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
Strength
I-Beam Shape Choices: Is it I, S, W, M or H?
When is an I-Beam not really an “I” Beam? While it’s common to use the generic term “I-Beam” for any beam with an I shape section, there are actually variations with different letter designations. And, there are advantages for the various shapes
Why No Plans For 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.
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.
Who Says Welding Doesn’t Affect Strength?
I love seeing failures. Not that anyone wants things to fail, of course, we always try to make things that last. However, when a failure pops up, I love to look it over and understand the “how” and the “why”. It’s an excellent opportunity for learning, and I love to learn.
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 –
Are Aluminum Trailers Good or Bad?
I’ve heard different opinions, so let’s look again at the Engineering and clear up some facts. Maybe we can also debunk a few misconceptions.
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
What Bolts For DIY? – Bolts 101
Bolts are an amazingly simple yet complex fastening method. They’re used everywhere so mostly we take them for granted, but why are there so many different kinds? And what bolts should I use?
How To Choose Bolts
This is Page 2, continuing the Bolts 101 article. Here we discuss choices for bolts for an application. The previous post, Page 1 of Bolts 101, gives a ton of background info, so we recommend reading that first,
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
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.
Practical Safety With A Crane
Nothing ruins a pleasant day quite like a goose egg on your head, or a throbbing finger pinch. Avoiding those things (and, of course, the much more disastrous potential events) is the context of this gantry crane safety article.
How 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?
Choosing The Best Trailer Frame Material
What materials should I use for building my trailer frame? It’s a common question with strong biases for Rectangular Tube or I-Beam or C-Channel. Also, choices of Aluminum versus Steel.
Six Beam Shapes To Build With, +1
Whether you’re an experienced DIY builder or brand new to the party, there are often quandry’s about beam shapes. Well, I need to do this, but I only have material like that. I’ll just use it
Trailer Axles 101 – What You Need To Know
I’ll just drop by the parts store and grab an axle . . . . Well, trailer axles are not quite that simple, but knowing a few important details, we can certainly get the right one. Here’s a quick guide to trailer axles
Axle-Less Trailer Suspension
Customer Question: “What do you think about the Axle-Less trailer suspension? Is it good?” Can I use it with the Mechanical Elements trailer plans? . . . You ask (actually a few of you are asking) and pointing to
Tips To Strengthen A Trailer Frame
I have a great trailer, but it feels a bit flexy, maybe even rickety . . . How can I strengthen a trailer frame? How can I stiffen it?