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Cost

Laser and Water Jet Cutting for DIY

November 24, 2022November 15, 2022 by Mechanic
DIY with Water Jet Cutting

When thinking about DIY, we normally don’t envision big or expensive machinery to do the job.  There are times, however, when it’s really nice to have.  There are some really good reasons for Water Jet cutting (or laser cutting), instead of the normal DIY methods.

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

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?

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Categories Adventures Tags Best Practices, Cost, DIY, Trailer 3 Comments

Small Trailer Instead Of A Truck?

October 11, 2022October 6, 2021 by Mechanic
Trailer Instead of a Truck

That sounds like a good idea.  Right?  There are a million good reasons to need the capacity of a pickup truck, but actually, very few people use a Truck as a Truck that often.  Can we get the function we need without all the weight and wasting fuel?

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Categories Solutions! Tags Analysis, Cost, DIY, Trailer 1 Comment

Why No Plans For Aluminum Trailers?

March 4, 2022August 23, 2021 by Mechanic
Example aluminum trailers

This question comes up often — because there are not many good plans for aluminum trailers out there.  We have great trailer plans, but none for aluminum.  Why?  As one of our Frequently Asked Questions, this one deserves a good answer. 

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Categories Plans Info Tags Aluminum, Cost, Plans, Steel, Strength, Trailer 2 Comments

You Don’t Have The Plans I Need. Now What?

March 4, 2022March 26, 2021 by Mechanic
Custom Trailer Design

Sometimes looking for the right plans for the trailer you need is a needle in a haystack.  Every site has something, but not exact.  What’s next?  When you really need a particular trailer that others don’t offer,

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Categories Plans Info, Solutions! Tags Analysis, Build, Cost, DIY, Quality, Trailer 1 Comment

A Tiny House Size Quandary

November 9, 2022June 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?

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

How Much Will It Cost?

October 8, 2022January 30, 2020 by Mechanic
How Much Will It Cost To Build?

Before starting a project we always want to know — or at least have some idea — how much will it cost to build?  If you’re like me, resources are limited, so knowing how much you’re going to sink into a project is smart.

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Categories Plans Info Tags Build, Cost, DIY, Plans Leave a comment

Does My Trailer Need A Spare Tire?

June 17, 2021November 27, 2019 by Mechanic
Do I Need A Trailer Spare Tire?

What about that trailer spare tire?  No, I don’t mean the one around my middle . . . for your trailer.  Do you really need one?  Some say yes, and we see them on many trailers, but they are rarely used.  What if you just go without?

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Categories Mechanics Tips Tags Cost, Safety, Tire, Trailer Leave a comment

Why BUY Plans, If You Can Get FREE Plans?

October 11, 2022May 1, 2019 by Mechanic
Engineered Trailer Plans Are Not Free Plans

It’s a big dilemma.  Why buy trailer plans (or crane plans or whatever) when you can get Free Plans?  Some websites have free plans, other places charge.  So what’s the big deal? 

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Categories Plans Info Tags Cost, Free Plans, Plans, Quality, Wires Leave a comment

Gantry Crane Failure Modes

October 3, 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. 

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

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

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Categories Adventures, Solutions! Tags Build, Cost, Safety, Solutions!, Tips Leave a comment

Increasing Trailer Load Capacity

February 11, 2023June 6, 2018 by Mechanic
Ways to

Have a trailer that you want to repurpose?  Or a lightweight trailer that needs a little beef?  Is it practical to strengthen an existing trailer?  Sure, there are several ways to increase trailer load capacity,

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Categories Mechanics Tips Tags Cost, DIY, Steel, Strength, Trailer 1 Comment

New – Smooth Action Tandem Torsion Axles

November 23, 2022April 20, 2018 by Mechanic
Tandem Torsion Walking Beam

Over and over we recommend:  “Don’t use torsion axles in tandem because they don’t load-share”.  Well, What if we make them share?  Here’s a new design that brings the benefits of a torsion axle to the tandem axle party

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Categories Adventures, Mechanics Tips Tags Axle, Build, Cost, Tandem, Torsion, Trailer 7 Comments

The Economics of DIY Projects

June 19, 2021January 23, 2018 by Mechanic
Cost and DIY Project Economics

“I want to build a new trailer.”  That’s an awesome thing to say, and it’s even better to do.  Yet, many such adventures don’t launch because of project economics?  What does it cost to build? 

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Categories Adventures Tags Analysis, Build, Cost, Customize, DIY, Plans, Trailer Leave a comment
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