybe counter of a Toolbox. Play with the weights as you lay it out on the shop floor. Remember to fill the toolboxes as you don't want to set them on the back and suddenly counter weight the welder causing towing issues!
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oes the trailer have brakes ? I would total up the trailer weight when fully loaded and check that to the Jeep trailering specs. What size tanks ? Big bottles are heavy . How much steel will be going on the rack ? It seems that for some reason '' MORE'' is always added. What's the trailer and tires rated at ? We used to have 1/2 ton trucks until they got beat so bad they went to 3/4. There is more then just the GVW on 3/4 ton. Brakes, drive train ,and tires really make a difference.
Reply:The standard towing rule is to put 10 to 15 percent of the trailer weight on the tongue. You can figure out the center of gravity by jacking the loaded trailer up at different points to find the balance point. Measure the distance between the center of gravity to the tongue. The axle should be be behind the balance point, about 15% of that distance from the CG to the tongue. I could do calculations if you were interested.Of course, the weight on the tongue is largely controlled by loading, if you put a lot of weight on the back it will make the tongue too light. As the welder is the heaviest item, it should be forward of the axle, as someone else mentioned. You could perhaps design it such that the welder could be moved forward or back a few inches to help you get the tongue weight right.As others have mentioned, consider brakes if you think that the trailer, loaded, will be over 1500 pounds or so, but check the Jeep specs.Stuff tends to get added over time, so design it to be strong enough to support more than the initial weight.RichardSculptures in copper and other metalshttp://www.fergusonsculpture.comSyncrowave 200 Millermatic 211Readywelder spoolgunHypertherm 600 plasma cutterThermal Arc GMS300 Victor OA torchHomemade Blacksmith propane forge
Reply:Thanks for the info guy's. No the trailer doesn't have breaks and how much is to much weight without brakes or does that really depend on the size of the vehicle pulling the trailer? And I will be using small or the medium bottles, whichever one's you can buy.Miller Bobcat 250Westinghouse ac arc welderIts better to be hated for who you are than liked for who your not.
Reply:You're gonna have to figure out how much weight the axles can carry and then not max out your trailer past it. Don't forget to figure in the weight of your trailer when calculating total weight for the axles. Then, you've got to figure out how much Chrysler says your Cherokee can pull. Also, you must keep in mind tongue weight or else it will be DANGEROUS on the road.Matthew MortonTexas A&M '06Logsdon Seminary '13"Who Dares Wins""AFTF""WH2PH"SA 200 (Code: 5337)TB 302CP 302 w/22A Wire FeederMillerMatic 200Miller Syncrowave 200MillerMatic 252BurnTables 4x4 CNC MachineHypertherm 65
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on't guess on tongue weight get some scales and measure it as you move stuff around the trailer. 1500lbs carrying capacity after trailer at 400 bobcat at 500 etc is not going to carry much steel in addition to your tools. If you are using it commercial you may need DOT rating and brakes on trailers over 1000 lbs. In Tn for personal use small trailers don't even have to have tags and registration. Insurance would also be something else to look into for trailer and tools etc.
Reply:Ok fellas the trailer axle has a tag on it that says 3500 lb rating excluding axle's, wheels, rims. Is that 3500 per axle or for the pair. I don't plan to carry a lot of metal with the trailer as I have another trailer my dad gave me, I should have said a ladder rack. Thanks for everyone's help.Last edited by Tri County Welder; 02-11-2013 at 07:36 PM.Miller Bobcat 250Westinghouse ac arc welderIts better to be hated for who you are than liked for who your not.
Reply:It would be 3500lb for a tandem axle trailer. Thus, with two axles you would have a combined weight of 7000lbs.Matthew MortonTexas A&M '06Logsdon Seminary '13"Who Dares Wins""AFTF""WH2PH"SA 200 (Code: 5337)TB 302CP 302 w/22A Wire FeederMillerMatic 200Miller Syncrowave 200MillerMatic 252BurnTables 4x4 CNC MachineHypertherm 65
Reply:3500 lbs per, less the trailer body too dont forget. that could be 1000 lbs before you put anything "on" the trailer.Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:3500 lbs is typically the legal limit for a trailer without brakes.
Reply:Thanks everyone has helped a lot. I got a measurement on the top mount toolboxes today and they are 7 foot 6. Would it be better to mount them towards the back or the front as I don't want to have to much weight on the tongue. And they will be mounted on the trailer side's. If it matters they're 14 deep.Miller Bobcat 250Westinghouse ac arc welderIts better to be hated for who you are than liked for who your not.
