[bigben]

This has been something that I have wanted to do since back in the winter time. Whenever I ride close by it is a pain to load up the enclosed trailer and I do not like to take off my tonno cover on my pickup. I wanted to have it done by harlan last year but did not really get on it too much. just kept hauling it like usual. I asked my father if he wanted an old popup frame he had sitting in the weeds back beside my house. He naturally wanted to know what I was going to do with it. So I told him that I wanted to make a small flat bed trailer out of it to haul my quad around. I measured it and there were a two possible configruations that I could do. First off though a pic of the trailer.

At first i was planning on unbolting the axle flipping it upside down that way it would put the deck above the tires and I could make a 2 place atv trailer. after measuring though the frame was just too small for a machine as big as the rincon. it would have been a tight squeeze. So I scratched that idea. So it was settled I was going to do a single place atv trailer that I could also use to haul whatever around the house with using the rincon. So it would be dual purpose. I then started thinking about flooring options. FIrst I was thinking about getting diamond plate that was 1/8" thick to weld to the floor for a solid floor. it would also add a bit of weight to preload the springs just a bit. I found out though that was pretty expensive. I quickly realize I would have been better off buying a new trailer instead of putting a bunch of money into this one, but I had just been given a bunch of 2X6 pressure treated boards. Idea I was going to use the 2X6's for the floor. So far total cost $0.00

I looked around and found a decent set of 20.5" tires that were laying around from the multitude of campers that we had torn apart. I picked two good ones out and mounted em up. the small wheel barrel tires that were on it I figured would blow the bearings apart on those long road trips. After getting them on I needed to start figuring how the ramps would attach. Along with how I was going to do the lighting and fenders. At the time I did not want ramps that stayed attached. I was plannin on making something that they would clip into on the rear to unload and load the quad then they would be stored up front for transport. For the fenders I wanted something that if someone stood on they wouldn't buckle. Namely me. When the quad is on this trailer it is just as wide as the frame rails less a few inchs. Whenever I would get off I would be stepping right on the fender to get off the trailer. So I am plannin on using two pieces of 12" wide by 36" long diamond plate that is 1/8" thick. I will bend them at work to the shape I need then weld them on tight. These should be able to withstand my weight. For the lighting I was planning on getting a regular trailer lighting kit from tsc or a trailer supply store. I am also plannin on adding a few white led lights somewhere on the trailer for lighting at night. I am not sure how I am going to rig them up but I think it would be a nice addition to the trailer so when I am loading the quad up at night I will have light to do so. They will run off the trucks battery. I am thinking about putting the turn signals on the fender to keep them from getting ripped off. once I get the fenders welded on that will determine where I place them.

So I had a basic idea drawn out of paper with what I wanted to do. I needed to cut off the extra supports on the sides and since the levelers in the middle were welded tight I cut them out too. I plan on adding some addition support in the four corners where I cut the jacks out so that the trailer has some stregth if I am rear ended or I back into something. So that brings us up to now. Last night I pulled out the cutting torch. I cut off the unneeded pieces that were welded on and started grinding down the frame to smooth it out. got about a 1/4 of it ground last night. I plan on grinding the rest tonight and hopefully I will have the trailer cleaned up welded and ready for pain by the end of labor day weekend. my goal is to have this done by september 19th for a ride upstate.

here is a pic of what I did last night.

 

[bigben]

That will work good for towing a quad out of the woods that breaks down that isn't towable too. Good thinking Ben.

I hadn't thought about that. the trailer is only a little wider then the quad. going through bollards would be a pain but at a private spot it would be perfect for that.

 

[bigben]

My uncle brought the material over to my work today so I clocked out and bent them to the shape I needed them.

flat 1/8" steel diamond plate.

I layed out where the bend lines needed to be and then bent them on the press we have at work. this is what I ended up with two fenders.

 

[bigben]

Since it was a pop-up it should already have a title, and therefore not need to be re-titled. I know we tore one apart about 20 years ago and put a wood deck on it with side fences. The owner never had to do anything and still uses it to this day.

what he said. it is a popup frame and has a title for it.

 

[bigben]

this camper frame acutally has been in the family since late 70's dad bought it after he got out of high school and him and his buddies used it for camping while hunting. pretty much all over west virginia northern tier of pa new york. so it has some history also. it really is not just a trailer that was in the weeds for years. that frame has seen a lot of miles. he had it in good condition till the floor gave out one year in the late 80's. that was it for it.

 

[bigben]

I got most of what I wanted to over the holiday weekend. I got the fenders welded on and after seeing how much strength they had I decided to bend the rear lip that went below the frame straight down. this gives me a spot to put mud flaps also. I also added flat plat inside the fenders to strengthen the fender. I can stand on the fender now and have no problems with it bending or moving. I cleaned up the welds with a flap disk on a 4" grinder. I also welded on some wire hangers for the trailer lighting. I used .25 washers and welded them to the frame where I needed them. I was trying to figure out how to mount the lights that I bought. there are two rear light/turn signals. and then there are side marker lights. I am still not sure where to place them that they are legal and out of the way of getting crushed. here is an updated pic though.

and a pic of the lighting kit that I got. inside is a wiring harness for both a vehicle and the trailer both rear lights and side marker lights.

 

[bigben]

pressure treated 2x6s. free! total cost so far of the project? 30 bucks. I need to get paint and the hardware along with tie down points yet from tractor supply. I figure I will have about 75 bucks in this whole build including the tags and such.

 

[bigben]

Well all done with the welding part of it. I got the light brackets on. I also mounted the amber running lights that came in the kit. The light brackets are made out of 3x5" angle that is .25" thick. Kinda just something that was laying around. Sunday I will be preping the frame and hopefully painting it. all that is left after that is putting the deck on and figuring out where the tiedowns are supposed to go.

Rear view of the trailer. This is right behind it. not following distance. and the plate that is on it is a truck plate we had laying around that is expired so I knew where to line up the lights at.

side view of how I did the mounts. I welded these to the fender to strengthen up the fender even more. there will be a drain hole then to drain water out that will collect.

and last but not least I snapped a pic of my pooch. imagine laying under your vehicle working on it and you go for that wrench that was just there and it moved. You crawl out from underneath and there he is with it in his mouth 3ft away with the biggest grin a dog can have. the little [censored].

 

[bigben]

I painted the frame with primer last night and tonight I intend on putting the final coat of black paint on. while the paint is drying then and while it is up on the saw horses I plan on taking the bearings out and repacking them. this trailer is equipped with bearing buddies but my father told me with it sitting idle for a good many years it is cheap insurance.

I plan on using pressure treated 2x6's they will be held in with 6 lag bolts per board. there will be 5 tie downs total for the four wheeler. two per each rear wheel and one up front in the middle. I plan to use two straps in the rear. one around each tire. then a safety chain up front that will be a just in case. I am pretty [censored] about how my quad is tied down. in my enclosed trailer it normally has 4 ratchet straps one on each corner and then two safety straps. same thing when it is in the back of the truck.

so far total spent to date

10 bucks for material for inside of fenders

20 bucks for light kit

15 bucks for paint and brushs.

total so far 45 bucks. I am plannin on buying the hardware to bolt the deck down tommarow along with the tie downs.

all that is left is finish paint bolt the boards down and put the tiedowns in. that is it.

 

[bigben]

here is the trailer painted. there is a coat of rust red primer on it and then a coat of low gloss black implement paint. brushed on. I did both top and bottom. I also took apart both hubs and cleaned both bearings and then repacked them with grease. this trailer is equipped with bearing buddies. so I made sure that they were working properly.

 

[bigben]

I finished the wiring last night. hooked the trailer up to the truck and tested the lights and everything worked like it should. now all that is left is put the deck on and that is it.

 

[bigben]

well finally done. I got the hardware to bolt the deck down to the frame yesterday afternoon. after about a hour of work I had the deck done. I loaded the quad down and decided to mount it all the way forward as possible. this leaves room on the rear for a cooler or in this case a fire barrel. total costs for the project.

$10.00 material for inside fenders
$15.00 for paint and brushs
$20.00 for light kit
$50.00 for galvanized hardware to secure deck
$15.00 For tie down points.

total 110 bucks.

The main goal was to build a small compact trailer that I could use for long trips or short trips. mainly the shorter ones. I wanted to do it on a budget though that it would be cheaper and better built then a commercially made one. the only thing I need to do yet is buy two new tires. they are 60 bucks a piece and that will put me to 230 bucks. which is still cheaper then one you can buy. the deck is 4ft 6" wide and 8 ft long. finally pics

what I started with

what I ended up with.

heck I even made my own deadline. this afternoon I head north.