Building a car hauler

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Building a car hauler need material advice, I'm planning on using mainly 2x4 rectangle tubing I'm thinking about using 1/8" to keep it light, but i'm not sure about wall thickness, and cross bracing spacing. I'm planning on using air bag suspension so i can basically set the trailer on the ground during loading kind of like this.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYy-if1HVaM[/ame]
Reply:Nice the guy was driving a convertible. That fender is kinda in the way otherwise. Terrrible soundtrack. Seems awefully complicated alternative to carrying ramps.
Reply:Nice the guy was driving a convertible.
Reply:Originally Posted by mrmikeyOther than a window there's no other way out. Nice idea but I think I'd stick with the ole spring suspension, at least if something breaks out in never never land there's usually some way to jury rig it home. Saying that it is a lot easier than ramps but I'd stick with them I think.....Mike
Reply:Duck!TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Northern Tool as well as several other places sell engineer stamped prints. Buy the prints. They have the materials list. Now let's set back and watch the show."Liberalism is a mental disorder" Dr. Savage
Reply:Something like this is a better design and the fenders don't get in the way.[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dove6z_OLHk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dove6z_OLHk[/ame]Millermatic 200Hobart Handler 120Victor O/A & Ramco BandsawLincoln 225 ACSnapOn AD HoodMiller XMT304/22AHypertherm Powermax 1650 G3Lincoln Idealarc DC600 w/Extreme 12 VSMiller Digital Elite "Joker"
Reply:Originally Posted by flatbustedbrokeNorthern Tool as well as several other places sell engineer stamped prints. Buy the prints. They have the materials list. Now let's set back and watch the show.
Reply:Originally Posted by RaptorDunerSomething like this is a better design and the fenders don't get in the way.
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawThat's a cool idea,  would like to see how he does the sliding mechanism on the bottom of that trailer.   you could just pull the breakaway pin to hold the wheels in place
Reply:Originally Posted by mla2ofusHow do you get electric brakes to hold while moving backward?                                      Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawI already answered that.  you pull the breakaway pin (if you don't what that is you have no business pulling a trailer) or put a toggle switch on it.   or just use wheel chocks
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawI already answered that.  you pull the breakaway pin (if you don't what that is you have no business pulling a trailer) or put a toggle switch on it.   or just use wheel chocks
Reply:Ditto the wheel chocks, makes life nicer. I have seen a lot of trailers that were tilting, sliding, lowering, and they were ALL weak little sisters to my 18' car hauler with ramps. Mine is heavy duty and has a set of heavy duty ramps. I have moved my 6000# fork lift around a bit and it loads, hauls and performs well even with that much of a point load.
Reply:Originally Posted by RaptorDunerSomething like this is a better design and the fenders don't get in the way.
Reply:Originally Posted by wd40prerunnerDoesn't that add alot of tongue wait ?
Reply:Originally Posted by RaptorDunerSomething like this is a better design and the fenders don't get in the way.
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawI already answered that.  you pull the breakaway pin (if you don't what that is you have no business pulling a trailer) or put a toggle switch on it.   or just use wheel chocks
Reply:Well, there're all the criticisms above, plus......for the first embedded trailer video, it's a nice idea in theory, however for something relatively complex, presumably designed to make the trailer suitable for hauling nicer cars, it fails on two fronts IMO.The fenders make it difficult to enter/exit the car (already mentioned).Also, although the deck lowers, the front air dam on the 'Vette still scraped it while rolling off."These instructions are at our present level ofknowledge. Legal requirements do not exist.Technical issues subject to change."_________________________________________Lincoln MIG PAK 180Lincoln AC-225
Reply:Yeah i understand about the fender problem, which i want to put the fenders on pins so they can easily be removed and installed.  and that other trailer looks cool but i think that's way more complicated than a couple air bags you let down to drop the deck, and i know I'll probably still need ramps, my car is very low. And yes I'm a good welder, I've done a lot of fabrication projects before I'm just new to this site.
Reply:Originally Posted by ckrummy that other trailer looks cool but i think that's way more complicated than a couple air bags you let down to drop the deck,
Reply:The slideaway trailer looks complicated from afar, but up-close it's very simple.IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:I like that easy load trailer.  I would like to see one in person.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmThe airbags are going to be more complicated.  You have to figure out where to put them.  Even if you set the frame right on the axles, you're still 10" or so off the ground.  The sliding axles in the video fix that by moving them out of the way.  It's actually a very simple set up.
Reply:My point (in case you missed it) is that you aren't going to get that trailer to the ground without some major head scratchin.  Notching the frame for axle clearance isn't even an option.  A notch will make a bump on the deck that the car can/will hang up on.  The sliding axle set up is dead simple.  All the suspension is mounted to a carriage.  Carriage rides on rails under the deck.  Tongue needs to pivot to allow the bed to tilt.  Carriage needs some way to lock it in place when going down the road.  Pins through the frame/carriage would be the easiest.If you want to build an entire trailer around a set of airbags cuz their "free", then go for it.  "Free" is going to wind up being expensive.  I'd suggest you at least sit down with some actual measurements and make some scaled drawings to see just how everything is going to fit together.You say your car is low.  How low exactly?  I've got less than 2" of ground clearance at the lowest point on mine and a floor jack won't fit under it at any of the usual jacking points.  I've loaded with 5' ramps and got hung up slightly.  6' or 7' ramps prolly would have been problem free.My name's not Jim....My car i autocross is about 3" off the ground and our circle track car is about 2". And I have already drafted out  a trailer plan all i really needed to know is how thick the tubing needs to be but I've already figured it out, 3/16 for the length and 11ga for cross braces, a little heavier than it needs to be but I'd rather be on the safe side. I'll start gathering materials, look for a build thread if the future.
Reply:.I'd love to see the plans if it's not too much trouble to post..
Reply:I'm not sure how to post them, without printing them and then scanning it back in.
Reply:Originally Posted by ckrummyI'm not sure how to post them, without printing them and then scanning it back in.
Reply:I finally figured out how to upload it, it's a screen shot so ignore all the extraControl arms and air bag placement is not final yet and not worth discussing!!!Looking to keep it light as possible and as cheep as possible. Any suggestions.
Reply:If you intend to use a stock, formed tongue coupler, the usual included angleof the tongue tubes is 50 degrees.Blackbird
Reply:Thanks that's an easy fix, it should give a little more support too.
Reply:ok, so with this design, Each axle is independently pivoting on 2 points forward of the axle with trailing arms and air bags supporting the load. Correct? The idea is to get the deck of the trail as low to the ground as possible for loading and unloading, Correct?What type of axles are you thinking of using?What are you going to use to prevent lateral movement of the axles while cornering?How robust are you going to have to make those trailing arms to keep the axles aligned with the trailer while cornering? Personally. I think you're not taking some very important things into consideration here.Axle height from the ground. Tire size. Lateral forces on the trailer. axle connection sizes.What will the total height of the deck be when the frame is sitting on the axles? how will this effect the pitch of the trailer while it's connected to your tow vehicle? How high above the deck will the tires be when the frame is down? You're idea is to build this trailer around airbags that you got for free. I think you're putting the cart before the horse here.Trust me I get the "I want something to be proud of that I built, and very few people have" mentality. But there is a reason more people have the simpler versions. because they are easier to use, easier to design, easier to fix, and easier on the bank account leaving more money for the toys that the trailer is supposed to be hauling in the first place. Honestly, IMO you're better off buying a simple lowboy tilt trailer and ramps. not only will it save you time and money, but it will also remove a lot of liability and some repair worries if something does fail on the trailer. How much is it going to cost to replace one of those air bags if/when it fails? how does that compare to an axle spring?I'm not saying don't build your own trailer to be proud of, but don't design it around 1 component.  Thats like saying I'm going to build a bridge so that I can use this one Bolt that I found. It's not economical, and it's not practical.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Yep, each axle will move independently and with 2 control arms per axle,  My plan is to use some fairly heavy box tubing with pipe welded in and polyurethane bushings for the pivot points.Yes, the idea is to be able to lower the deck down as low as possible for loading and unloading,I want to use 3,500# 4" drop axles which will be bolted directly to the control armsI'm not very worried about lateral forces, because the axles are similar to the solid rear axle on most fwd cars, but it will be considered when selecting materials.And i'm not building a trailer around free, after i started planning i found out about the air bags, A set of 4 air bags is only about $120 so i would have gotten them anyway, having a free set is just a bonus.I would be fine with buying a used trailer but every one here wants way to much, and i can't afford a new lowboy tilt trailer.  With my current lay out i'm looking at under $800 in metal, another 450 in axles, and under $200 in decking. I have paint, i have wheels and I'm sure i can some up with some tires cheep. The air system just depends on how crazy i go with it, minimum i would need would be a 12volt compressor, or i could go with on-board air in the future. All in all I'm looking really good for my budget.
Reply:Good luck with it. I built a trailer recently as well and as always, a budget is just a goal you set, once you get past it just suck it up and finish the job.IW Local 580 NY, NY
Reply:Oh yeah i know that, when ever i do any car mods, i make sure to have double my budget just in case everything goes wrong.