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Trailer mods


JoWhee

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So being a cheap bastard, I picked up an 8'x8' trailer. It was previously used to transport two snowmobiles.  

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I've redone all the wiring and lights, and picked up two wheel chocks from Harbor Freight. 

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I've run carriage bolts up through the floor and frame and I'll be using wing nuts to keep the front in place, I drilled out the threads on the chocks, to make installation & removal easier.

At the back I'm using a clevis pin and a bolt with a bite in nut, I have no idea what they're really called. 

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While measuring, I noticed that the two chocks aren't identical, the mounting holes at the rear are off between the two by about 1/8" , not enough of a difference for the pin, but enough that the bolt would go in cross threaded, so the two chocks aren't perfectly interchangeable, but it's no big deal. I may just use pins instead. 

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As of now the trailer can be set up to transport one bike in the middle or two on either side. 

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Not bad for a $500 trailer, $100 in chocks, and about $50 in hardware. 

PS Thanks to Ben, Mikey and Stefan for their help patience and advice. 

Edited by JoWhee
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Second last picture Mikey! it's modular, one or two, and if I was really keen I could probably get a third bike on there. 

 

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I really like the video, and the use of the cat as background was excellent.  In future productions of this sort, you might want to consider a diversion every 30 to 40 seconds to maintain the feeling of a faster pace.  In this sort of situation, I'd suggest events such as a gleefully colored giant play ball bouncing through the field of view, a bicycling child running into the tree, or boobies.

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There's no need to bolt it down at all four corners and with a bike on it no bolts/nuts are needed just something for them to hook onto.  I would use just the studs at the front and add wing nuts only for empty transport to keep them from being able to bounce off.  It's not a lot of work to swap them so I get it, just suggesting it could be even easier.

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When I installed the Baxley wheel chocks in the floor of my trailer, I put the chocks were I need them and drilled the holes in the floor.  Then I put carriage bolts up through the holes from the bottom of the trailer and nutted them on the inside.  The Baxley chocks sit down over the top of the "studs" sticking up through the floor and then they are secured with "wing nuts".  That makes them easily removeable if needed.....like for a chock in the paddock.

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looking good. 

 

Few suggestions I would recommend..

 

possible addition of some sides, wouldn't need to be fancy. Some small tubing or angle and put some expanded metal. Would also give you some extra storage area for various things and free up some space in the tow vehicle. 

 

Spare tire? Can't see all the neck of the trail, but that is a good place to mount a spare wheel and tire. Nothing will suck more than being in the middle of no where on a weekend and getting a trailer flat. Seen it many times with utility trailers and boats. 

 

Check with local laws, but some places also require the use of side marker lights and/or the addition of some 3M reflective tape to be in use with just the rear trailer lights.

 

keep up the good work, and boobies in the nexxt vid would be nice as well. 

 

 

 

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Got the lights sorted, sides front amber rear red, and a middle light at the back. Spare wheel will be in on Tuesday, then I'll get a tire mounted, I think there's enough space in the front V to mount the spare, as well as a place to hold the ramps. 

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You've done quite a bit to make it nice, good job.

 

A good solution for the spare is underneath the bed somewhere.  It not only frees up tongue space for a tool or utility box but also keeps the tire shaded extending its life.

 

Many couplers are adjustable and I've seen them so loose that they'd clear the ball when locked.  You don't want it clamping the ball hard, but minimal free play.

 

Check the springs, mounts, and U bolts; visually inspect everything and put a wrench to each fastener to make sure they're tight.

 

Check the lug nuts and recheck them after 25, 50, 100 miles re-torqueing as needed; something about the way trailer wheels are made they tend to compress or something.  They'll stop loosening within a few tightenings.  Also verify that they haven't been cranked down by a mad man with a mega impact gun so hard that you can't remove them with your road-side tool, that sucks balls.  My friend forgot to re-torque his on a sea-doo trailer and I got to see the joke of having your tire pass you on the freeway.  It went across the lane to our left then following the camber of the road it crossed in front of us as we slowed stopping on the right shoulder leaned against the k-rail with no incident other than a ground up trailer hub.  That wheel had been installed by a shop about 50 miles before it came off.  Had it continued going left there would have been 7 or 8 lanes of fairly heavy traffic for it to play with.  We were in a spot where 3 freeways join & split in an area where half the drivers are Asian, that coulda been a serious mess.

 

Spin each tire and make sure the bearings are smooth & quiet with minimal free play.  If there's any amount of grumbling noise replace them.  Complete bearing kits are cheap, grease is cheap; being flat-bedded home because a hub and axle got destroyed isn't cheap, especially if the cargo or a following car gets trashed in the process.

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  • 4 years later...
4 hours ago, SoCalBird said:

You still happy with this wheel chock system ?

 

If you mean me, I ended up giving away that trailer, after my wife found out I was using a 2500lb trailer to pull a >600lb bike even she started ridiculing me (for something else besides my penis size for a change).  I still have one of the chocks, I use it occasionally. My new to me trailer has a condor chock and tilts to load. 

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48 minutes ago, XXitanium said:

Screenshot_20200714-061223_Chrome.jpg

Screenshot_20200714-061300_Chrome.jpg

That's exactly what I used, however they were "hooked" into some large pieces of oak I had glued and screwed to the underside of the trailer for more strength. Again, operation overkill. 

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Yes and no, it was a large scrap, more to use as a "washer" than anything else. If the trailer floor had been made from 2x10" I'd have just used the prong nuts. 

The prong nuts were more for keeping the rear of the chock from moving which would have been difficult since the front was bolted down. 

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