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8'x30' deckover (ish?) trailer refresh

aczlan

Good Morning!
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
159
Messages
1,985
Loc
Fingerlakes region of NY
Picked up a trailer tonight, 8'x30' mostly flat deck (has small "fenders" over the wheels), sits about 28" off of the ground.
6 lug 15" wheels, 205/70R15 tires, brakes on one axle, tag on the brake axle says 6000#, but only ~3700# of tire on each axle.
Spring perches are welded to a piece of 3"x6" 1/4" angle that is bolted to the frame.
3"x6" 3/16" (might be 1/4") wall rectangle tube main frame with 3"x3" 3/16" wall square tube running across it every 6', 1"x3" 3/16" wall running across about halfway between each 3"x3" tube.
Has a channel in the front that currently has a lunett ring in it. Borrowed a pintle hitch from a friend to get it home, going to switch it to use a 2 5/16" ball, too much slop and clanking in the ring for my taste.
Needs:
A new deck
Some of the 1x3 crossmembers replaced (rusting)
More crossmembers added (thinking a cross member every 1.5' to go between the existing ones)
Stake pockets (and a rub rail?)
Cur the perimeter 1"x3" at the wheels and move it out (its within 1" of the wheels and I could see it hitting when loaded and turning)
Possibly the frame cut to make a 3-5' dovetail (want to be able to put cars on the deck, will need a dovetail or 8' ramps)

It is framed something like this:
Click image for larger version Name:	Trailer.png Views:	0 Size:	7.2 KB ID:	191542

Vertically from bottom to top:
Black is wheels/axles
Red is the main 3"x6" frame
White/Blue striped is the 3"x3" box tubing sitting on top of the main frame (front, first from the front and back have 3"x6" tubing under them)
Green is the 1x3 box tubing sitting on top of the main frame and going around the primeter.

What weight should it be good for with the 3"x6" main frame? It will be towed behind our 2002 F350 SRW.


Thanks

Aaron Z
 
You live in the northeast. This means that.

a) you done fucked up getting a tube framed trailer. Enjoy your rust. :flipoff2:

b) you can deck it with old residential oil tanks for nothing more than the cost of welding consumables. They're about 1/8 thick so you might want more cross-members than you're currently planning on if you intend (point loads?).





I would narrow the axles an inch or whatever it takes to not rub before I started screwing around cutting the perimeter frame. You've got a long floppy trailer as it. The last thing you need to be doing is adding more stress risers to crack when it flexes.

Just to reiterate, do a steel deck. It will greatly reduce the amount of flexing.
 
Planned loads are tractors, round bales, vehicles and whatever else needs moving.
Hadn't thought about oil tanks, that might be interesting.
As for tube and rust, it's something that I will have to work with. The price was very good, the guy really wanted it gone.

Aaron Z
 
Well I got nothing. Replace that shit deck and throw cross-members at it until you like the result. It's already deck-over enough that I would just lift it a little rather than fucking around with the deck frame or axles. Too bad it's not a pintle surge brake coupler or I'd straight trade you for a 2-5/16 I have on the shelf.
 
Found a 14k Curt coupler for $30 on Amazon, should be here next week. The $33 one that showed up didn't fit (back stuck out 1/8" too far for the bolt holes to line up).
Need to stop by the scrap yard and see what they have for 3" channel.
Might also put a piece of flat across the top of the cross members behind the axle and put another one underneath in front of the axles with spacers to push it down an inch or two.

Aaron Z
 
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