I just got me an old hauling trailer, and I mean she is old. I feel better now after watching your video about pulling her apart. I am age 62 and I just learned how to hook up a trailer as I had just bought one off of Craigs list.. I hauled a maiden load the second day I had her. Scarey; the learning curve is on the first round. I am anxious to see what is underneath the old girl. What a cool thing you gave us, thanks for the video. All of the comments with added tips. I am soooo there.
LOL, sweet. One thing I forgot to do on my trailer was to weld on some loops for tie-downs, so I have to be sure to hook them onto the angle iron all the time. It looks good, well edited video.
Looks pretty good! My dad did a similar thing when he rebuilt our hauling popup camper except he mounted the decking parallel to the sides of the trailer using a symmetric combination of old 2x8 and I think 2x10 boards from a pool dock and fastened them directly through drilled holes in the frame with countersunk 1/2 inch bolts, and then stained it to help protect it. Still not finished yet, he still needs to make the brackets for the slide in sides that he just has screwed into the decking for now, and the frame still needs to be painted.
That they do! Even when they have rotting plywood and only ratchet straps holding it together when hauling an ATV down the highway going 70 mph...LOL, that's what ours was before it was rebuilt.
I love those screws. Its worth the added expense over philips head. But it looks great! And kudos on the extension cord trick. I do it all the time, especially on 2 prong plugs as they pull out easier than 3 prong.
Nice job, Looks good man. Find a magnet off something liked speakers, engine flywheel and wave it above and around the grass to pick up the screws if they are steel before they get in any of your tires. enjoyed watching, Great video,
You did a great job fearless!! I would have done things a little different though. Primed the whole thing with Rustoleum rusty metal primer. Then painted it with some gloss black. I would have used brush on paint too. I think it lasts longer. Also it would probably be a good idea to repack the bearings in the hubs. You don't want a seized bearing while you're out on the road with a loaded trailer. Harbor freight sells a nice trailer that you could make bigger than 4x8 if you didn't want to put anything into that one. Great video!!!! I enjoyed watching!!!
It should work great for that. I own their boat trailer and its great. The heavy duty utility trailer looks very similar to the next size down trailer for about $100 less. It would be neat to compare them side by side to see the differences.
Nice little build video, as always Mr. Front. Reminds me of when I had to rebuild my trailer. We went a similar route, accept I went whole-hog and gound my trailer down to bare metal before priming. Otherwise, same process.
yeah, I didn't want to invest that much time into it. I only paid $200 a year ago for it. and as it was it took me all day just to do this....and I need this thing yesterday if you know what I mean... haha
Nice job on the trailer I gotta do the same to mine. I have a ex popup also but I left the level jacks in place on the rear so I can lower them then jack the front and it will raise the wheels off the ground giving a stable platform
Actually the 3 last pieces stacked side by side with no gap, considering they are the end it's better since that's where you get up, get down, put the stuff in, etc. The area where usually people use the deck more. So that should give it better resilience over time. As troublesome as it sounds consider dumping some linseed oil on the wood, would help with the rot and water issues in general.
Looks good man, should have re wired everything before the decking went on, could have tucked it on the other side of the frame rail. That or just them thru a small pipe so they're protected from water and sun. Looks great
Find out the cost of truck bed liner vs water proofing, I did truck bed liner on my trailer it was the roll on kind and it held up great plus it doesn't make it slippery if you load in the rain or mud. Then you just power wash it.
definitely make sure it has good tires properly inflated, all moving parts properly lubed, and a good hitch and safety chain setup. did you check your welds for stress or cracks? i might have gone with steel grating for the decking. it would have been more expensive, but in the long run would last longer...and if installed right, much safer. i put a sheet of plywood on my trailer because i needed to use it right away after i bought it, but i am gonna hound the local scrap yards for some grating to replace it with as soon as i can.
Good advise! And I did wood strictly for cost. and there is still work to be done. Like new tires, wiring, lights, ect. I spent most of the day doing this alone. I was hoping to get it all wired up too, but that wasn't gonna happen.
I too am using an old popup camper. My problem is the wheels come up past the frame. I dont want to do fenders and would rather have a deck-over. Any tips on how to gain clearance between axle and frame or build a high deck??
The boards will last longer if they were installed long ways with the trailer. Water is going to be trapped instead of rolling off the wood and you'll lose gas mileage cause the wind is going to sail off each board. There should be fenders around the tires, when your tire explodes it might damage the trailer and/or the mowers. You should also paint the cuts you made to the wood. Water is going destroy the wood after absorbing. I got all my wood from construction bins with the site supers concent of course. Especially on older homes getting renovated. In most cases the wood coming down is better than the store bought. For example ( most older woods are either a red or yellow cedar.) Which is gold for outdoor wood projects. Just make sure you paint your cuts so the wood doesn't swell or dry rot. Most woods too have a side that's supposed to be down and away from water. But with no fenders on the tires, the woods going to rot anyway. Watch out for those screws you broke off in the grass, they might pop a tire or stick a kid with bare feet
good job dude, but in my opinion it would be easier to rewire everything when it was bare frame...but all in all your videos are bad ass and very helpful and knowledgeable
Hey fearless. Im in a bind. I have a mtd mower with a 14 hp briggs on it and the steering bar broke off my oil drain shaft so I got the rest of it out with a screwdriver and put a new on in well after filling it with oil I noticed a leak.... what happened was where the drain screws in it cracked the aluminum where the dip stick is. Is there any way to fix it? Please let me know in your next video if you can. Thanks. An your videos have inspired me to build my own mud mower and hopefully your information will help fix its problem.
well, a "quick fix" would be to drain the oil, and use some j/b weld to try and patch the crack. you'll want to grind the metal a little bit to rough it up so the j/b has something to mechanically bond too. (rough surface) But the big fix would be to replace the bottom plate. Remove the motor, drain the oil, remove the pulley, and then flip the motor upside down and remove the bolts, and the plate should come loose. It's pretty easy. But you will need a new gasket.
Hey fearless, I'm making a trailer out of a pop up camper also. Did you put the axle on the underside of your springs?? And, did you make the extended shackles for it? What did you figure you needed for clearance for your tire to bed? Last question, did you make a video of what I'm asking you by chance. Nice work on the new bed!!
I didn't do any of the suspension modifications, that was done by the previous owner. What you see, is what I got. I have no idea how it was originally supposed to look.
Nice! Are you going to stain the wood to keep it nice? Also, I think you should make a removable flip-up ramp. It would make it easier than dealing with your aluminum one.
Not sure if I should or not. I probably won't do the ramps either, because sometimes I load from the side, sometimes the back. So I need a ramp I can move wherever I need it to be. plus it cost me like $250 for mine
I think you should stain it. While hauling your mowers around, you're gonna have nasty swamp water dripping onto it, plus it sits outside open to the elements. It might be worth your time to stain it every few years to keep it from looking like the old decking.
Matthew Bruesch undo u bolts on suspension. Remove axle, turn axle over so locator buttons are facing up at springs. Re assemble with springs on top of axle instead of under it. Will gibe you about 2.5 to 3" more clearance. If still not enough...you'll have to fabricate shackles to lift it.
Hey Fearlessfront I am trying to figure out if you used just the 5" Douglas Aluminum Wheels and selected the width and offset. I am using the same size dunlop tires and would like your help knowing the rim dimensions.
I can't remember for sure, but I know the wheels were 1" narrower than the tire that were being mounted to them. If they were 5.5" wide tires, I would have gotten 4.5" width rims. Cant remember the offset though. that was a log time ago
I have a 89 cenex that i go mudding with. I was about 2 feet in a river and my electrical fried ad i was wondering how to make the simplest electrical system that charges my battery. By the way my engine is a 11hp briggs and stratton Milwaukee wisconsin flathead with the syncro balance thing. And i have a points ignition. Thanks fearless. Also if i could keep the battery gauge that would be awesome.
Fearlessfront If i was you i would go buy some eye bolts and load up the sears and the mud mower and use them eye bolts for strapping the mowers down just my 2 cents
Why didn't you just lay down pressure treated 1/2 decking, way cheaper, & how is the title set up, did your friend just go get tags for a camper, & run it as a camper , after he turned it into a flatbed or did he go get a title for a flatbed
AWWWW shoulda used eye bolts in place of the carriage bolts, and have them come up over the top so you'd have handy evenly placed tether points to strap your rigs down
It looks like your trailer has drum brakes. I would get those working if I were you. It would be much safer and would save your vehicle brakes from the overloading.
I just got me an old hauling trailer, and I mean she is old. I feel better now after watching your video about pulling her apart. I am age 62 and I just learned how to hook up a trailer as I had just bought one off of Craigs list.. I hauled a maiden load the second day I had her. Scarey; the learning curve is on the first round. I am anxious to see what is underneath the old girl. What a cool thing you gave us, thanks for the video. All of the comments with added tips. I am soooo there.
Nice job, I think that board layout looks good. Now it looks like you can romp again!
LOL, sweet. One thing I forgot to do on my trailer was to weld on some loops for tie-downs, so I have to be sure to hook them onto the angle iron all the time.
It looks good, well edited video.
thanks T, I think i'm gonna do some bolt on tie down rings on the front and sides.
Looks pretty good! My dad did a similar thing when he rebuilt our hauling popup camper except he mounted the decking parallel to the sides of the trailer using a symmetric combination of old 2x8 and I think 2x10 boards from a pool dock and fastened them directly through drilled holes in the frame with countersunk 1/2 inch bolts, and then stained it to help protect it. Still not finished yet, he still needs to make the brackets for the slide in sides that he just has screwed into the decking for now, and the frame still needs to be painted.
sounds rugged! these old camper frames make great trailers!
That they do! Even when they have rotting plywood and only ratchet straps holding it together when hauling an ATV down the highway going 70 mph...LOL, that's what ours was before it was rebuilt.
haha! yeah, been there! lol
Great Video Man!! Very Glad You Re-Built The Trailer!! Great Idea!!
trailer looks awesome! cant wait to see some romping :)
I subbed... Watching your videos has inspired me to fix up my 74 John Deere 140!
Keep up the good work there Tood, it look good.
That's the best trailer conversion I've seen, u should get some eye bolts for the front and sides as an anchor point though
yea, I plan on adding some tiedowns. they would make life a lot easier!
I love those screws. Its worth the added expense over philips head.
But it looks great!
And kudos on the extension cord trick. I do it all the time, especially on 2 prong plugs as they pull out easier than 3 prong.
yeah! un-plugging in the the middle of screwing is never good! ;)
Ohoho.
Great vid, the tip about the ext cord love it! Saved me so many times KUTGW!
Looks good, nice little handy trailer
It is, it's a great size/weight.
and it's cheap
Nice vid I love the flat bed trailer!!
hey fearless the trailer looks great just makes you get a chrome spry paint for the tires
Nice job, Looks good man. Find a magnet off something liked speakers, engine flywheel and wave it above and around the grass to pick up the screws if they are steel before they get in any of your tires. enjoyed watching, Great video,
Yeah, I used a roofing magnet, they work great
You did a great job fearless!! I would have done things a little different though. Primed the whole thing with Rustoleum rusty metal primer. Then painted it with some gloss black. I would have used brush on paint too. I think it lasts longer. Also it would probably be a good idea to repack the bearings in the hubs. You don't want a seized bearing while you're out on the road with a loaded trailer. Harbor freight sells a nice trailer that you could make bigger than 4x8 if you didn't want to put anything into that one. Great video!!!! I enjoyed watching!!!
It should work great for that. I own their boat trailer and its great. The heavy duty utility trailer looks very similar to the next size down trailer for about $100 less. It would be neat to compare them side by side to see the differences.
Love2boat92 you can thin out rustolium brush paint with mineral spirits & put it through a paint gun very easily. Very forgiving & covers really well.
Nice little build video, as always Mr. Front. Reminds me of when I had to rebuild my trailer. We went a similar route, accept I went whole-hog and gound my trailer down to bare metal before priming. Otherwise, same process.
yeah, I didn't want to invest that much time into it. I only paid $200 a year ago for it. and as it was it took me all day just to do this....and I need this thing yesterday if you know what I mean... haha
Awesome job man looks great!
Nice job on the trailer I gotta do the same to mine. I have a ex popup also but I left the level jacks in place on the rear so I can lower them then jack the front and it will raise the wheels off the ground giving a stable platform
thats pretty sweet, mine was stripped when I got it. So I don't have those.
Hey Trail looks sweet awesome job
Good job man looks sturdy thanks for the video
nice job man.
Wow when i did my truck bed it cost around 450.
good lord! what did you use for wood? Mahogany? Ipe?
Fearlessfront NO lol, steel!
3DMachines Oh! lol oops! hahaha!
3DMachines i know u i unsubed from ur chanel like a year ago cause i got realy behind agan so sory keep up the good work👌👍👍
Great video fearless
Actually the 3 last pieces stacked side by side with no gap, considering they are the end it's better since that's where you get up, get down, put the stuff in, etc. The area where usually people use the deck more. So that should give it better resilience over time.
As troublesome as it sounds consider dumping some linseed oil on the wood, would help with the rot and water issues in general.
Good point... I may spray something on there. And that end board does have a nice overhang. It will also help protect the tail lights.
Fearlessfront Yup. This will turn in a really nice project. I think the thick bedding was a really good choice. In time it will prove a wise decision.
aserta we have it on the trailers at work, and it holds up great, even without treatment. I like the thick stuff, though it does weigh a little more
Looks good man, should have re wired everything before the decking went on, could have tucked it on the other side of the frame rail. That or just them thru a small pipe so they're protected from water and sun. Looks great
that stuff will come later, I was afraid of drilling a hole through my newly installed wiring. that would suck!
Nice rebuild! Great job on the video!
Find out the cost of truck bed liner vs water proofing, I did truck bed liner on my trailer it was the roll on kind and it held up great plus it doesn't make it slippery if you load in the rain or mud. Then you just power wash it.
Being over two years later, did you stain or paint it? Great Vid!
definitely make sure it has good tires properly inflated, all moving parts properly lubed, and a good hitch and safety chain setup. did you check your welds for stress or cracks?
i might have gone with steel grating for the decking. it would have been more expensive, but in the long run would last longer...and if installed right, much safer. i put a sheet of plywood on my trailer because i needed to use it right away after i bought it, but i am gonna hound the local scrap yards for some grating to replace it with as soon as i can.
Good advise! And I did wood strictly for cost. and there is still work to be done. Like new tires, wiring, lights, ect. I spent most of the day doing this alone. I was hoping to get it all wired up too, but that wasn't gonna happen.
Best cord trick, i have a lopper/chainsaw and it is electric and if i want my projects to go good i have to do this trick
Im doing the same thing. Did you have enough room for suspension travel with no wheel wells?
Great job 👍
look great , and one thing that will help to make I last a little long is to put some wood sill on it
Love The vídeos Man! Deff a 👍! Wish ya lives closer so we could ride. Keep The vídeos coming Man be safe!
im currently redoing a 4x6 utility trailor with sides, just big enough to fit 1 tractor
nice job fearless
Awesome video too
I too am using an old popup camper. My problem is the wheels come up past the frame. I dont want to do fenders and would rather have a deck-over. Any tips on how to gain clearance between axle and frame or build a high deck??
My first thought was that I hope you don't catch any of those screws in your tires later...second thought is excellent choice on the hemlock.
I used a roofing magnet after it was all done, and out of the way
I would recommend cleaning and repacking the wheel bearings. Looks good nice video.
Thanks, theres still more to come!
Give the rims a quick shot of paint so it looks as good as the rest of it.
Nice job I like it.
Looks good man I got almost the same trailer
I like mine, it's a good size for what it is
If possible, you should paint the rims either black or metallic silver! It would look really nice!
Is the wood treated? If not will you seal it?
The boards will last longer if they were installed long ways with the trailer. Water is going to be trapped instead of rolling off the wood and you'll lose gas mileage cause the wind is going to sail off each board. There should be fenders around the tires, when your tire explodes it might damage the trailer and/or the mowers. You should also paint the cuts you made to the wood. Water is going destroy the wood after absorbing. I got all my wood from construction bins with the site supers concent of course. Especially on older homes getting renovated. In most cases the wood coming down is better than the store bought. For example ( most older woods are either a red or yellow cedar.) Which is gold for outdoor wood projects. Just make sure you paint your cuts so the wood doesn't swell or dry rot. Most woods too have a side that's supposed to be down and away from water. But with no fenders on the tires, the woods going to rot anyway. Watch out for those screws you broke off in the grass, they might pop a tire or stick a kid with bare feet
I have same trailer how did u raise the frame from the axel
nice work on this rebuild. should last you a long time now.
good job dude, but in my opinion it would be easier to rewire everything when it was bare frame...but all in all your videos are bad ass and very helpful and knowledgeable
Awesome job
I have a question why did you do the board across then long way ?
Hey fearless. Im in a bind. I have a mtd mower with a 14 hp briggs on it and the steering bar broke off my oil drain shaft so I got the rest of it out with a screwdriver and put a new on in well after filling it with oil I noticed a leak.... what happened was where the drain screws in it cracked the aluminum where the dip stick is. Is there any way to fix it? Please let me know in your next video if you can. Thanks. An your videos have inspired me to build my own mud mower and hopefully your information will help fix its problem.
well, a "quick fix" would be to drain the oil, and use some j/b weld to try and patch the crack. you'll want to grind the metal a little bit to rough it up so the j/b has something to mechanically bond too. (rough surface)
But the big fix would be to replace the bottom plate. Remove the motor, drain the oil, remove the pulley, and then flip the motor upside down and remove the bolts, and the plate should come loose. It's pretty easy. But you will need a new gasket.
great for the lawn mower. and your car / truck tires.
any paint for the lumber?
How much would it cost to get that size of the trailer plated
Hey fearless, I'm making a trailer out of a pop up camper also. Did you put the axle on the underside of your springs?? And, did you make the extended shackles for it? What did you figure you needed for clearance for your tire to bed? Last question, did you make a video of what I'm asking you by chance. Nice work on the new bed!!
I didn't do any of the suspension modifications, that was done by the previous owner. What you see, is what I got. I have no idea how it was originally supposed to look.
Good job man now its time for working on that garage its pretty bad
I love your vids I am 11 and building a 98 murry mud mower.
Nice! Are you going to stain the wood to keep it nice? Also, I think you should make a removable flip-up ramp. It would make it easier than dealing with your aluminum one.
Not sure if I should or not. I probably won't do the ramps either, because sometimes I load from the side, sometimes the back. So I need a ramp I can move wherever I need it to be. plus it cost me like $250 for mine
I think you should stain it. While hauling your mowers around, you're gonna have nasty swamp water dripping onto it, plus it sits outside open to the elements. It might be worth your time to stain it every few years to keep it from looking like the old decking.
How much Wait can the trailer hold
Next time you do an oil change put the old oil on the decking. Where can i get some of them fearless stickers?
got same exact frame. been trying to figure best way to deck without cutting out for wheels. how you keep wheels from rubbing under load?
Matthew Bruesch undo u bolts on suspension. Remove axle, turn axle over so locator buttons are facing up at springs. Re assemble with springs on top of axle instead of under it. Will gibe you about 2.5 to 3" more clearance. If still not enough...you'll have to fabricate shackles to lift it.
Hey Fearlessfront I am trying to figure out if you used just the 5" Douglas Aluminum Wheels and selected the width and offset. I am using the same size dunlop tires and would like your help knowing the rim dimensions.
I can't remember for sure, but I know the wheels were 1" narrower than the tire that were being mounted to them. If they were 5.5" wide tires, I would have gotten 4.5" width rims.
Cant remember the offset though. that was a log time ago
When are you going to start the golf cart build
Great Video! You might want to put a coat of some cheap stain on the wood to help keep it from rotting.
I have a 89 cenex that i go mudding with. I was about 2 feet in a river and my electrical fried ad i was wondering how to make the simplest electrical system that charges my battery. By the way my engine is a 11hp briggs and stratton Milwaukee wisconsin flathead with the syncro balance thing. And i have a points ignition. Thanks fearless. Also if i could keep the battery gauge that would be awesome.
Nice trailer and vid, down to the point, I like that. Damn, you guys don't pay much for wood there
Did you fix your half inch bolt that holds your safety chains? Also when you posting another video on the rest of the work on the trailer?
In about a week or so. I am still working on it. she'll be mint once I'm done.
can u get me the link i can't find it
Is there a way I could get one of your stickers for my racing mower? And what is the little licence plate on the beast sears for?
Thanks
When are you gonna start on the golf cart
I've got a trailer to redo myself too but all my projects that require money are on hold till I come back from my east coast bike trip .
it sucks spending all day doing stuff like this, but hopefully I won't have to do it again anytime soon!
See you soon!
Fearlessfront
If i was you i would go buy some eye bolts and load up the sears and the mud mower and use them eye bolts for strapping the mowers down just my 2 cents
did you seal the wood?
Wow $113 dollars thats really good im going to rebuild my quad trailer
Hey fearless I was wondering where I can purchase one of your stickers from
How come you didn’t treat any of the boards
You should get some sweet lookin rims or paint up the ones u already have
Where do you feerlessfront
Sir u r he best man I just love ur ideas. How can I get some stickers I ready want some
Good job
Very nice
Nice video
Use led's for brake lights and turn signals
The next time you build something like this I would recommend camo deck screws
Those are self tapping screws!
good gob man
when will be pt 2?
Not looking forward to it , But I also have one to do soon!
1 week and still no video fear make more I love them...
All ya need to do now is weather proof it lol!
Why didn't you just lay down pressure treated 1/2 decking, way cheaper, & how is the title set up, did your friend just go get tags for a camper, & run it as a camper , after he turned it into a flatbed or did he go get a title for a flatbed
Part 2. whens it coming?
7 years later still no part 2 lol
good job
It looks new
don't forget to repack your wheel bearings
AWWWW shoulda used eye bolts in place of the carriage bolts, and have them come up over the top so you'd have handy evenly placed tether points to strap your rigs down
happy roppen !!!
Ok thanks, ya I'm going to need to do something similar so my tires don't rub on the underside of the floor.
yeah, I could see how that would be a problem. I think this one just has lift shackles from an auto parts store.
cool
It looks like your trailer has drum brakes. I would get those working if I were you. It would be much safer and would save your vehicle brakes from the overloading.
yeah, that kit is expensive, and actually, the jeep handles the weight really well. I drove well over an hour to shows last year and it did great!
how much are your stickers