Big tex trailer repairs

[ArlyA]

We picked up this big tex trailer a few years ago and this past week, its tail gate or on-off ramp hinge broke off.

The ramp/tail gate was made from 2x2 tubing with .070 walls which is quite thin and tore where the hing pins were attached. I replaced it with 1/8 wall tubing as seen in this pic.

Another design flaw was the lift handles were to small for gloved hands and attached on the bottom side, so when in snow, you could never get to them. Who has hands that small!!! I replaced them with larger ones made from 5/8 rod and mounted them on the ramps top side. This pic show the original mini ones.

Updated version.

Next thing to be fixed is moving the light mounts off the bottom where they are getting broke. To the next post forward and higher than the bottom!

 

[groundcover]

Nice work ! That Cat loader will look good on there !

 

[yomax4]

I had similar situation and made similar repairs and upgrades. What I enjoyed the most was installing the slim LED lights. I did mine vertical and they are only 1" wide and 10" tall. Very bright and easy to protect if mounted on the angle iron.

 

[ArlyA]

I had similar situation and made similar repairs and upgrades. What I enjoyed the most was installing the slim LED lights. I did mine vertical and they are only 1" wide and 10" tall. Very bright and easy to protect if mounted on the angle iron.

I was hoping to use the same brackets, just move them,. I do like what Tex used, they are just in the worst possible location. If I could find the same ones new, I'd get them but haven't found any yet.

 

[ArlyA]

Nice work ! That Cat loader will look good on there !

These pics were taken in a school yard and that loader is owned by a contractor who is contracted to plow the snow at the school.

 

[ArlyA]

Sometime this spring, I'll move the lights to a safer location and post pics of doing that. Another funny thing Tex didn't add to there design, was no convenient locations for tie downs. I already added them to this unit which is dated. Did other find folks find that on there B Tex trailer?

 

[teachag295]

Good job. I have not been that impressed with the quality of Big Tex. I have repaired four or five of them with my students over the years. These are all heavier than one you have but every single one of them has had weds that have come off the metal. Not broken or ripped but just separated due to poor penetration and not cleaning mill scale. I think you need a good choice to go with thicker metal. Many commercial trailers are built lighter than they really should be.