Trailer in Design stage

[RJ Howell]

What are your plans for recovery? It looks like the center tube (assuming it's 2.5" x 1/4" square tube) runs the length of the trailer, which would give you the most direct shot at a pull from behind.

That is the main plan. I hoped to be able to have high lift jacks on the side, but I see now with the wheels inbound of the box, I don't have the strength. Settling for BAL scissor jacks now.

My frame has an outrigger of sorts made out of angle. I did this because my wheels are partially set into the body of the trailer. I wanted a straight shot of tubing from the recovery points on the back to the angled tongue braces without any additional bends in it.

I like the out rigging and I see how your recovery is set up. Also with your 'composite tongue', I see how it works. Nice!

It will let you run the numbers for a straight tongue, an A frame tongue and a composite (like the tongue on my trailer)

http://tnttt.com/Design_Library/tear84.htm

Thank you!

Oh, it gets better than that. Are you matching the wheels and tires or just the tires? Per your signature it looks like you're using a Tacoma. The Tacoma wheels are hubcentric. Trailer hubs are usually lug centric. I ended up needing to use adapters to get my hubcentric Toyota wheels to work on my lugcentric trailer hubs.

Of course it gets more complicated.. Thank you for 'heads-up'.

Have you chosen your stabilizers yet? I'd figure out which type you want to go with and then plan the reinforcements. I went with the BAL C style because they tuck up very close to the bottom of the trailer.

I changed out to those on my current trailer. Will probably do them again.

Loads of info to work through. Thank you!

 

[RJ Howell]

For my cross pieces, I used 2" square tubing, though if I were doing it again I'd use 2" angle on about half of my cross pieces, keeping the square tubing for the cross pieces at the axle.

That website really showed me the strengh's of 2 x 2 tube and angle. And how strong 1/8" is. I need to refigure the trailer frame now.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160331001210/http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/Tongue%20strength%20unified%20simple.pdf

 

[Louisd75]

Just double checked my trailer. The tongue receiver is 2.5" x 2.5" x 1/4". The tongue angled parts are 2" x 3" x 1/8". The frame is 2" x 2" 1/16" square tube and 2" x 2" x 1/8" angle.

 

[RJ Howell]

Just double checked my trailer. The tongue receiver is 2.5" x 2.5" x 1/4". The tongue angled parts are 2" x 3" x 1/8". The frame is 2" x 2" 1/16" square tube and 2" x 2" x 1/8" angle.

Thank you for doing the effort! Kinda following what you did, I've come up with this.

Base frame of 2 x2 x1/8 tube shown in the lower. Not sure why, yet headed towards 'C' channel on the rest.. Probably 1/16" 'C'.
May do another 2 x 2 x 1/8 at the jack pad for strength..
With the spreadsheet you sent, the straight through has enough, yet adding the 'A' gives more and I need the support for my Batt's & Propane.
Do like where this is going!

 

[Louisd75]

Thank you for doing the effort! Kinda following what you did, I've come up with this.
View attachment 527215
Base frame of 2 x2 x1/8 tube shown in the lower. Not sure why, yet headed towards 'C' channel on the rest.. Probably 1/16" 'C'.
May do another 2 x 2 x 1/8 at the jack pad for strength..
With the spreadsheet you sent, the straight through has enough, yet adding the 'A' gives more and I need the support for my Batt's & Propane.
Do like where this is going!

Looks good. I would run the 'A' to the outboard most continuous tube (the fore/aft running tube that is just inboard of the wheels). This is the shortest path from the tongue to the suspension. There's not much need for it to pull on the outer tubing. You're showing a lot of tubing running fore/aft. You may find that this limits underfloor storage should you decide to go that route.

I'm a fan of overbuilding the tongue

 

[billiebob]

Thank you for doing the effort! Kinda following what you did, I've come up with this.
View attachment 527215
Base frame of 2 x2 x1/8 tube shown in the lower. Not sure why, yet headed towards 'C' channel on the rest.. Probably 1/16" 'C'.
May do another 2 x 2 x 1/8 at the jack pad for strength..
With the spreadsheet you sent, the straight through has enough, yet adding the 'A' gives more and I need the support for my Batt's & Propane.
Do like where this is going!

Before committing to this, List, Cost every component, Estimate your time too. I've been thru the senario more than once and every time buying a manufactured deck, utility, garden? trailer comes out far less expensive. And the better quality, fully welded trailers, usually beat the heck out of the quality of a home built. Plus it comes ready to license and insure. At least check the price.

 

[RJ Howell]

Before committing to this, List, Cost every component, Estimate your time too. I've been thru the senario more than once and every time buying a manufactured deck, utility, garden? trailer comes out far less expensive. And the better quality, fully welded trailers, usually beat the heck out of the quality of a home built. Plus it comes ready to license and insure. At least check the price.

Thank you for mentioning this! That is the next step after completing (or as close to) design stage. I have a place in mind to price out a galvanized or aluminum trailer. They also build utility/camper trailers, very basic design on their part.

 

[RJ Howell]

Looks good. I would run the 'A' to the outboard most continuous tube (the fore/aft running tube that is just inboard of the wheels). This is the shortest path from the tongue to the suspension. There's not much need for it to pull on the outer tubing. You're showing a lot of tubing running fore/aft. You may find that this limits underfloor storage should you decide to go that route.

I'm a fan of overbuilding the tongue

Believe I follow what your saying, tighten up the 'A' a bit. Makes sense. Probably would have caught that in the build stage, yet thank you for pointing it out to me. I will re-draw.

 

[RJ Howell]

Looks good. I would run the 'A' to the outboard most continuous tube (the fore/aft running tube that is just inboard of the wheels). This is the shortest path from the tongue to the suspension. There's not much need for it to pull on the outer tubing. You're showing a lot of tubing running fore/aft. You may find that this limits underfloor storage should you decide to go that route.

I'm a fan of overbuilding the tongue

Believe this is what you were saying..

 

[Louisd75]

Believe this is what you were saying.. View attachment 527317

That's it exactly

 

[RJ Howell]

Reached the point of needing to work out weight fore and aft of the axle. I still have my fresh/gray tanks to place (since we don't poo in the toilet, I see no requirement of a black). I kinda hoped the axle needs to go forward a bit to help out on the wet/bath.

This leads to two questions;
First, does anyone know of a program/online site that can assist with this?
Secondly, How much clearance over the tires (wheel well) is considered minimum? I'm at 7 1/2" right now.

Couple of shots of where I'm at:

Still need fenders, heck still need a lot more..LOL

 

[Louisd75]

Reached the point of needing to work out weight fore and aft of the axle. I still have my fresh/gray tanks to place (since we don't poo in the toilet, I see no requirement of a black). I kinda hoped the axle needs to go forward a bit to help out on the wet/bath.

This leads to two questions;
First, does anyone know of a program/online site that can assist with this?
Secondly, How much clearance over the tires (wheel well) is considered minimum? I'm at 7 1/2" right now.

Couple of shots of where I'm at: View attachment 527525View attachment 527526View attachment 527527

Still need fenders, heck still need a lot more..LOL

There's some info on TNTTT that might be helpful:

Trailer Balance 101

I'm not sure why they make this info so hard to find on their website. I knew it was there and it took me a while to track it down.

As for how much over-tire clearance, how much suspension travel are you planning? My leaf springs only have a few inches of travel before they can't go any further due to running out of shackle movement, so I've got just a little more than a few inches of clearance at the moment. I am planning on changing this on my trailer. I need to relocate my forward hanger pivot point forward 3/4" and down about 1". I hit a pretty good dip on the freeway and it looks like the axle moved enough to rub on the back edge of my fender. Thought I'd gotten it right the first time, but oh well. It's easier for me to relocate the axle than it is to move the wheel wells. If you're planning on leaf springs, keep in mind that the wheel moves back as well as up when the suspension compresses.

 

[RJ Howell]

There's some info on TNTTT that might be helpful:

Trailer Balance 101

I'm not sure why they make this info so hard to find on their website. I knew it was there and it took me a while to track it down.

As for how much over-tire clearance, how much suspension travel are you planning? My leaf springs only have a few inches of travel before they can't go any further due to running out of shackle movement, so I've got just a little more than a few inches of clearance at the moment. I am planning on changing this on my trailer. I need to relocate my forward hanger pivot point forward 3/4" and down about 1". I hit a pretty good dip on the freeway and it looks like the axle moved enough to rub on the back edge of my fender. Thought I'd gotten it right the first time, but oh well. It's easier for me to relocate the axle than it is to move the wheel wells. If you're planning on leaf springs, keep in mind that the wheel moves back as well as up when the suspension compresses.

Again, thank you! The spreadsheet won't open, but I did take the formula's to make my own that will!

On clearance, I'm hoping for about 3-4" and some space for 'blow-out'. Though is to make the wheel wells from 1/8" plate and extend that outbound for the fender. Maybe over-kill, I've just seen the damage a blow-out can do on the freeway.. 1/16" may be fine.. Any thoughts on this? Still trying to keep weight down where I can.

 

[opp]

Did you find out back space. lay tire and rim flat .board across tire bottom of board to face of rim +2'' are so per side that will give hub face .

 

[RJ Howell]

Did you find out back space. lay tire and rim flat .board across tire bottom of board to face of rim +2'' are so per side that will give hub face .

I'm confused a bt on what you're asking, but here's what I hope to match. Tire is 29" x 10". Disc is 5" back and hub looks like 3" back.
My wish is to step into a taller tire, so I'm designing for 32" tall (not meaning that's where it will land, just designing for).

Right now, by design, I have 7" of width under the trailer (3" beyond, under the fender). My thought was to reduce what I drew (12" well) to a 10" well. Believe you're telling me I only require 9".
In height, I drawn a 7 1/2" tall well, being only 4 1/2" over the top of the tire.
I think I'm tight.. not seeing if I could reduce.
Here's the best I could do from the design..

I hoe this better explains what I said... or What you asked...