How would you build this trailer as light as can be?

[Hickey]

I need a trailer (car hauler) for my Jeep, but I need it to be short and light. I also prefer a single axle 7,000 lbs axle. I need it to have 12' of deck space. I want to use it for utility trailer uses as well.

JP trailer builds a single axle trailer that is perfect in every way for my wants/needs except for the fact that it weighs over 2,000 lbs empty. It's their C1 trailer.

https://www.pjtrailers.com/trailers/c1-single-axle-hd-carhauler

My question is, how would you build it as light as reasonably possible? The heavy channel rails, crossmembers, and tongue seem to be pretty overkill in my opinion.

I was thinking 2x5 1/8" wall tubing for the rails and tongue, and 3" x 1/8" angle for the crossmembers.

 

[jeeper]

I own a PJ, dual axle. I have the 'upgraded' frame. It's supposed to be the same as their 10K lb trailer, but with the 7k lb axles. I can tell you the frame is still not enough. The trailer will flex a TON even when loading a light pick up like a toyota. I would be VERY cautious about under building your trailer.

 

[Hickey]

The first car hauler I built was definitely underbuilt. I started with a wrecked travel trailer frame that had 2x6 tube frame rails that were very thin wall. I added some steel to beef it up, but those rails flexed way too much.

The second car hauler I built was way way OVERBUILT. It was similar to what I currently want, but it weighed exactly 2,000lbs empty. I made a lot of compromises on that design that contributed to the excess weight. I used 4" channel for most of it, and it was deck over so the frame rails were doubled in essence for the extra height.

That trailer didn't flex at all when driving the Jeep into it, and it pulled like a dream. It was a single axle trailer 13.5'x82"

 

[Hickey]

Pic of the second car hauler I built. I have no pics of the first trailer.

 

[BCGPER]

There's this silver, non magnetic metal that I hear they're going to experiment making trailer out of. The name of it escapes me though......

(my all aluminum trailer is 800 pounds lighter than a comparable steel, and tows like a dream)

 

[I Lean]

You'd have to actually engineer it if you want it lighter than normal trailers...and I suspect you'll end up with something only a couple hundred pounds lighter than "standard" trailers, and possibly not as durable. If you're OK with having upper rails like a utility trailer, that's a pretty easy way to get a lot of additional stiffness, so you might save weight by making the main trailer lighter/weaker, and making up the strength with rails.

Or, go copy BC's aluminum one, and save the engineering. Can you weld AL?

 

[Hickey]

I don't have a spool gun, so no AL trailer here.

Your point about the rails is a solid one, and I'm leaning that way. The above trailer had a rail on the drivers side only. The passenger side stored the ramps (which were very heavy)

 

[xjtony]

I need a trailer (car hauler) for my Jeep, but I need it to be short and light. I also prefer a single axle 7,000 lbs axle. I need it to have 12' of deck space. I want to use it for utility trailer uses as well.

JP trailer builds a single axle trailer that is perfect in every way for my wants/needs except for the fact that it weighs over 2,000 lbs empty. It's their C1 trailer.

https://www.pjtrailers.com/trailers/c1-single-axle-hd-carhauler

My question is, how would you build it as light as reasonably possible? The heavy channel rails, crossmembers, and tongue seem to be pretty overkill in my opinion.

I was thinking 2x5 1/8" wall tubing for the rails and tongue, and 3" x 1/8" angle for the crossmembers.

Here is mine. I wanted a light single axle for the buggy. Single 7000 lb torsion axle

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[Gravy]

Why do you want a single axle car hauler?

 

[xjtony]

For me it's light enough to move around by hand, and no tag required

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[Hickey]

Why do you want a single axle car hauler?

To haul my Jeep.

 

[Hickey]

For me it's light enough to move around by hand, and no tag required

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Yours looks good, Tony. Any idea how much it weighs? I'm guessing your buggy's width is wider than most 84" wide car haulers.

 

[N-Smooth]

My 16' Big Tex is all angle iron besides the tongue and it's been great. I had an Aztec (or something) some years ago and it was also built from angle.

 

[skippy]

My 16' Big Tex is all angle iron besides the tongue and it's been great. I had an Aztec (or something) some years ago and it was also built from angle.

Nate's trailer is very light and hauled my fat pig of a TJ to Reno and back with water in the 42s just fine!

 

[Hickey]

My 16' Big Tex is all angle iron besides the tongue and it's been great. I had an Aztec (or something) some years ago and it was also built from angle.

My dad has an angle iron Big Tex tandem trailer that is 35 years old or more. It has pipe side rails and has been overloaded most of it's life. He still uses it all the time to haul his Kubota tractor around (about 7k lbs) and hasn't done squat for maintenance on it... ever. I have no idea what it weighs though. My brother uses it often, and has damaged it several times over the years. I've repaired a few broken crossmembers for him.

Does yours have the side rails, Nate?

Maybe I should just copy my Dad's trailer, but with a single axle and shorter deck.

 

[Cody]

You obviously have way more experience towing trailers than me, but having personally had and personally witnessed some tire/axle failures on car haulers, I wouldn't run a single axle trailer. I can only imagine what the aftermath would have looked like when I had a wheel bearing freeze up and the entire wheel came off coming down Price canyon if there wasn't another tire there to keep it rolling.

I was able to limp it into Moab for repairs. With a single axle, I would have been stuck and/or dead.

 

[Hickey]

It's all about properly loading (and not overloading), maintenance, and being aware of the condition your equipment is in and how that condition can be affected by its load and the environment you are subjecting it to.

I've had a total of 4 total tire failures in my career. 3 were very old recaps, and the 4th was defective sidewall.

I've had countless tire punctures from various road debris, but I've caught them before they get low enough to cause a blowout.

I've never experienced a bearing or spindle failure, though I expected to have one with my last work truck. That truck came in with a group of 120 trucks that had a spindle failure issue that affected 90% of those trucks at around 400k miles.

The problem stemmed from a bearing design change at the factory. The new style bearings were designed to be to torqued to spec, and not backed off at all. The axle builders were still backing off the bearings an 1/8th of a turn, just like they had done for years on the old bearing design. My truck was turned in at 645k miles without seeing that failure. Maybe I'm just insanely lucky?


If I were to see a spindle/hub/ bearing failure on this trailer, I would pull off the road and unload my Jeep. Then I would strap a log to the axle and limp the trailer to a safe place, pulled by the jeep. Then I would be in the same position you were in when your being seized up. Needing a new axle.

I've seen lots of people have trailer trouble over the years, and the only ones I would say were in a seriously life threatening situation were those with improper loading. Most had too little or too much tongue weight. I see the blowouts and wheel/ hub departure situations sometimes, and the trailer just drops to the ground or spindle and leaves nice drags marks in the road surface until they get it stopped. They don't really get unstable, as long as the load is on there half decent.

I've seen two different trailers depart from their tow rigs. While that could definitely be life threatening, it was really quite graceful to watch the trailers gently veer off the roadway and come to a stop as if pulled by a ghost truck.

I really don't want a thread about tandem versus single axle trailers. I've read a thousand threads that go that way, and they are filled with fear-mongering people posting all kinds of nonsense.

 

[I Lean]

It's all about properly loading (and not overloading), maintenance, and being aware of the condition your equipment is in and how that condition can be affected by its load and the environment you are subjecting it to.

I would agree with this, except for the blowout I had just a few weeks ago on my trailer. It was (and is) in good working order, and the tire was brand-new. I did not hit anything on the road, and the trailer wasn't overloaded. (my Land Cruiser on it) The tire blew with the loudest BANG I've ever heard from a tire, my trailer jumped from the force, and the tire tread tried to attack the truck in the next lane.

All ended up OK once I put the spare on, and it may have been exactly the same if it were a single axle setup...but I don't know that for sure.

You're welcome for muddying up your thread talking about single vs tandem. I hope it doesn't sound like fear-mongering nonsense.

 

[Hickey]

I would agree with this, except for the blowout I had just a few weeks ago on my trailer. It was (and is) in good working order, and the tire was brand-new. I did not hit anything on the road, and the trailer wasn't overloaded. (my Land Cruiser on it) The tire blew with the loudest BANG I've ever heard from a tire, my trailer jumped from the force, and the tire tread tried to attack the truck in the next lane.

All ended up OK once I put the spare on, and it may have been exactly the same if it were a single axle setup...but I don't know that for sure.

You're welcome for muddying up your thread talking about single vs tandem. I hope it doesn't sound like fear-mongering nonsense.

Blowouts are certainly loud and usually violent.

In your case, I would suggest three causes. Over weight, a low tire pressure you were unaware of, and 15" tires are just plain shit quality.

To your weight, I would suggest that a trailer like yours with a full grown Land cruiser on it is overweight. I don't know this for a fact, I'm just assuming straight outta my ass.

I would guess your trailer weighs well over 2k empty, being a typical car hauler style trailer with plenty of C channel. I would guess again that your LC is over 5k. I think this is a very common problem for most people with car haulers like yours. They don't realize how heavy their trailer is when it's empty.


Now go ahead and tell me your trailer is a 10k GVWR so I can feel like an idiot.

Now I know you're smarter than the average car hauler hauler, and I expect you realize that a 7k lbs load is too much for your 7k GVWR trailer. I expect the majority of people do think they can put a 7k lbs vehicle on their trailer and it will be fine.

 

[Cody]

Mine was certainly most likely from lake of maintenance, but I couldn't see it smoking or acting a fool because it was at night. Any who, sorry for distracting from the thread.