I'm not going to go into the entire construction process, but I started with an axle and hubs from a grain auger. It lent itself to being easily cut down to length. My overall dimension had to be slightly less than 50" as I have a small bridge I cross, and 50" is the internal width. The axle needed to have some method of attaching it to the frame. I decided not to go with springs and shackles simply because for my purposes they were an unneccesary expense. I cut out two pieces of 3/8" thick flat stock to weld to the axle, cutting out semicircles to provide adequate welding area.
Next, I bought some 2x2x3/16" angle and framed it up. I used some 2x2x3/16" square tubing for the tongue, and misc. scrap to make the hitch pin portion. I like to have pins that don't get lost, so I often weld them to a length of chain and to the tongue. A $20 pair of nice 15" tires from a local scrap yard looked good on the sandblasted and primed rims.
Next, I cut and bent some more angle to fabricate some side supports. I like a "flare box" look, so thats what I made. The wood is treated 2x10s and 2x6s and they're held to the steel with 2" carriage bolts.
The tail gate was fabricated and I used a latch system like you'd found on old pickups... the chain and pin that both latches the tailgate shut and will hold it horizontal when open. Some Van Sickle paint (yes, I know that's the cheap stuff, but remember, this is a LOG HAULER!) made for a little color. After spending quite a bit of time grinding, chipping, and then sandblasting the entire assembly ( In the cold, at night, using a trouble light) its ready for some paint. The welds aren't always the prettiest, but I bet they will hold.
I flipped the whole thing upside down and shot some paint on the bottom. The picture doesn't give the paint justice. Its BRIGHT red and looks really nice. Need sunlight to show that... maybe by next APRIL....
The wheels were masked off, and have received their first coat of IH off white. I like to mask them off w/ cheapo masking tape, then using a razor, trace around the bead. Then, i sneak into the house and steal one of my wife's old magazines and use the pages to mask off the rest. I"ll post more pics soon, after I flip the trailer back over and paint the top side. Hopefully, I'll have it all done in about 2 more days after everything is dried.
I'll post more in the coming days.
Next day... got the kids out early to give me a hand flipping the trailer over. The paint was still a wee bit soft, but we managed to flip it w/o scuffing anything...You might notice that the crates supporting the trailer have a bit o' green on them... yeah, I've been accused of crossing color lines in old tractors, and rightly so.
A close up shot showing how I notched and fit the angle iron for smooth surfaces..
Here's a close up of the latch pins.
To protect the top edges of the wooden sides, I used 1/8" flatstock attached with 1 1/4" screws.
The wheels are painted and the masking makes all the difference. I really like the cream and red combination.
My last coat of paint had a catalytic hardener in it, so by tomorrow, I should be able to bolt everything back together. I'll post more when its done.
FINISHED! The hardener coupled w/ me cranking up the heat in the shop to about 75, and having an overhead fan on blowing the warm air straight down on the fresh paint made it set up fast. I waited about 10 hours before starting reassembly and I could pick the trailer up without leaving fingerprints, so I figured I was good to go.
I took these pics w/a new camera. The others were taken w/ my phone, so there is a substantial difference in the quality. These are much more accurate as far as color is concerned.
Yeah, I stood on top of my bench for this one...
You may notice in the next pics that I added a hitch at the rear. Its built like a Reese hitch only using 1" square stock and tube. I use a wood splitter and this way I can haul the waggon and the splitter at the same time. (a cub train) Also shown is how the chain tail gate works. This whole project took about a week or so. Probably a total of about 30 hours more or less. Problem is, it looks so nice I don't think I can bring myself to throw wood in it!
Now that this project is done, its time to move on to the next. I'm going to try my hand at some Cub carriers. (Jeff Silvey sent me a request!)
