Where to buy trailer parts? (Axle, Springs, Etc?)

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Hey guys!So, I'm planning to build a car/equipment trailer within the next six months or so... I'm going with the following qualifications:>Must be a Bumper Pull Trailer (Need to be able to pull it with my F150, too)>Must Be Twin Axle>Must Have (Good) Brakes>Must Be Able to Carry 10,000 pounds (This would then be able to move either of my trucks, anything I might haul, and any equipment I might buy in the foreseeable future)>Must have a front-mounted winch for loading dead machineryI guess thats about it... So, I seem to be in the market for a couple of good, heavy axles, some brake parts, and various smaller items (jack, coupler, etc). I was just wondering if anyone knows of a good mail order trailer parts supplier, or a good company to buy from in Central Texas?I've never built a trailer this size before. I want to build something like this ONCE. I'm okay with building a gooseneck or something, someday if needed, but I'm not looking to cheap out on stuff and constantly be replacing things on this as time goes by. I want to build something nice. Also, anyone who HAS... Would you be willing to share an estimate/rough number of what something like this would cost to put together? I know that I need to set some money aside and plan on this, but I need to know if I'm looking at $1K in materials or $5K... Thanks in advance, guys...[Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Up here we have Redneck Trailer Supply.  They stock everything needed short of semi trailer materials.  You must have a business account to get the best pricing from them.  They charge list price to the general public.    They have two locations in Texaswww.redneck-trailer.com Dan D.Last edited by DanD78; 10-19-2014 at 10:55 PM.Manipulator Of Metal
Reply:Originally Posted by Lanse>Must Be Able to Carry 10,000 pounds (This would then be able to move either of my trucks, anything I might haul, and any equipment I might buy in the foreseeable future)
Reply:I hate to say it but E bay has stuff also and many of the vendors have tech help as does red neck. It has always been my experience that when it comes to trailers. unless it's a total custom, I can buy a good used trailer, modify and repair as needed and be way ahead in the long run.
Reply:Aha, good to know! My 3/4 ton has a 12,000 pound capacity hitch... Okay, I'll register it at 8k or 9k or something, and if the need ever arises, I'll just re-register it or something, maybe get my CDL which honestly I've thought about doing as well, it could be good to have... I'm told Texas is pretty lenient with registering home builds... Thanks for the reply![Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Lanse,There are a lot of direct market sources for true welders.  TSC is NOT the place to buy your trailer equipment.  I buy axles direct from a local branch of Alko.  Wheels/tires etc, from a division of Tex Trail (Big Tex).  You should have loads of them.  You just need to get in your truck and go look up any possible number of trailer manufacturer suppliers in your  area.FWIW, Axles come with springs  lug nuts brakes etc if you buy it as an assembly and is cheaper.  Your axle supplier also will have hanger kits...if not jacks, light kits etc.  If you need smaller items like safety chains, light kits etc, got to Agrisupply dot com.   Not a better source for the small guy.Last edited by lugweld; 10-19-2014 at 11:45 PM.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Another source is Southwest Wheel. They have the main office in Dallas and another store in Lubbock. They tend to be cheaper than Redneck even with my dealer discount (which isn't much). On axles the shipping easily puts them cheaper for me.  Redneck does have a store in Arlington which would be the closest one to you. I know that there's some good places in Houston though I don't know what they are (a local welder with a brother in Houston gets all his parts down there).Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:I agree with Irish...... Southwest Wheel has good pricing and customer service is great.  Every order has always been on time and correct.Miller 211Miller T-bolt ac/dcVictor o/aMilwaukee ChopsawDewalt, Milwaukee minigrinderDelta drill pressDelta bench grinderair grinder, die grinderHF pipe benderHF horizontal bandsaw
Reply:Dexter axles, I think, are better overall quality than many. I am not crazy about ALKO, but beside those two, almost anything else (not talking about marine axles) is good to avoid.You probably want a pair of 5.2K axles to net 10K overall. Torsion axles are the smoothest handling, leaf sprung still works though. Some people don't like Bulldog hitches, but I don't see too many Bulldogs fail. I see loads of everything fail. Tekonsha brake controllers are great, the Prodigy models are top of the line.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:I agree that Dexter axles are better quality than the ALKO axles. I was rather disappointed when I went to change hubs from one new set of axles to new drop tubes. The bearing fit was rather lousy.   However on torsion axles I prefer the ones I get from Southwest Wheel to the ones that Dexter make. At least on them you can change the spindle if you need to.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:If you are looking in the Houston area, try Trailer Wheel & Frame. They sell axles up to 12,000 lbs.http://trailerwheel.com/Default.aspxGravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:I'm all for building stuff, but you can't build one for less than you can buy one already built.  Trailers just aren't worth my time to build.  You can find them all day long slightly used for an even better deal.  Materials alone will eat your lunch, then the time spent running all over tarnation picking up everything, and then the actual time to build it and lastly the real fun part of painting it.  I guess I got over the whole "yeah but I can say I built it" thing a while ago.
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerI'm all for building stuff, but you can't build one for less than you can buy one already built.  Trailers just aren't worth my time to build.  You can find them all day long slightly used for an even better deal.  Materials alone will eat your lunch, then the time spent running all over tarnation picking up everything, and then the actual time to build it and lastly the real fun part of painting it.  I guess I got over the whole "yeah but I can say I built it" thing a while ago.
Reply:Thanks for the replies, guys! [Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Check these guys out too. http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Parts
Reply:I agree as far as costs go. Figure out about what you want to build and see what you can buy a new one for. You will probably have close to that in materials. But by building it you will get exactly what you want, and it will be some good material for youtube. I have a trailer similar to what you are wanting. Its an older hudson, dual axle around 20ft deck over. Its a bit much for my 1500. It pulls it fine and all but I feel better pulling with the 350.- Christian M.C3 Welding & Fabrication - CNC Plasma Cutting-Mobile Welding-Custom welding and fabwww.c3welding.com
Reply:Here is a sitehttp://www.trailerplans.com//index.p...tpage&Itemid=1
Reply:Rather than build from scratch, check out local equipment auctions.  Every area has some auctioneer that does one every couple of months and heavy equipment trailers are generally common and go for far less money than one could fabricate from scratch.  At the very least, you would have a platform to start with that's already passed muster with the "authorities".  Just as an example from another area, check out the 7 ton goosneck lot # 545 at http://murphyauction.com/Auction/Catalog/554  which sold for $ 4kJust for browsing purposes and smaller trailer parts, Northern tool (northerntool.com) has a good selection of the bits and pieces to build a more generic hauling trailer.  Good place to scan parts (especially in a hard copy catalog) when you are just thinking and planning.  No clue how the prices or quality compare to other sources.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWYou might want to rethink this part. To carry 10K, that means your trailer will need to be over 10K in weight. In most states, that puts you in a class A license, same as a tractor trailer, complete with medical card, 6 month inspections and so on. Some states will do a NonCDL Class A, but usually the DOT will expect you to be towing a boat, 5th wheel travel trailer , horse trailer etc, not a flat deck or dump trailer. Other states lump any trailer over 10 K into the Class A CDL license.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWYou might want to rethink this part. To carry 10K, that means your trailer will need to be over 10K in weight.
Reply:Originally Posted by TheJackalI am sure I am misunderstanding this, but my 12,500GVW Trailer only weights like 2k pounds empty?
Reply:This here is about 15,000lbs of hay on a 24' double axle trailer....
Reply:And this is over 20,000lbs of hay on a 32' double axle trailer....
Reply:Not including axles my 5x10 utility trailer cost me about $500    ($420 in steel, $60 in wood - with plenty of steel left over (mostly angle but a 9ft piece of C channel and a few smaller pieces).I break it out by axle because I'm going to splurge for a torsion axle.  Honestly the trailer is empty half the time and I just think the torsion axles ride a lot better when empty - suppose I could have added shocks to the standard axles....   So another $400 in axles.  Another $200 in wheels, coupler, lights.I looked at Southwest, TrailerParts4u and TrailerParts Depot.  I had issues with crappy spindles in the past so I really wanted to get Dexter axles in the hope they would be better.  I know Southwest sells kits (and by the pricing I suspect they are the cheapest parts to fill that price - which for a lightly used trailer might be good enough) and it would be about $400 for leaf spring kit.BTW, my plan I substituded C -channel for angle iron frame rails (which was a bit of challenge to make it all work), narrowed it from 6ft to 5ft.   From my calculations, the frame should be 4x as strong as the original 3500 lbs design.   I feel I could put 5000+ lbs axles under it in the future if I ever needed it.So, call it $1100.   Locally, a new utility trailer with 3500lbs rating would set me back closer to 1200 and no where near as strongSee: https://baltimore.craigslist.org/grq/4695704864.htmlPlus this is my test case.  The real build will be a car trailer....   Local asking price for a 10,000lbs capable trailer is $4500.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:I know that a local company with larger trailers was forced to put DOT numbers on the sides of there trucks. I'm pretty sure it's because the trailers are rated over 10,000 lbs. But by the same token if you've got farm tags you don't have to have all that stuff. But they can get you for not being for farm use if registered that way. It's all so complicated that I don't think they even know the true facts and it will depend on who pulls you over what they'll get you for. I know one guy who was driving his feed truck into town to go to work. He got stopped for using it to go to work on farm tags despite the fact that he was also going to get feed that day.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htmJust finished a 10K farm trailer last week.  8'X16' tri axle deck over, it cost about $3K to build. (no brakes, that would add $380.00-$500.00 to the price).Oh, I get my stuff from Nuera Transportation.Last edited by WeldingMachine; 10-22-2014 at 08:39 PM.Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:Originally Posted by TheJackalI am sure I am misunderstanding this, but my 12,500GVW Trailer only weights like 2k pounds empty?
Reply:Please rethink your weight limit. I hauled my 6500# horizontal mill with my F150, and it had ALL it wanted.I didnt get over 45 mph, and left myself PLENTY of stoping space.It wasent a plesant trip at all.By the way, I drive a semi five days a week for a paycheck, so it wasent from a lack of experiance.Jake Parker
Reply:Originally Posted by TheJackalI am sure I am misunderstanding this, but my 12,500GVW Trailer only weights like 2k pounds empty?
Reply:Originally Posted by newburyNow many F250 and F350 trucks are rated for towing (which includes stopping) well over 10K.  The new F150 is rated up to 11.300 pounds.  The F350 up to 19,000 lbs. http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty...ations/towing/ .  As far as your hitch make sure it's rated high enough and CHECK YOUR BALL!  Lot's of people swap in a higher rated hitch but still use a 6K ball.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWIt's the fine print that usually catches guys. Just because a certain model truck can haul 19K, doesn't mean THAT particular vehicle you bought can. Things like tow packages, usually beef up the suspension as well as just give you the light hook up for example. The average truck without those extras can't tow as much.  For example the axles on my F250 4x4 diesel are heavier than those on the standard gas F350 even with the towing package for 2001. Then there's the question of what grade hitch they slapped on the vehicle... Harry the home owner wouldn't be able to tell a class 3 hitch from a class IV or even a Class V, though the Class V uses a bigger receiver. Also heavy max loads like that are usually 5th wheel or gooseneck ratings where the weight is set up over the rear axle, not a "bumper" tow rating. Those loads also assume the trailer has functional brakes... I've seen plenty of idiots who are too cheap to buy a brake controller or use surge brakes and want to tow a heavy trailer trusting the truck alone to stop it.
Reply:Originally Posted by mad welder 4I was thinking the exact same thing. I see idiots towing bobcats on bumper pull car trailers with F-150s around here all the time. The truck is riding *** down and nose up, the front tires barely touching the ground. The bobcat plus the trailer cant weigh more than 8k total and those half tons are really suffering. There is no way they were made to pull that much at the bumper.
Reply:Not so much for trailering.A friend with a privately owned Dodge 3500 with a dump bed on it was cited for:1) Not registering as a commercial vehicle.2) Being overweight (13000lbs on a 10000 lbs registration).3) Registered underweightAnd a few other things that ended up costing nearly $2000 in fines.  Most of the fines stuck when he went to court.Bottom line, it doesn't matter what MVA says, the company that installs the parts, the dealer that sells the truck etc. says.  At the end of the day its the judge's interpretation of the law that matters.If building a trailer, in Maryland, you need to have it inspected by the state police (they do so at the MVA), that would be a good time to double check the rules.  Once the police have inspected it, then you have to get a licensed  inspection station to give it a detailed looking over - the police only check a) if it was stolen and b) it looks reasonably sturdy.  There is sort of a catch 22 about how you get it to the MVACon Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:Ok, here's the deal.................Any driver of a commercial vehicle with a GVWR over 26,000lbs must have a CDL.  http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations.../section/383.5Any driver of a CMV used to transport farm goods is exempt from the requirements only within a 150mi radius of the farm http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations.../section/383.3Sure, you can overload a vehicle/vehicle combination beyond the GVWR.  But you're in for a new set of woes when you do.Another interesting factoid.  Here in Oklahoma farmers are exempt from the seatbelt requirement ONLY if operating a farm tagged vehicle WHILE performing farm related tasks with that vehicle.  Just driving to town to buy groceries, although the truck is farm plated, kills the exemption........it must be farm related."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammOk, here's the deal.................Any driver of a commercial vehicle with a GVWR over 26,000lbs must have a CDL.  http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations.../section/383.5
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWIt's the fine print that usually catches guys. Just because a certain model truck can haul 19K, doesn't mean THAT particular vehicle you bought can. Things like tow packages, usually beef up the suspension as well as just give you the light hook up for example. The average truck without those extras can't tow as much.  For example the axles on my F250 4x4 diesel are heavier than those on the standard gas F350 even with the towing package for 2001. Then there's the question of what grade hitch they slapped on the vehicle... Harry the home owner wouldn't be able to tell a class 3 hitch from a class IV or even a Class V, though the Class V uses a bigger receiver. Also heavy max loads like that are usually 5th wheel or gooseneck ratings where the weight is set up over the rear axle, not a "bumper" tow rating. Those loads also assume the trailer has functional brakes... I've seen plenty of idiots who are too cheap to buy a brake controller or use surge brakes and want to tow a heavy trailer trusting the truck alone to stop it.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWTrue as far as it goes. However a few years back when the feds made some changes to the laws and the states followed suit, many of the states have chosen to take the stand that any trailer over 10,000 lbs, no matter what the total combined weight of trailer and truck is, requires a Class A license. Pa is one of those states, and there are quite a few others from what I understand. They read the laws as an AND/OR, vs just an AND as far as the trailer.That means in PA, even though my truck is under 12K, as soon as I attach a 12K trailer to it, I'm required to have a Class A license. It doesn't matter that combined the two total less than the 26,000 number of the Feds, it's the fact the trailer is over 10K that triggers the requirement for a Class A license. With a trailer under 10,000, it's not until I top 26,000 combined that I need a commercial license, and as long as the trailer stays under 10K, I only need a Class B license.PA will allow a noncommercial class A license. In theory it's for those with large boat, travel trailers using 5th wheels/gooseneck hitches etc. In reality, it's next to impossible to get them to issue that license. You'll see almost no gooseneck/ 5th wheel travel trailers around here because of this. You'll see plenty of stock trailers, car haulers etc with them, but that's because the vast majority of those people are using them for their farm or business, and already have a class A license.
Reply:Originally Posted by newburyI agree the "average truck without" the extras can't tow as much, but this discussion was about a trailer and towing.  If I remember correctly Lanse's truck is several years old so he should confirm his tow rating.  BUT the heavy loads I quoted were for "bumper" or conventional application.  The Super duty link shows a 5th wheel tow rating of 26,500 for an F350DRW 4x4.  That's 500lb over CDL immediately.The trucks are just getting beefier and the ratings rising.  My 2002 F350 came with the factory tow package rated for 12K w/WD.  It also has a GVWR of 11,500.  I've hauled stone several times recently and tipped the scales at 11.5 K (maybe a little more  ).  The maximum rated 5th wheel tow rating for the ford  2002 F350 was 13,700.  Almost HALF what it is now!
Reply:"Some police don't give a flip what what the paper works says and check the axles. What you have to be cognizant of is that it's not just WHAT you are towing but WHAT your GVW rating is. So if you have an empty trailer with dual 16" 8 bolt tandem E tires http://bigtextrailers.com/22gn-tande...xle-gooseneck/ they will ticket you towing it empty w/ an F150"  You actually did get it right.  My bad."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Another trick the trailer manufacturers pull is derating axles to come in under the brake requirement.I have a single axle cargo trailer with springs that are the 4 leaf type (used on 3500lb axles), and a 3500lb axle.  But......the tires are rated at less than 1750 capacity single.  This derates the system, and they don't have to put brakes on the thing because the GVWR is less than 3500lbs.  Trailer folks are generally a buncha crooks"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I'll dig up the link later. Despite what that fact sheet might read, the courts ( who are really the only ones who matter) interpreted the law as any trailer over 10K requires a class A license. There's a comma written in the actual statue that the courts take to mean  "or any vehicle with a trailer over 10,000 lbs". I've seen multiple guys go to court and loose over this in several counties.It used to be a huge cash cow for the DOT enforcers when they changed the law originally. They nabbed just about every dump trailer and small equipment flatbed they could. Almost nobody with a small truck had a class A license, and most small contractors bought the heaviest rated trailer they could before the law changed. For  a while you could buy 12K and 14K dump trailers cheap as no one wanted all the excess hassles to deal with them. Guys either when to full sized rigs, or went to 10K trailers. DOT also took the stand any trailer with heavy axles was a heavy trailer no matter how you titled or registered it. They didn't want guys just changing the paper work and continuing life as usual..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersamm Originally Posted by newburyI agree the "average truck without" the extras can't tow as much, but this discussion was about a trailer and towing.  If I remember correctly Lanse's truck is several years old so he should confirm his tow rating.  BUT the heavy loads I quoted were for "bumper" or conventional application.  The Super duty link shows a 5th wheel tow rating of 26,500 for an F350DRW 4x4.  That's 500lb over CDL immediately.The trucks are just getting beefier and the ratings rising.  My 2002 F350 came with the factory tow package rated for 12K w/WD.  It also has a GVWR of 11,500.  I've hauled stone several times recently and tipped the scales at 11.5 K (maybe a little more  ).  The maximum rated 5th wheel tow rating for the ford  2002 F350 was 13,700.  Almost HALF what it is now!
Reply:8 years ago I wanted a truck, I found the one I wanted, It had air brakes. I posed the question to several DMV employees, and a State Trooper. I got widely differing answers. Researching law, I found In VT you don't need a CDL to drive an air brake equipped vehicle under 26000 LB or with trailer under 10000. Over this weight you do. Without an air brake endorsement on your CDL license, you may not operate said vehicle.
Reply:In 1998, I bought my Silverado with a "Towing Package". The trans and oil coolers, class 4 hitch and lights was all there. There is no way they beefed up the suspension as a 2 friends of mine had the 4 wheel drive versions (1 was Z71, other not). They out sprung me load wise on the rear end by a lot plus the fact that when you go a 4wd package the brakes get bigger and the wheels usually have an extra lug nut!(Chevy goes 5 bolt Auto to 6 bolt Truck)
Reply:This is where I get my trailer stuff.  http://www.trailercity.com   They have everything, I would call them, rather then search for it on their internet site.                      Sincerely,                            William McCormick
Reply:We used to make diesel trailers when I was much younger.The only comment I will make is to use a Bulldog coupler.I've seen our 500 gallon trailers going down dirt roads at 60 mph with none of their 4 wheels on the ground, and never have had a coupler fail