Converting trailer for portable sawmill

[Hoffmanuno]

 

   I've been researching this for a few months and decided to pull the trigger and buy a used trailer off Craigslist.   It was a 30 foot long five foot wide trailer built for hauling those long crew rowing boats at the local university .   It's only ever been used for that and when they bought a new one it was parked at a boat yard  and the owner parted out one of the dual axles and the springs .   The trailer  was bought by another man wanting to build it into an ATV trailer but gave up and decided to sell it to me for $400 .   He had cut  5 feet off the back of the trailer to haul it back to his place on a car trailer.   Right now it is approximately 24 feet long .   It's all steel and has a main backbone running from the hitch to the back made out of 4" x 3" quarter inch steel tubing .   The sides of tge trailer appear to be made out of 8th inch roll C channel ?  I say this because it is rounded and notsquared like C channel.   Where the duel axles were mounted on the trailer they reinforced it with around a 9 foot piece of 2 x 4 quarter-inch steel tubing.  They also drilled holes along those 2 x 4's through the frame to make the actual placements adjustable which is a plus.   The remaining axle on the trailer is hydraulic and the hitch has a master cylinder built-in .  It has 14 inch rims and tires on it right now but I'm going to swap those on to my lightweight boat trailer.   The trailer is straight and doesn't have many crossbars to reinforce it from the main back beam 4x3.  The square part of the trailer is only about 16 feet long with the angled neck being another 8ft.   I've got so many ideas on how to modify the trailer that I'm having a problem sorting out the best and cheapest ways to do it .   Number one would to be center of 4 foot wide sawmill bed on the trailer made out of heavy duty angle iron with Bunks welded to it and bolt it to the trailer.  My second idea was to put 2 x 4 rails welded to the top of the frame with bunks welded across.  My third idea was to completely cut off all the steel from the trailer frame leaving just the 24 foot long 4 x 3" piece and then buy another 4 x 3" piece to build a 4-5 foot wide trailer to mount on the existing axle.   The axle was welded onto the trailer so I could tell it home but I will obviously be buying some springs to attach that in the proper position later .   Right now the trailer is light enough that I can lift up the time by myself and swing down the front jack.   I'm attaching a few pictures so tell me what you think .   I don't have a sawmill I had built yet but I want to build the track and trailer first so I know exactly what dimensions to build the head. 



 


  

 

[starmac]

If you do not have the mill yet and have not designed it, personally I would design the mill to also be the trailer, just with a hitch and mounts for the axle.

[Hoffmanuno]

 That was my original plan but the cost of buying the tubing to build a sawmill that doubles as a trailer is around $1,200 minimum with axle, springs, steel, etc.  I wanted to build a sawmill that has a bed of at least 20 feet.   I wanted a wider mill for bigger diameter trees.  I  Live in the Bluffs of Iowa and we don't have any pine, just hardwoods.  Most of the trees around here I'd likely be mailing would be at least 30 inches in diameter and a lot of them bigger.  I'd like to be able to mill wood for projects as well as beams to build a shop one day.   For $400 I got a 24 foot complete trailer to start with.   Where's case and Ariel I know I can always sell it for what I paid for it ,but this looks like it could work.   That'll middle beam that goes the entire length of the trailer seems like it could give it a lot of stability and strength if I just put a little bit more steel on it .   

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Hoffmanuno!

[Hoffmanuno]

Thanks!

[starmac]

Then you have to build the mill, and anything strong enough to handle those big logs, can easily double as the trailer. I do not doubt your 1200 dollar figure, infact I couldn't get it done at that price around here.

[Crusarius]

1200 is definitely about right. My trailer I am building is 24' long by 50" wide. The trailer is my bed.

What you have is a great start. With that frame for the trailer I would be concerned about the strength. My opinion would be to use that for the frame and build a bed directly on it. run a 2x6x.188 wall for the main rail with 3/8" flat stock welded to that to create the roller rail. That will stiffen your trailer tremendously. You can use the same 2x6 for the cross pieces. That will probably be around $500 in steel. But will make that trailer quite a bit more rigid.

Check out my build for more information. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,97853.0.html

I am doing exactly what I described. with the 3/8" plate along the 2x6 rail. Could always weld a piece of angle on top of it but I think the 3/8 was better for me.

[Hoffmanuno]

Better pics

[Crusarius]

That does look like a pretty decent trailer. My question is how much does it twist?

[DDW_OR]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum
I like the bigger photos.
i also like the concept of milling wide boards
find out what the length of "standard blades" are, that way you do not get stuck with a custom blade charge.

here is a link to useful sawmill mods
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,7789.msg1397352/topicseen.html#msg1397352

and a link to a poll on tooth angles
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,95785.msg1477473.html#msg1477473

[DDW_OR]

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,98720.0.html

[Hoffmanuno]

Not much twist.  That 1/4" 2x4 welded to the rear eliminates a lot of flex from the axle and the 1/4" 3x4" "backbone" from the back to the tongue is very stabilizing.  Still, there is some flex from where the 2/4 ends to the tongue.  It was originally a crew boat trailer with over 20' long racing boats stacked up vertically down on either side of the middle of the trailer three racks high.  A little flex wS built in but it was made not to sag or tip over in the wind going down the road.  Thinking about building a mill bed out of 3/8 4" angle that's the width of the trailer and bolt it to the sides and 4' up on top of the tongue A that's 8' long to stiffen up the trailer.  Then weld jacks on sides to level it. 

[Hoffmanuno]

Thanks for the mod links!