Keith Ramey <kramey@hiwaay.net> wrote:
>
>I'm in the market for a small tire trailer this season. I've
>seen them mentioned here before. I was wondering if anyone had
>any favorites or any to avoid, and also who are the best
>suppliers?
Many of us started with the Harbor Freight 40 x 48" trailer
kit, and built up from there. Mine cost me $199 last year,
and included free shipping.
The one that I got from Harbor Freight was the LCI-830T,
as shown on this other vendor's web page:
http://www.armorrex.com/subproduct.cfm?Category=others&subcategory=TRAILER
They don't apparently show it on that page, but there's a
$50 upgrade to 12" wheels. Spend the money, you'll thank
me later. You should check out some of the accessories
on the above web site, since Harbor Freight doesn't sell
them all.
There's a web page online somewhere that shows how the Miata
owners are building on top of this kit. Unfortunately,
F-Body (and Audi TT) tires won't fit between the frame rails
like they are doing. The popular trick here is to make
two vertical spindles out of threaded pipe and flanges,
and stack two tires over each spindle. If you put them
both next to each other on the front half of the trailer,
there's plenty of space on the back half for a plastic
(or diamond plate aluminum) pickup truck cargo box.
If I were doing it all over again, I'd probably start
with the "new" LCI-832TA kit on the page above. It's
got the 12" wheels already. Spend the $15 for the
TS-68F trailer tongue stand, and the $45 TS-32SB steel
decking will probably save you lots of grief if you don't
own a saw to cut plywood. You can probably get the decking
steel cheaper at a local metal shop, but then you'd have
to cut it to size. Not a big deal, unless you're like me
and don't have the tools.
I figure that I have under $300 sunk into my trailer so
far, and it's been from New York to Indiana, Kansas, Florida,
Mississippi, and Virginia with no problems, and will be going
to Michigan this weekend if I ever get off my duff and
re-pack the wheel bearings.
My next installment will be owning a tire trailer and
living in an apartment with no garage, and it will include
designing a trailer that disassembles in 5 minutes and
can be carried inside through a 4' hallway.....
-Arthur ("TT = Tiny Trunk" edition.)
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