Harbor Freight Trailer Build/Idea

Less of a build thread, more of an idea, but figured id throw this up for an alternative example of what to do with a HF trailer hahaha.

Had wanted a Bantam/M416 type trailer for awhile, intended for general use and carrying the kayaks and what not. Figured it would be cool to have something pre-loaded, hitch to, and take off after work!

Idea started when the trailer type i wanted was near impossible to find within a reasonable distance of Seattle for a semi-reasonable price. Then i came across this gem of a build:



http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...lass-M416-M100-Military-style-Trailer-Tub-Kit

So i went to my nearest HF armed with my 20% off coupon and landed a 4X8 "Heavy Duty" trailer for a hair above $300, intending to follow the above build and buying the tub kit from dinoot.com.



Aside from being in the process of building my 79 CB750 after complete teardown, this is my second big-to-me project, im handy with tools but NO mechanic/machinist, with an angle grinder, some c-clamps and a whole lot of power-drilling (No press) i ended up 75% done and looking like this.....





Halfway through i had a change of heart as you can see. After the frame modifying i decided to instead bring a little more utility to the table seeing as the tub kit couldnt even haul my bike if i wanted to.

The sides are actually Aluminum ramps 750/1500LB capacity, 4 bolts and two yakima bars later they become useful in other ways.

The floor is 1/4" aluminum plate with e-track mounted on both sides for securing loads, the front tongue-box is an e-bay special that is easily removed for attaching a motorcycle wheel chock to the plate underneath it.

Safari straps on the ends to keep it light and adjustable. Attached are the military style clearance lights, i have matching tail lights waiting to be bolted on.

Still need to attach remaining lights, fenders, license plate, wire it up, and paint (Black Frame/OD Green Sides). Ideas welcomed, ive spent far more time standing and staring at it trying to figure out how to do things then actually turning a wrench, but this is a learning experience............. At a cost =P

 

Cool idea. Looks like it's coming together nicely!

 

Disassembled the trailer and took it in for powdercoating a few weeks ago, picked up the pieces this Friday and started Re-Construction!

Rails and Jack Attached


Fenders and Ramps waiting to be put back on


Lights and routing the wires


Attached fenders, reassembled axle/hubs, ramp posts bolted down


Aluminum Floor plate and e-tracks bolted down







Nearly done, just have the side walls/ramps, front/back net, and the toolbox to go, ill post a finished pic when its all together!

 

looks good! this is something I would eventually like to do

 

Hey Corey, awesome build man! Looks like it is coming along real well. Just curious, what kind of lights are those? The look pretty rugged.

 

Sub'd. I love seeing DIY projects. Great work OP.

 

This is awesome! If you don't mind me asking what was your final price tag on it?

 

Thanks Micah! It has been fun building it, i was skeptical at first about buying a Harbor Freight bolt-together trailer, but i read up on it and learned they can be very sturdy and reliable with normal maintenance. The 2X2 metal spine welded on helps in the sturdy department

 

Thank you Gelo Planning the layout and searchin parts/options online was a ton of fun in itself! I knew what i wanted it to do, but had no idea what the end result would be or exactly how i would get there. Kind of cool start - finish if that makes any sense

 

Thanks Dan! DIY has taught me quite a bit with this project alone, good or bad lessons, all valuable!

 

sub'd

 

sub'd

 

you have inspired me. I am already sketching on some graph paper

 

Im glad you asked! Ill get the sticker shock out of the way.....

$2800

However..... I splurged significantly in areas where alot of money can be saved by simply spending more time looking for great deals, repurposing cheap materials and comprising with self and what you REALLY need. Much of my cost had to deal with luxuries and not necessarily needs (Aluminum plate floor, Wheels are two big hitters). Ill share an itemized list with the main bulk of costs

4X8 Trailer - $320 from Harbor Freight (On sale and 20% off coupon)
Wheels/Tires - $600 - This is where you could potentionally save the most. I bought the rims/tires new, but if my memory serves me right the hubs are 5X5.5, which i believe shares the same pattern as a few big name auto manufactures. So a little digging and im sure a good deal could be had.
Powdercoating - $500 - I actually feel like this was a decent deal, but if you dont mind trying your hand at painting it yourself im sure you would save a bit here.
Welding - $250 - For the center spine, and attaching the fender supports. If you can weld yourself (I have not learned) that cost would be material only.
Metal Bits and Floor Plate - $400 - The Aluminum floor plate was the spendy piece here, obviously plywood would be a heck of alot cheaper, even steel (very heavy this size) was fairly cheap.
Fenders - $120 - Big piece of that was shipping. This was a learning point. With my given rim/tire choice and placement of the leaf perches, i had managed to require about 13" fenders to cover the tread from the frame. This number was just outside what was mostly available at cheap prices with the shape i was looking for.
Sidewalls - $100 - Double as removable ramps, made of aluminum, think this was a good deal as well, but there are many options for this, some quite cheap.
Tool Chest - $200 - Ebay special, again a good deal, but not a necessary expense.
Misc - $300+ ish - Including lights, jack stands, additional hardware, load securing options and any odds or ends that pop up

a BIG lesson that i came away with is that knowledge can be expensive. Dropping some of these items for cheaper options and a little extra DIY could easily drop the price $1000+ while maintaining most of the function and nearly all of the aesthetic. I convinced myself to go one step further on many parts and nickel/dimed my way up a bit =)

Probably way more than you asked for but i hope that helps. The guy that inspired me to start this did 99% of the work himself to include the paint and fiberglass work, and i want to say he completed it for half (if not less) the cost of mine, here is the link:

http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html

I spent alot of time on that thread, such impressive craftsmanship!

 

Right on! Let the fun begin!

 

Where did you get the aluminum for the floor?

 

Thanks Chris! I got that idea from the build that inspired this one ( http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html ), and found all the parts i needed on E-bay by searching military/jeep lights

I also wanted to increase the brightness and minimize the drain of the lights so i replaced all the bulbs with LEDs.

Aside from lighting them up and a short trip to the off-road shop for welding, the lights have not been road/off-road tested. Hopefully they are as rugged as they look

 

Skagit River Steel and Recycling here in WA, Good prices, nice people. I told them what i wanted to do and they provided plenty of information on what grade of aluminum and thickness to go with. The price i mentioned in the above post included the floor plate, tongue plate for the tool box, and the steel posts for the side walls all cut to size. The only modification i had to make was cutting the square tongue plate to fit the a-frame shape up front.

If you want, ill dig around for the receipt to see if it lists the grade of aluminum, we will see how it fares after a few tests when its all done.

This was after i checked out a few online stores and deciding that shipping such an item was not entirely reasonable ($$$).

 

cool deal man, I would appreciate if you could find that reciept