Trailer/Mini Work Shed Project

[Pantless Spency]

Oh man that's dope.

[deutschman]

Ok so it has been a while.
In the time sins I last posted I have done this.
-Welded out riggers on for added width.
-Installed rivet nuts aka thread inserts in the frame
-Installed the floor and bottom plate
-Built the enclosure out of 2x2 lumber and 3/8 plywood (every single joint was bonded with construction adhesive and fastened every 6". Plywood gussets were added to to the 2x2 joints)

Sadly I could not get the frame as square and level as I would have wanted it to be. This is really hard to do when you are welding on the street with no level or flat surfaces at all. So this imperfection carried through the entire project, but I corrected it a bit here and there so that the problem would not snow ball.
The enclosure ended up being nice and light and very rigid. You can push and swing on it and only the suspension moves.
The door will be 3' wide which is big enough for a folding table saw or just about anything that will fit through an average household door. The door is offset so that I can fit wider things on one side of the trailer with out them impeding the entrance.
Next steps are adding some blocking, finishing the door, building storage space, finding a used skylight for the roof, wiring indicators and interior electronics, painting and water proofing.
So fare I have a bit less then $1300 into this project. Could you find a used trailer for this price? Sure, but by building it my self I have exactly what I want. Much like why we all build modified cars tailored to our selves, instead of buying a basic commuter which works perfectly on a basic level.

Pictures.

I had to widen the fenders by cutting them in half lengthwise and and adding some metal to the center. Shit welding but again I am literally working while sitting on the sidewalk.
Its all functional, just not weld porn ;)







The 2x2 bottom plate was bolted on through the plywood floor and into the metal frame via the rivet nuts.


Then my friend and I built the walls kind of like they do for tract housing. You can just roll it up and fasten it on.






For scale. The actual enclosure has an exterior space of about 5' high x 5.5' wide x 8' long.


Now that the enclosure is framed up at a basic level I can move on to details.

[kickinindian]

holy aerodynamics batman!!!

seriously though i need a small trailer like this eventually for small shit behind my cars.

[george graves]

Good call on welding all the parts that would normally bolt together.

My 2 cents would be to remove the front wall and make a rounded off "V" in the front. It will add area, and so much reduce the drag.

[deutschman]

holy aerodynamics batman!!!

seriously though i need a small trailer like this eventually for small shit behind my cars.

Good call on welding all the parts that would normally bolt together.

My 2 cents would be to remove the front wall and make a rounded off "V" in the front. It will add area, and so much reduce the drag.

Yeah Im definitely going to do that. I already have a few ideas but I want to sleep on it and think of a few construction techniques I could use.

Im going to make some vortex generators for the back as well.

[george graves]

Oh - and I'm sure you already know this, but you might want to re-pack the bearing. And also keep a spare set of wheel bearings on hand, and a spare. Nothing worse than having to disconnect from your trailer to leave it on the side of the road, when it's an easy road side fix.

What do you think your budget will end up at? Under 1k?

Keep it up!

[justin_l_]

What do you think your budget will end up at? Under 1k?

Keep it up!

I think he said he is almost at 1300 so far.

[AndrewBird]

I like hoe beefy you made the frame, but the walls look a little flimsy. I would have at least put the studs 24" on center, if not 18". Would have added less than a pound per stud and been a lot sturdier.

[Nick_S]

Nice progress! Can't wait to see it finished.

[deutschman]

Oh - and I'm sure you already know this, but you might want to re-pack the bearing. And also keep a spare set of wheel bearings on hand, and a spare. Nothing worse than having to disconnect from your trailer to leave it on the side of the road, when it's an easy road side fix.

What do you think your budget will end up at? Under 1k?

Keep it up!

Im already over 1k and still going. The rest of the money will be spent slowly as the other trailer projects I have ideas for are kind of fancy add ons that I dont really need, but want.
I already had one bearing freeze up on me about two exits from my house. Trailer was doing a one wheel burn out at 55mph
So I bought a new wheel/tire and new bearings. Iv already been thinking about ordering 2 extra sets of bearings. The tire that got flat spots will be the spare tire. And of cores I re-packed both bearings with lots of bearing grease.

I like hoe beefy you made the frame, but the walls look a little flimsy. I would have at least put the studs 24" on center, if not 18". Would have added less than a pound per stud and been a lot sturdier.

No need for 16" center studs. This is not a house and there is no need to hold weight vertically. All the sheer strength is in the plywood and construction adhesive which can hold a lot of weight by its self. The thing is way stronger then it looks. I can hang off the side and pull with my entire 235lbs of body weight and the house does not flex. Only the suspension flexes.
Most modern trailers are framed with aluminum, but the older camper trailers were framed with 2"x2" lumber and definitely did not have 16" framing.
I know this thing is super solid the way it is built. Now keep in mind that I am adding shelving on both sides which will add even more strength.

[deutschman]

Some updates. I got some primer and a basic layer of paint on. It was actually my GF who recommended the OD Green lol.
I want to add some paint details to it but Im not sure if Im going to do an abstract pattern my self or have one of my artist friends do some painting. But I would like something to brake up the shape a bit.



I also added the door as well as some locks.
The big Masterlock got metal reinforcements on the inside that are tied to the door frame.




The two locking bolts I thought might keep some one from prying the corners open. I drilled the centers out of the phillips heads so they could not be backed out.



I welded the bolts to the hinges so they could not be backed out.


Also the trailer hitch has a ball lock on it so no one can hitch the trailer up to a truck and pull it away. The wheel also has a fat chain in it that goes through the leaf springs.

Now when it comes down to it I know this thing is not burglar proof. I know if some one really really wanted to get in to it they could. But short of building this thing out of metal or something which would add lots of cost and weight I cant really do much more.
I am adding a LED solar powered motion sensing light next to the door.
Also this thing will almost always be parked directly outside of my house and wont ever move much until we move up to the PNW later this year.
I always try and park my truck as close to the back of the trailer to make it hard for anyone to get into the door.

Thats it for today.

[itskingsteelo]

i like the detail to the bolts being welded so they cant be backed out as you mentioned. very thorough with details i see. cant wait to see it done. quick question, how do the walls feel on the inside of the shed?

[deutschman]

i like the detail to the bolts being welded so they cant be backed out as you mentioned. very thorough with details i see. cant wait to see it done. quick question, how do the walls feel on the inside of the shed?

They are solid. Especially after some of the shelving went in.



Iv done a bit more work on this thing. Im really happy with it. Iv already used it to do some work in and its comfortable.
I still need to finish the interior with some more shelving, and some straps to keep things from falling while I am driving.
Down the road Id like to add some power systems. Maybe a battery/solar system, and a plug to plug it into house current when I am near power. Some interior lighting and ventilation would be nice as well.


On the left under the chop saw there is room for a Bosch folding table saw I am going to buy.


Also added this small solar powered security light which is motion sensitive.