This is a great question we get a lot, in many variations. Are your plans DOT approved? Are the plans Stamped? We think it’s great to know the level of plans you get when you buy, so asking about certified plans is a great place to start. However, this question
Safety
When Does My Trailer Need Brakes?
There are laws that say when a trailer must have brakes. In most places within the USA, when the trailer total capacity is over 3000 lbs, trailer brakes are required. That’s all well and good, but we all know that laws are an ignorant way of covering the least
Shop Tools – Super Tough DIY Utility Cart
When there’s a need that doesn’t really fit with existing products, make your own. That’s it with this new, tough Shop Floor & Utility Cart. While it’s not monumental in design, it does have some great functionality for DIY’ers, with strength that you won’t find elsewhere.
Trailer Hitch Class Ratings
As a convenient way to help with safety, trailer hitches, balls, and receivers have categories or load rating groups called classes. Each trailer hitch class has ratings for how much it will carry. A look at the ratings for each component
Trailer Sway – Video Review & Discussion
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.
How Often Should You Tighten Trailer Wheel Bolts?
A friend asked me this question, along with the companion “How Tight?” The last thing we want is to lose a wheel — because it will not only delay our trip, but a wheel coming loose can do serious damage — to us, our stuff, or maybe
Bent Tongue — Judging A Weak Trailer
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.
Engineering: Calculate Beam Loading (Intro)
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
Good Ways To Shorten A Chain
In previous articles we discuss the importance of trailer safety chain length. If the chains are too long, what can you do? Yeah, odds are you won’t need them, but what if you do? Long chains can complicate things quickly, so how can we safely shorten a chain?
Dangling By A Single Trailer Chain
If you ever doubt the sanity of safety chains, then see this example of where a single trailer chain literally saved lives. The story is amazing from all angles –
When To Replace Trailer Tires
Don’t mess around with your safety or unexpected trip interruptions. The Best Reason to replace old or worn trailer tires is personal sanity, because who wants to deal with it on the side of the road?
How Much Can I Tow With My Vehicle?
There are 3 main factors with how much you can tow. While it all seems simple, digging in makes it a little less clear. Yes, it’s easy to look at the simple rating numbers,
On The Road – Rattle Traps We Call Trailers
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.
Where and How to Attach Safety Chains
What are the best ways to attach safety chains on a trailer? That’s a simple question without a single best answer. Don’t you hate it when the answer starts with “It depends . . . “? Unfortunately, it does depend on many other things
The Trailer Breakaway Kit
What in the world is a Trailer Breakaway Kit? If you pull a “larger-ish” trailer, you should definitely know, because it’s a legal requirement in many jurisdictions.
Wheels And Tires For Your Trailer
There are a million tires out there with a ton of classifications and designations. What tires do I choose for my trailer? That is not a silly question at all.
9 Essential Tools For Your DIY Shop
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.
Engineering: Welding Trailer Spring Brackets
There is some disagreement in trailer building about how to weld-on trailer spring brackets (also known as spring hangers). Some of you have sent questions about which techniques are best, especially
4 Pressing Issues
A shop press is a fantastic tool, and when you need it, there’s not much that can really substitute. On the other hand, we need to keep things in order because when things go bad, they can easily go really bad in a hurry.
Escape From COVID In DIY
What more can we say about Coronavirus? The daily press updates are full of horrible news! There’s so much concern and sadness everywhere. Then there’s the “Stay at Home” mandates. I need an emotional escape from COVID !!