Homebuilt flatbed trailer

[Whatswrong]

I have collected a lot of scrap iron to build a 8x16 bed I haven't decided on tilt or not. It will be a tandem . What I need to know is if I put 4 coils from a 3/4 ton camper special in the suspension instead of leaf springs would it be too soft and floppy when loaded.I think I have thought out the ability to anchor fore and aft and sideway shift that the springs would allow.I am trying not to spend much money .Hope to carry 40hp utility tractors or possibly car or truck if required.Anyone with experience or thoughts will be appreciated

 

[glh]

I have collected a lot of scrap iron to build a 8x16 bed I haven't decided on tilt or not. It will be a tandem . What I need to know is if I put 4 coils from a 3/4 ton camper special in the suspension instead of leaf springs would it be too soft and floppy when loaded.I think I have thought out the ability to anchor fore and aft and sideway shift that the springs would allow.I am trying not to spend much money .Hope to carry 40hp utility tractors or possibly car or truck if required.Anyone with experience or thoughts will be appreciated

"8x16 bed" ? trust me when i say this ....
16 feet is not long enough i made one 8x17 and ended up offing it to buy enough steel to make one that was 8x20
when i was using the 8x17 i could not put my ford f-250 extended cab on it safely.
the back tires were to close the the edge (half on half off)
but if 8x16 is what you want.
thats ok by me .
i would not put coils for the suspension.
i like the leaf springs
here is a page that talks about different options for trailers
Page 4, Trailer Options for Versatility
hope this helps
gary...

 

[CWL]

I would shy away from the coil springs. They are tall, tend to bounce a lot unless you use shocks and as you already stated they need a lot of extra fabrication to make the axles track true. I have a trailer that is 16 foot long and it will haul a medium size car fine, but anything larger is a no-go.

 

[BruceWard]

I also would vote for longer if your material allows.

If you are looking for an inexpensive option mobile home axles come with strong leaf springs attached. The axles and springs are rated for 6000 pounds. In my area an axle and leaf springs set sells for $50 and tires are $25 each. The axles are too wide so they need to be cut and welded together in the center.

 

[RPW]

Longer and wider (20'x 96" or 102") and go with leaf springs. Much simpler, IMO can withstand abuse better and not very expensive. I replaced all 4 on my horse trailer as they were broken and I think I paid about 20 bucks a spring.

good luck.

 

[Wis Bang]

There is a reason the big rigs don't use coil springs. They are not as stable as leaf springs. I have seen pictures of a small sailboat trailer w/ a coil sprung axle. In addition to fore/aft bracing it used a 'panhard' style rod between a point on the axle sideways to a similar location on the frame to stop the springs from shakling like a bowl of jello.

I think it would not distribute the load very well when driving on/off the trailer causing the bed to lean at weird angles and posibly over torque the axle retention components unless they were grossly oversized.

Look at an air suspended tractor trailer, the mounting components are massive to keep everything in line and some airbags have soild blocks inside to prevent 'dockwalk' where the trailer scoots ahead on the suspension components when the forklift weight shifts from the dockplate to the trailer floor after the air pressure has bled off the bag when the trailer is dropped.

We had a silimar problem w/ air bags on tankers. Parking the empty unit w/ the bags full would result on them pushing the landing gear forward as the suspension angles changed unless you dumpped the bags b/4 cranking the landing legs down. We had to install auto dump valves.

Leaf springs would require less fabrication, weigh less and be more stable when loading.

 

[Renze]

coil springs require shock absorbers to dampen the oscillation. Leafs dont, the friction between the leafs dampens itself.

A leaf spring manufacturer used anti friction pads betweent their springs in the 1900's for a customer, an automobile manufacturer (the original Spyker company) to stop the squeeking. When the friction that caused the squeeking, was gone, they needed shock absorbers.

 

[tommu56]

I also would vote for longer if your material allows.

If you are looking for an inexpensive option mobile home axles come with strong leaf springs attached. The axles and springs are rated for 6000 pounds. In my area an axle and leaf springs set sells for $50 and tires are $25 each. The axles are too wide so they need to be cut and welded together in the center.

Ive built 5 or 6 trailers over the years and 2 had mobile home axles (And I don't want to hear from the safety police Its not against the law here)

I did change the bearings before I out it on the road and they were some of the stoutest trailers I built I still have one in use. after 30 years its not one I use regularly but I wouldn't hesitate to tow it 500 miles after checking bearings and tires.

I did have a problem finding drop center rims had split ring 14.5's on it originally but finally found them in a place in Texas with the right lug and center hole size in 15" then I found out that international travelalls had the same size I needed.


tom

 

[Ordite]

More than thirty years ago, I put a lot of work into building a 16 ft. flatbed trailer from a house trailer that was destroyed in a tornado. The frame springs, and dual axles worked out fine but tires were a constant problem for me. Although tires were cheap they never lasted for many miles. With the 14.5" tires on detachable rims, I was not able to convert to a quality tire and rim as there were no conventional hubs available for these axles. Tire balance was also a problem when towing the trailer empty. I finally sold the trailer and purchased a factory built trailer after being "fed-up" with the tire problems. Perhaps tires are better now but I doubt it as I think they are only intended to get the mobile home from the factory to the dealer's lot or to the new homeowner.

 

[ovrszd]

I've got two 16' utility trailers. They haul my Jeeps or ATV/UTVs fine. I haul my L4400 w/FEL frequently. I wish my trailers were longer for that job. I can't haul the tractor w/FEL and brush cutter. I'll go at least 18' next time and hopefully 20'.

Avoid coils. Too much fabrication work to get the trailer to stay on top of them. If you think about it, a loaded coil spring does everything it can to buck the load off it. In ddition to everything else mentioned you would need sway bars to get it anywhere near safe to tow at speed with a load.

 

[Pops15]

Coils will work but they aren't worth the hassle. You'll need to fab upper and lower coil mounts. You'll also need to fab upper and lower control arms to keep the axle from rotating. Coils will require shocks, and you'll need a panhard bar to keep the wheels centered under the trailer.
Get a pair of 7000# Dexter house trailer axles and narrow them. You can often find them with the springs on them. They usually have electric brakes on them.
Just remember that house trailer axles have an arch to them. When you narrow them you need to take a section out of the center.....and if you have to relocate the spring perches be sure you have the axle arched up or you could end up with a toe in or toe out problem.
The 14.5" tires are the same as those used on many heavy duty equipment trailers. I've had 3 enclosed trailers, a car hauler and a flatbed that all used Dexter axles and the 14.5" tires. I've never had a problem with tire wear.
I agree with the others about 8 X 16 not being big enough.

 

[Whatswrong]

Thanks to all who have shared , for all the insight ,you confirmed most of the suspension concerns I had .I will also go to twenty feet. I may have to spend a few dollars to buy new spring assemblys as used may be harder to find.

 

[o2batsea]

Torsion axles. Only way to fly.

 

[MJPetersen]

Torsion axles. Only way to fly.

Absolutely--lower floor level and super simple construction.

Mike

 

[porky69]

In some areas it is illegal to use mobile home axles under anything but mobile homes. Plus it can be hard to find 14.5" tires in a lot of areas.

I used to work for a custom harvester who had a header trailer made from an old mobile home trailer frame and got stopped by the DOT and got a writtten warning about the axles/wheels being used for its non-intended use. He told me that they were supposedly not designed for continuous use, only for short periods of time (such as delivering homes).

We had taken this trailer from Alberta, Canada to the north end of Texas and as one can imagine had numerous blow outs and once we used up the spares we brought with us we had a hard time finding them and when we did we bought 3 or 4 at a time.

 

[Donsyl]

I had a 16 foot trailer and i had a 29 horsepower Kubota with a front end loader that i carried on it. The bush hog would hang off the back end 2 or 3 feet. I think longer would be better, especially with a 40 HP tractor. I would also go with the leaf springs......We have a couple of trailers at work with the mobile home axles and the axle is strong, but the tires and rims seem to be the problem with them. Good luck.....Don

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Having just purchased a 25' equipment trailer with triple MH axles the search feature brought up this interesting thread. We almost walked away due to the MH axles and the loading ramps are too much for both me and my son to get up and down but he kept dropping the price where we can afford to work out some assist lift system.

It is framed out out 8" I Beams and stayed on the road empty on the 125 mile trip home. I could tell it was back there on some of the hills in central TN south of I-40 in top gear high range in the old Ford F700 16' flat dump.

While it is a heavy trailer and not a beauty queen I really do not need one that much but it will be nice to have it should I need to move the 265 MF or JD 310B backhoe. It also makes buying a used portable build a real option if we want to move it ourselves.

The pintle hitch was a big plus since the 23,001 pound rated truck is the only thing I have to move equipment and it only has the pintle hitch which sees to work well for the Army for a long time.

Due to being only on 2 lane roads we only pulled it about 60 MPH for the most part but did hit 72 per the GPS down one hill and it (empty) pulled really well. When I tested by whipping it at 60 MPH it would true up on the third cycle but the whipping was so little it was hard to notice but the 6' ramps up in the air helped detect the side to side movement better.

Some posts mentioned tire and brake selection being poor but I found complete new loaded Dexter mobile home style backplates for about $60 and 14 ply (3100 pound rated at 110 PSI) for about the same price.

25' sure takes a lot for parking space. Hitched we are talking over 50' and I think it was one reason it was for sell after he sold his backhoe. After about 20 miles we stopped and cheched tire and hub temps and they were fine as they where after the next 100 mile leg of the trip.

With less money than I planned in a trailer at this point and the longest trip loaded at 12,500 pound being 20 miles at 40-45 MPH my demands are not high. I plan to get a 3 point hitch receiver so I can pull it around the place with the 265 MF. I can use the backhoe to do no lifting hookups to the flat bed truck since the hitch is 22" under the back of the bed.

While I do not haul baled hay any longer 41' of total bed length would haul a lot of hay per trip.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Ive built many with MH axles the tires last longer if you put 90 psi In them. Some have it marked. Folks think they are a car tire and run 35 PSI in them and they seperate. WHen thelandfill was ownedby the mobilehome plant we hung around them and the movers alot maintaining the parking areas. Ive heard DOT workers tell me that they are one trip axles, but 98 percent of all the companies now thatbuild them re use them. I had a neighbor down the road that used to mount tires and refurbish the rims. Learned alot from him about them.
At one time there was a company thatsold the hubs to change them over to 5,6,or 8 hole hubs, cant remeber the name but the axle in most were standard. I had a Hill 35 foot deck over axles gooseneck tri axle trailer I sold because it had the Dayton 5 lug wedge lock rims that lok like MH axles. Every time the DOT saw me using it I got a ticket and got tires of fighting them over it. I had to go to court or the courthouse and show every one that it was a factory trailer with factory rims taht were equipment rims. It had special lowboy tires that were small 12 and 14 ply tires. I didnt want to change it over to 16 inch tires because i was gonna havto rase it up on a sub frame. Afriendbought it and took it where the DOT has some sense.

 

[lostcause]

around 10 years ago i built a trailer and used a pair of mobile home axles. i needed hanger shackles & the equalizer, so i went to a trailer dealer here and they asked what i was using for axles i told them, and they threw a fit. unsafe, illegal, and so on... i generally have a: "believe half of what you see and none of what you hear" mentality, so i ignored them and went straight to the state police commercial vehicle division & asked them.

they told me that it did not matter what the parts came from. the only thing that would make them illegal is if they said "not for highway use" on them. since mobile homes are transported on the highway, they're all good. even the tires which say "for mobile home use only" are ok to use on a trailer, since they are suited for highway use. your results may vary state by state (this is in maine) and year by year. i haven't checked the laws recently - i suppose they could have changed things here.

as far as durability goes, they've seen and done it all with no issues. i've since gone through a few sets of tires. my father borrowed the trailer every weekend in the summer for three straight years, hauling building materials to build a house on the lake - about 250 miles round trip. not to mention the numerous time i've hauled tractors, lumber, vehicles, parts of vehicles, and so forth. i'd have no reservations using mobile home axles again. doesn't hurt that i paid $100 for three axles and 6 tires either. course, i had to crawl under and get them out too.

 

[Taylortractornut]

A friend of mine had a similar Hill trailer like mine and was having trouble he cutr some aluminum 1/8th sheets into disdes and hooked them on the centers hauled for years under the DOT nose. Belmont homes used to build 16 by 80 Homes from 2 by 6's and used 5 axles THey did break a few on the front and rear twisting on paevement but I forgot the weightsd of these things but it was alot.