Awesome. Thanks for the tip and all the previous posts on your Thule. I'm handing the trailer down to my son, so I'm implementing several of your mods to make a better trailer for him.
New Thule Trailer (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter VA Runner
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Not mine and in no way affiliated but this looks like a nice one of these trailers for sale:
Thule 1205 Trailer - trailers - by owner - vehicle automotive sale
Thule 1205 Utility trailer fully enclosed with lifting lid. All aluminum and galvanized steel so...
omaha.craigslist.org
Sure is tempting to go buy that one in Omaha.
My 1205 was rear ended last week. Low speed. Bent one of the tongue bars, crushed the light panel, and bent the right side rear post. I think I can repair it. Will need to source new lighting because both the license plate and tailight are toast as well. I really need to tear the trailer apart anyhow and replace rivets with allen head bolts, new floor, repair/reinforce the lid (cracked), etc. It was stored all of its life outside, now inside in a barn (we moved).
Unfortunately the driver in the car behind me was our son... Also damaged was our second car. Hood, grille, bumper cover, headlight. Someone wasn't paying attention... We will repair all out of pocket. Off to the junkyard to fetch replacement car parts Saturday. Another good thing is that car is an older domestic and parts are plentiful and affordable.
Due to renovating a house we want to get on the market soon - the trailer will have to wait. I think I can disassemble the trailer and straighten everything or feb replacement parts due to the simplicity of the design.
Can't believe this thread is still alive! Really enjoyed seeing everyone's improvements.
My 1205 was rear ended last week. Low speed. Bent one of the tongue bars, crushed the light panel, and bent the right side rear post. I think I can repair it. Will need to source new lighting because both the license plate and tailight are toast as well. I really need to tear the trailer apart anyhow and replace rivets with allen head bolts, new floor, repair/reinforce the lid (cracked), etc. It was stored all of its life outside, now inside in a barn (we moved).
Unfortunately the driver in the car behind me was our son... Also damaged was our second car. Hood, grille, bumper cover, headlight. Someone wasn't paying attention... We will repair all out of pocket. Off to the junkyard to fetch replacement car parts Saturday. Another good thing is that car is an older domestic and parts are plentiful and affordable.
Due to renovating a house we want to get on the market soon - the trailer will have to wait. I think I can disassemble the trailer and straighten everything or feb replacement parts due to the simplicity of the design.
Can't believe this thread is still alive! Really enjoyed seeing everyone's improvements.
I'll get some links posted for the tail lights and lic plate light as I sourced them here in the US. Stay tuned...
@joeaverage
Replacement Tail lights: JOKON 710 95mm ROUND REAR STOP / TAIL LIGHT LAMP ELDDIS BAILEY CARAVAN MOTORHOME | eBay
Replacement lic plate light: Jokon License Plate Light With Cord & Snap In Connector #13.4006.215. Note this is the exact same tail light but I did not order from this particular place. The guy that was selling these on eBay is no longer on eBay, however the foogyonline link above appears to be the exact same ad that was on eBay...I just don't know if that site is legit or not. That said, there look to be the newer version of the plate light, you notice a slight difference but appear as though they a very very close: JOKON K415 REAR NUMBER PLATE LIGHT LAMP CARAVAN HORSE BOX TRAILER 22838 SAE L04 | eBay
Replacement Tail lights: JOKON 710 95mm ROUND REAR STOP / TAIL LIGHT LAMP ELDDIS BAILEY CARAVAN MOTORHOME | eBay
Replacement lic plate light: Jokon License Plate Light With Cord & Snap In Connector #13.4006.215. Note this is the exact same tail light but I did not order from this particular place. The guy that was selling these on eBay is no longer on eBay, however the foogyonline link above appears to be the exact same ad that was on eBay...I just don't know if that site is legit or not. That said, there look to be the newer version of the plate light, you notice a slight difference but appear as though they a very very close: JOKON K415 REAR NUMBER PLATE LIGHT LAMP CARAVAN HORSE BOX TRAILER 22838 SAE L04 | eBay
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HEY - that's great! Thank you so much. I'll order them today.
For giggles I'll post some pictures of the crashed trailer soon. Can't believe son ran into us at the stop sign! Queue the lectures...
Anyhow, I was meaning to tear it apart soon and do a refurb since it has many miles and weather on it. Aside from the floor - it has aged well.
For giggles I'll post some pictures of the crashed trailer soon. Can't believe son ran into us at the stop sign! Queue the lectures...
Anyhow, I was meaning to tear it apart soon and do a refurb since it has many miles and weather on it. Aside from the floor - it has aged well.
I'd be very interested in seeing the damage....very unfortunate that it happened.
Late to the game, and not sure if you've already purchased but I bought these off Amazon when I rewired my trailer:
Amazon product ASIN B01MXDNA63
Amazon product ASIN B0000AYFTV
Too bad about the son having his first (?) accident, not looking forward to experiencing this myself as my oldest is now driving the old Elantra I bought 15 years ago!
Amazon product ASIN B01MXDNA63
Amazon product ASIN B0000AYFTV
Amazon.com: 2 Amber 2 Red LED 2" Round Clearance/Side Marker Light Kits with Light and Grommet Truck Trailer RV Pack of 4: Automotive
Buy 2 Amber 2 Red LED 2" Round Clearance/Side Marker Light Kits with Light and Grommet Truck Trailer RV Pack of 4: Marker Lights - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Too bad about the son having his first (?) accident, not looking forward to experiencing this myself as my oldest is now driving the old Elantra I bought 15 years ago!
Thank you the LED lighting recommendation. I haven't bought lights yet. Just need to decide if I want to match the other original light or upgrade to LEDs.
Have decided that I'll delay the repairs (but I'll buy lights soon) for a month or so until we complete some house remodelling. Am repairing the car. We went to the Pull-A-Part and bought a used hood, bumper cover, and grille. Bought some of the hidden parts off of Rock Auto. Darn car had a plastic bumper beam. How is that safe? 1999 Chevy Malibu. Teenager is doing the work with guidance.
Son had a 2000 Elantra. Little car that was neglected its whole life before our son got it. We made a few minor repairs. It just soldiered on and on and on. Finally it was ugly enough (peeling paint, dings, etc) and wore out enough (leaking from everywhere, burning oil) that we sold it to a local junkyard. Teen replaced it with a Miata which so far has been a troublefree gas sipper.
Have decided that I'll delay the repairs (but I'll buy lights soon) for a month or so until we complete some house remodelling. Am repairing the car. We went to the Pull-A-Part and bought a used hood, bumper cover, and grille. Bought some of the hidden parts off of Rock Auto. Darn car had a plastic bumper beam. How is that safe? 1999 Chevy Malibu. Teenager is doing the work with guidance.
Son had a 2000 Elantra. Little car that was neglected its whole life before our son got it. We made a few minor repairs. It just soldiered on and on and on. Finally it was ugly enough (peeling paint, dings, etc) and wore out enough (leaking from everywhere, burning oil) that we sold it to a local junkyard. Teen replaced it with a Miata which so far has been a troublefree gas sipper.
@perkj @theOz @Sir Velo
You gentleman are an inspiration!!! I'm purchasing, sight unseen (though I've seen a number of pics), a 08 Thule, that's being dropped off at my inlaws tomorrow, and hopefully I'll see it this weekend. I have been searching for a watertight trailer for my camping gear, stumbled by this long thread, and when this trailer popped up, I couldn't help myself. Like most, I want it to haul my camping gear, but we travel for a month at a time generally, and I'd like to add bars to it, but would like for them to be able to carry 2, possibly 3 kayaks, and I'd also like to be able to get 3 bikes on it. So, roughly 75 lbs of bikes, and 120-180 lbs of kayaks. Do you guys think that a rack mounted to the lid would be able to support 200-250 lbs? I have other ideas too, maybe a rack independent of the lid that could hinge forward then the lid would lift independently. Any guidance or thoughts would be much appreciated!
Hi, glad you found these posts helpful. It’s always great when multiple people share their ideas, sources for supplies and etc! My thoughts on your setup for the trailer is below.
- Kayaks: the weights for these kayaks altogether is a lot. If you place the kayaks on top, there is going to be wind drag that needs to be compensated for. Especially the amount of torque the wind drag will put on the uprights both backward and sideways (crosswinds). Presently, without any modification, there is only two bolts keeping the lid secured to the body. I don’t even count the lock. So you will need to add additional latches to help keep the lid tight to the body. On my first Thule Trailer (smaller version), I mounted two small children’s kayaks on the side to help escape some of the torque created by the wind (lowering the pressure points to the lower end of the uprights where they are bolted to the lid’s metal frame. If you decide to put a kayak on top, I would limit it to two mid-size kayaks or smaller.
- Bikes: if you build a rack similar to what we did, you will be fine. See below about weight considerations.
- Weight and Wind Resistance: If my memory serves me correctly, the two lid lifts I installed can handle over 100lbs each. I try to keep the weight below 150lbs (basically the same guidelines that Thule/Yakima specify). Going over 150lbs prevents the lifts from holding the lid open, at least safely on their own. While they are rated to hold X number of pounds, that deteriorates over time. I don’t recommend putting more than 150lbs on the rack system. Even 100lbs is a lot of stress for that part of the trailer that has its weakest points on the trailer for load bearing (two bolts, single latch and whatever additional reinforcements you add).
IMHO: In short, I think you might be too ambitious loading that much equipment on top of the rack (both kayaks/bikes). Please note that the Zarges boxes I had mounted are very lightweight aluminum and were filled light items like sleeping bags. I also mounted them towards the front of the rack system to help keep the wind drag at a minimum (I drive a Toyota Highlander, higher clearance).
I would concur with the above, that amount of weight would not be recommended nor would the resultant wind drag (there's math in all of this somewhere...) of all of that stuff on the lid itself. I'm not sure that you would be able to get all of that on there (bikes in the middle as close as they can go and 2 kayaks on the outside?). If you did design something to work, I would go with the idea attaching that system to the box itself.
@Fox Mulder sorry I didn't see your question sooner as for whatever reason I didn't get an alert like I normally do. I think the recommendation from both @theOz and @Sir Velo makes sense for how they approached adding the rack to the lid. If you look at my design and it being purely attached to the lid frame via the 80/20 rail, I see no issue of the rack holding 200-250 dynamic (trailer moving) weight. I've had just over 200 dynamic without any issue. Static weight (trailer parked) I've had ~400 lbs when I had my brother's RTT on it and 2 people in it.
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@theOz that was it and no clue how it happened. All is good now.
@theOz @Sir Velo so with all the money I’ve been saving on gas with no work commute under lockdown, I decided to pull the trigger on replacing the floor of the trailer. I opted to go with 3/16” aluminum diamond plate. Picked the plate up yesterday. Pulled the old floor out and have the diamond plate floor in there now. Still need to drill and bolt it in but it looks awesome and should really stiffen up the entire trailer. For reference the dimensions are 48” x 82 9/16”. With the spare material from a 4’x8’ piece (which is what you purchase and then get cut down), I was able to also cut a 45”x13” piece to cover the back of the tailgate. Note I had to unrivet the rear most uprights from the trailer to slide the old floor out and the new one in. As a part of this project I’ll be replacing all the rivets from the entire trailer and replacing with 1/4-20 grade 5 bolts to add more strength. I’ll post more pics once it’s all complete but here is a teaser below:
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Nice! Always like what you post and your detailed explanations are great. I sure wish I could make it back to the USA this summer but I’m stuck in Japan for the summer. A bummer because I had planned out a 5 week family trip to Utah’s 5 National Parks plus a trip to Lake Powell, Monument Valley, and Mesa Verde NP. Like my last huge family trip, my parents, my sister and her kids were all coming with me. My brother and his new wife were going to join us in Lake Powell (he was bringing his boat). *sigh* Hopefully next year nothing sabotages our trip plans!
