As you might guess, I’m always poking around and looking at trailers. People can be really creative, so I’m always looking for fun trailer ideas. Things that people do or ways they do it are often inspiring. We can learn a lot from all the smart people around.
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Building An Offroad Trailer From Non-Offroad Plans
A good question from some of our customers: “I really want an offroad trailer, but I can’t seem to find the right trailer plans to build it. Is it better to buy the “4′ x 6.5′ – 2500# – Off-Road Trailer Plans” and enlarge it, or to buy one of the other trailers and beef it up?“
Customer Story – Teardrop Camper Build
We see them around, on the highway heading for a weekend away. They always look so cool and just beg you to find your own adventure. Just a cute little teardrop camper set to take someone for a great vacation.
Trailer Design – Meeting Your Goals
It looks easy. Trailer design is not like building a rocket, but it’s also not as easy as putting a few pieces of metal together. Good trailer design includes meeting goals and ending up with something that will tow well, and perform to your needs.
Trailer Suspension Mounting – Misdirection !!
Shopping online is both a boon and a bust. It’s great access to a wide variety of components, but it’s a bummer when misleading info causes extra work and frustration. That brings us to this Customer Story of misguided
Easy Gantry Crane Lift Conversion
The beauty of a gantry crane is the beam overhead, and the clear access for lifting things. To make them more useful, telescoping legs put the top beam at a height appropriate for the job — in your garage, or outside, or wherever. One of the challenges
Tilt Top Trailer Conversion Plans
It’s time to welcome the tilt top trailer. You, as customers and readers, request this a lot, for a while. So, now we have it. Rather than revisiting the design for all our trailers in all the sizes, we now offer conversion plans. These are an added option
From Cheap Kit to Improved Trailer
You’ve seen them, the inexpensive bolt-together Harbor Freight trailer kits. While they pack a lot of function, they unfortunately are often something like a rattle trap. (Not always, of course.) While they have a cheap rap, they sell a lot
Why Special Order Axles?
“Some of your Trailer Plans don’t use a standard axle size. Why not?” Good question, along with the also very common “Why should I special order the trailer axle? Why don’t you design for off-the-shelf axle sizes?”
There are a few common-ish axle sizes
Is Custom Trailer Design Right For You?
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,
Customer Story – A Unique Trailer Build
There is always something to learn when looking at someone’s DIY project. This customer story about a unique trailer build is no exception.
Customer Story – A Trailer Rebuild
An excellent customer story about a complete trailer rebuild. We talk about it once in awhile, and we give some advice, but this is the first customer story that is truly about doing a full rebuild and reformat.
Which Trailer Plans Should I Buy?
I want to build a trailer, but there are so many possibilities – and some things are mutually exclusive. How do I narrow my thoughts? What things do I really need? And, most important, How do I choose which Trailer Plans to buy?
Excellent Small Car Trailer Caught In The Wild
Caught on the streets, this small trailer provides big benefits. It’s an excellent example of using a trailer instead of a truck, and this business owner understands efficiency.
Making Changes To The Plans
I can’t find quite the right plans for the trailer I want to build. Can I make changes to the plans at Mechanical Elements to fit my needs?
What is a “Specialty Trailer”?
When someone asked “What is a Specialty Trailer?”, I had to really think about it. Words are important in descriptions. Certainly it does not mean “Special”, as in “Unique” because almost all DIY
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
How To Make A Lower Trailer Deck
Many things contribute to a low trailer deck, and often they conflict with other needs for the trailer. Here is a list of ways to build a lower trailer deck — and some potential trade-offs
Building A Better Folding Trailer Tongue
Intrigued by the cool potential of saving storage space, increased security, and removal of a shin knocker to step over, this new folding trailer tongue adds greater utility to a trailer.
The Economics of DIY Projects
“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?