Chapter trailer build!

1800 lbs axles I doubt we can load it heavier then the catamaran that it was built for.

Says the guy that is building a kayak hauler with more storage space than a Boeing 747. 

What is the trailer rated?  We are not rying to nitpick just worry about he safety of you and others who may drive.  It looks like you guys are doing a great job tho.  Thanks for doing this for such a great cause!

I’ll let ya know tomorrow, since it was built custom at a trailer manufacturer in 2013 it has all the stickers still intact on the tongue. 

Updated if we use every inch of the steel we already purchased that’s 196 lbs plus a little for the welds 1lb maybe?!?!

Once you get the framing all done, go tow it over to a weigh station and weigh it.  And you will use way more than a pound of wire to weld all that together.

It's the small stuff that ends up in all the storage areas that will add up quickly!

What's the empty weight, including all the build-out you're doing ?

Add 800# just for the kayaks, then however much you think the gear will weigh...4 boxes with wetsuits ? I bet 50# each easy.

That's 1000# right there just in cargo. I'm betting you're over the axle rating from the get-go.

Part of your build should be an axle upgrade.

Since I can lift a back corner if needed as well as the tongue I doubt it is that heavy of a trailer empty. The boats are around >640 lbs, the boxes are aluminum, we’re not hauling the waders that we don’t need, the paddles and poles are not that heavy. I still doubt we will be over weight on the trailer.

That is not a great way to judge the weight of something.  If you laid on the ground face down, I am sure I could lift one of your legs off the ground pretty easy.
Highly doubt I could easily pick your entire body off the ground in the same position.

Good example...I could lift my baja bug front end at least a foot off the ground by myself, and the car weighed 1550#s.  No way in hell I could lift the entire car.

Ok there is a 2000 lb axle under it the tongue weight is 160 lbs the empty weight is 720 this is from the log scale at the Garibaldi Hardwood mill this morning. We dropped the rails quite a bit and at 1/8 inch thick or so we lost some weight but the scale was closed so I can weigh what we cut off this weekend or weigh the whole thing next trip to the shop. We’re guessing we cut off 40-50 lbs cuz the tongue boat crank arm also came off. More pics to come.

Action shots.

We used a larger diameter square tube as a guide for our cuts, and yes that’s a full face respirator .... I don’t like breathing metal and paint dust. Hdwipmonkey got a welding lesson since Cosmo didn’t make it.

Ok this is just "back of the napkin at Biscuits Cafe" calculation.

700 trailer weight current (taking your 760 and giving you credit for 60# or cutting off)
200 steel I'm picking up today
500 the 8 boats
200 the 5 truck boxes, empty (4 aluminum at 37 each, plus Mark's steel one)

You're at 1600# before the sheet steel, or any gear.

We need to plan for an axle and spring upgrade. I'd also like someone who knows what they're talking about assess if the frame itself and tongue can handle.

Also, at this weight you really should be thinking about electric brakes. This will be particularly important for those who might tow with a smaller vehicle.

Ok this is just "back of the napkin at Biscuits Cafe" calculation.

700 trailer weight current (taking your 760 and giving you credit for 60# or cutting off)
200 steel I'm picking up today
500 the 8 boats
200 the 5 truck boxes, empty (4 aluminum at 37 each, plus Mark's steel one)

You're at 1600# before the sheet steel, or any gear.

We need to plan for an axle and spring upgrade. I'd also like someone who knows what they're talking about assess if the frame itself and tongue can handle.

Also, at this weight you really should be thinking about electric brakes. This will be particularly important for those who might tow with a smaller vehicle.

It's good to evaluate what will be going on the trailer and plan for it, rather than "wing it" and do a "let's see what happens" and then find out what happens.   

Interesting numbers.

I do agree a heavier axle/spring combo should be considered down the road, and possibly tires (don't remember what those were rated at).
However, I don't feel electric brakes are necessary...yet.  Proper loading could elevate any overloading issues, like spreading out the load within other vehicles on events where everything has to go.  On events where minimal gear is needed, don't take it. Easy as that!

Usually electric brakes are better suited for dual axle trailers, and or for trailers above 3000#.  It wouldn't be a bad idea for brakes if the trailer was to exceed the weight of the tow vehicle, as critical mass could pass the tow vehicle at the most inopportune time.  Now, unless they plan to tow this with a VW Rabbit, or Mini Cooper I doubt they would ever get this trailer heavier than MoJo's 'bru'bru, and certainly not Ray's Jeep.

If brakes are deemed necessary, then any vehicle towing this trailer fully loaded should have a trailer brake controller installed.

One note on using cardboard to control spark fling.

Not usually a good practice, due to obvious reasons like catching it on fire. 
The not so obvious reasons can burn a place down. 

Back in high school, I had a friend completely destroy his dads shop by welding on the exhaust of his Ford Pinto.  Hours after he was done, and the car had been taken for a test drive and parked in driveway, the shop lit up and exploded!!!
Fire department determined that the fire started with the cardboard that was off to the side of where Shawn was welding, and caught a spark.  The spark just hung out there completely out of site and smoldered until it got the cardboard hot enough to ignite. 

It was always suggested to use metal sheet, fiberglass sheet, wet towels or even soaked cardboard if that was all that was available to contain sparks. 

HOWEVER!!!

The wet towels, or wet cardboard is to be put outside in a barrel, or placed on concrete nowhere near anything flammable when done with the spark making.
Any welding or grinding inside a shop/garage should be monitored for several hours after work has finished to make sure no other
flammable items where hiding a smoldering spark nugget. 

Let's practice "safe sparking", guys!   

The cardboard wasn't our idea.  The shop owner had a car in the next Bay with an open engine block and was trying to mitigate any metal flying that way.  I told him we could hang plastic between the two bags but he said just to put the cardboard there to knock the sparks down...

As far as welding we had a welding blanket that we used.

We finished welding when I left around 3pm and Mojo was still there painting for probably another 2 hours along with the shop owner so we should have been good for any flare ups if somehow a spark from the grinder finally caught fire.

Thanks for the PSA though.  I know you're watching out for us.  [emoji106]

Lookin' good Mojo!

All the boxes are aluminum, once the rack and yaks are on this won’t be towable with anything smaller then hdwipmonkey’s Jeep Cherokee regardless of who thinks they want too tow it we won’t allow it. I have a scale 3 blocks from we’re we park the trailer so we will know exactly how much the trailer weighs after the racks on. The sticks are 6 1-1/4 X 1-1/4 X 29.4 lbs (176 lbs) each and one piece of angle not sure on the weight.  Trailer is 720 lbs TOTAL. 2000 lbs axle 1800 gvrw. I’ll know approximately what we lopped off later tonight. Don’t worry we’re not using receiver grade 2 inch steel to hold kayaks! 
   I used to drive garbage truck for 17 years with a commercial drivers license and I’m well aware of weight, weight distribution and towing capacity. I live in a 40 ft fifth wheel and my previous trailer was triple axle 38ft both over 10,000 lbs with trailer brakes, never hauled anything that big with anything short of my F350. I’m not a Dolt and I’m pretty sure Hdwipmonkey isn’t one either (INSAYN may argue that one). If you look real careful in the background of the shop  you’ll see the full size 1984 Ford Bronco I’m rebuilding ($1200 just in the engine rebuild) to use as our pull rig. Desert camo once complete and on my dime and time. With 1 ton rear leaf springs I’m pretty sure it can handle the trailer and 75% of the heavy gear in the back keeping the trailer 100 -<+lbs under its 1800 gvrw. I’ll keep weights updated as we build. I also have my trailer that can haul gear if everything must go!
   So sit back relax and enjoy the show (P.S. there’s a lot of math and calculations going on as we are placing the gear and boats on and off and deciding where and what we’re adding. If need be upgrading to a 3500 lbs axle with breaks is “easy peasy rice and cheesy”..... if and or when we need to.     

All the boxes are aluminum, once the rack and yaks are on this won’t be towable with anything smaller then hdwipmonkey’s Jeep Cherokee regardless of who thinks they want too tow it we won’t allow it. I have a scale 3 blocks from we’re we park the trailer so we will know exactly how much the trailer weighs after the racks on. The sticks are 6 1-1/4 X 1-1/4 X 29.4 lbs (176 lbs) each and one piece of angle not sure on the weight.  Trailer is 720 lbs TOTAL. 2000 lbs axle 1800 gvrw. I’ll know approximately what we lopped off later tonight. Don’t worry we’re not using receiver grade 2 inch steel to hold kayaks! 
   I used to drive garbage truck for 17 years with a commercial drivers license and I’m well aware of weight, weight distribution and towing capacity. I live in a 40 ft fifth wheel and my previous trailer was triple axle 38ft both over 10,000 lbs with trailer brakes, never hauled anything that big with anything short of my F350. I’m not a Dolt and I’m pretty sure Hdwipmonkey isn’t one either (INSAYN may argue that one). If you look real careful in the background of the shop  you’ll see the full size 1984 Ford Bronco I’m rebuilding ($1200 just in the engine rebuild) to use as our pull rig. Desert camo once complete and on my dime and time. With 1 ton rear leaf springs I’m pretty sure it can handle the trailer and 75% of the heavy gear in the back keeping the trailer 100 -<+lbs under its 1800 gvrw. I’ll keep weights updated as we build. I also have my trailer that can haul gear if everything must go!
   So sit back relax and enjoy the show (P.S. there’s a lot of math and calculations going on as we are placing the gear and boats on and off and deciding where and what we’re adding. If need be upgrading to a 3500 lbs axle with breaks is “easy peasy rice and cheesy”..... if and or when we need to.     

 

What engine is the 84 Bronco getting?  A tuned 351 Windsor?
The Bronco will be more than capable of a beasty to pull that tiny trailer.

All the boxes are aluminum, once the rack and yaks are on this won’t be towable with anything smaller then hdwipmonkey’s Jeep Cherokee regardless of who thinks they want too tow it we won’t allow it. I have a scale 3 blocks from we’re we park the trailer so we will know exactly how much the trailer weighs after the racks on. The sticks are 6 1-1/4 X 1-1/4 X 29.4 lbs (176 lbs) each and one piece of angle not sure on the weight.  Trailer is 720 lbs TOTAL. 2000 lbs axle 1800 gvrw. I’ll know approximately what we lopped off later tonight. Don’t worry we’re not using receiver grade 2 inch steel to hold kayaks! 
   I used to drive garbage truck for 17 years with a commercial drivers license and I’m well aware of weight, weight distribution and towing capacity. I live in a 40 ft fifth wheel and my previous trailer was triple axle 38ft both over 10,000 lbs with trailer brakes, never hauled anything that big with anything short of my F350. I’m not a Dolt and I’m pretty sure Hdwipmonkey isn’t one either (INSAYN may argue that one). If you look real careful in the background of the shop  you’ll see the full size 1984 Ford Bronco I’m rebuilding ($1200 just in the engine rebuild) to use as our pull rig. Desert camo once complete and on my dime and time. With 1 ton rear leaf springs I’m pretty sure it can handle the trailer and 75% of the heavy gear in the back keeping the trailer 100 -<+lbs under its 1800 gvrw. I’ll keep weights updated as we build. I also have my trailer that can haul gear if everything must go!
   So sit back relax and enjoy the show (P.S. there’s a lot of math and calculations going on as we are placing the gear and boats on and off and deciding where and what we’re adding. If need be upgrading to a 3500 lbs axle with breaks is “easy peasy rice and cheesy”..... if and or when we need to.     

 

What engine is the 84 Bronco getting?  A tuned 351 Windsor?
The Bronco will be more than capable of a beasty to pull that tiny trailer.

300 in-line 6 with a few mods to run old school  with a 1 barrel carburetor it gets around 30+mpg and with the 3 speed on the floor and granny gear it can walk out most muddy situations as long as both axle aren’t buried halfway up the pumpkins (DAMHIK) it rides on 33/9.50/15 BFG all terrains. Stock height except for the rear spring being a tad higher. INSAYN you would LOVE the dashboard.
  Short story $150 12 years ago from a tow yard in the sticks with no doors, no windshield, no hard top,  rolled into a tree... was a farm truck ... drove it onto my buddies flatbed tow truck on 3 flat tires. 

My folks had a 91 EFI bronco with a 302 in it. Pulled a 23' Mako power boat with two outboards without breaking a sweat out of some steep boat ramps. I'm sure you'll be more than OK The clearance for getting through the bumpy bits at PC beach will be helpful too.