Trailer Cost

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I need a utility trailer 5X12 with a rampIs it cost effective to buld your own??John
Reply:If you want a quality trailer that will last a long time yes.  If its something that you are not going to use often and not haul a heavy load then buy a cheaper one IMO.
Reply:Originally Posted by JOHN1I need a utility trailer 5X12 with a rampIs it cost effective to buld your own??John
Reply:It depends on how much matiral you have  or can get for cheap.  How much free time you have.  Do you want it to be costum or will the home depot one work?  or  buy an old used one for cheap, and pimper out yourself. Led lights boxed in, heavy duty fenders, 142 lashing hooks. good luck daye
Reply:My experience with production trailers has been that purchasers unfailingly buy the cheapest lightest trailer they can get and then continually overload it causing it to fail long before it should. On the other hand if you buy the trailer to fit it's intended purpose and take proper care of it they will last for decades.I can't buy the material and running gear for what the manufacturers sell completed units for. When approached about trailers I usually tell the customer to go buy one close to what they need and then bring it in to be modified. They still save money that way.There is an outfit out of Texas that builds really good trailers, but I can't recall the name right now.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jolly RogerThere is an outfit out of Texas that builds really good trailers, but I can't recall the name right now.
Reply:Jolly Roger, Would you be referring to BigTex Trailers? They build a pretty decent trailer, I almost became a dealer for them a while back, but decided to build my own and just do service and repairs instead. DaveI am what I am, Deal with it!If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!
Reply:some people in this area are selling trailers cheaper than I can buy the materials to build.   They must buy in car load lots.
Reply:WillieB,Most of the guys in my area are going up to Georgia and buying large quantities of trailers and dragging them back down here for resale. They are buying and transporting them here cheaper than I could make them if I was making the same junk that they do. My sales are way down for the general purpose type of trailers but my custom trailers have stayed the same. These cheap trailers have brought me a lot more service and repair work though.What part of the state are you from, are you in the trailer business or just build some on the side? DaveI am what I am, Deal with it!If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!
Reply:http://brutetrailers.com/index.htmThese guys build trailers that are light years ahead of Big Tex trailers.  I don't know if they would do anything that small though.  I think with the cost of steel you might be better off just buying a trailer.
Reply:I don't think it was Big -Tex as I have known that name for years and they are one of the better trailers. There was a guy that hauled a couple of loads out of one of the yards I do work for that had this trailer and I had a chance to look it over pretty good. It's one of the few factory trailers I was impressed by. I just wish I could remember the brand. My business partner has one that came out of a factory in Florida (don't know if they are still around though) that is the best factory trailer I have ever seen. The only problem with it is it's a 10,000lb trailer with only 7000lbs of axles. I have a set of 6500lb axles but they are too narrow for it.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jolly RogerI don't think it was Big -Tex as I have known that name for years and they are one of the better trailers. There was a guy that hauled a couple of loads out of one of the yards I do work for that had this trailer and I had a chance to look it over pretty good. It's one of the few factory trailers I was impressed by. I just wish I could remember the brand. My business partner has one that came out of a factory in Florida (don't know if they are still around though) that is the best factory trailer I have ever seen. The only problem with it is it's a 10,000lb trailer with only 7000lbs of axles. I have a set of 6500lb axles but they are too narrow for it.
Reply:I Know the trailers I ve bought in the past 5 years (3 of them) have been good quality even the cheapet I could find, well besides the harbor freight style..One could build a super heavy 5x8 trailer but it would be a pain to move and require a trailer dolly and no loading the tounge by hand it would mean by jack only and backing up till you get it right..If your hauling stuff under the rated load buy one premade and modify as needed..If your hauling above that build your own..
Reply:northern tools has blue prints for all kinds of trailersthe prints tell you how much metal you needso you can go to a supplyer with what you needthey allso sell kits you weld togeather
Reply:It will be cheaper to buy one, but be sure you can live with the crappy construction most cheap ones have. I was looking for a similar size a while back, and some of the stuff I saw was pretty bad. The installation of deck lumber with a ramset nailer that bounced on every shot, and left half inch gaps between the decking and the wimpy crossmembers, really turned me off. I could see putting about 200 miles on it and having all the boards work loose, and/or the nails poking up through them when they settled down. I just happened to have a nice flatbed frame that I built for my old chevy kickin' around, so I picked up an axle and got to work.
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55OK, not Big-Tex so how 'bout Texasbragg?
Reply:My son will build a trailer (20x8.5') at high school this year, so I understand your desire to build your own.I recommend watching the paper, craigslist, etc, for a good used trailer.  You'll buy on for significantly less than you'll every build one.  Probably for less than the material.My son's project starts with a salvaged camp trailer frame with axles, tongue and wheels, so at least he has a bunch of the "raw material" covered.Just my two cents.Roger
Reply:My next major welding project is a trailer, using about 80 feet of 2" 304SS pipe, a 10' section of 1.5 " thickwall pipe, and various pieces of SS plate and angle stock.  I plan to by a trailer kit from http://abctrailerparts.com/ and copy the layout of a 2,000# GVW Snow Bear 5' x 10' trailer I bought from Home Depot for about $900.  The only deviation from the design will be the width, to make loading and carrying two motorcycles easier.  Major challenges will be cutting pipe at 45 degee angles for corners and backgassing the joints when welding.3500 Lb. Drop trailer kit for an straight tongue trailer includes the following trailer components: 1 - 95" 3500 Lb 4" Drop trailer axle with idler hubs, brake flanges, bearings, grease caps and races 1 - Single axle hanger kit 2 - Two four leaf double eye springs 25-1/4"x1-3/4" rated at 1,750 Lbs. each 1 - U-bolt kit for a 2-3/8" round axle 1 - One pair of 9"x32" steel fenders with weld on backs for 14" or 15" wheels 1 - One trailer coupler for a 2" trailer ball for 2", 2-1/2" or 3" wide tubing 1 - Standard trailer light kit with 25' four way wiring harness 1 - Double hook safety chain 3/16"x4' welded link with 3/8" double hooks 10 - Ten 1/2" wheel nuts Cost $205.99. Call Toll Free for Shipping: (866) 974-2990.  They are located in AL.  Shipping is by truck freight and the cost is high - something like $135 to Augusta, GA, but no sales tax.Two 15" trailer wheels and tires should run about $175 and another $150 should buy enough angle or square tube steel to make the frame.  So starting with all purchased parts, a homemade trailer using a trailer kit, tires, wheels, and frame material with S&H might run around $700.Last edited by Teddco; 08-09-2008 at 09:46 PM.TeddCoHTP Microcut 400 & Invertig 160DC  Smith Dual Guard MD-510 OA Rig  Lincoln SP135+  Hobart Stickmate LX 235/160