Choosing steel for a trailer build

[bcp]

I've passed on the road lots of humpbacked 16ft dual axle flatbed trailers apparently made with 4in channel. They may have been overloaded or underbuilt.

Bruce

 

[LD1]

I see.. the C5 will be stronger than the heavy C4 but be lighter at the same time. I looked at their angle chart.. they didn't have that spec in the unequal leg chart, but did on the equal leg, so I compared 3x3x3/8 to 4x4x1/4... The 3x3 is 1.76 and the 4x4 is 3.04. It's significantly stronger. That was a lot of help LD, thanks.

Ian

No problem.

For a trailer, for the weight, you are probabally better off using channel. Even for the cross members. Because as you can see, the 4x4 angle is only about half the strength of the 5" channel, but weighs just as much.

The advantage of the angle though, is that you get MUCH more strength in the yy-axis. But that isnt super important on a trailer, because that lateral strength (like being hit from the side) comes from the WHOLE trailer being like a 6' truss on its side.

If you are anything like me though, and you do decide to build it, it will probabally be about 2x's heavier and 2x's stronger than it really needs to be.

In the interest of saving weight (and material cost) have you considered making it like the landscape trailer, only beefier. THOSE trailers get their strength from the ~12" high side rail. Basically makes it a truss. VERY light and still strong. If you were to take one of them trailers and cut the sides off, I doubt it would handle hauling a couple of bicycles:laughing:

 

[Haywire]

Actually, that is exactly what I intend, excepting it would have 24" side rails. What I have drawn up uses 2x2x1/8 angle for the rails.

Ian

 

[sklunk]

Actually, that is exactly what I intend, excepting it would have 24" side rails. What I have drawn up uses 2x2x1/8 angle for the rails.

Ian

Just a shameless plug --

If you decide to build your own and need suspension hardware I have some for sale in the Marketplace:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/private-party-ads/242306-trailer-suspension-parts-new.html

 

[sandman2234]

Just a shameless plug --

If you decide to build your own and need suspension hardware I have some for sale in the Marketplace:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/private-party-ads/242306-trailer-suspension-parts-new.html

If he needs them and you have them, it is just trying to help him with locating them. Nothing wro.g with that...
David from jax

 

[schmism]

Cant see how you could build one for what you could buy a CL one for.

I mean if you were asking for something super special, perhaps but a 6x12 is a stock trailer.

So i suppose my advise on steel flavor is, buy the kind that comes like this
Landscape Trailers : Mikes Welding & Trailer MFG Charlotte NC
it has the advantage of hooking up and being done.