Trailer Project

RSteiner · February 11, 2004, 05:30:50 AM

I recently made a trailer to help in the fire wood gathering process. Some of the design parameters were, it had to hold about 1/2 cord or 64 cubic feet of wood. The wheel width could not be wider than the rear tires of the tractor, and I had to be able to reach across form one side to the other to make loading easier.

I wanted a body that was 8 feet long for some other hauling tasks. The body is just under 4 feet wide, tire width prevented a full 4 feet. The sides are about 18" high.

I will attempt to post a few pictures. I wanted a tandem wheel arrangement to reduce ground pressure in the woods but wanted an axle system that kept both wheels on the ground as much as possible and prevented the trailer form tipping side to side as it passed over bumps in the woods.

Randy

redpowerd · February 11, 2004, 06:31:38 AM

looks like a mini IDEAL dump wagon!
mines 5'8"x10'
wont track behind tractor
the tandem is handy untill turnin real sharp, like skiddin with the brakes.
mostly, we use ours for pickin rocks, gets loads of abuse!

nice trailer!
it would look nice behind my red 6x6 ranger!
does it dump?

Stump Jumper · February 11, 2004, 06:36:32 AM

looks nice & handy. good job 8)

OneWithWood · February 11, 2004, 06:42:28 AM

Definately looks like it will fill the bill. Good job.

shopteacher · February 11, 2004, 07:04:54 AM

Outstanding! I like the way you constructed the axle to ride over things and keep both tires on the ground. Is that a MF your pulling it with? I'll bet it will look even better on dry, warm , green grass.

RSteiner · February 11, 2004, 07:09:13 AM

Redpowerd,

I plan to make it a dump trailer soon. For now we are in the testing phase to see what I can break. The second trip out into the woods, 1 mile out on an old logging trail, brought back about 1/2 cord of red oak which was green, no problems so far.

The skidding action you mention was a concern. If I am going over the lawn or a sensitive area I make sure the truns are not sharp. I found by increasing tire pressure the damage done to the ground is less.

Randy

SwampDonkey · February 11, 2004, 07:27:48 AM

RSteiner:

Nice little trailor you have there. You will find that if you do alot of sharp turns that you'll be using the welder on the carriage. Father found that out with his sprayer, when he had alot of sharp turns on the headlands. But it would have been alot heavier than your trailor loaded with water. Still a 8) little trailor.

cheers

RSteiner · February 11, 2004, 07:39:12 AM

Shopteacher,

That is a Kubota L3000DT doing the pulling, the pictures came out a little on the red side. We are waiting for the green grass and warm weather to arrive here in New Hampshire, as they say good things are worth waiting for.

Randy

shopteacher · February 11, 2004, 08:53:34 AM

Randy,
I was thinking about how you might modify your trailer so as not to tear things up on a turn and drew a little rendition of what I thought might work. I don't know if this would be feasable to modify your trailer, but it may spark some other ideas that will.

Bill_B · February 11, 2004, 02:25:45 PM

That looks like a very handy trailer.
Way to go.

rebocardo · February 11, 2004, 03:02:26 PM

Nice. Is each wheel on its own spring and hanger or do you have a 'boogie" type set up where the front and rear wheel share a middle hanger on a pivot?

SwampDonkey · February 11, 2004, 03:18:10 PM

rebocardo

Looks like a boogie system but I'll let the creator fill us in. ;)

cheers to RSteiner

SwampDonkey · February 11, 2004, 03:24:42 PM

I wonder how it would work if the articulation was at the front of the trailor on one X with draw bar attached and mount another X under the trailor slightly back from centre of gavity. Load the trailor heavier toward the front.

just another idea

Haytrader · February 11, 2004, 03:50:30 PM

Nice job on the firewood trailer Red. Looks very practical and fits the tractor well.

As long as we are on trailers we have made, here are some I have put together.

This is a flatbed gooseneck my son and I built. We use this to haul cedar logs on. It is 8'x24'

These are self unloading round bale trailers.

shopteacher · February 11, 2004, 03:53:06 PM

Nice work Haytrader. Got any plans for a skidsteer trailer?

SwampDonkey · February 11, 2004, 03:57:49 PM

Haytrader

Both nice designs also. Do you have posts for the rear of the log trailor? I live near a few industrial shops that make trailors and frames. One is BWS, I'll see alot of their trailors in the NE states and eastern Canadian provinces. They built most all the trailors for logging trucks around here.

cheers

Haytrader · February 11, 2004, 04:19:02 PM

Teach,

Plans? If you call a scetch on a legal pad a plan I do.... :D

Swamp,

No posts for the back but do the sides. I have some pics from a 35mm of the trailer loaded. Some of the logs were sticking out the back about 6'. If I can find a scanner I will post.

redpowerd · February 11, 2004, 06:40:24 PM

thats not a bogie :D

SwampDonkey · February 11, 2004, 07:01:04 PM

I'm not convinced, I'll wait for the builder to comment ;)

Haytrader · February 11, 2004, 07:57:12 PM

No, it is not a bogie. We call them walking axles, likes on a road grader.
Someone , like Mark (Cat man) probably knows the proper name.
Had a classmate make a trailer in high school that had axles likes on red's trailer. It was an 8x20 tilt. He put a little "pre stress" tilt when he welded them so when the trailer was loaded the tires were straight up and down.

ScottAR · February 11, 2004, 10:57:36 PM

If those axles were on a big truck they'd be called Walking beam axles or Henrickson (sp?) for one brand. Pretty common on dumps.

Duane_Moore · February 11, 2004, 11:09:14 PM

Haytrader, ya ready for this one??up in wyoming we can't feed them round bailes no more, ya. the E.P.A. says the cows are not getting a Square meal out of them... I know not the place for farm humor... Duh---Duane :D :D :D

ADfields · February 11, 2004, 11:12:45 PM

Walking beam and the center pivot is called the bogie. Hendrickson is a brand name that made a lot of that type of set up and got there name tied to it over the years.
Andy

Haytrader · February 12, 2004, 04:20:41 AM

Do Wayne,

Were you the class clown??
:D :D

Andy,

Good to hear from ya. I always thought a bogie axle was one where the spindle(s) is between two wheels. One wheel on each side of the frame. A pain in the ash to change a flat.
Hillsboro used to make trailers useing them. They had grain sides and an electric over hydraulic dump.

SwampDonkey · February 12, 2004, 04:40:34 AM

You'll meen like this don't you?

I gotta edit this again??

;D

redpowerd · February 12, 2004, 06:40:26 AM

walkin beams on chopper+unloader wagons
used on disks makes for a smooth feild
on the DMI cultivator their offset, helps with those 180's in the headlands 8)

Haytrader · February 12, 2004, 06:42:49 AM

Swamp Donkey,

NOT!!!!!!!!!

Me thinks you were the CCofC

(class clown of Canada)

:D ;D :D ;D

SwampDonkey · February 12, 2004, 07:45:08 AM

Haytrader:

Glad your having fun :-/ ;D

Loooook closer and learn sumthin today ;) ;D

That's what is on my father's sprayer built by BWS. But sharp turns would weeken the weld of the wheel spindles so he had to get out the welder once a year.

Call it what you will ;)

RSteiner · February 12, 2004, 09:19:14 AM

To All,

I am no expert on these matters but from what I know the type or style of axle I made it is more like a walking beam.

On larger trailers a walking beam axle has both wheels on the same beam. However the pivot point is not centered on the beam it is forward of center some amount. This allows for better tracking. On these units the amount of travel is usually limited to some amount less than the 18 inches mine can move.

I Think a true bogie system uses spring or torsion bars to dampen and balance the wheel action as they encounter bumps. Some double wide snow mobile trailers use this type of set up.

I built this axle beam with the pivot in the center, because I didn't know any beter and because I didn't plan on pulling it with anything but my tractor. Top speed of the tractor may be 14 miles per hour.

The pivot point of the beam is located about 60% of the trailer length form the front. I wanted to have some tounge weight for traction purposes when the trailer was loaded. Time will tell where I need to make alterations. It was a fun project to plan and build I have plans for another one soon for my brother-in-law.

Randy

SwampDonkey · February 12, 2004, 09:51:38 AM

And the verdict is....~~'walking beam'~~ errr bogie

hmmm ;)

ADfields · February 12, 2004, 01:06:37 PM

Well the term "bogie" is truly a slang term from back in the days of chain drive duel axles that had one 3rd member axle with sprockets in place of wheels. The sprockets drove a loop of chain that drove all the wheels on that side of the truck. The bogie axle was often also the pivot point of the tandems (not always) and acted as the trunnion pin, so in time the two names became mixed up and now the center of two axles is referred to as the "bogie" more then anything. You find the wheel base of a 3 axle truck from the steer axle to the bogie, center of the front axle to center between the drive axles.

Hear is a link to a "true" bogie axle and you wont find this on a road truck! ;)
http://www.dana.com/offhighway_systems/products/150_150R_axle.pdf

Haytrader, your right also. ;) The stubby axles on a 16 tire lowboy are also called bogie axles in trucker slang. If you have a flat on one of them DanG things it's a -----------well Jeff dont like that trucker slang hear! :D :D :D

I hope I did not mess us up more with to much info. :D :D
Andy

SwampDonkey · February 12, 2004, 01:18:09 PM

Well that's what I drew up there from side view, only my wheels aren't out on the end. Both sides act independent don't they? I knew that Bernie called them bogie on his sprayers. ;D

RSteiner · February 12, 2004, 01:39:01 PM

SwampDonkey,

Both side are independant. I have seen several small trailers made like this here is one that is made in Canada.
http://www.novajack.com/en/0102.htm

There is another company that makes larger units.
http://www.valbysales.com/newpage134.htm

These and other trailers I have seen were my inspiration.

ADfields · February 12, 2004, 01:53:16 PM

It's a true bogie axle because it's a drive (all full of gears inside) axle not because it's got a trunnion pivot point.
Andy

SwampDonkey · February 12, 2004, 02:00:02 PM

Adfields

Thanks for clarification. Then the only place id stick those would be on a locamotive. Making alot of sharp turns is gonna break the wheel spindles off with a heavy load. ;)

RSteiner · February 12, 2004, 04:55:38 PM

I was a concerned that making sharp turns with a full load would stress the pivot joint. I was not too concerned about the spindles breaking from the weight on them.

The spindles came from a Dodge Caravan, the stub axle unbolts from the axle beam with four 1/2 inch bolts. I did have to make a spacer to go between the 2X4 square steel tubing beam I used for the "Walking Beam" member. I used grade 8 bolts to attach the axles to the walking beam.

I figure 1/2 cord of red oak will weigh in around 1600 +/- pounds. The trailer has about 200 pounds of steel in it and another 200 pounds of tires and wheels, I guess. So 2000 pounds spread out over 4 tires should be less weight than thier first life on the Caravan.

I used a 1 1/2 inch diameter grade 5 bolt which I drilled to accept a grease fitting for the pivot. The other side of the pivot is made out of 1/2" thick plates of steel. I have a back up plan if these are not strong enough.

Many of the "store bought" trailers I looked at were not as near as beefy as what I made and they were rated for a 2,000 pound load. All the major suspension parts are 2X4 steel tubing with a 3/16 wall thickness. The frame is 2x3X 1/8 steel tubing except for the tounge which is 3/16 wall tubing.

History will tell where I have failed. So far I have hauled about 6 cord of wood, can't wait for spring to get a little more experience on this thing.

Randy

Haytrader · February 12, 2004, 06:35:38 PM

SwampDonkey,

Well, no better way to say it. You said if I looked close I would learn something today. You were alsolutely correct.
My apologies to you. You DID know what you were talking about.

I wish I could draw as well as Teach on here. I would try to draw what we call a bogie down here, but..........I can't.......yet. ;) I would be able to show what I was describing. I called the trailer mfg. I mentioned and he said they quit useing them. I know a guy that still has one here and will try to get pics.

Oh, and I was just trying to be humorus. Maybe you couldn't see me smiling. Just take me with a grain of salt.

Found this interesting link that mentions bogie.

http://mars.sgi.com/rover/mobility.html

SwampDonkey · February 13, 2004, 03:41:44 AM

Haytrader:

I never get worked up over things said over the internet ;) ;D

Everyone has an opinion; soon have to fill the salt shaker back up

cheers

karl · February 13, 2004, 04:43:30 AM

RS-
Like your trailer
sounds rugged enough for that size tractor, on the other hand -ain't nothin' can't be broke.
Half cord of green oak probably weighs more like 2600# me thinks.
Like the van spindle idea, learnin' all the time.

Duane_Moore · February 14, 2004, 02:45:01 AM

Wow, did not mean to be the class clown, just being dumb. have run a Hendreckson susp on truck and Racor and on & on, the Hendreckson was the ruffest DanG susp I ever was in, they are built for heavy eqpt. Need them on the Haul road. huh AD.Fields? many trailers are built with pre stress in them nowdays, most Alum.flatbeds and grain trailers have it, by the way Haytrader, see you have a grain trailer, do you raise Wheat? Have a guy I know at Bucklin, Kansas, at the co-op. A lot of farm summer fallow equiptment use the walking beam axel system. they don"t seam to have to much spindle trouble and they turn sharp, and carry a heavy load, the trailer RS built looks plenty tuff for a small trailer. I think he done a DanG good Job. JMO. Duh---Duane

Haytrader · February 14, 2004, 03:31:37 AM

Duane,

Yepper on the wheat. That is mostly what we raise with a little milo and alfalfa hay.
Bucklin is only 40 miles from me.

rebocardo · February 14, 2004, 05:23:17 PM

Thanks for all the great links, I certainly learned a lot and have some more information on my next trailer.

SwampDonkey · February 14, 2004, 05:40:32 PM

Cheers to all those who run their own welding and repair shops throughout rural areas of the country (s).

We sure are fortunate to have alot of fine folks like yourselves around here locally that can weld and build trailors, fix'em up, and build projects from our ideas. Sometimes with alot of good modifications to our concepts. Can really save someone with a limited budget alot of $$ and heartache.