Making a trailer.

[ramseygoat38]

Like the title I want to build a trailer and need a little insight on where to buy some hubs and axles and some general rules of thumb.
This idea came about after I got my tdi a week after my wreck with my Honda. I have two wheels leftover with new tires so no sense in wasting them. Plus would be a cool little wagon to tow for small camping trips.
Any help and insights is much appreciated, thanks.

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[DivineChaos]

what size trailer are you thinking of? that will dictate everything. also steel, aluminum, flat deck tilt bed or a trailer with sides and a removable rear ramp/ gate.

 

[ramseygoat38]

Size is small. I want to mount a gas grill to it for camping and a prep table with enough room to store our gear underneath. Will also be using it to haul yard trimmings to the local dump. I'm guessing 5x4' or so. So far I have found some half axles that would work but don't really know what works for tongue length or shape for a stable ride at highway speeds.
I am gonna use steel for the material to keep the expense down.
It's gonna be flat but with some man mounting points for a grill. Gonna add some small sides and rear so I can strap gear in.

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[DivineChaos]

Size is small. I want to mount a gas grill to it for camping and a prep table with enough room to store our gear underneath. Will also be using it to haul yard trimmings to the local dump. I'm guessing 5x4' or so. So far I have found some half axles that would work but don't really know what works for tongue length or shape for a stable ride at highway speeds.
I am gonna use steel for the material to keep the expense down.
It's gonna be flat but with some man mounting points for a grill. Gonna add some small sides and rear so I can strap gear in.

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well i cant seem to find any plans that have working links. easiest i can say is go to northern tool, l&m and look at and measure a trailer and take pics. if asked say your wanting to make sure its the right size.

 

[DivineChaos]

http://www.exchangor.com/How-To-Guides/4x8 Utility Trailer-Instructions.pdf

 

[DivineChaos]

if i remember. axles should be center or trailer cargo area and 10-15% tung weight. but if your going to have a hard mounted grill on the front. you would have to compensate for it.


Think the mk6 golf states 2000lbs total and 200 tung. usa specs anyway. europe its 3000 total and 300 tung.

 

[oilhammer]

I think you mean "tongue".

The OEM type hitch is 3300 pounds (roughly translated from kg).

You may find that just buying a trailer already made will be far easier, faster, and cheaper to start with. Then you can build/add/modify that as needed. Even brand new little utility trailers with 1000 pound axles can be purchased for as little as $500.

Places like Northern Tool also sell trailer axle kits and springs and such if you really want to build your own if you have the stock and equipment to do so (welder, saws, etc.).

I turned a Hobie Cat sailboat trailer into a small utility trailer some years ago. Cut about six feet from the tongue and welded it back on, removed the hull-carrying brackets and bolted treated lumber to it and made a little flatbed with stake sides. Later on, it got stripped down and used as the basis for our mobile chicken coop, the "Chik-a-bego", and is now in my back yard.

 

[DivineChaos]

I think you mean "tongue".
The OEM type hitch is 3300 pounds (roughly translated from kg).
You may find that just buying a trailer already made will be far easier, faster, and cheaper to start with. Then you can build/add/modify that as needed. Even brand new little utility trailers with 1000 pound axles can be purchased for as little as $500.
Places like Northern Tool also sell trailer axle kits and springs and such if you really want to build your own if you have the stock and equipment to do so (welder, saws, etc.).
I turned a Hobie Cat sailboat trailer into a small utility trailer some years ago. Cut about six feet from the tongue and welded it back on, removed the hull-carrying brackets and bolted treated lumber to it and made a little flatbed with stake sides. Later on, it got stripped down and used as the basis for our mobile chicken coop, the "Chik-a-bego", and is now in my back yard.

spelling has never been my strong point.. i look at thinks and think it doesnt look right but still still convey my message. and did not know his golf was rated to tow that much.

 

[oilhammer]

The Golf 4 is anyway, I doubt the later cars are much different. That is with the proper European type hitch, which bolts directly to the unibody rails in back into mounting points already provided by Volkswagen (the leave the factory with those holes neatly covered with little bits of tape). I have towed other cars via tow dolly with mine, Golfs and Jettas an Beetles, so I have probably gone slightly past the 3300 pounds but it has never had any issue. I would not try and tow a Passat that way though. I leave those to the Sprinter.

 

[turbobrick240]

I've made a couple trailers out of old pickup frames and one from an old pop up camper. I also have the steel and mobile home axles to build a dual axle trailer (obviously not going to be pulled by my golf). Tractor Supply sells trailer parts, but I agree with oilhammer that it's probably cheaper and easier to buy a used, professionally built unit.

 

[JeffOC]

I have used etrailer.com several times and have had good experiences with them. They don't sell complete trailers but all the parts you would need to build minus steel/aluminium.

 

[JDSwan87]

I have built / rebuilt 2 trailers in my life...

Trailer 1 started out as a free single axle boat trailer that I cut the tongue tube shorter (it was 6' long), shortened the rear overhang, welded angle iron sides onto it and painted it. Also put new wheels, tires, wheel bearings, paint, wood deck, lights and wiring on it. It was 4'x7' and by the time I was all done, I could have gone a bought one for less money out of pocket. All work done myself.

Trailer 2 was a 6'x12' landscape trailer I bought for $500 Tore it down, had it sand blasted and painted with epoxy paint, new wheels, tires, wood deck, lights and wiring. By the time I was all done, I could have gone a bought one for less money out of pocket. All work done myself except the sand blasting and epoxy paint.

TLDR: Buy a good used trailer that fits your needs, you'll be farther ahead in the long run. I will never build/rebuild another trailer again.

 

[ramseygoat38]

Maybe buying one of them northern tool ones then modifying it could work out alright. Looks like a decent platform to add onto. The grill would be removable, one of those Blackstone griddles. I'd probably cut the legs down and add some pin mounts and ways to hold it and other gear down in my trips. With the extra gear I can get it weighted correctly then.
Thanks for all the input by the way, this forum is great.

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[Rob Mayercik]

Harbor Freight has some inexpensive ones too: https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=trailer

 

[Lightflyer1]

I have bought used ones for that much or a little more. I had one of those and they are pretty rickety but work. Don't much care for the 12" wheels either. If you are just using it for really light work and short distance it may be okay.

 

[nayr]

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660342_200660342

That would make a great base for a little car camp trailer.. would be hard to make something out of aluminum for a better price your self.

 

[Lightflyer1]

They say the max safe speed for that trailer is 45 mph. Kind of slow for anything but local urban use. You may have to buy new tires/wheels (I think they are a unit) with some that have a higher speed rating.

 

[nayr]

yeah they say the same thing on every uhaul passing you at 80mph too, liability that HarborFreight dont care about.. but trailer tires are cheap as ****, I replaced my 4 ply biased with 8 ply radials rated for far more weight and it rode so much smoother.. cost me like $60 + mounting, even had em balanced cuz why not.. the wheel is seperate.

Talking about max speed, everyone saying well in Europe its rated @ XYZ weight should also realize in Europe they also have max speeds you can drive w/a trailer.. and guess what, its not 85mph like western US, the higher the tongue weight the more stable your trailer is at speed.. so there are reasons for the varying ratings in different countries.. you cant fit 3000lbs on a trailer and have 5% on hitch and expect anything but a white knuckle ride moments after getting onto the interstate highway system.. you wont have the authority you need to remain in control for such speed.. 10% is minimum, Ive found my self accidently at less than that (drank my ballast) and had to pull over and re-load everything because it towed like garbage.

 

[GoFaster]

One thing to keep in mind about those generous European towing limits. As soon as you have a trailer in tow, different speed limits apply. It depends on the country, but it's not more than 100 km/h. It's 90 km/h in Spain. Unrestricted autobahn in Germany? Not if you have a trailer in tow. Might be 80 km/h, might be 100 km/h if you have "special technical equipment".

 

[Hwycruiser]

https://www.utilitytrailerkit.com/c-211-trailer-plans.aspx

 

[ramseygoat38]

If I get one of those northern tool trailers I will definitely be switching the wheels to my left over pair. Pretty easy swap I would imagine, I might need to machine up some new hubs but that wont be horrible.

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[nayr]

small trailer tires are super standardized I found, unless you wanna put adapters on to run matching wheels its not like car tires.. upping the wheel sizes is pretty easy if you move the fenders up or remove em entirely.. 15in wheels v 12in wheels make big difference, but the spare also takes up more space.

the thing about trailer manufacturers is they dont overbuild anything, if axle is 1200lb the'll put 1200lb tires on it and not a pound more.. where I'd rock 3600lb rated tires behind me tearing up hwy101 at max speed.. trailer sidewalls seem particularly vulnerable with the lateral forces of corners at speed.. max plys is good insurance IMO.

 

[Lightflyer1]

Most of the 12" wheels/tires I have seen are one unit. Not made to have the tires replaced, you replace the whole wheel tire combo. I doubt standard wheels will just change out too.

 

[nayr]

75mph Rating: https://www.ebay.com/itm/VANACC-Tra...337737?hash=item522f354209:g:KqsAAOSwMAVeUONv

They mount like any other wheels.. I took 6in lawn mower wheels to discount tire to have em mount new rubber on em.. most everyone wanted to sell full wheel sets for 2x the price.

but you would need to upsize for radials, looks like all 12in wheels are bias ply.. that figures.. the vast majority come already mounted because they are so damn cheap they likely have better profit margins.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

Being you're in Minnesota, look at Fleet Farm at their "no floor 4 by 8 trailer". For $500 and a bit less on sale you get a sturdy trailer frame, lights, axle, hubs, wheels, tires, etc.. Just add a sheet of plywood or whatever for a floor and side boards, tie downs, etc. to taste. They're rated for 2000 pounds GVW and handle that well, mine has made 3 round trips to Florida from Minnesota with no problems other than the original tires are only good for about 5000 miles.

 

[where2]

Hadn't seen that Ultra-Tow aluminum setup before. I might have to get one of those to drag behind my e-Golf. Note: Northern also has 4x8 and 5x8 aluminum trailers.

My other utility trailer (a galvanized Continental 5x8, with disc brakes, load rated for 2800lbs), really seems a bit excessive for the e-Golf.

 

[ramseygoat38]

small trailer tires are super standardized I found, unless you wanna put adapters on to run matching wheels its not like car tires.. upping the wheel sizes is pretty easy if you move the fenders up or remove em entirely.. 15in wheels v 12in wheels make big difference, but the spare also takes up more space.

the thing about trailer manufacturers is they dont overbuild anything, if axle is 1200lb the'll put 1200lb tires on it and not a pound more.. where I'd rock 3600lb rated tires behind me tearing up hwy101 at max speed.. trailer sidewalls seem particularly vulnerable with the lateral forces of corners at speed.. max plys is good insurance IMO.

Thanks for clearing that up. I was wondering why trailers are rated for slower speeds most of the time. I'll probably machine up an adapter for my car wheels. Can't decide if I want to sell my stock vw wheel set now or keep it for trailer wheels. The old Honda wheels would look better in my opinion though.

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[nayr]

having same bolt pattern on trailer means your full sized spare can also be used on trailer.. so that would save a bit of weight, if your pushing tounge weight limits removing the spare from the back and putting it on trailer could get quite a bit of pounds off rear axle.. if they they same size and wheels you could rotate em in/out and get even more mileage out of your main set while not aging out your trailer tires like most people tend to do before wearing em out.

matching trailer wheels are pretty common for overlanding crowd, so they always have plenty of spare wheels for the tow vehicle..