pimp my extremely low budget car trailer...

Well, I dug into the trailer a bit before the snow came. It turns out that the wheels are from a 5 bolt straight axle car or truck. How do I know? The builder torched off the axle bits and welded the back of the hubs to a 3" I-beam and the upper kingpin to the trailer directly, haha. It's a hack job and a half. Getting electric brakes onto the drum and wheel hub is not going to work because the wheel face on these is set back almost 6", while every electric brake face is not nearly as offset as that.

So where does that leave me? Running rigid at the moment, but I have my eyes open for a tandem axle set on craigs if it comes along... Other than that, the trailer is solid and should do the job just fine.

Gasoline wrote: I've been there, done that. You could sink allot of money into that and they not be fully happy. I would sell it and buy another one. There are better ones out there at great prices. Be patient when searching.

This exactly. Not worth trying to upgrade in my opinion. You can probably get a few hundred out of it, then be patient and get a good deal on a nicer trailer.

I scored gooseneck with a 20ft deck, brakes, and sping axles for 700. it needed paint, tires, the brakes gone through, and wiring, but has been a great trailer.

golfduke wrote: Well, I dug into the trailer a bit before the snow came. It turns out that the wheels are from a 5 bolt straight axle car or truck. How do I know? The builder torched off the axle bits and welded the back of the hubs to a 3" I-beam and the upper kingpin to the trailer directly, haha. It's a hack job and a half.

That's exactly what I found under my homemade utility trailer. Mine were Ford parts.

In the name of low budget, keep the surge brakes and add a line lock for backing up?

That surge brake actuator should have a lockout- look for a set of holes that run through the tongue to restrict the brake actuation- I had a similar setup a while back. You can still find replacement master cylinders for those and they are pretty cheap. Check Redneck Trailer Supply or E-Trailer and you can find all the parts to convert this to a suspension trailer. May be easier to convert to a torsion axle setup than leaf springs.

Cotton wrote:

Gasoline wrote: I've been there, done that. You could sink allot of money into that and they not be fully happy. I would sell it and buy another one. There are better ones out there at great prices. Be patient when searching.

This exactly. Not worth trying to upgrade in my opinion. You can probably get a few hundred out of it, then be patient and get a good deal on a nicer trailer. I scored gooseneck with a 20ft deck, brakes, and sping axles for 700. it needed paint, tires, the brakes gone through, and wiring, but has been a great trailer.

Eh, I appreciate the advice, but I think I'm gonna build it up. First, it was free. Second, I love overcomplicating things and spending way too much time and money than it is usually worth on automotive projects, haha. I'm going to do a straight 2' extension, and undersling the tongue for more weld contact points/rigidity. I'm also going to run a 3x3x1/4 tongue back to the axles for overkill and to mount a conventional ball mount tongue. I've got a bunch of leftover stock from an ATV trailer I made, so most of the goods aren't going to cost any more than welding wire and gas.

I'll keep everyone posted with updates once the fracking snow starts melting... Lots of grinding to do.

OK, so I figure this thread needed a little bump. I have been stockpiling parts for the trailer until the snow melts. Here is what I am into the thing for-

• Trailer- $0 family gift.
• Plugs, led lights, and wires- $55
• 2 craigslist 4" drop axles with leaf springs- $150
• shackle and tandem mount hinges- $35
• Diamond plate for decking- $416
• Miscellaneous steel- Free, compliments of the work scrap bin.

The plan is a 2' beavertail extension, relocate/suspend the new axles and fenders, and re-deck it. I really hope it stops snowing because my first track day is 4/8 and the trailer needs to be done before then.