# Zombie apocalypse trailer rebuild questions



## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I've built a lot of trailers over the years, 13 inch trailer rated tires are my choice, you can get most anything you need from Rigid Hitch in Burnsville MN, they have a fantastic selection of winches and axles, heck anything you need but the steel, and great customer service https://rigidhitch.com/ is their website. 

Ashland conveyor is one source for rollers, I'd suggest 2 or 3 shorter ones as the long ones can bend. Ashland Conveyor Products - Manufacturer of Skatewheel Conveyors, Gravity Roller Conveyors, Conveyor Rollers and Systems


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## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

An old friend of mine had a tilt trailer, and his main issue was around the tilt pivot points and also the pin that held the trailer down. This caused a lot of wobble and limited his speed and safety. Tire size, springs, and axle are definitely factors, but don't forget the additional points of slack/failure. Without seeing it, my thought would be add bushings or some kind of spacer to minimize the slack.  Hell, I might even weigh the benefit of the tilt vs just welding or bolting it down.

I have 15 in tires on a 2500 lb axle. New axle bought here to match tire bolt pattern. https://www.trailerpart.com/

I'm also on the regular-sealed-bearing-hubs team. Too many horror stories of buddy bearings for me.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

yesimapirate said:


> I'm also on the regular sealed bearing hubs team. Too many horror stories of buddy bearings for me.



There's a better solution than bearing buddies, which just lube the outer bearing, different manufacturers call it different things, Acculube, ez lube etc, but basically a zerk beneath a rubber cover that has a journal to the inner bearings, it fills the hub cavity from behind and forces the grease out the front. I like the Lucas red and tacky grease for this, and since I've been running these with that grease, 15 or so years, on every trailer I own, I've never had a bearing failure, or found water in the grease when I re-grease them yearly. 



my 2¢, your mileage may vary.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Theres a few things about this trailer that I dunno about. One is like you said the pivot point for tilt is wonky for sure. It only has maybe a 1/16 gap between mating surfaces and simply runs on a bolt. The bolts I removed had no shoulders either so it was riding on thread so to speak. So... also the pin that locates it shut is just a 1/2 rod on a spring with a little slop. So...I gotta fix that. Was thinking of over drilling the bolt holes and adding bushings or turning a bolt with a nice sleeve or asking what a modern builder did lol. The other thing that's different is....where the spring hangers are located are on separate rails that bolt and clamp on the main rails of the frame. I assume this is for tounge weight? Ie: move axle forward reduce weight , move it back increase? Or is it tilt balance or is it both? I thought about just removing the "rails" and just welding new hangers on frame since I gotta increase the height of axle clearance anyway but then I'd have to get it right lol. Also thought about welding tilt closed but I must say with the tilt and winch it is easy enough for my wife to load but. It does rattle and bump alot. We drove home from the river before with the pin out also but luckily the raft didnt tilt back. Other question I have is- I had plywood decking and I ran seems long ways for some reason. Does it matter? Was thinking of changing it to 4 foot so I would have more tire clearance (one brace is tire center now. Ok.. I'll take pics after work if you guys care and wanna over engineer it for me. I wanna bounce down dirt and maybe someday drive 2k mile to rivers in other states. Thanks


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## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

Will definitely consider upon next axle/hub major maintenance. I just replaced my hubs last year after 10 yrs. Guesstimated mileage ~ 30-35k. Upon opening them and seeing not much wear, my guess is they would've lasted another 10-15k. But better to be safe than stuck on the side of the road with 1 wheel on the ground.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Pinchecharlie said:


> I had rebuilt a dead v- hull tilt trailer 12 or 14 years ago and it's ok for close by but a bit suspect for anything else. It has those little 12 inch wheels and tires and crappy springs. Anyway I have some 15 inch wheels off a dead truck can I run those? Iam obviously buying a new 3500lb axle and springs hubs ect..but was hoping to not buy everything lol. So you guys that drag trailers near and far what size wheels and tires are you comfortable with. Also I need to source a roller bar and a winch .any ideas? I googled all this [email protected] but I thought I'd ask guys actually running stuff. Thanks Charlie



I like 14" or 15" tires...easier to find than 13, but 13" still makes fewer RPM per mile than 12" or 10"! My trailer is a light-duty car hauler (dual 3500# axles) so it has 15" wheels.

Those truck tires will work fine, LT tires are typically load rated higher than trailer tires. You will likely need 5 on 4.5" lug spacing on your wheels, so check on an old Jeep XJ or Ford Exploder/Ranger.


If you're really rebuilding, I'd chop out all the V crossmembers and put in flat crossmembers. May allow you to shallow up the trailer frame to axle spacing (which will partially offset taller tires).

I've had good luck with etrailer.com for wiring and suspension components, also good service.



MNichols said:


> I'd suggest 2 or 3 shorter ones as the long ones can bend.


Agreed. I have a single long 2.5" diameter roller I built. Works great with a raft, bends under the dory's weight.




Rewire everything. Use a 7-way junction box on the tongue. The ones with indicator lights are awesome if you're troubleshooting. LED lights




I'd go with 2x6's instead of plywood. I just replaced my 2x6's after 15 years, don't think plywood would last that long.


Add a 2nd bolt to lock out the tilt function. If you're going over a lot of rough roads, would be nice to have it tight. If your wife is loading on a local run, pull the bolt.



I don't know your trailer length, but even with a big 156R, you don't need that much deck. Mine only sits on 8' of my 10' long bunks. Seems I put coolers/bikes/ammo cans/kayaks on the front of my deck, and not much of anything ever behind the boat. It doesn't make a lot of difference to trailer balance, so I tend to load the trailer with the raft toward the rear with heavier stuff between my axle and tongue.


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## tallboy (Apr 20, 2006)

Shawn, can you post pics of your homemade roller? I need to build one for my 7'x12' trailer.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Pretty simple Conor--it's 2.5" dia galv. pipe.
Can't remember if it's conduit or chain link fence corner. Roughly 0.10" wall thickness?. Thicker than 0.06, thinner than 0.12.

I had thought of using regular pipe, but it's heavy. Went for larger diameter/thinner for stiffness.


Cut some "washers" out of 0.125 and welded in 1/2" black pipe stub "spindles" about 2" long. Drilled them out to 0.625.

The "hubs" are simply 0.625" hot roll that I tapered slightly. Grease them up every year with Mobil 1 synthetic grease and it rolls fine. Haven't felt the need to modify for roller bearings.

Those 0.125" "washers" are thin enough that I can bend the "spindles" around enough to get them concentric with the outer tube. (slip the roller onto one hub, if it doesn't roll concentric, bend it away from where it's binding until it rolls smoothly in the center)



They bolt to the top corners of my trailer with 5/16" x 1" bolts into captured welded nuts on the inside, so I can pull 4 bolts and remove the roller to haul other things. When I built the dory, I added the lower square tubes with captured nuts so I can move 4 bolts and drop the roller 12" to load the dory. The dory is heavy enough that I do notice the tube flexing.


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## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

MT4Runner said:


> Pretty simple Conor--it's 2.5" dia galv. pipe.
> Can't remember if it's conduit or chain link fence corner. Roughly 0.10" wall thickness?. Thicker than 0.06, thinner than 0.12.
> 
> I had thought of using regular pipe, but it's heavy. Went for larger diameter/thinner for stiffness.
> ...



That is how I did my prototype rollers. Originally plasma cut the washers and drilled the hole in the middle but the time takes is not cost effective or pleasant. I then had them water jet cut which improved the process but the final product still has metal on metal interface that squeals like nails on a chalk board loud enough to clear a boat ramp. 

This is why I now use UHMW end bushings. They also have the advantage of protecting your boat from the raw edge of the outer pipe.

The cost of the UHMW appears high until you take in to account the amount of time cutting, grinding and drilling. 

https://www.whitewaterworthy.com/product/trailer-roller-end-bearings-set2/


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Zero disagreement on total time spent.

My time billable to myself is $0, so I don’t mind labor-intensive projects. I don’t watch TV, and building stuff is relaxing to me.

I was rebuilding a buddy’s trailer last fall and somehow ended up rewriting it and repainting it instead of finishing the roller. Haha. Funny how priorities shift when it’s not your project and not getting paid 😅


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

All great info as allways ! Thanks! I dont have link but grainge has bearings that fit schedule 40 pipe and they are affordable. Like 12 bucks or something. Anyway another option for a homemade roller. I did pipe in a pipe last time but it was heavy and it would bind a bit so I think this time I'll do to sections of larger pipe with bearing ends. Iam like shawn , iam free when it comes to billable hours but most times I spend way to much time on stuff I could buy for cheap lol. I pulled this trailer out of the dump lol. I called a guy about a new trailer and then looked and I got upset about 2k-2500 lol. Would be easier to hook up and drive away but I guess iam old school like that . Anyway thanks for the help. My works weird right now so I may just fix what I have and re deck till works back online.


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