widening my trailer?

[Wilson]

The buggy is getting close to getting trailered around for some finishing touches and eventually wheeling. We have a "big Tex" trailer for our bobcat with tube sides. My fullwidth axles and 39's will not fit between the rails. Anyone have any idea how phoesable it is to weld on a new piece of front angle and tube and move the sides out to where the outside of the fenders are? I would then make new fenders that I can drive over. I don't want to have to store 2 trailers and it would be nice to not have to buy a new one.

[Hickeyjones]

how much wider do you have to go? pics of trailer?

[Scott Jensen]

give me your e mail addy and i'll send you a pic i took at the con last summer of a trailer where ther guy welded tube from the frame out and back to the frame to widen it, and from the frame up over the fenders and back to the frame so he could drive over them.


edit: got your addy from your info, send you the best pic i could draw. PM me with q's

[Wilson]

Originally posted by Hickeyjones
how much wider do you have to go? pics of trailer?

I'll get measurements again this afternoon, but If I can widen it to teh outside of the fenders, I can make it. Right now the outside edge of my wheels (without tire width) won't fit between the sides. It is a basic 16x 6 hauler trailer with 14" tubing sides. From what I've heard the strength on these trailers come from the tube rails, therefore I cannot simply cut them off and make it a true flat deck.

[Wilson]

Originally posted by SAJ
give me your e mail addy and i'll send you a pic i took at the con last summer of a trailer where ther guy welded tube from the frame out and back to the frame to widen it, and from the frame up over the fenders and back to the frame so he could drive over them.


edit: got your addy from your info, send you the best pic i could draw. PM me with q's

SAJ, thanks for the drawing, but that will not work as the tubes on this trailer form welded sides. Here's a funny pic of what I have (taken form the Big Tex website)

[Scott Jensen]

gotcha, so you have a utility trailer. Hmm, might have to think about that one for a while. good luck with it. i'll let ya know if ya i get any ideas.

[jasonmt]

I am assuming that the tube rail to tube rail distance is ~72" then?

Any chance that from the inside of the buggy tire to the other inside of the buggy tire would clear on the outside of the tube rails? You would then have to build up a platform on the outside of the tube rails to allow the axles to clear the tube rails on the trailer.

Would dually wheels with their large backspacing fit on your buggy and allow it to clear inside of the rails?

Build a removable subframe like in the attached picture on top of the tube rails with cross bracing between the two sides?

The two other options you have already mentioned, but the legal implications of structural modifications on the trailer in case of an accident would worry me:

Sell the trailer and buy one suitable for both bobcats and your buggy?

Cut off the side rails and extend the trailer sides to the outside of the wheels, rebuild the outside tube frame to the new width?

[Wilson]

Originally posted by jasonmt
I am assuming that the tube rail to tube rail distance is ~72" then?

Any chance that from the inside of the buggy tire to the other inside of the buggy tire would clear on the outside of the tube rails? You would then have to build up a platform on the outside of the tube rails to allow the axles to clear the tube rails on the trailer.

Would dually wheels with their large backspacing fit on your buggy and allow it to clear inside of the rails?

Build a removable subframe like in the attached picture on top of the tube rails with cross bracing between the two sides?

The two other options you have already mentioned, but the legal implications of structural modifications on the trailer in case of an accident would worry me:

Sell the trailer and buy one suitable for both bobcats and your buggy?

Cut off the side rails and extend the trailer sides to the outside of the wheels, rebuild the outside tube frame to the new width?

I'm seriously thining about selling this one and buying another. The "deck" idea is a good one, but I don't want to have my buggy loaded that high up, it just seems much more stable down lower. I have considered going to wheels with more back spacing. I'll have to see just how much narrower I can go before I have issues with my front tires rubbing on things at full lock. I've already measured taht I can go 2" narrower on each side before my lockouts would be exposed, I could go to slugs and gain a little more room.

[DRM]

Originally posted by Wilson
I'm seriously thining about selling this one and buying another.

Exactly

[Po' riggity]

Id buy another that works for your needs. I don't think its worth the hassle and potential troubles you could have with the existing trailer if you widened it.
Scott

[BarrelRoll]

I have a trailer very similar to that one in the picture. I was thinking of cutting down the rails so they are very close to the deck and building drive over fenders and "ramps" off the rails to haul wider rigs on. It would be real nice if i could make them removable though i'm not sure if it's worth it. I'm thinking about keeping this trailer since i think when my rig gets 35's it will bearly fit and then just getting a 2 place gooseneck to haul wider rigs.

BarrelRoll