small al trailer

[fdcmiami]

did a lot of al work the past six months and had a lot of extrusion and SS hardware laying around.
sold a couple of utility trailer but still needed one for field setup.

[fdcmiami]

[fdcmiami]

[zoama]

Very nice work. How much would this trailer weigh empty ?

[fdcmiami]

[fdcmiami]

thanks zoama, i put equipent on it before i went to scales. with welder, gang box, and compressor; plus a few odds and ends i came in at 1560. based on that i would say the trailer weighed about 650 pounds (app).

still need to add some items; be about 2k loaded.

[DaveO]

I couldn't really tell from the photos: how does the a-frame coupler attach? The last photo shows two bolts but they don't appear beefy enough to support the load... do you mind enlightening a noob?

[SeanMurphy265]

I couldn't really tell from the photos: how does the a-frame coupler attach? The last photo shows two bolts but they don't appear beefy enough to support the load... do you mind enlightening a noob?

That's what I was wondering myself.

I've been looking at building a new trailer for my welder, and would like to do one from aluminum. That's a nice trailer, but I would have used aluminum diamond plate for the floor, and some aluminum wheels also. I would want that thing to blind people when they see it rolling down the road!

On a more serious note you should put your company name on the trailer somewhere. Since I purchased my engine drive in September I've picked up more business. I think a welding trailer with an engine drive sitting on the back can be the best advertisement. My wife was not happy when I purchased my welder, but it has made enough money to pay the $150.00 payment each month, and also $100.00 a week for my son's daycare. She's not complained since the day it arrived. She also did not believe it would pay its own way. Kinda funny how that worked out, because my generator and power arc 200 did the job just fine. I think the engine drive is more the wow factor, and makes people think this guy must be good if he has a $3,000.00 welder.

Are you going to put a set of torches on the trailer?

[Jason]

Nice.. A friend of mine and myself had talked about building some car trailers. I wonder what chance I would have at making one out of aluminum and about how much it would cost in materials. Do you have an estimate of what this one cost you in materials?

[fdcmiami]

the area at the coupler has had 1/2 in al plate welded in place top and bottom. there are two, half inch threaded rods that go all the way through and are bolted on the bottom. they can't be seen in that side shot because the chains block the view. i don't want a lot of load up front, i even drilled a dozen holes in the i's that the welder sits on for different mount locations, at the moment the welder is in the most forward set of holes. the i's and channel on top are through bolted to the framework below. the box is through bolted as well. i raised them so that i could slide additional items beneath if need be.

i carry an oxyacetylene kit on the work truck, also have a fixture on board for securing a 150 of either argon or argon/C02.

i went back and forth over the al tread plate, tires/rims and fenders also. what i know is that tread plate fades (it has a moment and then it's downhill), also i hate when i feel any flex so i would have had to buy a 3/16th's thk sheet of it so that i didn't have to add a bunch of stiffeners below. i was pricing the aluminum rims and tires and just about ready to pull the trigger on on a set when i saw an ad for two brand new 16 in tires (michelin) on rims (with same bolt pattern as my hubs) for 50 ea. in both cases the pragmatic side of me won out.

the fenders are steel, painted wih rustoleum and bolted in place. i was going to purchase jeep style fenders fabricated from tread plate; the style with a flat top but i knew that i would be using the flat top as a work space (welding, painting, grinding) and they would be beat up before long. things get banged up in the field, and fenders are one of the first things to take a hit; at 28 dollars each i can just change them out without much pain.

i have an xmt 350 that i keep on the truck, it performs all the same functions as the trailblazer; the EX i bought from everlast rarely leaves home, i bought if for a specific use if it fails me i have a HF unit for the TB that will give e 225 amps of AC for aluminum tig but tig welding AL in the fields is a rare event; at least for me.

pretty much the only other things i would add are some tie down, a vice and the bottle mounts. i have some 304 sheet that i plan on having formed to use as a cover up front behind the coupler.

sean, i don't advertise, just been fortunate i guess. also, where you are in life, in terms of age, will often dictate the choices you make. great move on the engine drive, when you roll up it is important to look the part; by the way tha thread on your experiences with the contractors was one of the best i've seen on here. i realize that a lot of the poster's are home hobbyists and will not or have not ever been through that kind of situation but i am sure there are people reading that are wanting to get into that type of work. it was a good thread because it showed how important it is to get all the details on scope of work and to try and get a read on the customer and to realize the some of those guys are just plain axxholes. it's been my experience that the majority are not; some got that way from dealing with bad subs, the rest were born idiots.

good luck.

[fdcmiami]

jason. go online and start pricing aluminum trailers. find one that you like and price all the components you will need to build it. do that before you even try and factor in the labor and overhead costs. see if you think you can be price competitive. the operations that build trailers in quantity have squeezed every penny from production costs, it will be difficult for you to start up and compete. better course is to look into doing modifications and repairs until you get some experience behind you. i price aluminum and steel by the pound, it is a better method for determing costs, for me anyway.

[SeanMurphy265]

Can you post a picture of the inside of the gang box? I've been looking at these, they seem to run from $300.00 to as much as you want to spend!

[Jason]

jason. go online and start pricing aluminum trailers. find one that you like and price all the components you will need to build it. do that before you even try and factor in the labor and overhead costs. see if you think you can be price competitive. the operations that build trailers in quantity have squeezed every penny from production costs, it will be difficult for you to start up and compete. better course is to look into doing modifications and repairs until you get some experience behind you. i price aluminum and steel by the pound, it is a better method for determing costs, for me anyway.

These would be for our personal use and not trying to compete with places that build them. That means labor is essentially free to us other than our time. Thanks!

[fdcmiami]

posted once but got logged out while looking for photos. i don't have any with the stock shelf. i generally cut it out when i get a box. have had a lot of them, not much difference between sellers. greeenlee, ridgid or knaack. i remove the shelf because they get in the way. or put in a temporary shelf out of 4 or 6 inch AL channel. the boxes on the trailer and my truck are new but i don't have a pic. they are a good idea if you are going to be in the field. i would not pay more than 150 for a used box in good condition.





found one.