Skip to content
Mechanical Elements
0
  • Home
    • Home Page
    • About Us
    • My Account
    •   – Login
    •   – Shopping Cart
  • Plans
    • Trailers
    •   – Utility Trailers
    •   – Deck-Over
    •   – Specialty Trailers
    •   – Trailer Accessories
    • WorkShop Tools
    • Home Projects
    • Free Plans
  • Knowledge
    • * All Articles *
    • Trailer Wire Diagrams
    • Frequent Questions
    • Customer Stories
    •   – Tell Your Story
    • Better Trailer Plans
    • What’s In The Plans?
  • Contact Us
0
Adventures | Customer Stories | Mechanics Tips | News | Plans Info | Solutions!

Adventures

Articles  >  Adventures

These are stories and thoughts including Do-it-Yourself adventures.  Some success stories, some humorous, and some stories of disaster.  We learn from them all.  If you have a contribution, we’d love to hear it.  Enjoy These Adventures!  –  See all the Mechanic’s Posts here.

Improve Fuel Economy When Towing

June 11, 2022 by Mechanic
Save Money at the Pump

Gas prices are up.  Diesel prices are even higher.  Since I don’t see those prices changing soon, maybe I can DIY some things to help.  Is there any way to improve fuel economy when I’m pulling my trailer?

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Best Practices, Cost, DIY, Trailer Leave a comment

Trailer Towing Tips

June 11, 2022April 15, 2022 by Mechanic
Trailer Towing Tips

As we plan and eventually set out for the many adventures this year, let’s plan for a great trip.  Here are some good towing tips to make it all go much smoother.

For RV’s or any other trailer, the tips are

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Safety, Stability, Tips, Trailer Leave a comment

Car Hauler Design – Trailer Research

March 5, 2022February 25, 2022 by Mechanic
Car Hauler Design Research

Prior to starting new plans, we do research to understand the landscape, then look for opportunity to improve and make a better product.  That is certainly the case with our upcoming Car Hauler & Equipment Transport Trailer design.  New plans are coming soon.

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Analysis, Calculation, Car Hauler, Strength, Trailer Leave a comment

The Concept of “Strong Enough”

March 30, 2022February 12, 2022 by Mechanic
Is It Strong Enough?

I’m not sure how to categorize this Article.  It’s an answer, but more than that.  We get questions once in a while something like “My trailer is X long and I want to haul a Y.  Is 3 inch angle iron strong enough?”

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Best Practices, Calculation, Force, Gantry Crane, Plans, Quality, Safety, Testing Leave a comment

Can I Use An Axle-Less Suspension

February 9, 2022February 2, 2022 by Mechanic
Compare Axle-Less

Axle-Less trailers.  Yes, that’s a thing, and we get a lot of questions about this unique suspension.  Some people ask if it’s any good?  Other’s ask if it will work with our trailers?  Still others ask about using them for tandems?  We even get questions about using it

Read The Article

Categories Adventures, Plans Info Tags Axle, Fixture, Force, Stability, Torsion Leave a comment

Trailer Sway – Video Review & Discussion

September 25, 2021 by Mechanic
Trailer Sway Video Review

Understanding Trailer Dynamics like Sway is a really important.  If you look for it, there are many articles and some great YouTube videos discussing and demonstrating the many factors and issues.

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Best Practices, Safety, Stability, sway, Trailer, Video Leave a comment

Bent Tongue — Judging A Weak Trailer

July 5, 2021 by Mechanic
Bent Trailer Tongue

When buying a trailer, how can we decide if it’s well built, or just cheap?  How do you know if it’s strong or weak?  While there are always tale-tale signs, we’ll use this example of a trailer with a bent tongue to illustrate.

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Analysis, Best Practices, Customer Story, Failure, Safety, Strength, Tongue, Trailer Leave a comment

Engineering: Calculate Beam Loading (Intro)

March 4, 2022May 27, 2021 by Mechanic

As a simplistic introduction to beam loading, this article discusses the complications in calculating stresses and deflection.  While it’s pretty easy to calculate beam loading for simple theoretical cases, very few beams

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Analysis, Calculation, Force, Measurements, Press, Safety Leave a comment

Low Profile Trailer Suspension

June 12, 2021April 2, 2021 by Mechanic
Low & Lean Trailer Suspension

Every once in a while something unique catches my eye.  This time it’s a low profile trailer suspension that does much the same as torsion axles — but in a way to allow tandem axle load sharing.  As I’ve looked at it more, there are some really interesting advantages

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Axle, Force, Spring, Suspension, Tandem, Torsion Leave a comment

On The Road – Rattle Traps We Call Trailers

October 28, 2021February 2, 2021 by Mechanic
A Scary Trailer Along The Road

Are you ever scared by what you see in tow rolling along down the highway?  I am often surprised at the contraptions that pass for legal.  Join me.  Let’s make a collection of photos here for a few good laughs — Scary trailers on the road.

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Customer Story, DIY, Safety, Stability, Trailer Leave a comment

9 Essential Tools For Your DIY Shop

October 28, 2021October 19, 2020 by Mechanic
What Are Your Essential Tools

We’ve been asked many times about “What are the most essential tools for your shop?” Well, that’s a hard question, because frustration and wailing are the result when the right tools are not available.

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags DIY, Drilling, Press, Safety, Testing, Tools, Wires Leave a comment

Which Welder To Buy?

June 15, 2021July 24, 2020 by Mechanic
Which Welder To Buy?

I’m looking to build one of your trailers, but I need to know which welder to buy?  What type, and do I need 110 or 220 volt?  What about other projects from your site that may pique my interest?

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Aluminum, Build, DIY, Steel, Tools, Welding Leave a comment

A Tiny House Size Quandary

June 16, 2021June 11, 2020 by Mechanic
Living Tiny In A Bigger Way

OK, so you want to Live Tiny.  That’s awesome.  What can you do without?  What do you really want to have?  And how about that claustrophobia?

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Build, Cost, Tiny House, Trailer Leave a comment

Does Your Trailer Have Attitude?

September 30, 2021January 16, 2020 by Mechanic
Trailer With Attitude

When we think about airplanes flying, or boats sailing, it’s easy to imagine how they move.  An airplane rolls some as it banks into a turn.  A boat pitches up and down with the waves.  So, how do these factors — Pitch, Yaw and Roll — apply to trailers

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Best Practices, Hitch, Safety, Tongue, Trailer Leave a comment

Starting Yet Another Project

June 18, 2021September 3, 2019 by Mechanic
Steel for the Next DIY Build

This is what the beginning of a new DIY build looks like.  Of course, there’s the planning stages, the design stages and finally the acquisition stages where all the raw materials begin to come in.  With all of that behind us, this is the start of the build,

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Build, DIY, Fixture, Steel Leave a comment

Old Time Tiny House Trailers

June 18, 2021June 4, 2019 by Mechanic
Looking At Old Time Tiny House Trailers

The Tiny House Craze is cool and feels New, but it’s actually one of those things that has come around — though with a twist.  There is a lot to learn from the past if we take a few minutes

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Axle, DIY, Foundation, Tandem, Tiny House, Trailer 7 Comments

How To Make A Trailer Longer

December 29, 2021May 11, 2019 by Mechanic
How To Make A Trailer Longer

Sometimes I wish my trailer was longer.  Is there an easy way to make a trailer longer?  Is that even possible?  And, what are the limits

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Aluminum, Customize, DIY, Force, Steel, Strength Leave a comment

Gantry Crane Failure Modes

February 19, 2022April 17, 2019 by Mechanic
Gantry Crane Failure Modes

There are a lot of ways to abuse a crane.  We won’t go into those, but let’s do take a minute on crane failures and what they look like. 

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Cost, DIY, Gantry Crane, Safety, Strength Leave a comment

How To Make A Trailer Wider

August 31, 2021March 1, 2019 by Mechanic
Ways to Make a Trailer Wider

So, I have this trailer, but it needs it to be bigger.  Is it possible to make a trailer wider?  Can I make it wider to carry more?  And, what are the limits or problems with making it wider?

Read The Article

Categories Adventures Tags Build, Strength, Trailer, Welding 3 Comments

Do It Yourself _ Is Not _ All By Yourself

June 18, 2021December 27, 2018 by Mechanic
Do-It-Together

DIY is the common acronym for Do It Yourself, but there’s a misnomer in the expression.  In some things doing it by yourself is awesome, for sure, yet DIY does not mean

Read The Article

Categories Adventures, Solutions! Tags Build, Cost, Safety, Solutions!, Tips Leave a comment
Post navigation
Older posts
Page1 Page2 Next →
Do It Yourself Plans

My Cart

Plans By Category

  • All Trailers
    • Utility Trailer Plans
    • Deck-Over Trailers
    • Specialty Trailers
    • Trailer Accessories
  • WorkShop Tools
  • Home Projects

Articles By Category

  • Adventures (29)
  • Customer Stories (9)
  • Mechanics Tips (67)
  • News (25)
  • Plans Info (29)
  • Solutions! (14)

Latest Tips & News

  • Improve Fuel Economy When Towing
  • Trailer Suspension Mounting – Misdirection !!
  • Trailer Towing Tips
  • Dump Trailer Plans – And Build Video
  • Car Hauler Trailers — New Trailer Plans
  • Car Hauler Design – Trailer Research
  • Torsion Axle Conversion Plans

Popular Articles

  • FAQ – Answers
  • What’s In The Plans?
  • Find Your Trailer Plans
  • Better Trailer Plans
  • How to … Safety Chains
  • Trailer Wiring Diagram

Looking for Something?

Type it here, press GO,
and we'll show you.

 

Mechanical Elements Logo

Need Help?  Contact Us

Pages of Interest

  • What’s In The Plans?
  • The Better Trailer Plans
  • Customer Stories
  • Merchant Policy
  • Privacy & Terms
Mechanical Elements  —  Your Source For Do-It-Yourself Project Plans!
A Feature of Synthesis Engineering Services, Inc.

Copyright © 1996-2022.  All Rights Reserved.