Harbor Freight Trailer Build/Idea

murderedtaco23 · Feb 18, 2015

DoccoM85[OP] said: ↑

Im glad you asked! Ill get the sticker shock out of the way.....

$2800

However..... I splurged significantly in areas where alot of money can be saved by simply spending more time looking for great deals, repurposing cheap materials and comprising with self and what you REALLY need. Much of my cost had to deal with luxuries and not necessarily needs (Aluminum plate floor, Wheels are two big hitters). Ill share an itemized list with the main bulk of costs

4X8 Trailer - $320 from Harbor Freight (On sale and 20% off coupon)
Wheels/Tires - $600 - This is where you could potentionally save the most. I bought the rims/tires new, but if my memory serves me right the hubs are 5X5.5, which i believe shares the same pattern as a few big name auto manufactures. So a little digging and im sure a good deal could be had.
Powdercoating - $500 - I actually feel like this was a decent deal, but if you dont mind trying your hand at painting it yourself im sure you would save a bit here.
Welding - $250 - For the center spine, and attaching the fender supports. If you can weld yourself (I have not learned) that cost would be material only.
Metal Bits and Floor Plate - $400 - The Aluminum floor plate was the spendy piece here, obviously plywood would be a heck of alot cheaper, even steel (very heavy this size) was fairly cheap.
Fenders - $120 - Big piece of that was shipping. This was a learning point. With my given rim/tire choice and placement of the leaf perches, i had managed to require about 13" fenders to cover the tread from the frame. This number was just outside what was mostly available at cheap prices with the shape i was looking for.
Sidewalls - $100 - Double as removable ramps, made of aluminum, think this was a good deal as well, but there are many options for this, some quite cheap.
Tool Chest - $200 - Ebay special, again a good deal, but not a necessary expense.
Misc - $300+ ish - Including lights, jack stands, additional hardware, load securing options and any odds or ends that pop up

a BIG lesson that i came away with is that knowledge can be expensive. Dropping some of these items for cheaper options and a little extra DIY could easily drop the price $1000+ while maintaining most of the function and nearly all of the aesthetic. I convinced myself to go one step further on many parts and nickel/dimed my way up a bit =)

Probably way more than you asked for but i hope that helps. The guy that inspired me to start this did 99% of the work himself to include the paint and fiberglass work, and i want to say he completed it for half (if not less) the cost of mine, here is the link:

http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html

I spent alot of time on that thread, such impressive craftsmanship!
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing, I am running duratracs on my truck, so I feel your pain with the price tag. 250$ for welding is a great deal. If you were to buy a decent welder and DIY you would be spending over 250 on just a welder. never mind the time and other things you need. I weld myself but that is a great deal. overall this this is awesome. Definitely in my 10 year plan

logcabinwc · Feb 18, 2015

DoccoM85[OP] said: ↑

Im glad you asked! Ill get the sticker shock out of the way.....

$2800

However..... I splurged significantly in areas where alot of money can be saved by simply spending more time looking for great deals, repurposing cheap materials and comprising with self and what you REALLY need. Much of my cost had to deal with luxuries and not necessarily needs (Aluminum plate floor, Wheels are two big hitters). Ill share an itemized list with the main bulk of costs

4X8 Trailer - $320 from Harbor Freight (On sale and 20% off coupon)
Wheels/Tires - $600 - This is where you could potentionally save the most. I bought the rims/tires new, but if my memory serves me right the hubs are 5X5.5, which i believe shares the same pattern as a few big name auto manufactures. So a little digging and im sure a good deal could be had.
Powdercoating - $500 - I actually feel like this was a decent deal, but if you dont mind trying your hand at painting it yourself im sure you would save a bit here.
Welding - $250 - For the center spine, and attaching the fender supports. If you can weld yourself (I have not learned) that cost would be material only.
Metal Bits and Floor Plate - $400 - The Aluminum floor plate was the spendy piece here, obviously plywood would be a heck of alot cheaper, even steel (very heavy this size) was fairly cheap.
Fenders - $120 - Big piece of that was shipping. This was a learning point. With my given rim/tire choice and placement of the leaf perches, i had managed to require about 13" fenders to cover the tread from the frame. This number was just outside what was mostly available at cheap prices with the shape i was looking for.
Sidewalls - $100 - Double as removable ramps, made of aluminum, think this was a good deal as well, but there are many options for this, some quite cheap.
Tool Chest - $200 - Ebay special, again a good deal, but not a necessary expense.
Misc - $300+ ish - Including lights, jack stands, additional hardware, load securing options and any odds or ends that pop up

a BIG lesson that i came away with is that knowledge can be expensive. Dropping some of these items for cheaper options and a little extra DIY could easily drop the price $1000+ while maintaining most of the function and nearly all of the aesthetic. I convinced myself to go one step further on many parts and nickel/dimed my way up a bit =)

Probably way more than you asked for but i hope that helps. The guy that inspired me to start this did 99% of the work himself to include the paint and fiberglass work, and i want to say he completed it for half (if not less) the cost of mine, here is the link:

http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html

I spent alot of time on that thread, such impressive craftsmanship!
Click to expand...

I appreciate the cost list!
Welding in the center spine I could do myself, save some cash
And I would probably go with plywood floor, then I wouldnt feel bad about beating it up because it is easily replaced.

But I like this a lot. I figured I would probably use one of the harbor freight trailers as a starting point too so its nice to see someone has done it

DoccoM85 · Feb 18, 2015

User Name01 said: ↑

cool deal man, I would appreciate if you could find that reciept
Click to expand...

Well, have not found it, but im going to keep looking, in the mean time im going to call Skagit Steel to figure it out, cause now it will bother me, hehehe

DoccoM85 · Feb 18, 2015

murderedtaco23 said: ↑

Thanks for sharing, I am running duratracs on my truck, so I feel your pain with the price tag. 250$ for welding is a great deal. If you were to buy a decent welder and DIY you would be spending over 250 on just a welder. never mind the time and other things you need. I weld myself but that is a great deal. overall this this is awesome. Definitely in my 10 year plan
Click to expand...

Absolutely right, as much as id love to have a welder in my tool arsenal that i know how to use, i do not have nearly enough jobs in my forseeable future to justify even a basic setup

And thanks again, its great to see that the project at near finish is appreciated!

PcBuilder14 · Feb 18, 2015

Tacodriver08 · Feb 19, 2015

DoccoM85[OP] said: ↑

Thanks Chris! I got that idea from the build that inspired this one ( http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html ), and found all the parts i needed on E-bay by searching military/jeep lights

I also wanted to increase the brightness and minimize the drain of the lights so i replaced all the bulbs with LEDs.

Aside from lighting them up and a short trip to the off-road shop for welding, the lights have not been road/off-road tested. Hopefully they are as rugged as they look
Click to expand...

Thanks Corey! Haha man I spent a ton of time in that forum before I started building my trailer, pretty good information there, that's where I found the plans for the $50 3-axis hitch I built. I have some plain old blazer trailer lights for mine now but we shall see how long they last.

mach1man001 · Feb 19, 2015

DoccoM85[OP] said: ↑

Im glad you asked! Ill get the sticker shock out of the way.....

$2800

However..... I splurged significantly in areas where alot of money can be saved by simply spending more time looking for great deals, repurposing cheap materials and comprising with self and what you REALLY need. Much of my cost had to deal with luxuries and not necessarily needs (Aluminum plate floor, Wheels are two big hitters). Ill share an itemized list with the main bulk of costs

4X8 Trailer - $320 from Harbor Freight (On sale and 20% off coupon)
Wheels/Tires - $600 - This is where you could potentionally save the most. I bought the rims/tires new, but if my memory serves me right the hubs are 5X5.5, which i believe shares the same pattern as a few big name auto manufactures. So a little digging and im sure a good deal could be had.
Powdercoating - $500 - I actually feel like this was a decent deal, but if you dont mind trying your hand at painting it yourself im sure you would save a bit here.
Welding - $250 - For the center spine, and attaching the fender supports. If you can weld yourself (I have not learned) that cost would be material only.
Metal Bits and Floor Plate - $400 - The Aluminum floor plate was the spendy piece here, obviously plywood would be a heck of alot cheaper, even steel (very heavy this size) was fairly cheap.
Fenders - $120 - Big piece of that was shipping. This was a learning point. With my given rim/tire choice and placement of the leaf perches, i had managed to require about 13" fenders to cover the tread from the frame. This number was just outside what was mostly available at cheap prices with the shape i was looking for.
Sidewalls - $100 - Double as removable ramps, made of aluminum, think this was a good deal as well, but there are many options for this, some quite cheap.
Tool Chest - $200 - Ebay special, again a good deal, but not a necessary expense.
Misc - $300+ ish - Including lights, jack stands, additional hardware, load securing options and any odds or ends that pop up

a BIG lesson that i came away with is that knowledge can be expensive. Dropping some of these items for cheaper options and a little extra DIY could easily drop the price $1000+ while maintaining most of the function and nearly all of the aesthetic. I convinced myself to go one step further on many parts and nickel/dimed my way up a bit =)

Probably way more than you asked for but i hope that helps. The guy that inspired me to start this did 99% of the work himself to include the paint and fiberglass work, and i want to say he completed it for half (if not less) the cost of mine, here is the link:

http://tventuring.com/trailerforum/thread-119.html

I spent alot of time on that thread, such impressive craftsmanship!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for all the info. I too have a trailer project that I am going to do this spring. I have a quick question, what size tire did you end up using and how did you determine what size fender was needed to cover them? My tire size is 215/70/16 (I think)

DoccoM85 · Feb 19, 2015

Tacodriver08 said: ↑

Thanks Corey! Haha man I spent a ton of time in that forum before I started building my trailer, pretty good information there, that's where I found the plans for the $50 3-axis hitch I built. I have some plain old blazer trailer lights for mine now but we shall see how long they last.
Click to expand...

No problem, and you just reminded me about the axis hitch, I remember seeing it, I need to revisit that idea

User Name01 · Feb 19, 2015

DoccoM85[OP] said: ↑

Well, have not found it, but im going to keep looking, in the mean time im going to call Skagit Steel to figure it out, cause now it will bother me, hehehe
Click to expand...

If it is too mch of a hassle, forget about it, bud. I will go to some metal shops and ask around, while I am shopping around. Thanks for the effort.

DoccoM85 · Feb 19, 2015

mach1man001 said: ↑

Thank you so much for all the info. I too have a trailer project that I am going to do this spring. I have a quick question, what size tire did you end up using and how did you determine what size fender was needed to cover them? My tire size is 215/70/16 (I think)
Click to expand...

No problem rob! Off the top of my head I believe they are 235/75/15, ill confirm for you once I get home and check.

As for the fenders, to make a long detailed story short, I made my rim/tire choices based on knowing what would easily clear the frame. I did NOT however think about the overall distance from the frame to the end of the tire tread which should at the very least be covered. So the shopping/searching began when I measured that out (13") and finally landed upon a trailer company in California that made steel fenders for cheap with that width. As for length and height, I simply mocked them up to the frame and marked off how much to trim off the bottom of the fender (they were long, at least 6" came off each end) that allowed them to be flush with the bottom rail and avoid the worst case scenario of the leafs snapping/axle hitting the frame but still avoid jamming into the fender. That was still a little long winded, hopefully that makes sense

Speedytech7 · Feb 19, 2015

You sir, have inspired me. I am going home this weekend (at college right now) and I am going to purchase one of these trailers and store it until summer (when I have access to a welder). I think I am going with your basic idea with one addition, I have a set of Jeep YJ front leafs that I got for $20 that I'll use for suspension with the eventual addition of shocks.

!TacoTaco! · Feb 19, 2015

Subd.

DoccoM85 · Feb 19, 2015

User Name01 said: ↑

If it is too mch of a hassle, forget about it, bud. I will go to some metal shops and ask around, while I am shopping around. Thanks for the effort.
Click to expand...

5052-H32 1/4" Aluminum Plate

Had them e-mail me the receipt

Not quite as tough as the 6061, but I think it will fair just fine given the frame cross support intervals, im also thinking of Rhino-Lining the top to add a non-skid, scratch resistant surface as well!

DoccoM85 · Feb 19, 2015

mach1man001 said: ↑

Thank you so much for all the info. I too have a trailer project that I am going to do this spring. I have a quick question, what size tire did you end up using and how did you determine what size fender was needed to cover them? My tire size is 215/70/16 (I think)
Click to expand...

Confirmed 235/75/15

DoccoM85 · Feb 19, 2015

Speedytech7 said: ↑

You sir, have inspired me. I am going home this weekend (at college right now) and I am going to purchase one of these trailers and store it until summer (when I have access to a welder). I think I am going with your basic idea with one addition, I have a set of Jeep YJ front leafs that I got for $20 that I'll use for suspension with the eventual addition of shocks.
Click to expand...

Right on Zane! Its a blast from the start, like i said even the planning can be exciting, knowing it is stored away might get you cranking on ideas

Good call on the leafs, i do wish i had opted for an upgrade in that area, HF's are small and im sure provide a rough ride. It sounds like you have a great option, but for anyone else Dinoot does have a kit available using 29" "Premium trailer leafs", but the kit is a "tad" more than $20

PatriotOfAmerica · Feb 19, 2015

super cool! sub'd! gosh you just got my wallet all worried now

Tacodriver08 · Feb 20, 2015

DoccoM85[OP] said: ↑

No problem, and you just reminded me about the axis hitch, I remember seeing it, I need to revisit that idea
Click to expand...

I was a little skeptical at first, but after I started building it I started to see how good of a design it really is. I added a little extra reinforcement in some places just to give me extra peace of mind.

Mr Salty · Feb 20, 2015

I'm excited to see the finished product

Nightstr · Feb 20, 2015

This is Great! i was just looking at some trailers last nigh on Craigs but i would much rather build my own.

Jeffvt0508 · Feb 20, 2015

Sub'd

Log in or Sign up

Welcome to Tacoma World!

Harbor Freight Trailer Build/Idea

#21
murderedtaco23 Well-Known Member

#22
logcabinwc Well-Known Member

#23
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#24
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#25
PcBuilder14 Well-Known Member

#26
Tacodriver08 To have faith, is to trust yourself to the water

#27
mach1man001 eh whatever

#28
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#29
User Name01 Little boy from FairyTale Land

#30
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#31
Speedytech7 Toyota Cult Ombudsman

#32
!TacoTaco! TACO LOVER!

#33
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#34
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#35
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#36
PatriotOfAmerica Well-Known Member

#37
Tacodriver08 To have faith, is to trust yourself to the water

#38
Mr Salty "Give up the good to go for the great"

#39
Nightstr Well-Known Member

#40
Jeffvt0508 Well-Known Member

Products Discussed in

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Welcome to Tacoma World!

Harbor Freight Trailer Build/Idea

#21 murderedtaco23 Well-Known Member

#22 logcabinwc Well-Known Member

#23 DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#24 DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#25 PcBuilder14 Well-Known Member

#26 Tacodriver08 To have faith, is to trust yourself to the water

#27 mach1man001 eh whatever

#28 DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#29 User Name01 Little boy from FairyTale Land

#30 DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#31 Speedytech7 Toyota Cult Ombudsman

#32 !TacoTaco! TACO LOVER!

#33 DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#34 DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#35 DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#36 PatriotOfAmerica Well-Known Member

#37 Tacodriver08 To have faith, is to trust yourself to the water

#38 Mr Salty "Give up the good to go for the great"

#39 Nightstr Well-Known Member

#40 Jeffvt0508 Well-Known Member

Products Discussed in Entire Site Forum: Other Builds

#21
murderedtaco23 Well-Known Member

#22
logcabinwc Well-Known Member

#23
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#24
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#25
PcBuilder14 Well-Known Member

#26
Tacodriver08 To have faith, is to trust yourself to the water

#27
mach1man001 eh whatever

#28
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#29
User Name01 Little boy from FairyTale Land

#30
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#31
Speedytech7 Toyota Cult Ombudsman

#32
!TacoTaco! TACO LOVER!

#33
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#34
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#35
DoccoM85 [OP] Well-Known Member

#36
PatriotOfAmerica Well-Known Member

#37
Tacodriver08 To have faith, is to trust yourself to the water

#38
Mr Salty "Give up the good to go for the great"

#39
Nightstr Well-Known Member

#40
Jeffvt0508 Well-Known Member

Products Discussed in