[lauby]

I have a factory built 5 by 7 box trailer plated as one ton ? It tows like a parachute behind the zooK and it’s a pain loading and unloading the canoe at each end. The plan is to build a more zook / canoe friendly trailer.

As light as possible flat bed with a couple of configurations - the odd tip run, canoe trailer; canoe & camping gear; and to use it moving bee hives ( FYI - a few thousand bee's inside a tintop diverts attention from more important things like driving ) .

Step 1.

The Noob Cad Plan;













I want to put springs and shackles from the back of a sierra on it, and some sierra rims ( saves carrying a trailer spare ). I have one rim and maybe some springs so far. Anyone on the gold coast have any of these bits spare laying around and willing to part with them ? Cheers.

[christover1]

Have you considered a lightening/stripping down of the 7x5 to make it more zookable.
May be an option.

[lauby]

yes I did but the 7x5 is a bit of a unit. i'm trawling gumtree atm for a cheapy to cannibalize.

[lauby]

Curves seem expensive, called a steel shop today, they want $160 to curve two bits of 100 x 50mm 2.5mm thick RHS.
Quoted 2 hours which includes setting up die and rolling the beams ..... and it's BYO RHS.
I assume that's why 98.5 % of trailers are made from straight bits.

Going to look at a boat trailer later today, sounds promising.

[pete_79]

I'd just assumed you where looking at a boat trailer when I saw the curved front.
I would guess that would be your best starting point for what you want to achieve, light, simple design and easy to modify.
Just need to make sure it hasn't spent too much time swimming in the ocean, you have to wonder what some guys are thinking when they launch/retrieve their boats these days.

Good luck, I'll be interested to see how this one turns out...

Oh yeah, it looks like a fair sized canoe, is it timber?

[lauby]

Ha ha, thats not my canoe, that's a bad sketch of one.

The boat trailer negotiations went well, this is what it looked like when i got it home the other day,




It had a 16 ft poly craft on it. Started pulling it apart today, with an angle grinder. The draw bar and outside rail are good ! The frame is 1490 wide though, so needs to be chopped.

[christover1]

A perfect base to start with.

[lauby]

Trailer is upside down. Took the suspension of and was happy to find it was in good nic,




The other side had some surface rust which came away easily with grinder,




Same spot as above,




Where i left it today, Got some black zinc paint in a rattle can to hit the bits i cleaned

[lauby]

I like updates with pictures,

No more destruction, next session will be construction,




The bar on the back end is just sitting there, will be in the same plane as the rest of frame,

[lauby]

Main frame all stuck together. I tried to weigh it by picking it up and standing on bathroom scales, the electronic response was ' Err '

I'm leaning towards an aluminium floor, I'll add a couple more lighter cross members ( 40 mm angle ) to support it. Any suggestions on how to attach the aluminium sheet ?

I was thinking some sort of bituminous double sided tape to the top of frame, lay down sheet then half a dozen cup head bolts through main frame holding it in place.

[buzbox]

Pop rivets or Self tapping screws, cheap and effective. You could go around the edge with sikaflex or similar silicone to prevent rattles.

Marine ply will be cheaper, and wont weight too much, also easier to work with.