Single axle Samurai trailer

[The_Lobbster]

I had started another thread like this a while back, but it's gone, and that trailer is too. After seeing Hickey's new Jeep dolly build, I thought I should share this here. Hopefully I can get some decent advice instead of the all the Facebook professional fabricators that don't seem to understand geometry, or the fact that almost all basic utility trailers you buy commercially, are built with little more than just 1/8" thick angle iron.

Anyways, here's where I'm at so far.

I started out with some 2x2 3/16" and 1/4" wall tubing I got for free, and some 2x4 I got for free as well. Built the main frame out of that. The dimensions are 6.45'(77.5")x13'. The 77.5" just stems from how much metal I had, and could build without buying and cutting up another stick.

Bought an old boat axle for $5 that was just the beam and spindles. Strangely, the beam is just 2x3 3/16" wall rectangle, which I have not seen before. I actually got two for the $5 price, but one of the spindles on the second axle was damaged, likely due to the people never servicing it. I ended up chopping that one up to use for the back of the dovetail I decided to add.

Bought two brand new 6k hubs for $50.

New pair of leaf springs rated at 6k for the pair, and hanger kit was $106.

Full set of Timken bearings and races was about $88. I didn't want to put cheapo bearings on this trailer. The difference in quality when you hold both is quite noticeable.

Got a brand new pair of 8-14.5 14 ply tires with wheels for $80. Those retail at $221 brand new for a single wheel and tire.

Bought an A frame coupler from Harbor Freight, was about $18 with a 20% off coupon.

I need to get more metal to finish up the entire frame and the tongue, and figure out what I want to do for a deck yet.

Right now, with my calculations of lengths of tubing, and all the parts, wheels, hubs etc, I am just under 500 lbs. And I rounded some stuff up just to be a little on the high side. By the time I get the 3" channel for the tongue on, along with upper rails, fenders, and everything else, I am hoping for around 800 pounds. I'm hoping to keep it under 1,000 with whatever I decide to do for the deck.

 

[I Lean]

I don't see any issue building it this way. You mentioned in the other thread that you'll be adding sides, "ladder" style--that will remove any worries I might have had about the 2x2 bending.

 

[The_Lobbster]

I don't see any issue building it this way. You mentioned in the other thread that you'll be adding sides, "ladder" style--that will remove any worries I might have had about the 2x2 bending.

I remember on my last thread, that was suggested. I talked to the guy I sold my last samurai too, who is a mechanical engineer, just to verify, and he agreed, that it would be plenty strong. He said if I did a triangulated truss, it would be way stronger than a piece of 4" channel.

 

[The_Lobbster]

I’m now at a crossroad. I don’t have any more 2x2 square tube. Do I buy more to build upper rails in order for it to be strong enough?

or

Do I just buy some 4” channel, start over, and abandon the 2” tube frame completely? I got it for free, so I’m not in it other than time, and flux core wire.

 

[I Lean]

I bet 4" channel will cost a bunch more than buying material to make rails. It wouldn't have to be the same square stuff, wouldn't have to be thick, whatever's cheap and available. 🙂 Pipe?

 

[Hickey]

I bet 4" channel will cost a bunch more than buying material to make rails. It wouldn't have to be the same square stuff, wouldn't have to be thick, whatever's cheap and available. 🙂 Pipe?

You can get used drill pipe from several places for $1 per foot right now.

 

[The_Lobbster]

2"x2"- 1/8" is what I'm thinking would be more than sufficient, and much lighter than what the base is made out of, but I just have to find some. Drill pipe had indeed crossed my mind as well.

 

[The_Lobbster]

Been thinking about digging this old project back up out of retirement in between waiting for parts and money for the Samurai. Thinking pretty seriously now about dropping the suspension out of the equation completely though, running a solid mounted axle, possibly hanging it below the axle beam. Doing this could yield me a deck height of probably around 10". I would have to lose the dovetail, but that wouldn't be the end of the world. After doing some research and digging, it appears it was a pretty common thing back in the VW dune buggy days to run small, single axle, solid mounted axle trailers. Doing some more googling, some estimates of the weight of the baja bugs, are around 2500 pounds. My samurai, all said and done, probably won't be much over 3k, so personally, I don't see this being an issue doing it this way, but I cannot say for certain. Peeps thoughts?

 

[The_Lobbster]

Any trailer pros on here? Want to get some input if so. 13’ deck, 4’ tongue, weighs around 1,000 lbs currently, probably about 1400 all said and done.

I followed the 60/40 rule to place my axle. Frame is 3”x3”x1/4” angle, paid like $125 for all of it, so the price was right. Unloaded, the tongue is pretty heavy, but I can still pick it up, I’d say probably 125-140lbs. Is that pretty typical of what I should expect for unloaded tongue weight? From what I’m reading, my Astro should have no more than 400lbs tongue weight loaded, so I’m planning on loading my Sami backwards to help balance the load.

Just wondering if I should push the axle forward at all, or leave it as is?

 

[jeeper]

That looks great!

Whats the plan with the original frame you aren't using?

 

[The_Lobbster]

That looks great!

Whats the plan with the original frame you aren't using?

Thanks! It's pretty heavy duty I think, but I haven't been able to find a 12'-14' single axle trailer with a capacity greater than about 2,000 lbs for any less than several thousand dollars. Seems like all the ones you see for sale have a 3,500 lb axle, and are really flimsy, by the time you factor in the dry weight, you can't load much on them. The old frame got chopped up after I finally learned that it wasn't going to be practical, or the best idea to use square tube that small, part of the 2x2 is being used for the ramp, the other 10' stick I have left, I'll likely be giving back to the guy who gave me the metal in the first place, he asked for whatever scraps I had left over back.

 

[The_Lobbster]

I would not load your Sami backwards, as a rule of thumb you never want the heavy end of any type of load behind the axle. The exception to this is if you can pull the majority of the load up enough on the trailer far enough that the weight is still on or in front of the axle. And your trailer doesn’t look long enough to do that.

That’s a totally normal empty tongue weight for a trailer like that. It will go up a little when you get the decking on of course and that’s even better.

I wouldn’t worry about the 400 lbs rating being an issue, but trailer sway on an incorrectly loaded trailer will be a disaster.

True that. I also know though, that too heavy of a tongue weight can be just as problematic due to making the front end of the tow rig too light.