Found a trailer, finally

[carld]

I have been looking for a trailer for a few years but not real hard. I found a 6'x14' 5000 lb rated trailer that I think is only safe for about 4000 lb max. I plan to haul my tractor or Jeep, mostly the Jeep. It's like new but 5 years old and needs some upgrading for my satisfaction. It needs tires and ramps and tie downs for starters.

[mrmikey]

Nice looking trailer, looks a bit on the light side tho. Whats the frame made from?.....Mike

[carld]

Yeah, that's the rub. The frame holding the wood floor is 2 1/2"x2 1/2"x3/16" angle iron and the A frame with the hitch is channel iron. The rails are what makes it somewhat rigid. It's kind of a wimpy trailer but it will haul the Jeep or tractor.

Since my Ranger is only rated at a 3400 lb tow weight this should work. I wanted tandem axles for safety if I have a tire failure. The trailer is listed at 1450 lb shipping weight so at 4000 lb max I have about a 2500 lb load rate which works for me. A few trial runs should tell me more about safety factors. I'll be at the high end with the Ranger but I will drive about 60 max.

I used a heavy single axle trailer I borrowed to haul the Jeep home from Nashville Tn and it pulled it just fine so this combination should do ok.

[roy697]

I think if you tag it for over 4000 lbs you need brakes, does it have brakes on both axles?

[mrmikey]

The rails are what makes it somewhat rigid. It's kind of a wimpy trailer but it will haul the Jeep or tractor.

Probably that's one of the reasons of the design, to add strength as well as give you side rails. I can't see a problem with the longitudinal rails as they're somewhat along the same designs of a truss.
It's the transverse ones I'd be concerned about, flexing under the weight concentrated on 4 wheels. If you do use it without anyadditional reinforcement, I'd be sure to park the load on a couple of good planks to spread it out a bit, less concentrated that way. Just my two cents worth.....Mike

[carld]

The trailer is stamped with 5000 lb GVW and the serial number but it doesn't have brakes. That concerns me a little and am considering puttling brakes on the front axle. A good shake down cruise will tell me more.

A heavy built single axle trailer I used to haul my Jeep home from Nashville Tn gave me no problems and I am hoping the same from this trailer. I really like the idea of trailer brakes and may end up putting them on anyway, we'll see how it goes.

Having had a trailer get out of control I really like the idea of trailer brakes to slow and control the darn thing.

[roy697]

I found this

www.rockettrailers.com/TrailerBrakeLaws.htm

[carld]

Hmm, looks like I am safe in all states without brakes. I bought and installed brakes on the front axle anyway. I called the shop that built the trailer and got them from him. The axles are 3500 lb Dexters and so are the brakes. A neighbor gave me a brake controller so now I have to wire the trailer brakes, install the controller and wire the truck.

I told the shop owner about the angle iron rubbing the axle and took some photo's with me. He wanted the photo's to show what NOT to do. I can see how they could mistakenly put the cross support in the wrong place because they built the frame on a rotisserie and then add the spring hangers latter. Some welders would not see the problem until they have the axles under it BUT they should have seen it at some point and corrected the error.

I moved the angle iron before I installed the brakes and it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I'm thinking about adding some more angle iron supports under the bed especially where the vehicle wheels will sit. That's cheap insurance to prevent a fall through.

I have been thinking about making some stands for under the back of the trailer for when I am loading and unloading the tractor or Jeep to keep the trailer from bouncing around in the rear. Is that over kill?

[mrmikey]

I have been thinking about making some stands for under the back of the trailer for when I am loading and unloading the tractor or Jeep to keep the trailer from bouncing around in the rear. Is that over kill?

Not in the least, it's a good idea. Unless it's attached to a vehicle I can see the trailer lifting up in the front when you load it....Mike

[roy697]

When I put wiring for brakes & such on my pickup all I had to do was buy a harness that plugs into a slot under the dash, the rest was pre-wired. 07 Dodge. Hope you have that in your tow vehicle.

[carld]

Mine is a 2003 Ford Ranger with a heavy duty tow package but I don't think it has provision for a brake controller. I'll get my Factory manuals out and look to see if it's there.

[roy697]

I would Google it regardless, hope you do have the plug. I found one on the internet for my truck, good luck.

[carld]

Here's an update as the trailer is almost complete now. I have a new controller for the brakes that works with the foot brake now. I have the new tires and spare mounted and have welded loops at four corners for tie downs. I finished mounting the ramps and tested loading the Jeep and it does just fine. I am still thinking about adding the stands at the rear of the trailer for support during loading and unloading. I need to put some reflectors back on the sides yet. The balance point of the Jeep was about where I had thought it would be but I would like to check the tongue weight. I will get some tire covers because it will set most the time. I will test drive it with the Jeep before I decide to get the leveling bars.

[roy697]

Looking good.

[carld]

Roy, I checked my manuals and there is a tow package wiring harness I don't have but I can't tell if it included electric brakes. I saw no indication it did.

The wiring package I have is for lights only. The other wiring package has extra fuses and a relay. The harness at the rear of the trk is a solid loom and the trailer plug comes out of the loom so there is no way to unplug anything. I had to run two wires to control the brakes. I ran a ground wire that is grounded under the hood on a dry spot on the firewall and a hot wire directly from the battery to a breaker, to the controller and then to the rear. It's not what I would like but it will do the job.

I can cut the factory plug off and wire everything into a 7 prong plug but the trailers I have use the four prong flat plug and if I want to I can use an adapter plug and plug it all together If I haul a trailer with the round 7 prong plug.