"Wingin' it" 4x6-ish Trailer Thread
- Thread starter nnnnnate
- Start date
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
props to you nate for getting out there and just learning by doing. What a great first project. You're doing really well.
- Location
- West Haven, UT
Lookin good.
Mike.
Mike.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Your rear shackles look kinda funky, like their hanger is 3" too far back. Got any more pics showing the rear shackle mount?
I'll have to take a few more I guess. The springs have a 26" center and I was told by Henderson to mount the rear hanger back 1" which is what I did. I wasn't sure about is how tight to make those bolts but I got them "snug" for the time being.
Box Rocket
bored
- Location
- Syracuse, Utah
I'm thinking you're going to want to move those shackle hangers forward. those springs aren't going to flex much unless you've got a big load in the trailer so it's going to be pretty bouncy the way you have it now. Here's where I set mine.
- Location
- Stinkwater
Henderson said to mount them 1" back of the rear of the spring?
Box Rocket
bored
- Location
- Syracuse, Utah
My guess is that they meant the upper shackle pin should be mounted 1" forward of the spring eye.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
the way they're set up now, your shackles are likely to invert when unloading. That happened to thefirstzukman on our hole in the rock trip. It was a pain to flip that shackle back around.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
Really the best way to do it is you need to set the shackle angle with finished weight of the trailer resting on the axle.
Box Rocket
bored
- Location
- Syracuse, Utah
True......if the springs actually flex. These springs will probably not move enough to even see a difference at first so just set it up where it looks good and it will be fine. Just speaking from experience with my own trailer that uses these same springs.
I bought nearly all the parts for the DIY 3 axis off road coupler on Saturday but after cleaning up the garage didn't want to make a mess. I needed two of one of the top link bushings but only was able to find one in stock so I'll have to try and get back out to Tractor Supply to see if any more came in. Cal Ranch and IFA didn't have them either and I'm not sure where else to find something like that.
I've been a pansy with the cold weather and haven't done any work on this the last few nights. It does look like we'll have a nice weekend though so I need to pick up some more material for the next step. I think I'm going to go with 1.5" square 14 gauge for the uprights and I'm leaning towards 2" square for the cap rails so I'll have a little bit of a lip but also a good mating surface for a removable cap.
Question: I guess I'm wondering if 14 gauge is thick enough for the vertical tube walls. I'm sure it is for just the trailer but what about for an RTT or something heavy like that down the road.
I've been a pansy with the cold weather and haven't done any work on this the last few nights. It does look like we'll have a nice weekend though so I need to pick up some more material for the next step. I think I'm going to go with 1.5" square 14 gauge for the uprights and I'm leaning towards 2" square for the cap rails so I'll have a little bit of a lip but also a good mating surface for a removable cap.
Question: I guess I'm wondering if 14 gauge is thick enough for the vertical tube walls. I'm sure it is for just the trailer but what about for an RTT or something heavy like that down the road.
I got the ball coupler yesterday and welded it to some tube then drug the trailer around the neighborhood. It seemed to do just fine but I need to drain the air out of the tires.
It jackknifes well too with a little extra room to spare.
It jackknifes well too with a little extra room to spare.
Bought metal yesterday to finish the box. I figured I'd buy 4'x8' sheets for the main box but they only had them in 4'x10'. When I got home I unloaded the borrowed truck I had onto the trailer and found that a full sheet of 4x10 perfectly fit the main deck of the trailer and now I'm wondering if I could sheet the main deck then build the vertical sides with that sheet already in place. Will I run into any issues by doing it this way as opposed to building the sides then cutting down the sheet for the deck? Will the sheet metal warp bad as I weld on the vert tube?
Also, I added up all my receipts on a spreadsheet and copied it to the first post to track my spending. I know that for I was always curious about how much stuff was going to cost before I started building so I thought I'd share the numbers and I'll continue to update the list as I pick up more parts. For the most though I've already bought the big stuff, now I'm going to get nickel and dimed on the little parts.
Also, I added up all my receipts on a spreadsheet and copied it to the first post to track my spending. I know that for I was always curious about how much stuff was going to cost before I started building so I thought I'd share the numbers and I'll continue to update the list as I pick up more parts. For the most though I've already bought the big stuff, now I'm going to get nickel and dimed on the little parts.
Last edited:
Box Rocket
bored
- Location
- Syracuse, Utah
Personally I would weld the box frame to the chassis first. It's more work to fit the sheet around it but you'll be better off in the long run.