# Tandem axle short bed trailer



## woodtickgreg (Mar 11, 2018)

I had a great deal on a tailer fall into my lap. I had to buy it, i couldnt pass it up because i have a need for it, i have a lot of work to do around my house and I would rather beat up a utility trailer than my new truck, lol. It's a 6 x 10 tandem axle, has new wheels and tires, the tires still had the stickers on them, the seller said it has new wheel bearings that I will still remove and inspect just to make sure everything is ok. I have plans for this trailer that include a new wood deck, side walls, and mounts for a magnetic trailer light assembly. A friend of mine did that and it is really cool, no lying in the ground to repair your trailer lights or wiring. I'll add tie down loops and a system for using my receiver hitch mounted winch, I'll be able to pull logs up onto the trailer when I need to. Hears a pic I took when I picked it up.

I need to get a drop ball mount for the receiver to level out the trailer.



The trailer towed well, tandem ride very smooth and don't bounce all over the place. A good solid chassis with a lot of potential to make it the way I want it.



I can use the mig welders at work, and my boss will order me the tubing I need for the side walls with the company discount. I have a stack of elm that will make nice side boards. Elm is very flexy and not brittle.

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## Tony (Mar 11, 2018)

Great find Greg! Tony

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## rocky1 (Mar 11, 2018)

Dependent upon intended loads I don't think I'd drop it much Greg, tongue weight on the trailer will set the back of the pickup down too. You don't have a lot of trailer behind the wheels to balance load and level it, so it's probably going to pull a little heavy on the tongue. If you level it empty, you'll be low loaded.

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## woodtickgreg (Mar 11, 2018)

It's only gotta come down an inch or 2, and I know about keeping the tongue heavy. but the way it sits right now because it is such a short bed the front wheels aren't even on the ground, lol.

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## Nature Man (Mar 11, 2018)

Congrats! Great snag! Chuck

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## rocky1 (Mar 11, 2018)

Yeah... our forklift trailer is the same way on the Duramax. Sits a little high on the tongue with a 1" drop, almost right with a 2" drop, but when you load the truck, it runs down hill 2 - 3 inches.

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## Bigdrowdy1 (Mar 12, 2018)

Looks like a road trip setup to me!
Congrats Bud


Rodney

Reactions: Agree 2


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## woodtickgreg (May 27, 2019)

Well it's been a little over a year since I got this trailer, it has served me well. But now it's time for some upgrades. Most of the pine decking wood is completely rotted, I could literally poke my finger through it in places. So off the deck goes. I still have to grind some off the old screws off. The trailer will also get some 2' sides welded up out of 2" square tubing. The deck will be 1 1/2" red oak, have not decided what the side wall wood will be yet, maybe elm if I have enough. I plan to weld tie down loops inside and outside of the trailer. A mount for my winch will also be done so I can drag logs up on it if need be. Some kind of removable gate or maybe 2 swing out gates that are removable. Here is what I started with today.


 

 And it's off. Wood was very waterlogged and rotten.


 Its got one bent crossmember right between the axles that will be replaced.


 The debris is all cleaned up.


 
Ripping the deck off allows me to give a good inspection to the main structure and springs etc. The fenders are pretty neat up but I dont think I'm going to change them, everytime you blow a tire it just beats the hell out of em anyway. So I'll just straighten them a little and call it good. Once all the excess brackets are cut off and the new sides welded on the whole thing will get painted with black rustoleum.

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## woodman6415 (May 27, 2019)

Great buy .. nice trailer


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## woodtickgreg (May 27, 2019)

woodman6415 said:


> Great buy .. nice trailer


You saw it, was the same trailer I brought down to @Bigdrowdy1 Rodney's

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## woodman6415 (May 27, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> You saw it, was the same trailer I brought down to @Bigdrowdy1 Rodney's


Slept since then

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## Tony (May 27, 2019)

woodman6415 said:


> Slept since then



Plus, he's VERY old

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## rocky1 (May 27, 2019)

Doesn't appear to tilt, think I'd go with a fold down gate, make it easier to slide logs in than swing out gates, even if you had to back down in the ditch, or dig the tires down. Fabricate your hinges out of pipe and cold rolled steel, you could pin each side and make it easily removable.


Now would be a GOOD time to rewire it all too.


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## woodtickgreg (May 27, 2019)

@rocky1 Nope, it's not a tilter. I kinda like the idea of 2 swing out removable gates. For loading logs I'll just use a channel to guide the log up. And I plan to make my own hinges out of pipe and solid bar so I can just lift the gates off if need be. I want this trailer to be very versatile in Its uses. Wiring is going to be stupid simple. A friend of mine has a trailer with a set up that I really like. He just welded 2 flat plates to the top rail at the rear, he then sticks magnetic lights to those. The cool thing about this is that the lights are nice and high for visibility, they are cheap and bright, and you never have to lay on the ground to fix your trailer lights.

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## ripjack13 (May 27, 2019)

How did I miss this the first time.
Belated congratulations on the trailer. And cool beans on the rebuild!

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## CWS (May 28, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> How did I miss this the first time.
> Belated congratulations on the trailer. And cool beans on the rebuild!


I know.


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## woodtickgreg (Jun 2, 2019)

Worked on the trailer some today. The plan was to cut off anything that wasn't going to be used and grind everything flat.
I had four of these stake pockets to cut off. Sawzall and a 14tpi blade did the trick.


 

Next to go was the light brackets since I wont be using these. New ones will be mounted up high.


 

There was an old trailer jack mount that took some time to grind off but it's off too.


 

One of the fenders had broken free in places, both are really beat up. So I decided to cut these off too and I'll get new ones after the side walls are welded up.




Both of the fenders are now off, only thing left to do is remove the wheels to grind the stitch welds flush so mounting the new fenders will be easier. But by the time I got to this point my back was very fatigued and I decided to save the grinding for another day.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 2, 2019)

All of the old screws have been ground flush from above as well. I have one cross member that is bent and needs to be cut out and replaced. It's a 2" x 3" angle iron, I dont have any of that so I'll need to pick a piece up.


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## CWS (Jun 2, 2019)

Looks like you are making good progress

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jun 2, 2019)

CWS said:


> Looks like you are making good progress


Slow and steady, like the tortoise

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## ripjack13 (Jun 3, 2019)




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## woodtickgreg (Jun 9, 2019)

I got the bent crossmember cut out.


 And I pulled the wheels........


 to grind off all the welds and brackets from the old fenders.



It's now ready to be rebuilt. Just need to coordinate a day with a friend of mine to use his shop to weld it up. I already have the steel for the walls cut. 
More to come.........

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 15, 2019)

Got new fenders on friday.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 15, 2019)

And today I spent 10 hours at my work cutting steel, grinding, welding, and just generally fading this trailer together to suit me.
I salvaged a piece of 2 x 3 angle iron to replace the bent crossmember and welded it in.


 Then I repaired a hole I ground into the tongue when removing an old jack bracket.


 Then I started on the side walls, tacked one together to check the fit, sure is nice to have an overhead crane to do this by myself. I didnt like the way this was sitting, it's too high.


 So I lowered it about 4 inches and i like it much better, it's easier to reach over the side to get to things.


 Next was the front top rail, 3 piers make a seriously strong top rail for the winch reciever to weld onto.


 The top rail is now 6 inches wide.


 I added 5 uprights for a strong front wall and an angled piece for more support when winching.


 I shouldn't have any problems winching logs or whatever up onto the trailer.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 15, 2019)

Next was the side wall uprights and fenders. Up to this pointe all the tubing has been 2 inch square and 3/16" thick. The side wall uprights are 1 1/2" × 3/16"


 The fenders are tack welded in place.


 A 1" square tube was welded to the center for support and then the fender was welded to that. This really stiffened it up.


 Then 1 1/2" square tube was welded to the back side of the top of the fender and the fender welded to that. I'm happy with how the fenders came out.


 
Tomorrow I'll fab up the rear gates and bring all the inside welds flat so side boards can be mounted.

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## ripjack13 (Jun 15, 2019)

Nice. That is looking beefy man.
All this stuff you're doing to it, I'm surprised you didn't just make one yourself....


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## woodtickgreg (Jun 16, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> Nice. That is looking beefy man.
> All this stuff you're doing to it, I'm surprised you didn't just make one yourself....


Believe it or not this is actually being done on the cheap. Most of the materials I have traded and bartered for or salvaged. I already had the trailer so I just built it up from there. Buying new axles and springs would have been costly. When I purchased the flatbed trailer my intentions from the beginning was to put sides on it. Now I'll also be able to use my winch on it. It will be a multi use trailer, I can haul dirt or whatever and even be able to winch a log onto it if need be. The trailer has 2 3500 lb axles. I hope to get the gates done today. Then I need to get the whole thing painted, especially with the new steel.

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## sprucegum (Jun 16, 2019)

Looking good, I would like to get a trailer similar to that. Todays pickups are not made to haul in anyway, they are too high to reach over the rail, most will not haul a sheet of plywood with the gate up, and they are way too easy to damage. As I get older my need for a full size heavy duty truck diminishes and a trailer would fill the bill for the occasional full size load. Even midsize trucks are being rated for over 5000 lbs towing capacity.

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## sprucegum (Jun 16, 2019)

By the way I really like that brace on top of the fender such a handy place to step.

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## T. Ben (Jun 16, 2019)




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## Tony (Jun 16, 2019)

Are you going to have it ready to haul down here in August for SWAT?

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 16, 2019)

@sprucegum I agree with the benafits of a trailer over what my truck can haul. It can tow a lot so I figured a heavy duty trailer would be better to beat the crap out of instead of my truck. I wanted a 2500 series truck but they just dont deal on them like they do a 1500 series. So when I got my new truck I figured I would get a trailer to haul the really heavy stuff.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 16, 2019)

So I donned the welding helmet for day 2 of the fab work.


 This is the shop made hinges. 3/4" cold rolled round bar inside a dom tube. When I welded the first set the tolerances between the 2 parts was to tight, after welding everything seezed up. I had to cut them off and start all over again. Yes I make mistakes. but I finally got them right so I can lift the gates of and remove them if need be.


 These are the gate latches.


 A view of the finished gates.


 These are the angle brackets for the magnetic trailer lights. They are welded on the top rail for the best visibility.


 Next I welded 19 "D" rind tie downs every 16 inches.



3 of them where welded to the front of the trailer as well.


 So finally the fab work is done, next task will be painting it with black rustoleum.


 
It's also going to get an 1 1/2" oak deck painted black. And possibly 3/4" elm side boards clear coated on one side and black on the inside. If I have enough of the elm material. If not I have ash.

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## NeilYeag (Jun 16, 2019)

Both great looking and super functional. Excellent build! With the decking and the side it will really pop.

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## sprucegum (Jun 17, 2019)

Too bad you shorted yourself on those D ring tie downs it would not have cost much to put in enough

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 17, 2019)

And now its black! Got the first coat of black rust-oleum on today after work. Cotton woods are snowing so I got a free flock job.

 

 


If I can get the second coat on tomorrow I'll bring it home Wednesday. I have to modify the gate latches when I get it home, the are sticking. I need to cut slots in the collars and open them up, this will also give me clearance to paint the rods.

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## T. Ben (Jun 17, 2019)

Looking good

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## NeilYeag (Jun 17, 2019)

OK but when all done, you gotta pimp them wheels man! And maybe some annodized lug nuts or something!

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## Mr. Peet (Jun 17, 2019)

NeilYeag said:


> OK but when all done, you gotta pimp them wheels man! And maybe some annodized lug nuts or something!



Patience Neil. He still needs to paint the suspension and axles, not to mention run the wiring before the deck boards and side boards. I would have likely made metal inner fender wells, but the wood should work. Mount your breakaway battery inside the tongue "A", other wise you will wack your knee crush it or something...Looking really sweet.

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## NeilYeag (Jun 17, 2019)

I was thinking some chrome on the suspension parts, or maybe a contrasting color powder coat. Greg we can really spend your money fast on this build!

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 17, 2019)

There will be no wiring on this trailer. Mag mount lights, when I bring it home I'll show how they will be set up. I'll never lay on the ground again to repair trailer lights again, plus they will be mounted up high for better visibility. Yup I'll just be using the wood as fender liners, but itll get coated with something.........like spray on bedliner.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 17, 2019)

And I'm not trying to make this thing really pretty, just functional. The wheels are galvanized steel, I'm leaving them alone. The only wiring to be done on it is to get the brakes working, I think it just has a bad ground or problem in the plug.


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## woodtickgreg (Jun 18, 2019)

Got the second coat of black on today after work, I'll be bringing it home tomorrow. Next will be the wood deck.......................

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## CWS (Jun 18, 2019)

sounds like you have agood plan. Can't wait to see it finished.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 19, 2019)

CWS said:


> Can't wait to see it finished.


Me too, I need it for hauling many things, dirt, landscape bricks, and logs.


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## woodtickgreg (Jun 19, 2019)

So as promised here's the pics of my mag light set up. The way I have them they are mounted up high and all the way to the back of the trailer, even when a car is real close to the rear they will still see my taillights and turn signals.


 
And it's kind of hard to see in these pics but now I can see the lights in my rear view mirror. This is great when backing up as the trailer is the same width as my truck and hard to see in my side mirrors. 


 


 
Also being that the lights are 2 sided with red faceing the rear and amber faceing forward I can check them to see if they are working without even getting out of the truck or needing someone's help to do so. And like I said before, I'll never have to lay on the ground or crawl under the trailer to fix the wiring. And they where cheap! Less than $30 on Amazon. They have super strong magnets and wont blow off, I went down a really rough dirt road and they stayed put.

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## ripjack13 (Jun 19, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> They have super strong magnets and wont blow off, I went down a really rough dirt road and they stayed put.



I was just going to ask about bumps and them fallin off.
Nice. Looking good Greg!

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 21, 2019)

Today after work I pulled down a bunch of 2" oak from the rafters of the garage. I chainsaw milled all of this when I first started milling about 15 years ago. It came off a property I used to own.
I think the longest boards I have are 7'10"


 once the boards are milled to uniform thickness I'll stagger the joints.


 the vertical boards will finish out to 8" wide, everything else will be 6"


 All loaded up in the truck, I'm going to take them to work to run through a 12" jointer and a 25" planer. Much easier than trying to run it all through my little dewalt planer, lol.


 
This is the small 12" jointer at work.


 
Nice northfield planer.


 
And I'll rip all the boards to width on the 12" tanewitz table saw.

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## ripjack13 (Jun 21, 2019)




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## woodtickgreg (Jun 22, 2019)

Well my Betty went with me to my work to help me mill the boards. We worked for 4 hours, most of that time on the jointer. She learned a lot about what milling rough sawn lumber to usable lumber is all about. Now she knows what a jointer does, and what a planer does.
Betty assisting me on the jointer.


 We had a couple of these carts to use, made things much easier.


 This monster jointer could easily take off 5/16" in a pass on the thin edge. 1/8" on the flat of a 8" wide board.probably could have took more but that was enough, lol.


 Last board off the jointer.


 We moved on to the planer after 2 sides where flattened and square to thickness the boards.


 I fed the boards in and Betty caught them as the came out and stacked them on a cart.


 They finished out a little over 1 3/8" the boards had a lot of warp, twist, and cup all at the same time. I was hoping for 1 1/2" but that's close enough, plenty strong for trailer decking.


 Then we ripped the boards to 6" and 8" wide. Betty did great supporting the boards as they came off the saw.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 22, 2019)

Almost seems like a shame to paint some of these boards, some of them had beautiful grain in them. Some had nice quarter sawn medulary rays in them too, almost tiger like.


 But I painted them anyway!


 3 sides painted with black oil based rust-oleum to seal them.


 They will get 2 coats before I start screwing them down


 
After all the boards are down the last flat side will get 2 coats as well. Not a bad day, productive I think. Maybe I can get a second coat on tomorrow.

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## ripjack13 (Jun 22, 2019)

Don't forget those ends!

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 23, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> Don't forget those ends!


The ends will be done after they are squared off, they are still chainsaw cut.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 23, 2019)

Today I cut and squared one end of the boards and got the second coat of paint on. Got 2 coats on the fresh cut end as well.
Role out the dewalt chop saw to square the ends. I realized it's time to get the blade sharpened.


 

 Can I call this black oak?


 This is why you seal red oak. As the board warmed in the sun the pores in the wood heated up and the air within expanded and caused bubbles to form on the surface, kinda cool.


 Kinda si fi like.


 When the paint dries I'll flip em and coat the last unpainted surface before screwing them down.


 
2x8's will get run down the center and the 2x6's will go on the sides of the deck. I'll stager the joints.

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## Mr. Peet (Jun 23, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Today I cut and squared one end of the boards and got the second coat of paint on. Got 2 coats on the fresh cut end as well.
> Role out the dewalt chop saw to square the ends. I realized it's time to get the blade sharpened.
> View attachment 167741 View attachment 167742 Can I call this black oak?
> View attachment 167743 This is why you seal red oak. As the board warmed in the sun the pores in the wood heated up and the air within expanded and caused bubbles to form on the surface, kinda cool.
> ...



I would have told Rocky that it was *So blistering hot* that the paint started to boil....

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 25, 2019)

I got the first coat of paint on the last exposed side today after work. 1 more coat and I can start the install.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 27, 2019)

More work on the trailer, got the second coat of paint on the boards yesterday. Today when I came home from work I cut and fit all the boards. I'll have to pull them up to paint and seal the cut ends.
A silver sharpie works great to mark on the black paint.


 I started by marking the centerline on the trailer. I put the widest boards in the center, 2x8's.


 Center boards are positioned.


 filled the rest in with the 2x6's.


 I ran out of wood, 3 inches short from each side.


 so I ripped a bunch of off cut shorts in half to use as fillers. The angle iron they will get screwed to is 3 inch also so all is good.


 All filled in now.


 The boards fit right under the D rings so they will lay flat.



Now I have to pull all the boards back up to paint and seal the fresh cut ends before I screw them down. It's getting there, I work on it for a few hours almost everyday after work.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 29, 2019)

Its blazingly hot here and the tick doesn't do well in the heat so not much has been done. Had severe storms here yesterday and very heavy rain. So all I have done is pull up the boards to let them dry out before I give the fresh cut edges a coat of paint. Maybe I'll get that done tomorrow morning.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 30, 2019)

Painting all the cut ends today.

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## ripjack13 (Jun 30, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Painting all the cut ends today.



Don't mix up the two.

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 30, 2019)

Done, 2 coats on everything. Now I can refit them and screw them down.


 
I gave the gate latch pins a couple coats of red rustoleum. They are 3/4" cold rolled steel.


 
The tree I planted when I moved in is getting big enough to hang things on for painting, lol.

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## Mr. Peet (Jun 30, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Done, 2 coats on everything. Now I can refit them and screw them down.
> View attachment 168016
> I gave the gate latch pins a couple coats of red rustoleum. They are 3/4" cold rolled steel.
> View attachment 168017
> The tree I planted when I moved in is getting big enough to hang things on for painting, lol.



On some of the trailers I've re-decked, I cheated a bit. I fastened wood cross members to the metal cross member angle and used regular deck screws on the top decking. Makes replacement of damaged boards quick and easy. I often used 2 x 6 wood, really stiffening or better supporting the the top deck boards. Most of the time it was on top of the cross member but once it was under the cross member with enough sticking out (about 3 inches) to screw into. The angle had some predrilled holes, so the wood cross member laminate was fastened on 2 plains... It was a landscape trailer with D-ring tie downs and stepped pockets for side rails.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 2, 2019)

I started screwing the deck boards down today after work. I'm using 1/4×20×2" self tapping screws with t30 torx flat heads.
Corded drill for drilling the holes with a 7/32 bit. Started out with a countersink but found out I dont really need one, the screws are very heavy duty and pull right in, even in oak.



One down a couple hundred more to go, lol.


 I worked about 2 hours today after work, stupid hot! Thunderstorm came so I packed it up, I'll do more tomorrow. My clothes where soaked with sweat, I dont do well in heat. I should finish the deck up on the 4th. Pre drilling takes the most time. I purchased 6 bits so I dont have to sharpen them as often. I'll use the same screws and bits for the side boards, only 1 1/2" long. I get them from a local supplier, Suburban bolt.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 3, 2019)

I finished the deck today after work, it was a little cooler today so I banged it out. It's supposed to get hot again tomorrow so I'm glad I got it done. My hands are toast from all the drilling, I dread doing the sides as I wont ne able to use my body weight to help drill the holes. But the deck came out nice so I'm happy at this point. Next thing to do is dig out the lumber for the sides, looks like it's going to be ash as I dont have enough elm.

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## ripjack13 (Jul 3, 2019)

Do you have access to a mag drill?
Maybe a rental from home depot?


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 3, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> Do you have access to a mag drill?
> Maybe a rental from home depot?


The holes dont go all the way through. I'll probably just step drill it with 2 different size bits.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 4, 2019)

This years 4th of July project was to dig out the boards I needed for the trailer, this was a major project.
The ash I need is behind all this stuff, and skeet from Texas. 


 I found this really cool burl as I was digging g in the wood pile, just thought I would share it.


 

 There's the ash in the middle.


 Some of the boards have some nice width to them. This is beautiful ash, almost hate to use it for my trailer side boards...........almost.


 A couple logs worth. 


 All loaded on the trailer to take to my work so I can run it through the big planer.


 I got it tarped and strapped down just before a thunder storm rolled in.


 And the garage is all back to normal.

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## Gdurfey (Jul 5, 2019)

really like the bracing you did for the winch. I want to do exactly the same thing with a receiver mount so I can add a receiver to the front of my truck's brush guard. I have the big brother size of yours with dovetail back but want to get the winch up so I have a better angle when I use it the one time I will probably ever use it (hope it is more..........). Thanks for the ideas through all of this. Funny thing about the deck boards; amazing how they can twist and deform. One of mine is trying to take a hard left turn....even though it is screwed in.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 5, 2019)

@Gdurfey In case your interested this is the winch and the mount I fabed up for it. When I install it on the trailer I can winch logs or whatever up with it. Mostly did the trailer receiver for logs.

The curved ends work great as lifting handles as well as protection for the winch.


 Its all very heavy gage steel and tubing. Much heavier than anything you could buy commercially. I fabed it up at my old job, all salvaged materials. I dumpster dived, lol.


 And it clear's the tailgate of my truck when its opened. This pic was just a test fit.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 5, 2019)

I think Saturday I'm going to RIP one edge off the boards before I take them to work to surface them. This way I can joint one edge and RIP them to width after planing them.

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## Mr. Peet (Jul 5, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> This years 4th of July project was to dig out the boards I needed for the trailer, this was a major project.
> The ash I need is behind all this stuff, and skeet from Texas.
> View attachment 168220 I found this really cool burl as I was digging g in the wood pile, just thought I would share it.
> View attachment 168221 View attachment 168222 There's the ash in the middle.
> ...



Is the burl oak, looked a bit like European beech as well ?


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## Gdurfey (Jul 5, 2019)

@woodtickgreg , that is exactly the mount I was thinking of.....except my welding isn’t up to your standards. HF has a similar mount I spotted a few years ago. Thanks for the pictures.


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 6, 2019)

Mr. Peet said:


> Is the burl oak, looked a bit like European beech as well ?


I think it is an oak, had it so long I dont really remember and I didn't mark it. All the bark has fallen off.


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 6, 2019)

Gdurfey said:


> @woodtickgreg , that is exactly the mount I was thinking of.....except my welding isn’t up to your standards. HF has a similar mount I spotted a few years ago. Thanks for the pictures.


My welding isn't the greatest either, lol. Sometimes the welds are nice looking and sometimes not so much, lol. I tell people I can weld but I'm not a welder. If I did it more I would get better. The HF unit is what I got my ideas from, but it was pretty flimsy imo. I had access to metals and a guy that bent the tubing for me so I just built my own heavy duty version. The bottom plate is a very heavy 10 or 12 inch channel. The roller plate is also much thicker.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## CWS (Jul 6, 2019)

I have the same winch. I put a Reese receiver on the front of my trailer so the winch is mounted on the trailer. I carry a marine battery also mounted on the trailer. Also I have a three point hitch attachment that fits my farm tractor with a Reese hitch receiver. Had good luck with this winch. If you double cable with a snatch block I think it will move a house.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 6, 2019)

The ash that I'm using is all emerald ash borer kill. I grabbed as much of it as I could when the kill off first started, it's all but gone in Michigan now or so full of powder post Beatles that it's useless. It really is a shame, it was such a beautiful and hard wood.
You can see the larvae trails on the edges of the wood.


 so I snapped a chalk line on one edge of all the boards and ripped one live edge off. This will give me one edge to joint and a straight edge to run on the fence of the table saw.


 the center boards of the log are nice and wide.


 I'll easily get two 6"+ boards out of some of them.


 
Tomorrow I'll take em ti work and run them through the planer, joint one edge, and RIP em to width.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 7, 2019)

Today all the ash was planted and S3S.
Betty is ready to catch the boards as I feed them through the jointer.


 Here the lumber is all S3S


 Here's a pic with me standing g beside a board for scale to show how big these actually are.


 All the boards on the left dimensions out to 6" boards on the right are a little shy but I'll find a use for them.


 

 I should have plenty for the side walls now. All loaded up on the trailer to take home.



This is some beautiful ash lumber. Stuff I can no longer get in Michigan, the emerald ash borer has wiped it out.

Reactions: Way Cool 2


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## CWS (Jul 7, 2019)

@woodtickgreg I think you are doing a great rebuild. My only question is the winch mount. I know it is braced but that winch is a powerful thing. If you get hooked on a big log it will surely test that brace. Don't ask me how I know.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 7, 2019)

@CWS if the log is that big I'll mill it where it sits! Lol.

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## ripjack13 (Jul 7, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Here's a pic with me standing g beside a board for scale to show how big these actually are.


I'm confused still. There's no blue lighter.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 8, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> I'm confused still. There's no blue lighter.


It's in my pocket!

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 8, 2019)

Using some marine spar varnish for the out side of the boards.

 It really adds a nice color to the ash.


 This is pretty wet, it soaks right in.


 1st coat done, doing 3 sides.


 I had to double decker it because I'm prepping more boards than I think I'll need so I can cut around some defects, like checks and splits. Trailer sides are 2' and it will take 4 boards high to do the job all the way around.

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## CWS (Jul 8, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> @CWS if the log is that big I'll mill it where it sits! Lol.


That sounds like good plan.


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## CWS (Jul 8, 2019)

If you cut out that feather in the one board send it to me.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 9, 2019)

CWS said:


> If you cut out that feather in the one board send it to me.


There's a few boards that have that. Looks nice with the finish on it.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 9, 2019)

@CWS Here's some feather for ya. Cell phone pic doesn't do it justice though.


 

 Second coat is done.


 
I have not used this brand of spar varnish before, but I can tell you it builds fast, and cures very slow. I'll wait till the weekend before I start screwing the boards in place so the finish has time to cure.

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## CWS (Jul 10, 2019)

When you only need a 4"x4" piece to make turkey call, I find a lot of good call blanks in my friends scrap piles. Going to the local saw mills is the best place to find blanks. Going to be some great looking side boards.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 11, 2019)

It's been hot here the last couple of days so the spar varnish cured a little sooner than I thought it would. So today after work I started putting the side boards on.
I started with the front wall. First board is on.


 Back side.


 I sealed every edge that was cut on the miter saw with spar varnish.


 I used a quick grip clamp to hold the board in place while I drilled and put 2 screws in. Then I removed the clamp and did the rest.


 It's much easier to step drill the holes.


 Front wall is done. I think its gonna look pretty good when it's all done.


 The back side again. Once all the boards are on I'll paint the inside black.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 12, 2019)

Got another wall planked today after work.


 I figured out a way to use the tie down d rings and a bar clamp to pull a bowed board down.


 One wall and the gates to go.


 Not a good side view because it's up against the fence.

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## ripjack13 (Jul 12, 2019)

Nice....

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 13, 2019)

Worked on the trailer for about 8 hours today on 90 degree heat, took lots of breaks and paced myself. 
So heres the last wall being planked.
Notice the sweat towel hanging on the rear gate, I dont do well in heat.


 All done!


 Couple of outside pics.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 13, 2019)

Next was the gates. I made an error when I was fabing up the steel for the gates, I didnt allow for the thickness of the wood on the sides, I probably should have doubled up the square tube on the hinge side.

I dont know if you can see it in the pic but the side boards cover the tube and that leaves me nothing to screw too.


 So the solution is to mount the boards vertically instead of horizontally.


 One thing nice about removable gates is I can take them of to work on them, easier drilling when they are laying flat.


 One gate is done.


 A view of both gates from the inside.


 And from the outside.


 This is how many screws I had left from the side boards, 4 left out of 200. I was getting nervous wondering if I was going to have enough. 


 I cut it pretty close on wood too, this is all that was left of all the wood I milled and prepped.


 
Next is to get 2 coats of paint on the inside walls and gates.


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## ripjack13 (Jul 13, 2019)

Oh lookie lookie at those perdy pen blanks....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 13, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> Oh lookie lookie at those perdy pen blanks....
> 
> View attachment 168657


Nope, that went in the trash! I'll show you what I saved for pen blanks tomorrow.


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## ripjack13 (Jul 13, 2019)

Looking great Greg. I love it. That is one stand up trailer. Very cool.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 13, 2019)

Thanks Marc, I love to make old things new again. Plus this is going to be so useful.

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## ripjack13 (Jul 13, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Nope, that went in the trash! I'll show you what I saved for pen blanks tomorrow.



Omg....those 2 front and center are great looking!!


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 13, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> Omg....those 2 front and center are great looking!!


Garbage compared to what I saved.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## ripjack13 (Jul 13, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Thanks Marc, I love to make old things new again. Plus this is going to be so useful.



Much much better than new....

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## Mr. Peet (Jul 13, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Nope, that went in the trash! I'll show you what I saved for pen blanks tomorrow.



Camp wood for us... Let me know what it (trailer) weighs when you get to registering it, just wondering....


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## Tony (Jul 13, 2019)

Those gates are nice, that's going to make it mighty easy to get in and out of.

Reactions: Like 1


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 14, 2019)

Mr. Peet said:


> Let me know what it (trailer) weighs when you get to registering it, just wondering....


I will weigh it just so I know what it weighs empty. Here in Michigan we only have to buy a trailer plate once, it's a permanent plate, so I already have a plate for it. But I will get it weighed.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 14, 2019)

Painting.......



And now its black on the inside........


 
First coat is done, I hope to get the second coat done tomorrow after work.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 14, 2019)

@ripjack13 Heres a few of the ones I saved for pen blanks.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 4


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## ripjack13 (Jul 14, 2019)

Oh myyyyy......


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## woodtickgreg (Aug 5, 2019)

Had a good test load in the trailer today. 200 retaining wall bricks, 24 lbs each times 200 equals 4,800 lbs. Trailer still had some spring left. It towed well.

Reactions: Way Cool 4


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## Mr. Peet (Aug 5, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> Had a good test load in the trailer today. 200 retaining wall bricks, 24 lbs each times 200 equals 4,800 lbs. Trailer still had some spring left. It towed well.
> View attachment 169873



Did you have any spring left?


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## Johnturner (Aug 5, 2019)

That is a beautiful trailer!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## woodtickgreg (Aug 6, 2019)

Mr. Peet said:


> Did you have any spring left?


I do, still had some bounce and the springs weren't flat and still had some arch. 
The axles are 3,500 each, so 7,000 total, less the weight of the steel frame and wood. I estimate that 5,000 would be a good max payload. I should get it weighed but haven't done that yet.

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## ripjack13 (Aug 6, 2019)

woodtickgreg said:


> I do, still had some bounce and the springs weren't flat and still had some arch.
> The axles are 3,500 each, so 7,000 total, less the weight of the steel frame and wood. I estimate that 5,000 would be a good max payload. I should get it weighed but haven't done that yet.



I think he was referring to you, personally, not the trailer.
:)

Reactions: Agree 2 | Funny 2


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## woodtickgreg (Aug 6, 2019)

ripjack13 said:


> I think he was referring to you, personally, not the trailer.
> :)


Yup, I still have some spring in my step, lol.

Reactions: Like 2


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