Hi All,

Going to be building an atv trailer like one of these Echo ELite Two Place ATV Trailer but I would like some thoughts on a slight modification.

I am considering a finished trailer of 12.6 ft, but I am curious to know thoughts of making the trailer only 10 ft with a 2.5ft bolt on tail.

Are there any trailer experts out there??? Does the single axle need to go in a particular position or does that matter? Would there be any other reprocussions of a build like this?

Any considerations are welcome.

Thanks
BackBreaka

 

If you are going to go an extra 2.5 ft. longer on the rear the axle should be moved 1.5 ft. back or to the center of weight. Most trailers are built so the weight center is where the axle goes. I wouldn't "bolt" on 2.5 ft. onto the rear of an existing trailer. You need to support the bed with a good frame. Full length metal frame supporting the bed is much stronger than piecing in.

 

I have built a few trailers with the aid of my uncle he used to work in a trailer shop. Axle placement is crucial to the trailer pulling correctly. A good rule of thumb is to take the total length of the bed of the trailer. Take 40% of that dimension and that is center of axle from the rear of the trailer. i.e. the bed is 100'' therefore the center of the axle would be 40'' from the rear of the trailer.

That is why adding 2.5' to the back of the trailer is a bad idea. By doing so you probably won't have enough tongue weight and the trailer will sway.

This is one thing that is often overlooked when building a trailer. Usually when you build it you will build it upside down and do the main deck first. Once you get that all squared up you will figure out the tongue. After that you will lay out your axle. Figure out where you want the center of your axle. Put a mark on one frame rail. Pull a measurement from the center of the tongue to your mark. Then go from center of the tongue to the other frame rail put a mark. The reason for doing this is that if your tongue isn't perfectly square with the bed and you only pull measurements off of the bed it won't pull square causing uneven tire wear.

Basically this makes it so your trailer axle is going to be perfectly parallel to your vehicle.

Some food for thought, I like making my own stuff much higher quality. However if you can find exactly what you want or close it will be a lot cheaper buying it than building it.
I have a lot of people ask me to build them a trailer but once they hear a price they argue they can buy one cheaper. Mass production wins. Plus trailer manufactures are buying axles hubs tires at wholesale, you will be at retail. Plus figure out what your time is worth. However you will probably have a better trailer because you aren't going to cut corners on it.

Good luck!

 

I have a 10x101 ft aluminum that I need to add a second axle and about 6 inchs in length to, so I called my MFG and they recommended against it. Now I know the wheels can be slid rearward for balance, and I have a very long tongue on the frint that would easily take a foot or two extension without interfering with my tow vehicle, but still they recommend against it. So I don't know. They know they don't have a trailer that fits smy particular needs. I have so little in it that I hate to trade up. But I sure like the current field of deck overs. It would be nice to haul 6 up without worrying about weight rating etc.

 

This is incorrect. Trailer axles are positioned to provide two results:

- Weight of the trailer is more to the front of the axle to ensure a proper amount of minimum tongue weight when empty for safe towing.

- Distributed weight of cargo can achieve the target 10% to 15% of total weight on the tongue to ensure safe towing.

 

some pics of my home-made trailer. well, it started off as a boat trailer that I rebuilt as a utility trailer. moved the axle back about 6". It's the smoothest most stable trailer I've ever towed behind my truck. It's heavy as hell due to the amount & size of the steel stock I used to build it, but I'll never have to worry about it breaking! I also removed and welded any part of the boat frame that was bolted- then welded a steel box to the front, a tire changer to the rack, PT decking and a "slide under" ramp in the back because I'm not fond of the fold-up ramp gates. I have to update the album with some finished pics of the ramp... it's 11'x5', primed with a high quality automotive primer and sprayed with a heavy coat of oil based paint.