Any woodworkers?

lol I’m 37 and always worked hard to maintain my physique. I’ve got a busted knee, busted shoulder, busted elbow, and a back that really likes to flare up a couple times a year at this rate I don’t want to see 63 and the joy it brings

 

Soooo…. Username fits? Lol

 

Like a glove

 

I want to party with you!

 

Can't like that. Hope it goes well for you. As I age my shoulders are both getting pretty bad, putting off the surgery as long as I can.

 

yep, getting old sucks . . . think i'm working on some arthritis in my right hand. probably should make an appt to get it checked out.

 

God speed on your recovery!

 

got a question about wood folks

moving soon and not real excited about uhaul
been there done that light money on fire for some shit trailer

then it hit me
harbor freight sells a folding trailer, 4x8, for only like $500 brand new
and that might be big enough to hold things

as you can see here, this guy made his own enclosure.

how big of a project is this? Is it quick?
Any idea what it would cost to pay a construction worker to make it? ie show the guy a picture, say here please make this however you want, and drop them off the trailer base
or would that be expensive and better to DIY

in that case, maybe I can look at how others have done it
draw it on a piece of paper
buy the materials from Home Depot, and make it. I've got a drill and impact

just no air compressor or nail gun...
but then again, what's the difference between that and hammering a nail by hand

And after, either keep the trailer or sell it

I wrench, took woodshop, did stuff at home including but not limited to
truck bed, help someone renovate, etc.
so I'm guessing it's just a matter of couple days worth of breaking a sweat and hopefully not too many wasteful trips running back and forth to hardware store

Maybe for something like this, it could work with universal screws and nuts, one big box of each
rather than working on a car, where you're trying to find and match every single little detail about a bolt



OR, for a little more money
and more features

Lowe's bigger, 5x8 instead of 4x8
little side walls. Back wall.

If I can just figure out how to attach to that "foundation" more wall to make it enclosed
just so boxes don't fall off



Maybe with the mesh one...(pray it's not galvanized)

I could take a cheap flux core welder
and add a vertical skeleton
to either "cage" it with more mesh, or have a framework to bolt on plywood walls

 

I’d say that’s a half day job if you’re efficient. I would screw everything since it’s gonna rattle and vibrate on the road. Screws will be less likely to back themselves out.

only thing to consider is the trailers payload capacity minus the weight of the lumber to be used to build the enclosure.

good news is that none of it needs to be perfectly square and you don’t have to sweat the small imperfections

 

yeahhh....
Only concern would be things going flying while driving lol

screws also sound way easier
drive them in boom done

what kind of screws?

I'm guessing just buy a box of wood screws of a normal looking length,
and use enough to look good. Not too many and overkill. But not too little to look sparse
I guess if I do that and try the first one it'll tell me whether the wood tries to crack or not and if I'd need to start with drill bit pilot holes

 

probably easier and better to just buy a more expensive one if you’re asking…

to explain; you’ll want to know how well it will hold up to wind, like you were saying. If you welded some stake pockets for 2x4s you’ll have a good start at some sturdy framing.

As far as nailers, depends on the nail. I’ve never hand nailed 18 gauge nails box nails. Because they don’t make them. That said, when framing or roofing and shooting thousands of nails…it makes the process easier on your arm, and faster, so you’re not nailing for 8 hours. For me, I hate toe nailing nails in small spaces with a hammer. But I’d assume you’d want to use screws anyways.

Deckscrews would probably be the easiest to find that would hold up the best. They are outdoor rated. Others would rust out over a season or so.

But before all that, again, I would consider how you’re going to securely fasten the framing firstly.

 

Nails back out easier than screws under vibration. And roads cause vibration.

Corners of the plywood boards could be bolts countersunk ... several options such as "threadlock" to help limit backing out. Not needed everywhere but at corners it will limit help prevent the transfer of vibration to other screws.

As others stated, bolts/metal-plates to hold the entire frame to the trailer.

Do not forget about some insulation, at least to prevent heat loss at metal-members or screwhead coverage.

 

Till you need to pull a ring shank out and break the dimensional lumber before it gives

 

Regular ol wood screws is what I’d use.

I’d also carriage bolt the perimeter of the structure to the trailer for stability. Carriage bolt should go through a 2x and through the frame of the trailer

I’m a redneck so this kind of shit in what I’ve done my whole life. So it might be sketchy but sketchy is my middle name

 

Same. As long as the hood doesn’t fly off this time and it’s not leaking fuel into the cabin.

honestly debating between the HFT 4x8
$500
Which seems very bare

vs the Lowe’s $1000
5x8
Bigger
Couple more features

it doesn’t fold up like the HFT (kinda can’t do that after modding)

but already comes with a tall back wall load ramp
and mini side walls (metal) that might be flux weldable higher.


grind and flux weld sidewalls sounds faster

saw one guy made his own using $20 bed frames and mesh that Home Depot probably has

 

I guess my first question would be do you have a use for the trailer once you've completed your move? If not, then you're going to have to sell it when you're done and probably won't get your money back on the trailer and wood you bought to make it. IMO, that makes UHaul a better option. If you have a use for it, again, IMO, you'd have one already and it be a question of building and not what to buy. Just food for thought.

If you're going to build, I'd avoid the nails and use the threadlock type screws over the deck screws. I'd also avoid the butt joint in the picture and go with a half lap or rabbet joint. You can make those with a circular saw. Takes a little more time, but it is a far stronger joint. Still a one day build if you step up the joints to a stronger style.

 

I’d buy the Lowe’s trailer and build the enclosure then slide it in. You could then bolt it to the trailer and run several ratchet straps across to keep it from lifting out. Or like you said, weld on some uprights and build from there. If you don’t need it to be waterproof, buy some hog panel for the sides and top.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/feedlot-panel-hog-16-ft-l-x-34-in-h

 

use for it no,
But storage at destination state is cheap

here is how I see it
U-Haul wants $2k. They raised prices. That is to rent a trailer one time with a time limit.
A shitty heavy trailer that slams on the surge brakes any time you shift messing with the clutch.
That’s money set on fire. Down the toilet. Gone forever.

buy the metal $1k new trailer with title from Lowe’s
No time limit
Use it
Then sell it at a slight loss move on, get money back

it’s light, low profile. Not 2,000lb empty with surge brakes slamming on like a Uhaul.

some years ago rented uhauls to move it was $400. Whole different story.



original plan was wood onto $500 harbor freight

until I found out about the nicer looking bigger Lowe’s metal one

in which case maybe if needed
Weld on uprights and mesh for more secure box stacking
Bunch of heavy duty greenmade bins $10/ea throw everything in there and stack

 

Yeah go for the better trailer. At least that one you can upgrade as needed. I did something similar, purchased a used tandem axle trailer cheap and rebuilt it, added sides etc.
I bought a used rotted out deck trailer for $600. With new galvanized wheels and new tires. I couldn't buy the wheels and tires for that.

The deck was so rotted I could poke my finger through it, so I stripped it.

Then I welded up some sides and removable Dutch doors.

It got a solid 2" oak Deck and the whole thing was painted with black rustoleum. "D" rings welded on every foot all the way around.

1" ash side boards.

And it will easily haul 2 ton and still have some spring left.

So this whole thing was done on the cheap, I horse traded for the steel, I mill my own lumber from trees so no cost there. Mostly just my time, paint, and screws. I also purchased the "D" rings and the fenders. The deck size is 5x10.
So my point is buy a better trailer that you can upgrade later on your timeline and if im going to beat the shit out of something I beat this trailer, not my truck. I've been through several trucks, still have the trailer.

 

As someone who moves quite a lot, I suggest searching FB market place, Craigslist, etc for an enclosed trailer like someone would use for a lawncare business. You can get it relatively inexpensive then use it for your trip. After you're done with it, sell it to recoup your loss. I've heard stories of people that have actually made money on the sale of the trailer due to market needs. The guy bought an enclosed 7x10 tandem trailer for something like 1500 but it needed a lot of work. He fixed it up, put about 200$ into it then drove it across the country and sold it after the move for near 3k. Granted, he bought it in some small farm town and sold it in the burbs where there was a market for those types of trailers so your mileage may vary. If you do a little digging, you might find that you can do something similar. Just be cautious of the sunk cost fallacy and get in too deep.

-J