Lots of questions, want to fabricate things.

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Hi all have a few questions about equipment and general welding questions, any help tips or advice appreciated and thanks in advance. I am an avid bbqer and compete on a semi pro level and for years have wanted to fabricate my own pits and trailers. I have literally owned and cooked on well over 40 or 50 pits that were mine personally over the last 10 years. My shop is a 20x40 open shed type and its usually very windy here in south Texas so I keep a screen porch type wall towards the wind but it doesnt always work when winds are high so want to switch to flux core instead of gas on my little mig, millermatic 135. I have bought a few pits off craigslist recently and fixed them up and sold them. Learned that migs dont work well with dirty rusty metals, lol. So I recently bought a lincoln 225 ac/dc for that too.  So here;s what i'm wanting to do:Build my own custom trailers and pits to sell as a business so will be working with mostly new metals. The bbq pits will sometimes be out of 1/4 pipe and am currently talking to a shop that can roll and bend 1/8 and 1/4 plate to my specs and designs so some of the material would be that.1. Links to fabrication of trailer websites would be a big help too.2. Best rods to use on the stick 7018? What about on the bbq pits themselves? Really prefer the mig's nice clean welds as well as the time savings from chipping and grinding not to mention less fumes. 3. Are some brands of rods better than other? Bought some fleetweld 6011 too and after a few beads that it leaves a oily  residue on sides of bead, never had that before on other brands.4. I like the miller migs from what I see other shops around here doing but are they all basically the same? Ford chevy dodge right.5. If I buy a larger mig what size should I get for my intended purposes?6. Any links to metal bending/forming webites where I can learn some more basics, or is this site good for that too in the other sections?7. Do I need phase 3 or ? to go to a bigger machine?, would really prefer to stay with regular 220 if possible.8. Is flux core the best way to go given my conditions or what do you guys recommend?Thanks again, especially for your patience. Have a few more questions but this will get me in the right direction for now hopefuilly.QT
Reply:Here we go again.I'll be the first to say it, and I'm sure not the last. As you are venturing into two realms that are HUGE no-no's for new weldors. Trailers, and potentially preasure vessal/fuel containers. Basically the standard practice here is, if you have to ask, you shouldn't be doing it.  For trailers, you need to be proficient at welding at any angle, and that doesn't mean "it's ugly, but it'll hold" welding. thats full, even penetration on every weld. As for the pits, building from scratch usually isn't cost effective. Which is why you see so many old tanks being used. it's quicker, and easier if you know what you're doing. Again, if you've got to ask, you shouldn't be doing it. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat if you will. there are also a lot of differing oppinions on how to work on these tanks. As you arn't trying to make a preasure vessel thats not the issue. The issue is opening the preasure vessal that may at some time have contained a combustable material. Even food grade oils can ignite in a tank if the right combination of tempature, air, and cumbustable are there.if you're going to be welding on trailers that are going to be on the road, 220v is a must. Again, This is not a project to be taken on by a novice weldor. We don't say these things because we don't want people to learn, or because we're concerned for the novice weldors safety. We don't care if someone risks their own life. It's when they potentially risk the lives of inocent people who have no idea what's coming that we get concerned. A trailer that is on the road can be a potential timebomb that fails catistophically and devistatingly if it was not assembled properly and using proper techniques and tools. You don't know if it's a grandma on her way to church or a van full of the local soccer team that is going to be behind you when a part fails. We urge caution with any build of this nature.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:Well first of all, my  impression is that you don't have much experience in fabrication and welding,correct me if I'm wrong. I suggest you go to a local trade school and and acquire some training, and a couple hundred/thousand hours of under hood welding time before you start building trailers, not to mention that you would probably be better off buying trailers in bulk and building off of them. You can not compete with trailer production companies, or trailers from Lowes/HD/Northern Tool,etc as far as parts and materials.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:[QUOTE=ThorsHammer;721131]Here we go again.For trailers, you need to be proficient at welding at any angle, and that doesn't mean "it's ugly, but it'll hold" welding. thats full, even penetration on every weld. if you're going to be welding on trailers that are going to be on the road, 220v is a must. Again, This is not a project to be taken on by a novice weldor. i fully agree. every time i go to tractor supply i look at the crap they sell to pass for a trailer..dont put yourself in their category,,listen to this advice,,
Reply:I have to add on the trailer part of things - between local trailer manufacturers and used trailer manufactures (see military surplus), you can get a known, good trailer for pretty much what it would cost you to get the materials.   Keep in mind that building one from scratch involves engineering and you really don't want to do too much "trial and error".  Now add the time it takes to cut and prep everything, the time it takes to tack everything together - your lack of a jig to make sure everything stays straight, and it quickly becomes a no brainer.  This is one situation where you will be money ahead if you buy your way out of it.As for the pit itself.  IMHO, go for it.  You seem to have enough experience to know what you want/need.  The trick is getting a leg up on the fabrication if you can.  Need something round?  Look at pipes.  Just make sure the pipe never saw nasty fluids running through it.A good design is not only something that work well on day 1, but something that, as it ages, ages gracefully.  To me that means easy to replace wear items.  For example: Put a hinge on a door, make sure the hinge is protected, and ultimately replaceable etc.  I'd 'borrow' the  ideas from others.  Keep in mind what kind of trailer its going on.   Leave room for additional equipment.So, what do you do after catering an event.  You got this 400deg smoker/grill/whatever sitting on a trailer.  Do you just 'turn it off" and go?  Do you have to wait till it cools?My neighbor has recently bought 3 military trailers for about $200-$400 a piece.  They are something like 5' wide and 6 or even 8 ft long.  18" on the side, full size, good condition military trailer tires.  Single axle, leaf spring, hydraulic surge brakes.   These are the kind that you pull behind a HUMVEE.  Good starting point for a trailer project.  I think he had to drag it home on a pintel (sp?) hitch.  He cut that off and welded on a more conventional coupler.  Craigslist, ebay, local auctionsCon Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:Thank you all for the comments and concerns. On my phone right now will respond more when home on desktop. Will say for now. Not as newbie as it appears and have a circle of friends including pro pit builders, steel erectors, custom truck bed builders, and a sheet metal fabricator all as friends and consultants. Also not my first rodeo, will elaborate more from home. Again thanks, the comments and concerns are well taken and my concerns too before i ever decided to start asking questions. Dilema is that even with all these guys and their experience cant find simple straight answers like the questions im asking here. Learned more here today than asking the local shops the last rwo months. Am always amazed at how much we can learn online so easily.
Reply:Sounds like you have lots of folks around you that are probably qualified to weld a trailer. But I don't assume this for sure. Even if you're not an absolute beginner, you still sound to inexperienced to weld anything that is going on the road. Maybe get one of your friends to weld them.  But I'd tend to agree with the others that unless you are building full custom commissioned BBQ's, buy the trailer at least. You might contact a company that builds the "tanks" for other BBQ's, or talk to a tank manufacture directly.  But I agree with the others. If you're asking the questions you are, you haven't got the hood time to fab trailers, sorry. Local  shops aren't there to give advise or lessons. I know I wouldn't.There aren't always straight answers to straight questions. We can also learn lots of totally wrong crap online. Info on the web is only good if you already know it.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Ok folks, sorry for coming across like such a total newbie. I guess I am a newbie as a professional welder because thats not what I did for a living for the last 30 years. HOWEVER! I did grow up on a large farming ranching operation. My dad was the general manager for the who 7000 acre operation. The owners son and I were building go-carts and towing them them with our mini bikes and crashing when we wer 12 years old, true story. Also it was our first experience at two people taking turns welding and one helmet, you know what happened there, yes it was very painful for a few days, lol. Later my family moved and my father started his own welding service, I was 15 then and did a lot of welder helper work and some times doing the service calls to oilfield on sundays cause dad was partying and thought my welding was good enough even then. Since back then I had this strong desire to build pits, dont even know why. When I was graduating from high school my dad was very ill and wanted me to take over the business but I was chasing girls and didnt like having dirty hands and nails. I know now after all these years (50 now) that was a probably a wrong decision because I have always loved to weld and have always  had a stick welder and have done hobby stuff with them, just not very often. Last month I spent two weeks helping my buddy build one of his truck beds because he had several more orders and was behind, believe me he would not let me do most of the welding if it wasnt good enough for comercial trucks. He runs two miller 250 migs and a 212 (i think) plus two 225 lincoln ac/dc's, and he builds the absolute finest best built custom bbq trailers around south Texas some in the $50k range Thing is they are imo old fashioned styles and he wont change (old school) and I have my own ideas, thats cool in my book thats what makes the world go round. I have already gone the propane tank route before and imo the work it takes to get them ready or equal to a pipe is not worth it in addition to the danger of the residual gases. I will now rather pay more for a clean pipe that I can start building right away instead of losing two weekends fixing and plugging before I can even get started. Following will be a few pics of some before and after trailers I have bought off craigslist. What I have found is that it takes as much time to "fix" a poorly built trailer as it would to build one from scratch. Most trailers were not built with bbq in mind so alot of modifying goes in before it can be purposeful for what I want to do, again a lot of time wasted imo. Home depot trailers?, your  kidding I hope, really wasnt planning to haul a couple of weber  grills on these trailers, sorry not trying to be smart but those are as mickey mouse as they come.  I do agree that I cannot come close to matching prices on utility trailers of mass producers, but thats not my goal either. Spent 2011 as a sales manager for a high volume trailer dealer so I am very familiar with all aspects of trailer builds. We sold Big Tex, Performance and our own name brand build to our specs in Mount Pleasant Texas, as well as enclosed trailers, Pace and Wells cargo and another cheapo brand. I truly spent all year studying trailers that came through there and the flaws and weaknesses they had.  You should have seen some of the stuff the kid we had as our shop welder could do with just a ac 225 lincoln, just amazing talent for a 22 years old kid but he was welding since he was 14 too.All in all I apologize if I sounded totally ignorant about welding which I am not but since no one down here actually fabricates trailers they could not answer my questions. Had two of my buddies come check out my millermatic 135 and neither even mentioned anything about duty cycles. One of the issues it had was that the spool was not latching to the little dowel it goes onto on the spool, yet the newbie welder at my buddies shop was the one who thought to check that, (he just graduated from welding school btw, it helped some but still had issues and most of it i think now is the duty cycles and not having a dedicated 20 amp socket for it, didnt know better but I learned it here just this morning reading, thats why I started in that part of the forum first. Although I have welded for many years, basically all I did was go to dads and pick up what ever rods he had available at the time and it was always stick. In the late 90' I built my first competition trailer and hauled it all over texas (its a big state too) for the next five years and it was LOADED, never broke in half either, lol. Most of the pit welds were done with a loaner snap on 110 mig , the trailer I used 7018 cause  my dad said I should, had a 1956 ford straight axle underneath lol. Picture to follow.The questions I had is because I already went around asking and around here every one uses 6011, I hate that rod, nasty splatter rod and 7018 for strength stuff or migs. Looking at machines at the local shops and I can tell you I know more than most of the employees there and obviously I'm not even in the profession. Believe it or not the only answer I could get from anyone locally on the difference between the acdc 225 and the ac 225 was that I could use 7018 on one and not on the other. I didnt go to school to learn welding and never will but feel I can come here and learn how to be better and more well educated and prepared before I tackle my next project, all help tips, advice is appreciated. Ok I bored you guys long enough, would still like to learn how to build trailers from scratch and I know I will build something way better than home depot  or tractor supply sell, I truly would not ever send anything down the road that may not be safe. I bought one of those little already built fixer uppers and a buddy had to have it before I modified it so I let him have it, it came apart going down the road at 70 mph, extremely lucky that he did not kill someone.In short I already know what I'm doing just am not "schooled" as some of you folks are thats why I am asking for help, I want to do it right the first time.Will post some pics on the next reply.Thanks again and sorry for the long reply.Last edited by QTEX; 01-24-2012 at 11:37 PM.
Reply:here is one I am almost done with in my shop.these are before pics Attached Images
Reply:almost done, just sand blasted and painted this weekend, Attached Images
Reply:a couple from last year, I changed the fenders and forgot to snap  a pic after they were painted and installed, these pics dont do the rig justice without the fenders, made all the difference in appearance. Attached Images
Reply:my first competition pit, it was a propane tank at one time. I did not open it up, I paid some one else with experience to do it btw. Attached ImagesLast edited by QTEX; 01-24-2012 at 11:44 PM.
Reply:My current competition trailer, yes my cooking partner /sponsor and I built it roof and all except the lower trailer, which btw turned out to be a pos, its bowing down the middle, I really should have known better my  bad so will be building a new one soon  so I can remove the cookers and the roof and turn it into a hay bale trailer for a friend. It did not start out to be this big of a cooking rig, just got away from us.I call this rig  "The Black Beast"So you see I'm not as dumb as it originally appeared, just didnt know some very basic stuff because I was never taught it. Attached ImagesLast edited by QTEX; 01-25-2012 at 12:09 AM.
Reply:Was discussing my plans today with my erector buddy, they do about 50 million a year and he is sending the local welding house rep that supplies him to my house tomarrow to give me advice and ask me some questions. While speaking to him on the phone to give directions It already seems like he doesnt know much, we'll see how it goes.Last edited by QTEX; 01-25-2012 at 12:11 AM.
Reply:ok... cooking and welding are two totally different beast. I'm sure that you make some really good BBQ. but based on the layout of the competition trailer. you don't know what you're doing when it comes to building a trailer. The axles are to far back. the weight is not balanced and I'd bet that that trailer started out with walls on it. Trailers that come with walls on them have them for a reason. they act as a truss and are a very important part of the structure of the trailer frame. But based on your comments you should already know this. which begs the question, why is that trailer that you built set up that way? Like you said, you spent 2011 studying trailers. was the comp trailer built before you took this job? now, I'm as bull headed as anyone on this forum, save maybe FB, and I know when to ask for help, and when to say I'm over my head. I'm not saying don't do this. What I'm saying is you need to do a lot more research. It's not just about how to slap a trailer together. What you're talking about here is changing the engineering of a trailer, and that's not something to be taken lightly by anyone. Now if you're just going to build off an existing flat bend frame without chopping the tail off for easy access or mounting fireboxes through the floor ( Yes the decking is structural in the fact that it distributes the load) than by all means build pits and put them on a trailer. but if you want your pit to become part of the trailer (and the comp pit says you do) than you're over your head.essentially the proof is in the pudding if you will. If you knew what your were doing, you wouldn't have a trailer bowing in the middle. You'd have a mobile pit that you'd be proud to sell to someone.  You're lucky something didn't let go while you were towing that. Someone could have been hurt.as it's been stated already. buying is going to be cheaper than building a trailer. That being said, you still need to know what you're doing when you start modifying said trailer. structure cannot be sacrificed for convenience or looks. People tow these things hundreds of thousands of miles in their lifetime. Just because it didn't fail on the last trip doesn't mean it wont on the next trip.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:All points well taken and appreciated. As I said I'm here to learn and if i thought I knew everything I would not be asking. As for the original comp trailer, it was "engineered" and designed for a specific purpose by a trailer facricator and it was built from scratch, so you are most certainly wrong there sorry. James Cameron (http://local.yahoo.com/info-19346798...eel-axle-pharr) has been building (custom) and repairing trailers of all kinds for about forty years,I too am bull headed obviously but also smart enough to ask when I dont know too and that is what I did then. At the time the foreman (co "engineer") of the shop was the premier hot rod builder from south Texas, and since branched out on his own.  Instead of arguing about why it cant be done why not help a guy do it right the first time. Its gonna get done either way why not help me not to "kill" someone. The beast was a swap of sorts and was built three years ago btw and as I said it did not start out to be that way, we do know better now. I did not come here to brag how good I was I came here asking for advice.I am looking for help and direction if you have some.thanks youLast edited by QTEX; 01-25-2012 at 08:50 AM.
Reply:I think Thor is talking about your current trailer vs the "texas flag" original. I had the exact same thoughts he did. The current rig you show looks like it was originally a "ladder" style landscape trailer someone cut the sides off of. with the sides cut off they removed the "truss" that formed the frame that supplied the strength and allowed it to be made inexpensively and yet still take decent loads. We see one or two of these "hack" jobs about every 2 or 3 months when someone wants a flat bed so they cut away whatever is "inconvenient". If it was built by a "trailer fabricator", it just goes to prove what has been said, simply because you can weld, doesn't mean you can build trailers...My second thought was about how much weight gets tossed on trailers. From personal experience, I've seen most guys have zero knowledge about how much things really weigh. A very important thing to keep in mind when building trailers. I see people going down the road all the time with tiny 2K rated trailers with loads on them I wouldn't want to carry on my 7K rated trailer. Fire wood is one I see all the time. It's usually a lot heavier than most people think because they only pick up "small" pieces. Start adding up 20 or 30 10-20 lb pieces, and that little single axle 2-3K trailer gets overloaded fast when you've got a heavy pit already on the trailer... Originally Posted by QTEX Instead of arguing about why it cant be done why not help a guy do it right the first time...I am looking for help and direction if you have some.
Reply:I think you can stick with 220v, a miller 251 would probably serve you well. You may consider a larger multiprocess powersource unit, but after a wire feeder, and little gained power, you may not be ahead in any way besides versatility with added cost. Talk to your supply dealer about filler material. You may want a different wire for trailer construction as pit construction. Welds exposed fire may need to be lower alloy than you may want for trailer construction. Fluxcore sounds like your ticket, btw.
Reply:Thank you Dave the rep will be here today hopefully he can tell me what I need.
Reply:beleive it or not, we are telling you how to do it right the first time. but instead of saying "use X materials, and weld it in Y formation" we're telling you that you need an engineer with the skills and tools to determine point loads, dynamic loads, stresses, failure points, and structural integrity. No one in their right mind should take engineering advice from a bunch of mooks (myself included in that) on a web forum where they can't verify their credability. On that same point, A smart person wouldn't tell someone how to do something without being able to verify that it's been done right. Especially with something with as much danger and liability as a trailer build.Just because someone's been doing something for a long time, doesn't make it right. by the fact that you put " around Engineer/ed means to me that it wasn't actually engineered, and they aren't actually engineers. But slapped together based on what someone thought would be enough. No load testing, or fatigue testing, No structural testing. again, the proof is in the work. The "beast" is folding in the middle. Why? because the person/people who built it didn't know what they were doing, but did what they wanted to do anyway. You say you've learned your leason. But if you've learned your leason beyond knowing that you did it wrong than you obviously wouldn't need advice from us. The advice we're giving you is slow down, take the right steps. get help from the right people. Also, that it's cheaper to build off an existing trailer than to build from scratch, and unless you've got a commissioned job, you're on the hook for the materials investment until the unit is sold, so it's always best to start with the most bang for the buck.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:I'm just glad Texas is a long way from Virginia, and I don't think I've got any relatives in TX.Frankly, the OP told me everything I needed to know with his questions in his first post.  Nothing that was posted later changed my mind.I don't know what the laws are in TX regarding "home built trailers", but, I suspect the OP may "revise his plans" once he talks to his insurance agent about the cost of liability insurance to protect himself.Just because you can cook doesn't mean that you can design/fabricate a trailered cooker.All the comments regarding safety have been countered with, "Yeah, But".Scary.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Don't let these guys discourage you. Trailers are easy.  You start with a decent design, just stick that stuff together and cover it with paint. Heck, it's behind you when you're on the road so if it breaks it can't hurt you. Welds that look good usually are good enough, especially when it's just a BBQ pit on a light trailer. All it does is hold a hat full of coals and several pounds of meat.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Lol, tough crowd here. Thanks anyways guys.
Reply:Back to the search tabs
Reply:Qtex:Let a Rookie Welder help another Rookie Welder. The guy talking about the trailer is right. If you are going in business you better know what happens if  that drunk that buys a mobile cooker from you had better not have a major breakdown caused by trailer structure that hurts or kills innocent victims in the oncoming lane. You will be liable in every sence of the word in any of our 50 States which is not good. Now to help you as I have cooked KCBS comps and know all the rigs and  cooks that compete. David Klose in Houston Texas is the most successful Pit Builder in the World, much less Texas. I talked to him yesterday and he told me that he was coming out of a bad year 2011 and hoping for the economy to turn around as all of us are. He said just think of all the small  companies that are trying  to  compete on the top level of  Custom Pits, they have to be hurting....I would call David if I were you and go make a deal to work in his shop for him and learn from the best of the best. He would let you do that I imagine and you would learn quick of what to do and not to do. Welders are Welders, Pit Builders are a different bunch, as David has explained to me time and time again. Call  David at 1-800-487-7487 Factory1-713-686-8720 Factory Tell him Habenero told  you to  call him!    Don't give up!   I smell Smoke!Lincoln 305GUnion Carbide TorchDon't Worry About the Mule~Load the Wagon!What does a 50K $ smoker look like?
Reply:[QUOTE=Pangea;725661]  You start with a decent designeverything else in this post is nonsense
Reply:go to bbqpitsdotcom and check some out. Klose sells more of the high end pits than anyone in the USA!Lincoln 305GUnion Carbide TorchDon't Worry About the Mule~Load the Wagon!
Reply:All this is a little over the top. We built trailers in my high school FFA, sometimes without drawings! We stuck together a 20ft stock trailer with random pieces we had laying out back, and very little new metal(only the roof). If something breaks, people die, that's a problem, but the answer is easy: build the hell out it! Use thick metal, gusset everything. Yeah, your going to need a bigger truck, and axels with brakes on them, but big trucks and trailer brakes are cool! This jack is not rocket science, hence one of the largest trailer supply companies is called Redneck Trailer Supply.
Reply:[quote=weldbead;729231] Originally Posted by Pangea  You start with a decent designeverything else in this post is nonsense
Reply:David Brown,Yes, trailers can, and are done from an overkill point of view. Luckily, Most people that build their own, build them this way. And usually, once built those trailers stay in the hands of the builder because they know the trailer is over built. However, Most poeple don't want to have to go buy a new truck just because they built a trailer that can haul most stuff. And Most people also want to build the trailer as light as possible in order to carry more payload and not waste that payload in the frame of the trailer. In order to do this you need to know the minimum steel size for the load. As well as the proper configuration. Most people don't have the knowledge to do this. This doesn't take the welding into the eqaution either. Qtex,I among others know that it looks like we come off harsh on new members. This is partly because we usually don't know the new person's background and skill level. We do not intend to "lambast" anyone. It is with good intent that we bombard trailer builds with warnings of caution and danger. Not to mention explaining that they aren't going to be able to build it for cheaper than a premade trailer unless of corse they have all the parts laying around already.I would like to just state again, that starting out, you're better off using a pre-built trailer and building off of it. Just don't change the structure of the frame in order to make it more convenient. If you want plans to build off of, start by getting some plans of Northertools.com or other sites. Then confer with an engineer about the design you actually want to build.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:Thor, I know you mean well, thanks. I just dont see why a person could not copy an already well made and   proven design or even improving (over build) upon it, not talking about trade marked or copy righted type stuff. Am well aware of the extra expense and work involved too. Not trying to mass produce low cost cut corner trailers with low margins. Really the trailer is the simple part imo, the bbq pit itself is the  "better mousetrap" that I am trying want to get out. Building a couple back yard ones now to test the waters, will contnue my r&d on the trailer end of it.
Reply:you're right, it's the BBQ that is going to be the kicker. and no one says you can't build off a design that's already there. More importantly it's how you layout the BBQ on the trailer that is really going dictate the longevity of the build anyway. What you need to do is find the layout that will work best with minimal change to the trailer design itself. you need to weight the pros and cons of each layout and compare them to the size and capcity that you want. You also need to determine if you want to be getting in and out of the trailer, or if you want to be able to stand on the ground and get to the pit from there. You've got to figure out the weight distribution.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:It is what it is..You know right from wrong. Just keep up the BBQ Tradition. Go to : thebbqforumdotcom and register and ask questions. Hundreds of forum bbq'ers have built cooker trailers, have balanced them out...axle wise, know how to....and will help anyone, and even furnish drawings. Plenty of knowledgable help on there, not meaning there isn't on here.....That site is BBQ only and Ray Basso will delete any post that is non-BBQ...Sent from my SGH-T959 using TapatalkLincoln 305GUnion Carbide TorchDon't Worry About the Mule~Load the Wagon!
Reply:JBM, I spent at least an hour on that forum last night and another this morning and can  not come up with anything much less pics. That is an old fashioned blog maybe run from a home computer or ? Emailed Ray to see if I was missing something and explained what I was looking for and all he sent back was a link to the same website, no comment nothing. Am a member of many forums and all are similar to this in in construction and operation, very simple and easy to navigate. The advanced search on that one is only from 1998 to 2004.
Reply:Would very much like to see some links to where to buy axles springs ect. and especially the trailer designs/blueprints ect. There are a lot of cool custom and homebuilt pits here. i am amazed at some of the work the hobby builders can do. Several of mine are on there too.http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=36775
Reply:www.utilitytrailerkit.com is a good site for axle kits.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger