[tBatt]

MLK weekend is a hopeful but realistic time.

 

[Dalberson241]

Here's my trailer I built last fall. My buddy had an old trailer sitting in the weeds and he let me have it if I took it off the property. Built her out so I can haul my motorcycle on the front so I can run a self shuttle

 

[Willie 1.5]

@Dalberson241 good looking build, I like the access door up front.. I'm curious why you chose to have the permanent(?) cross bars instead of more robust side walls? And it looks like the bolt/nut is exposed on the rails for the boat, why not a carriage bolt sunk flush, not worried about damaging a sliding boat?

 

[Dalberson241]

I put the cross bars in because I didn't know if I wanted to make it fully decked later on so I put an extra support so I could convert it really later. As far as the carriage bolts, the hardware store didn't have any when I was building it and I'm lazy so hex bolts haha

 

[SheriffDickel]

I recently bought a used utility trailer and am about to rip up old carpet on the elevated 2x10’s. Thinking about replacement options, has anyone tried snowmobile slide/guides?

 

[MT4Runner]

I recently bought a used utility trailer and am about to rip up old carpet on the elevated 2x10’s. Thinking about replacement options, has anyone tried snowmobile slide/guides?

I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. Great idea!

 

[cschmidt1023]

This seems like maybe the best thread to get a decent idea…what’s a decent price for a used utility trailer suitable for rafting use?
I have my eye on a 5x8 with 15” wheels listed for $1,000…but it’s almost 20 years old

 

[SheriffDickel]

That seems reasonable to me, especially if you are somewhat handy and can do some basic maintenance.

 

[MT4Runner]

This seems like maybe the best thread to get a decent idea…what’s a decent price for a used utility trailer suitable for rafting use?
I have my eye on a 5x8 with 15” wheels listed for $1,000…but it’s almost 20 years old

I bought a ~15 year old 7x15 with 15" wheels for $750 about 10 years ago. But the price of steel and everything else has gone up significantly.

Best value in trailers suitable for rafting use is old motorboat trailers...you get a hitch, the steel, the axle, wheels, tires, and sometimes the lights work.
They're built to carry a 1,500# boat so the springs are about right for a raft, coolers, etc. You can often find them for $400-500

The nice thing about that trailer you're looking at is that 15" wheels often mean 3,500# axles which are a LOT bigger bearings than 2,000# axles.

 

[Whitewater Worthy Equip]

Old boat trailers often have junk axles and hubs that don’t fit standard 5 on 4.5” wheels. It’s easy to get upside down when you buy something old. Last refurb trailer I attempted ending up not saving much over new construction and was no where close to square. If it was powder coated it would have cost the same.

 

[cupido76]

After my failed trailer purchase last year, I decided to just spend the money.

I found a local welder to build me a trailer to my spec. It's 12' x 7' with a long tongue, 3500# easy lube dexter axle. I had him weld the frame and then I painted and wired it and put the deck on. I have a roller and winch parts sitting in the garage to install this spring.

The 3x3 HSS center member / tongue allows for attachment of a spare under the trailer right near the axle... out of sight and good spot for weight balance.

I currently have 14" wheels on it because I found a deal on some nice allow wheels, but it will fit 15s if I want to do that in the future.

It weighed 330kg (750 pounds) before I added wiring and the deck so I think it's probably about 1100 pounds in it's current state, but I haven't weighed it since that work was done.

Forgot to mention that it's designed to tow the boat we ordered last fall... an NRS E-176D... 17'5" x 7'9".

 

[MT4Runner]

That's awesome. Alberta has a lot of skilled welders.
I hope you're super happy with it!

I WOULD suggest mounting your license plate up higher. It's likely to drag and tear off...use the bottom two holes in the plate and mount the plate to the same bracket on the frame. Could even bend it slightly into the channel so nothing snags the top.

 

[cupido76]

I haven't used it yet but I am very happy with the build quality and trust it... so that's great.

Good tip about the license plate. I didn't think for a second I could use those as bottom holes... Thanks!

 

[Bbfozzy]

Or, for the license plate, mount it to a small frame and then hinge the frame to the trailer.