Building a trailer out of a pickup truck/bed

[bgilbert]

Ok I've got a 75 D200 parts truck I'd like to make into a trailer. I've parted/scrapped 3 Dodge trucks before and never thought of building one into a trailer. I haul wood alot and lately been hauling gravel for the yard. I'm looking to get about 10-20 more pickup loads here. Anyways, this would be a decent candidate for a trailer. The bed is solid, Dana 60 rear with 6 spring pack, no overloads, but I can install some if need be.

I've got a 140 amp welder and a professional welder to do all the fancy welding . If my welder isn't enough I can always get it to the big welder no problem.

I've seen where guys are just used the frame from the donor truck, cut, weld, heat up etc to build the tongue. Matt, the welder, says we should get some good channel, cut the frame directly in front of the bed, use that good channel because it will be stronger... I'm cheap to say the least and if it will work good enough for say, 3 ton of gravel, I'd just use what I already have considering the price of steel right now.

Just wanting any opinions from others with experience in building homemade wood haulers etc.

[Fnschlaud4620]

I have a pickup bed hoist for sale if you want to make it real fancy you just need a snowplow pump or a tractor to run it.

[lincoln]

I would just use the frame. Just weld it with 7018 and fish plate it. It realy just depends on how much wieght you want to haul with it. Im not sure what kind of 140 amp welder your talking about so I cant realy recomend using it. I would say use your friends if its bigger. All of my experiance has been with lincoln sa 200's and 300's. But I run a rig truck. Have any more questions just shout Ill try and help. I no alot of people that have done it this way and never had any trouble.

[dodgetkboy78]

Make the tongue about six feet long, to it doesn't heehaw on you going down the road, and hit you in the chin when you unhook it with weight in it.

I recieved severe mental damage from a short tongue coil spring chevy trailer with no shocks when I was younger...........

[bgilbert]

I would just use the frame. Just weld it with 7018 and fish plate it. It realy just depends on how much wieght you want to haul with it. Im not sure what kind of 140 amp welder your talking about so I cant realy recomend using it. I would say use your friends if its bigger.

Sorta what I was thinking. It's a hobbyist Hobart 140 110V mig. Probly not up to the task for this, especially with the lack of electricity in my garage.

[Philip]

Bill check your local rental place. Most of them have a portable stick welder. Have all the fab work done before hand. Then all you need it for is a 1/2 day. The rates for them usually are pretty reasonable.

The last one I rented was in Tulsa a few years ago. It ran me $65 for a day.

BTW if you do this. Buy the biggest tongue jack you can find. This type of trailer you won't be able to do a hand hookup. The tongues are heavey on those type of trailers.

[PToombs]

Yup, buncha good ideas, especially the jack. Just notch the flats on the frame, bend it together, fab up the front to hold the hitch. If you cut the flats right, you can just weld the edges back together.

[GO OVRIT]

I 2nd the 6+- feet of toungue length. It'll pull better and back up easier than a shorter one.

[bgilbert]

Well it's on a club cab long bed frame so there's alot of frame in front of the bed. I've got the cab and front clip removed right now. I was teaching one of the nephews how to use the torch, and man did he use up some oxygen .

I tried to almost give this truck to ole Michael Miller, but he must be farming and can't return phone calls or emails , sorry Michael!

[89silverbullet]

invest in a good arc welder you can do so much when you get good at arc welding

[lincoln]

Your right I was so tired when I replied I wasnt thinking of tung length. A long tung will also give you a place to put a small tool box for a tarp and tiedowns, or if you can afford a jack that the crank handle comes out the side you can put it up against the bed and still lower tail gate. I built one once with a jack like that and took some scrap plate and made a bottom and lid in the tung for the tool box. It was just big enough to fit a tarp and tiedowns. Hope this helps

[dodgetkboy78]

And then, the long tougue, if the trailer is loaded too far to the back, will catapult you 20-30 feet............it's a fun ride.

[lincoln]

That sucks never had that happen.

[PToombs]

Just gotta be smarter than the trailer.

[GO OVRIT]