Bronco car trailers

[nvrstuk]

I measured and got 1 deg toe in. I just didn't want toe out... so the axle has slide in from the proper side or else that crown is now to the back... ask me ... LOL course one could just put a chalk mark on the front and create less work but...

 

[Yeller]

Believe it or not I’ve never welded purches on a trailer axle. My local supplier builds axles to order so I’ve never needed to, I just give them the dimensions and pick it up. I know I’m spoiled

 

[nvrstuk]

Thought I'd update. Picked it up last week and immediately tore it apart- of course! lol

So I've been working on ramp slides, locking pins for the ramps, finishing the removeable fenders, welding D rings and stake pocket brackets on and adapting my existing (ugly) 16ft side racks and the frt and rear ones. Had to get a litt;le creative for the front but with one pc of 3" channel and a couple bolts which I really didn't want to use to hold everything in I should be good as it all fits and is strong. I do maybe 5% of the construction I used to do so these 2ft tall racks will probably only get installed/removed 2-3x a year. Actually bought a small tongue strg box.

Start paint prep tomorrow and...

Paint next week as the weather warms back up.

Question on last pic. I know it's extremely important to pull straight on Drings.

In this pic it shows the rear of the car trailer and I can't put stake pockets back there because the trailer ramps will interfere. So i'm wondering if the Dring is vertical & pulled flat against the back of the trailer with just the hook or the chain pulling at the top edge, how much structural load capacity I would lose on the D ring?

I can't mount it flat on top because of the lghtweight angle that is there & its in the way of laying any material flat that could be hanging out the back.

 

[Dude 713]

I'm no expert but I do my share of fab work for myself and I wouldn't be afraid of that.

 

[Yeller]

Those d rings are fine. I have some like that on my 2 car GN. I don’t have an issue side loading them, straight or side loaded they will be plenty beefy. I use the analogy, pulling directly side ways they are still stronger than the strap, and in most cases any chain you are using.

All of my trailers have them welded to the channel next to the fender. Especially on the big trailer they get pulled sideways, that’s where the straps have to be between the vehicles. Not a good pic but the straps can be seen.

 

[nvrstuk]

Yup, already welded in. Thx

Another question...

 

[nvrstuk]

So i'm done with everything, except for cleaning it up, getting ready to paint, except for this question...

I always strapped/chained pretty much straight front to back. In case one strap comes undone and the remaining strap pulls the vehicle to the side that's still connected.

With THAT in mind, i have seen a lot of trailers that do not have a lip that's sticks up above the decking, and this new one doesn't.

Check out my 2 pics and see if you think it's worth making something that'll drop into stake pocket that would stick up with a 2x4 or pc of alum angle or...??

it would always be there when towing the Bronco for the front axle. As you can see in the other pic, where my Broncos frt tires lineup with the stake pockets on my old trailer there wouldn't be anything on this trailer to keep the tire from sliding sideway since my tires will be out to the edge of the trailer frame.

The stake pockets on each trailer are in the exact location as each other for reference. I have no idea if the Bronco will be farther ahead on the new one or not. I am guessing it will be close as the axle to ball measurement is within 2 1/2" btw the two trailers.

Thoughts? I'd feel a lot more comfortable. Will something sticking up 3 inches as a safety precaution.

I mean, i'm the guy that was driving through eight lanes of traffic in SLC the hitchclip spring pin came out of the 5/8" pin that slides thru the receiver & the trailer dropped to the concrete at 60mph... in heavy traffic.
So prevention of things that shouldn't ever happen is important! I now use a locking 5/8" pin so there is no clip to spring off.

For those that don't know
I towed 1500 miles without removing the stinger from the receiver.
After being at moab for 10 days, I connected the ball to the tongue at Moab, do my triple check of everything and we drive for 4 1/2 hrs & the stinger slides out of the receiver... I'd never touched it in 1600 miles thru WA, ID, MT, WY, CO & Utah...

Then it comes out in SLC traffic. I never take the stinger out of the motorhome after trips... kinda wondering if someone took it out at Moab or somehow it came off when towing... but when?

 

[Broncobowsher]

D-rings look better than most. Used many and installed some. They take pretty mean angles in all directions pretty well.

 

[nvrstuk]

Believe it or not I’ve never welded purches on a trailer axle. My local supplier builds axles to order so I’ve never needed to, I just give them the dimensions and pick it up. I know I’m spoiled

... and I feel lucky since I only have to drive 95 miles rd trip to get trailer parts!

 

[Yeller]

I’ve never had a shift to the side with the vehicle tied down, none of mine have anything on the sides and I’ve never felt the need.

I’m also notorious for towing with tires air’d down, there are some trains of thought that is a huge unforgivable sin. I like showing up ready to go and would rather harass my buddies than air up. Never had an issue, also, in my opinion aids in staying put, more rubber on the deck, is more traction to the deck.

... and I feel lucky since I only have to drive 95 miles rd trip to get trailer parts!

It’s that way if I figure it out on Saturday morning and need parts. Gotta go visit Merle in Muskogee lol.

 

[ntsqd]

The only thing that I don't like about D-rings like that is that the unused ones are automagic noise enhancement devices. I call them "Auto-Clangers".

 

[Yeller]

The only thing that I don't like about D-rings like that is that the unused ones are automagic noise enhancement devices. I call them "Auto-Clangers".

I can’t hear them over the ramps

 

[Broncobowsher]

The only thing that I don't like about D-rings like that is that the unused ones are automagic noise enhancement devices. I call them "Auto-Clangers".

I thought that when I installed a set on a bumper once. I'll get back to quieting them down later. Once I got the bumper on, no issues. Never needed to make them quiet since they were never noisy. If you can hear little stuff rattling around on the trailer, you are something special. Ramps and loose boards are about the only thing I ever hear on trailers. The rattle of the receiver hitch on unibodies, maybe in an SUV if it is really loud. And the moan of the spring bars.

 

[nvrstuk]

I've never had a vehicle move side to side on a trailer either... Mine has been wedged btw 3" high pcs of steel on this car trailer since I went to the D60 and 14 bolt. about 10 yrs back...

I think I'll wait till I can drive the Bronco up, find the sweet spot and see where it sits. Then probably use those drop in stake pocket pcs that have cheap China D rings, cut them off and attach 3" alum angle or something... The Drings I just bought in Yakima are the same 1/2' dia but have exactly HALF the weight rating as the ones I had laying around... so those will go back next week! CHEEEEP crap! I obviously didn't look. Needed 1/2" so I bought 1/2"... I gotta wise up!

The only thing that I don't like about D-rings like that is that the unused ones are automagic noise enhancement devices. I call them "Auto-Clangers".

Well, you won't hear them clicking on my trailer because the wood decking bangs up and down so much!

I do not use screwheads to hold the wood decking down because all the screw heads do is get countersunk deeper and deeper into the wood as the trlr flexes.

So then the boards all start banging up-and-down a 1/2 inch to an inch anyway...just takes a couple yrs.

Then the wood rots because now you've got half inch diameter holes halfway through the wood at each cross member piece, which means you have to replace your decking sooner!

So wear earplugs around my trailer! lol

 

[ntsqd]

The Wagon came to me with them welded to both of it's bumpers and oh yeah, I could definitely hear them.

I hate ramp rattles and bangs. It's one of the reasons why I'm tempted to build a trailer that doesn't have any ramps in the first place.

 

[Yeller]

I certainly had that thought. My single axle car hauler rarely uses them, but when they are used it is very nice. If it was dedicated to what I have in the garage, it wouldn’t have them.

 

[.94 OR]

I think a tire stop block would be worth the time. Ensures the rig gets placed on the trailer at the same spot every time so towing is predictable.

 

[ntsqd]

An old friend built one for his drag car's trailer. Stacked some lumber with Tite-Bond between the layers, cut one side on a bevel, 'painted' it with some sort of rubberizing stuff, and ran two long carriage bolts down thru it. Carefully placed the car on the trailer with the normal load-out for a race and marked the location. Flats and wing-nuts on the underside of the deck meant that it was easily removed for hauling other vehicles or stuff like old shingle roofs that had been scraped off on to the trailer.

I see the utility in a full width deck, but I once helped change a Powerglide's torque-converter with a broken pilot in the drizzle at a Motel 6 parking lot in Fremont, CA with the 351C powered Bantam sitting on it's open center trailer. If it's going to be a does everything trailer then full width deck. If it's a dedicated vehicle hauler then open center.

 

[nvrstuk]

Yeah my full deck trailer (one I just sold) worked great as a shop floor on my first ever wheeling trip to Moab when I grenaded my first D20 ticase due to low, low gearing. ZF/203/D20.... idling up a waterfall on Poison Spider and ... the rest is history!

Swapped out my D20 one night and was driving the next. Full width is the way to go.

 

[nvrstuk]

So I put two planks on each side of my trailer, drove the Bronco up (WOW, I love the jacks on the back corners), tied it down, saw where I want to put an additional stake pocket next to the frt wheels on each side since my lugs on my frt tires hang over the edge of the decking by about 1/4". lol

Scale pic shows 800# & appr 12.8% tongue wt
Tape measure showing space where I'll weld on another stake pocket so I'll have a stake immediately next to the tire.