Steve in Seattle
I am in the middle of putting together a tilt-bed aluminum trailer. Some
time
ago I was on a Northwest Vintage Speedster Club weekend event in
eastern Washington and saw a BEAUTIFUL all-aluminum trailer. In
searching out the details I found that it (and some 350+ like it) had been
made in Arlington, WA (just north of Seattle) some 15 years ago. It had
been designed by a Boeing engineer (what isn't here in Boeing country<g>)
and it was all aluminum except for the axels and running gear. There are
NO WELDS, only rivets and threaded fasteners. Trailers tend to flex and
welds will break (see jet airplane construction) and this trailer was built
to
last. It has roughly 12"x16" outboard 'boxes' that provide rigidity,
storage
cabinets and tandem wheel covers. The 'boxes' are all riveted and made to
very
close tolerances. All the other pieces are stock channel, tube, sheet, etc.
They were made to be drawn behind your Bluebird or Wanderlodge motor
homes, the 14' (some were 12') weighed less than 900 lb. and could handle
over 5000 lb and were very expensive.
They are no longer in production, but I did find a 12' model in Skagit Co.
(where I live) for sale, but I wanted the longer 14' model and the one for
sale had seen some rough usage. Luckily I found the former shop foreman
for the manufacturer and he has a 14' trailer (not for sale) and he had the
two side boxes from the last production run, still unused and sitting in
storage.
Needless to say, I now own the last pair of boxes and hopefully will have
them
outfitted with all the running gear within the next couple of months. If
you want
to see what I'm talking about, I live in Mount Vernon, just an hour north of
Seattle. Let me know.........
Steve Hammatt
Mount Vernon, WA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Shipley" <shiples@home.com>
To: "Richard Boyce" <rboyce90@hotmail.com>
Cc: <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2000 3:56 PM
Subject: Re: Build it yourself Car Trailer
>
> I have this on my list of future projects so I'd really appreciate
> this conversation to remain on the list if possible. I bought one
> of the books on trailer design from Northern Tool which appears to
> cover the basics so it would be very valuable to me to watch the
> process from the comfort of my keyboard.
>
> My practical side says a trailer should be made of steel, but I'd
> love to see one made of aluminum.
>
> Steve Shipley
> Seattle, WA
>
> Richard Boyce wrote:
> >
> > I have not built any from any of"Buy the plans for 29.95" sources but I
have
> > built quite a few trailers. tandem axle car haulers, specific race car
> > trailers, utility trailers etc. etc. etc. Your most major expense will
be
> > the axles, springs, hubs, bearings and assorted hardware. If you would
like
> > to contact me off list I would be glad to help you design one that will
fit
> > your needs or answer any of your questions. No charge of course. The
same
> > offer goes out to any one else that may be interested.
> > rboyce90@hotmail.com Trailers are a very good welding project for the
home
> > craftsman.BTW I have been fabricating and welding for over 30 yrs-glad
to
> > answer anyones questions
> > Richard
> >
> > >From: "Kendall F Jones" <mrjones2@ix.netcom.com>
> > >Reply-To: "Kendall F Jones" <mrjones2@ix.netcom.com>
> > >To: <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
> > >Subject: Build it yourself Car Trailer
> > >Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2000 17:20:17 -0500
> > >
> > >Has anyone put together one of those "Buy the plans for $29.95" Car
> > >trailers? I've been looking to get a double axle trailer, thinking I
could
> > >make one cheaper than a used one (I'm cheap)... Got the space, got the
> > >tools....
> > >
> > >Any comments on actual costs, preferred dealers (for trailer hardware)
> > >would
> > >be appreciated. I've looked on the internet (briefly) and found half a
> > >dozen plan vendors (but no free plans!, harumph)
> > >
> > >thanks
> > >Kendall
> >
> >
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