Small update (sorry no new pics). So I'm pretty much done with the trailer with the exception of the lid. The lid won't be a huge expense but I'm out of funds for a couple weeks until I can get another sheet of 16ga and a couple other peices for the lid frame. But the trailer is useable and I've dragged it around a few times just to see if I can find any issues.
Well one came up. I took it out on Sunday and and jacknifed it (on purpose) but did something stupid. I knew I was going to jacknife it and was waiting for the sound of the tongue bottoming out against my rear bumper and took my eyes of the mirror for a second. Well it turns out that the way my rear bumper is trimmed up toward the outside corners allows the tongue to not bottom out against the bumper but actually slide underneath the bumper. That, along with the lock-n-roll that allows it to rotate past 90* I jacknifed it a little too far and the top lip of the trailer tub came in contact with my rear fender flare on the Cruiser. Not a big deal (other than a crack in the fiberglass flare, since I wasn't paying attention), but I need to figure out a way to keep the trailer from over-rotating in a jacknife situation which will definitely need to happen from time to time on the trail.
Kinda hard to see from this picture but maybe you can see how my rear bumper slopes up (bottom edge) toward the corners and that the level of the tongue can pass underneath. I'm looking for suggestions on a way to limit the rotation during jacknife situations. Any thoughts?
Edit: Maybe you can see the rear bumper better in this picture. I would have thought that the center portion of the bumper before it angles upward would contact the tongue but the distance of the point of rotation on the hitch away from the bumper face puts the tongue at an angle past 90* before the tongue contacts that center section of the bumper, letting the trailer tub come in contact with the truck.
Just looking at this thread, and having not read the whole thing, this may be a redundant suggestion BUT mount your spare horizontally on the trailer tongue. So that the tire would contact your rear bumper in a jack-knife situation. Just a quick thought!
Great family, truck and trailer too!
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After reading this thread twice now. My plan is to build virtually the same trailer. But I think 4'x8' will be the size (hauling motorcycles/snowmobile etc) Nice job I can only hope mine will turn out this nice.
