Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

[tominohio]

Hi everyone, I just bought a used trailer that was made in the 70's. The frame is solid, (I think you could use it for girders in a sky scraper). The trailer has a tag that says it is rated for 2800 pounds. I intend to strip it of the rollers and add a wooden deck and use it for a utility trailer. My question is how big a job it would be to increase what it could carry, and if/how I might be able to do that.

The only thing I could think of was putting stronger/heavier leaves on it. Is this what you do? Is that the only thing you have to change? New tires?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Josh P]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

axle springs tires and frame construction all determine weight capacity.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

I love these types of questions!! As Josh said axles, springs, tires and frame determine capacity but you have to also determine if your coupler is up to the tongue weight as well, Adding another axle would nearly double the total capacity of your trailer now the problem is what are you going to use for your deck. If you are planning on using a wood deck then I would install(that means weld to me) several braces perpendicular to the trailer across the frame main spans, reason being plywood has very little strength to it when used horizontally so you need to brace it to keep it in good condition for any weight placed upon it, even no weight on it will allow it to warp and droop due to the plywood not being able to support itself with weather and all so in all honesty I would not use a plywood deck on a trailer, it would last a year or less and then need to be replaced, 3/16"X4'X8' Steel plate will run you about $165 and last you for years under heavy use and would be a structural piece of the trailer, I would highly recommend using the steel, you still need the support braces but fewer of them

 

[tominohio]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

I was gonna use some angle iron to help support a bed of treated 2x12's. So if I get some new springs and tires, and considering the angle iron bolstering the frame, could I get away without doing anything to the axle and maybe increase the wt. capacity significantly, say maybe to 2 tons?

Gonna try to post some pics tommorrow, it's been rainin mountain lions and great danes here all day.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

If you were qualified to rebuild this trailer to a higher capacity you wouldn't be asking us how to do it..... short answer is NO..... sell it and buy a heavier trailer

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

You can reinforce this trailer all you want but putting putting 4000# on a trailer that will probably weight well over 1000# by itself will self destruct before you get out of the yard. SPINDLES young man -- spindles are what carry weight. That axle at best has a 3500# axles which is determined in part by the size of the spindles. Ever see a trailer on the side of the road with no wheel and no spindle? Guess what happened? Save your money, sell what you have, and buy a trailer capable of handling the load.

 

[tominohio]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

If you were qualified to rebuild this trailer to a higher capacity you wouldn't be asking us how to do it..... short answer is NO..... sell it and buy a heavier trailer

Wow. I was about to rip you a new one, then I thought, hey everybody has a bad day let's give this guy a chance. So I searched your previous posts, (it's sat morn, nothing better to do) turns out you are a know it all arse wipe. So here I am to say thanks but no thanks. If everyone gave up on each project they endeavored because they had never done it before, I would of had to scrawl my question on a rock and hoped for the best. But you have a nice life, (I'm assuming alone with your cats).

 

[tominohio]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

You can reinforce this trailer all you want but putting putting 4000# on a trailer that will probably weight well over 1000# by itself will self destruct before you get out of the yard. SPINDLES young man -- spindles are what carry weight. That axle at best has a 3500# axles which is determined in part by the size of the spindles. Ever see a trailer on the side of the road with no wheel and no spindle? Guess what happened? Save your money, sell what you have, and buy a trailer capable of handling the load.

Is the spindle the same as the axle? I may just determine to carry less, I was just curious what it would take to haul more. I will not be selling trailer. My main reason for wanting it was to haul around my lawn tractor. Also my second lawn tractor, which is a 70's wheel horse with a plow, so I could take it to my mom's house and plow the drive.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

The spindle is the part of the axle that attaches to the wheel, Smoke and Silvertip make excellent points though so you should take note of their experience, you cannot put 4000lbs on a trailer that has one axle rated at 2500lbs

Good luck

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

Wow. I was about to rip you a new one, then I thought, hey everybody has a bad day let's give this guy a chance. So I searched your previous posts, (it's sat morn, nothing better to do) turns out you are a know it all arse wipe. So here I am to say thanks but no thanks. If everyone gave up on each project they endeavored because they had never done it before, I would of had to scrawl my question on a rock and hoped for the best. But you have a nice life, (I'm assuming alone with your cats).

well maybe you should search some more.... I'm sorry you feel that way but I gave you good advice.... In order to do the project you have in mind you need to know the strength of the materials your trailer is made from and you need to know how to build a structure to maximize that strength..... Generally trying to add strength without tearing down and rebuilding is a losing battle because you have to add way too much weight to do it.

Sure what you want to do CAN be done but the learning curve for fabricating load bearing structures is VERY steep and many more people fail than succeed.

All that said..... I don't need you to give me a chance LOL ..... I am trying to give you one tho....

I'm not trying to insult you.... What I'm trying to tell you is that your entire trailer is constructed for the weight rating on it and EVERY single part of it needs to be evaluated to see if it is up to an increase in weight..... coupler, tongue, frame structure, gauge of the metal, springs, shackles, bushings, etc..... You need to be ABLE to judge each of these.... If you had that skill set you would not be asking for help with this.

I also gave you another piece of good advice.... sell and buy.

If you clean up your boat trailer and fix it up, paint it, and get it in tip top shape, you can likely sell it for a premium. Then scour craigslist for a trailer that suits your needs and fix it up too. You will almost definitely have less money and less time invested in a better trailer.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Question about increasing weight I can carry on trailer

Is the spindle the same as the axle? I may just determine to carry less, I was just curious what it would take to haul more. I will not be selling trailer. My main reason for wanting it was to haul around my lawn tractor. Also my second lawn tractor, which is a 70's wheel horse with a plow, so I could take it to my mom's house and plow the drive.

Now you are jumping around with requirements. Last post you talked about hauling 4000#. Now you are talking two riding mowers. Big difference. But the fact remains -- there are two weight ratiings for a trailer. 1) GAWR (gross axle weight rating and 2) GVWR = Gross vehicle weight rating. GAWR is the maximum weight the axle is capable of supporting. That means you add the weight of the trailer itself (minus the wheels, axle and tires because these represent "unsprung weight") and the load. GVWR is the all up weight of the rig. Place the rig on a scale and the maximum weight must not exceed the GVWR rating. I suspect that the label you looked at says the trailer has a maximum "load capacity" of 2800#. That would also imply the axle is a 3500# unit since adding the weight of the trailer would put the GVWR at about 3500# provided the tires and springs also were up to the task. As was pointed out, you can have an axle made out of a chunk of railroad track but if the spindles on each end are 1750# units (time 2) the trailer would still be limited to a GVWR of 3500#.

By the way -- you were not called a name, and had no call to use one. Advice was asked for and advice was given. Sometimes the very nature of the post reveals ones capability. I agree that your knowledge of things structural is limited and since this involves your safety as well as those who share the road with you, this is a project that is probably a bit over your head. I've seen trailers with wheel barrow tire on it -- and called the police to have the rig stopped. I've also seen trailers drastically overloaded at home improvement stores. I confronted an individual over what was obvious and immediately told to $#@% off. Again, this person made it about a two miles from the store and lost two spindles on one side of the trailer. Before I could call the hiway patrol an officer spotted the incident and hopefully the dude got a ticket. Tires, wheels, hubs, spindles, springs, attaching hardware and the frame all are designed to carry a specific maximum load. Adding stuff doesn't necessarily translate to a higher load capacity. there is always the week link in the chain.