so i am currently trying to build a trailer to tow two toyotas down the alcan this summer for some lower 48 wheeling fun. i am thinking a 30', 3 5200lb axle bumper pull. i figure both trucks weigh around 4500 and should about fit on a 30' trailer.
here is my plan so far:


thinking a 2x6 lower frame with a 2x4 upper frame with some 2x2 stringers across the upper bed. the lower frame i already have with stringers, just need to lengthen the back half and move the axles to where i want them.

what do you guys think?

 

i like it, hope you have a hoss truck to pull it with lol. towards the front you should make a big tool/storage bin or a fuel tank

 

well i ahve a 99 f-350 crew cab long bed powerstroke qwith a 6 speed so i think i can pull it and i am ordering a two conpartment transfer tank for the truck so half can fuel the tow rig and the other half can fuel the wheelers. and i have an idea for a small tool box to house straps and other assorted traielr items.

 

I like it!!! thats going to be a really beefy trailer lol

 

i hope so i am trying to play with wall thicknesses to make it tough but not horribly heavy.

 

I think that is going to be scary at high speeds on a ball hinge. I dont know your experience but the tolerance for error is going to be zero. I would look into a fifth wheel type of trailer for that weight and distance traveling.

Towing horses with a friends F450 is so nice with a fifth wheel but towing a truck with a ball is scary and a pain in the butt. I could not imagine a 2 truck trailer.

 

i'm with him on this.
i dont think it's even legal to go ball with anything thats more than 3 axles and going to carry two vehicles..

 

i would go gooseneck. better wieght placement

 

here you go

 

I had thought about goose neck but an steering away from it because i have a in bed camperi would still like to use with one truck on the trailer at times and a goose neck would not allow me to do this. plus gooseneck will need more length on the trailer a heavier trailer and more expensive trailer.

i have already towed 2 trucks on one bumperpull trailer when borrowing a firends trailer and it was not bad at all, i mean if it was 2 f-250's up there then yeah that would be super heavy and 50' long but two toyotas on a bumper pull is not bad with a good weight distribution hitch and a good brake controller. i towed two from anchorage to fairbanks in novemeber and the roads were slick and it was still stable.

as for the legality, in all the states i ahve checked it is all based on weight not on how many axles as long as you have adequate axles for the weight you are hauling. if i use 3 5200 lb axles for about a 12k load i will be well within the law, and as for length i found the most restrictive is canada with a 41' trailer max and a 65' overall length requirement.

 

Do you know how to calculate stresses and safety factors for the trailer? If not you've got no business designing and building a trailer, especially one that will weigh over 10,000 lbs.

I would buy the Big Tex one personally.

 

i am actually a mechanical engineer, this is just my basic planning then i am going to dive into the stress analysis before actually building.

I don't think your comment is necessarily true because i have seen a lot of really nice and quality trailers built by people that can not even spell analysis and they still worked fine you just have to use the test it before it hits the road and if worried double it method and it has worked. i mean how many of you out there calculated the stress in your front hanger for a SAS or links or link mounts that are just as crucial? think before you speak the end result will be better......

 

You'll be fine with having that on a ball hitch. Just use a stablizer hitch. In the 80's we use to tow a 70's designed camper trailer on a single Cab F-250 with a stablizer hitch. The camper was like towing around a lead weight, but with that hitch, it was slow, but nothing scary. It did have good brakes though...

I've seen some hillbilly trailers in my day, but they never have a problem with stress. You put enough beads on that thing and it will be fine...especially for two Toyota Trucks...

 

yeah the biggest headache i see is getting all the lighting and reflectors to meet both US DOT and canadian DOT requirements, might have to light the thing up like a Christmas tree!

 

I'm not hearing any convincing arguments for building rather than buying

 

28' gooseneck- $7000
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/ctd/1684341088.html

 

2006 28ft Trailer 20k lb Flatbed Gooseneck - $9500 (Anchorage)
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/cto/1637572260.html

 

besides the fact that i already have the axles and the bottom frame so the steel and some parts will not coast me 7-9 thousand. i am estimating 1500-2000 if i use my works discount on the steel. 5 grand difference is alot of insentive for me to build, and also i think both those trailers you listed would be too short to fit both our trucks so i would end up modifying them anyways for more $$$

 

k i'm changing my opinion.
you ARE the mechanical engineer lol.
i expect to see a damn good build up thread, though.

 

when i get all the parts ad steel there will be a good build thread.