Trailer






	Where to start? Well it's Minnesota and winter, we have no snow for snowmobiling and we are planning a trip to Tennessee this summer. I love to Golf and Ride so let's combine the two and build a trailer big enough for my golf clubs.

	The Design Idea: I have a 1985 Camaro show car which has side pipes and flared fenders so why not incorporate that design into the trailer. Rather than build the frame from scratch I decided to purchase one from Menards (Harbor Freight - same thing) Cost $145.00 on sale. Includes axle, hitch, wheels, frame members, fenders, lights and even the license application.

	Step #1 was to decrease the width of the trailer from 54" to 42" this was the wheel to wheel measure. I removed a 12" section from the axle and welded - added 1/2" arch to the axle also.

	The Frame: I wanted the dimensions of the finished trailer to be 34' x 48" x 18" so once the axle was cut I also cut 12" from the width of all cross members - length was left as factory. I also wanted to taper the front half of the trailer in 4" so the very front cross member was cut 16" shorter. I wanted to keep the trailer as light as possible and out off the wind also. Just big enough for two sets of golf clubs. Instead of bolting the frame together I elected to weld everything. Hitch pole was left at the standard length.

	The Floor: Nothing to special here just 1/2" plywood and a 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" edge. Screwed down to the frame with self drilling sheet metal screws - Under part was sprayed with black paint and rubberized undercoating to protect it from water etc.

	The Hitch: While the trailer kit came with a standard 1-7/8" hitch coupler I decided to go non-conventional and build my own coupler instead. I don't like the looks of the ball hitch nor do I like the idea of limited degrees of swivel. Using the square receiver hitch assembly from my N-line brand hitch I welded a small PTO type universal coupling to it. The other end was welded to a 7/8" draw pin - the draw pin was slipped through a pair of bushings and the bushing were welded to the inside of the trailer hitch pole - this assembly can rotate 360 degrees and up - down - right - left 220 degrees. Also there is little chance of the unit coming unhooked - And when unhooked there is no giant ball hanging off the back of the bike.

	The Hitch #2: Here is a look at the assemble top side. As you see the receiver portion just slips into the hitch a 1/2" pin secures the receiver so not much can go wrong. I added a safety chain just to be legal though. The N-line bike hitch is also a nice unit - I purchased it on eBay for $45.00 used. Tire removal is a snap as the large flat rear section of the hitch is held with only 4 bolts. Hitch installation was about 10 min total.

	The Box: In the past I have used steel, plywood and a cool material called NovaPly to build these things. However NovaPly is expensive and you almost have to get it from a sign painter - it is plywood with a water proof smooth paper type cover. Easy to work with and paints up real well. On this project I decided to go cheap and built the box out of 1/4' masonite and 2x2 wood frame members. Lots of gorilla glue and drywall screws to hold it all together. The fenders are not the ones that came with the kit - I got these at Fleet Farm, they are nice and rounded not square like the kit had. The fenders screwed to the wood floor. The top was covered and once done I then sawed the two apart to form the flip top. (see next)

	The Fender & Lid: As you can see the lid was cut using a skill saw. A piano hinge was attached to the back of the trailer. The whole top portion flips up from the front. More on this later.......... The Fenders were flared using first metal straps covered with fiberglass then bondo and lots of sanding. More bondo and sanding followed. The leading edges of the fenders were cut to match my 86 camaro fenders.



	Ready for paint: Box is all roughed together and fenders sanded and primed. Wood trim has been added to the bottom and at the joint in the lid. The upper trim over laps the joint by about 3/8" so water can not run into the joint. All screw tops and nail holes puttied and sanded at this point. I built a spoiler for the back just to help blend it in with the spoiler on the bike.

	Taking on some Color: Sanded and primed - The masonite really soaked in the paint so it took 4 coats to cover it. I sanded between coats to get ride of blemishes and fuzzy points.

	Starting to shine: I had some red paint laying around so the trailer got three heavy coat of this just to seal it up and get a good smooth base for the finish color. The Gold hood ornament is from an old Pontiac, it was pitted and crude but I sanded it real good then sprayed it gold. It doubles as the lift handle for the top.

	The Lid is Up: Piano hinge at the rear Left side is a retractable hold up stick which lock into an upright position so the lid can be lowered. On the right is a nylon rope to keep the wind from pushing the cover back to far. It is tight when the prop stick is down. Triple side pipes were made from 1-1/4" plastic electrical conduit, sanded and painted flat black. The frame was painted black and tires replace with 6" wide units. (looked better)

	The Latch: The lock down latch is made from some flat stock I had laying around along with a spring and 1/8" rod. The rod runs down into the hollow part of the hitch bottom, I fashioned a loop there so all I have to do is reach under the front end of the trailer and pull down on the loop releasing the catch. I drilled a pocket in the top part of the lid and placed a flat plate there for the latch to hook into. Upper Latch Detail


	Almost finished - Wired: Painting is done - spoiler has a bit of a special black & gold detail Had to add the GM logo and paint the rims gold - later I added golf car hub caps but the gold still show around the edges. Large red lights are brake and tail - amber are turn signal. No license plate required as MN has life time sticker that goes on the hitch.

	Wiring Details: You can use an isolation kit - which I had - or simply use a 5 wire system. I went with the 5 wire to get away from all the relays that came with the kit. On the trailer end I used a standard 4 wire trailer harness. White is tail light, black brake, green left signal and yellow right signal. Ground is via the frame - keeping in mind I don't use a ball hitch so the metal to metal contact is much better - I could simply add a short ground strap but it didn't require that. Removing the rear fender cover I found capped 4 wires which I could easily tie into. On the bike side the color code is as follows - Black = tail RED = brake GRAY = left turn GREEN = right turn

	The finished product: All done including hubcaps, side pipes (6) hood ordiment spoiler and wide tires. Completed 2/26/2004 First test drive - 2/28/2004 - pulled just fine, no adjustments required.