What is the first thing you think when looking at this image? “Oh My !! That’s Awful.” – was my thought. According to the driver, “thankfully it didn’t happen when I was on the highway ten minutes prior.” This catastrophic tongue break
Welding
Bolting vs. Welding for Trailer Frames
How should I connect things as I build my trailer? Welding is the typical practice for most structural frame members, but bolting also has some good benefits. So, this makes me wonder. How do I decide? Since it is usually not an all or nothing proposition, let’s examine
Rigid Mount – Trailer Axle Without Suspension?
What happens if you hard mount an axle on your trailer – without a suspension? The question has come up a few times, and it’s worth talking about. There are some distinct advantages of eliminating the suspension, but there are also some pitfalls.
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.
Laser and Water Jet Cutting for DIY
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Engineering: Welding Trailer Spring Brackets
There is some disagreement in trailer building about how to weld trailer spring brackets (also known as spring hangers). Some of you have sent questions about which techniques are best, especially
Which Welder To Buy?
“I’m looking to build one of your trailers, but I need to know which welder to buy?” or “What type of welder do I need – 110 or 220 volt?” and “What about other projects from your site that may pique my interest?”
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?
Solutions! Reverse Car Parking Stop
Yeah, I know, most of the world doesn’t like or use the parking brake any more. Yet, some of us still prefer a manual transmission for the driving experience — and rely on the parking brake. So, what happens
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?
There’s More To It – Mounting Trailer Axle Springs
As with many things, there’s a lot more to mounting trailer axle springs than first meets the eye. Here are 2 tips to make your trailer frame stronger.
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.
How To Setup A Trailer Frame Build
Just how do you setup for building a trailer frame? Seems simple enough, just layout all the frame members and start welding, Right? Well, mostly, but there are some additional steps that will help it turn out better.
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Learning good trailer construction by examining bad is a great way to focus on details. This photo shows 4 points of “less that careful thought” in the way the trailer is built. Can you pick them out?