Got my Trailer parts..car hauler in the making!!

John Fuller

John Fuller

XJ Fanatic!!
Banned
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Location
Boone NC
a good friend donated this 16' trailer and seems to be a nice jeep hauler. it has the 2x12 boards as the deck so i was wondering for weight purposes does it make any difference (or much if any) to go from full deck to only just the ramps for the tires. here'e the picture of mine (red one)
my new trailer.jpg
trailer idea 1.jpg
and then the black one is the other one i was thinking of doing mine like if it helps if not then i'll leave it. thank you for any and all help. i'm new to this which i never thought i would get to this point of having a trailer to haul my jeep on..new just need tow vehicle and i'm close to having what i've always dreamed of having: To Trailer my jeep places so i can have a little more fun and not spend so much money making it "street friendly"
 
and yeah i think i'm gonna have to loose the side rails too...the lugs on the jeep will def not clear the rails lol
 
and while i'm doing some research...anyone with trailer experience have a "ballpark" estimate of what this thing weighs? i'm looking at removing the 4 2x10x16 in the middle so that will take away couple hundred pounds and loose the side rails but trying to figure out what ballpark this thing weighs. i keep seeing average 1500 on the net for this type/style trailer...sound about right?
 
Let me tell you from experience working at a fab shop. Those angle iron trailers are made for landscaping IE low weight. If you cut the side rails you will lose the rigidness that keeps the angle iron from bending. I would go with the second photo essentially turning the angle iron into square tubing. Also check to see if your cross bracing are 24" on center if not you might need to add a few where your tires will sit. Not a bad trailer at all for what you got in it just needs some work for what you want it to do. Kaufman rate's there's at 6,000 with two 3,500 lb axle's so trailer is around 1,000 plus. Id run angle iron down both sides boxing the sides in then turn another angle iron up on each side 2ft out. buy two sheets of diamond plate and be like the black one.
 
diamond plate will have to wait later on...i will have to get under it tomorrow and take some pictures of the frame...i don't even know how the frame is on it spend 6hrs today just unloading it and taking these wooden rotted plywood sides off it and got it looking clean to this point. the guy who gave it to me says he hauled easy 10K on it with his Dodge 1500 so he figured should suit me well for hauling little 3300lb xj LOL. but all in all can't complain for 'free' trailer. i will post pictures tomorrow of the underneath hopefully so you and others can better see what's there and point me in right direction with any additions needed. thank you for response so far.
 
if i may ask for wonders: how would losing the side rails cause any structural integrity issues...they are pretty flexible and move pretty easily so i didn't think they really did anything but just there for some support of light weight against them but they move pretty easily and are only welded at the bottoms. I'm just asking so i can learn more about metal/fabrications/structural integrities and abilities of metals in different angles/applications. thank u
 
The side rails keep the bottom angle iron from "twisting apart" in the corners.
You also need to find out what size axles (weight rating) are on it.
 
Keep it full wood deck. No real weight savings. The red one is a landscape trailer. It'll haul a car, but check the frame to see where the crossmembers are. Don't cut the side rails off.
 
thank u guys. i will keep deck since no weight difference. will get pictures of underneath tomorrow so we can have better understanding of the trailer itself. thank you to all so far. blessed evenings!!
 
ok so here's some pictures of what i have...so far at the very rear i was going to cut the angle iron out and put in 2x4 where the ramp will mount for strength there but the rest of the trailer what are your thoughts. its 15'9" total deck length x 76" wide deck, 2.5ft tongue. the tongue is 4" C-channel all the way to the first axle then angle iron the rest of it...the angle iron overlaps the C-channel about 3ft though. little bow in the middle of the center but all the welds are good, only the back and front angle iron pieces are little ruff from the boards trapping moisture in there but the back one will get redone with 2x4 steel. the axles didn't have any kind of stamping on them but tires are rated 1876lb a piece x4 should hold up jeep just fine..so far from taking the plywood sides off and leaving 4 2x10x16 out of the middle (for now at least they were too rotted) it sure weighs WAY LESS...like i can pick up the rear of the trailer almost inch off the ground (if that says anything towards weight of it overall. bearings are new and packed and changed out u-bolts cause well...yall can see what the old ones were lol. stock xj ubolts fit perfectly.
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shawn said:
Keep it full wood deck. No real weight savings. The red one is a landscape trailer. It'll haul a car, but check the frame to see where the crossmembers are. Don't cut the side rails off.
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so i want to learn: what are the crossmembers on here...are they the angle running side to side
 
i didn't take picture but the corners are overlapped and welded on all sides so do the side rails still need to be there...what if take off the side rails just up to where the front tires would be so the front of the trailer would be kinda closed in if you get my drift...
 
Leave the freakin side rails on there as is.

Otherwise you will have a big pile of shit that will land your pic on the fab hack job posts all over the Internet for everyone to laugh at. Plus, your trailer will fall apart with anything heavier than a push mower on it.

The reason the angle iron in the corners is overlapped is because whoever built it was too lazy to cope the angle for a proper fit. It doesn't add any strength.
 
It looks to be in pretty decent shape. If it won't work for your needs I suggest trying to sell it or trade it for what would work.
 
YotaOnRocks said:
It looks to be in pretty decent shape. If it won't work for your needs I suggest trying to sell it or trade it for what would work.
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well that's what my main point was for posting this thread to see if this nice free gift would work to haul my xj on 35s safely to and from trails so from your reply..it sounds like it is. i will have a little funds soon to throw at it so what's the best/affordable way to improve strength "if any" for hauling jeeps? thank u
 
This is a typical cheap lanscape design. Much like a T and W brand. Of you cut the rails like stated earlier it will cut its capacity by almost half. They act like a truss. Anything not welded at each crossed that makes contact with the rails should be. Leave the floor full and don't go cheap. This makes up for the wide crossed spacing. In my honest opinion. Put a good floor in it. By enamel paint and roll it on. Easier and less wasteful and messy as spraying. Fix any wiring, put decent lights on it. Sell and use money for a better trailer, built or bought. I have repaired a bunch of these for being over loaded and abused.
Sorry this reads like crap, auto correct sucks.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Sell and use money for a better trailer, built or bought. I have repaired a bunch of these for being over loaded and abused.
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so does this mean no hauling jeeps on it? that's kinda the only reason the guy gave it to me lol
 
In the long run, an xj is a good bit much for this design. Net gain on a refurbished resale would help you get a better built and better handling unit. Even the narrow tongue is to your disadvantage.
 
i realize with anything in life many people have many different opinions so i just want to at least mention this and NOT TO GO AGAINST ANYONE AT ALL: he hauled lots and lots of big loads and he said big like 7-10K loads, track hoes,trucks,etc...but then stopped using it cause he redirected his work field so it just sat for a year or so. So he asked if i wanted it and said in its form would pull a jeep just fine...Add a little extra bracing to the floor and should last a long time for pulling just jeeps. SO, this is where i stand with it. Having mentioned what he said, i'm also taking notes from you guys but i'm having trouble finding the middle ground. I normally would've taken his word for it and just ran with it but figured you guys would have more experience in towing jeeps. So please i don't mean any disrespect to anyone if i seem like i'm not taking advise: i just want to take what he said and get advise of how to make it better but if what he said is not "safe" than i would totally understand.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
In the long run, an xj is a good bit much for this design. Net gain on a refurbished resale would help you get a better built and better handling unit. Even the narrow tongue is to your disadvantage.
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wouldn't it still be WAY cheaper to make this one a little better design suited for jeeps? surely couple hundred dollars worth of 2x4 steel and some C-Channel would make a pretty beefy "jeep" hauler.
 
You're best bet is to sell it and buy something the Jeep will fit on. Weight wise it will handle it. But, an actual car trailer will do it better.
 
It's not a matter of adding bracing in my opinion. The entire trailer design is for light loads. From the tongue to the axles to the main rails. Will it do it if it fits? Probably. Will it bend and tweak the frame? Probably. I see trailers every day that are extremely overloaded with the tires sitting on a 45 degree angle. Those people will say "oooh yeah man that 5x10 single axle trailer will haul a d9 dozer no problem". I choose to not be that guy.
 
Aside from the frame without some bearing measurements; which help dictate spindle diameter, I'd guess these are 1500lb or 1800lb axles. That alone would steer me away from towing a Curb weight: 3,357 lb (1,523 kg) (approx.) STOCK XJ.
 
John Fuller said:
i realize with anything in life many people have many different opinions so i just want to at least mention this and NOT TO GO AGAINST ANYONE AT ALL: he hauled lots and lots of big loads and he said big like 7-10K loads, track hoes,trucks,etc...but then stopped using it cause he redirected his work field so it just sat for a year or so. So he asked if i wanted it and said in its form would pull a jeep just fine...Add a little extra bracing to the floor and should last a long time for pulling just jeeps. SO, this is where i stand with it. Having mentioned what he said, i'm also taking notes from you guys but i'm having trouble finding the middle ground. I normally would've taken his word for it and just ran with it but figured you guys would have more experience in towing jeeps. So please i don't mean any disrespect to anyone if i seem like i'm not taking advise: i just want to take what he said and get advise of how to make it better but if what he said is not "safe" than i would totally understand.
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I will tell you this. I would bet you a $100 bill that he never hauled a 10k load on THAT trailer in its current configuration more than a mile, and I doubt that far.
#1 those tires would have popped.


That is not an ideal Jeep trailer in any way, and certainly not an ideal XJ trailer. As stated a bunch the rails are necessary for the strength. I'd like to explain why, but its be easier to tell you to take a physics or structural class at a local tech school. But everyone here is telling you the same thing about the rails, just trust them. Now with the rails on the Jeep doors will not open, unless it sits up high enough for the bottom of the door to clear the rails.

Have fun with the trailer, but it isnt an ideal Jeep hauler or really even an adequate one for any sort of frequent use.
 
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