[zlandman]

Very nice write up! I appreciate people take the effort to do a refurbishment like this. Can really make a big difference!

 

[Crazy 4 grass]

Great job! Lots of great ideas shown.
May I suggest a flip down wheel for the tongue... so much nicer to move raise and lower when unhitched.

 

[OakNut]

Very nice write up! I appreciate people take the effort to do a refurbishment like this. Can really make a big difference!

Thanks.
Appreciate the comment.
It's nice to be towing something that isn't an embarrassment!
Can't wait to get the racks on.

I almost forgot my "ramps" this morning.
I used to have them mounted to the inside wall with nylon straps made into a loop, hanging from D rings, but forgot to put them back on.
I have two, five foot sections of hardwood baseboard that I use to drive the 30" Toro up 3 steps to get it into a yard!
Large city lawn. Sucks to have to use a 21".

 

[OakNut]

Great job! Lots of great ideas shown.
May I suggest a flip down wheel for the tongue... so much nicer to move raise and lower when unhitched.

I've had one sitting in the garage in the box for 10 years now. LOL

My driveway is gravel, so it's of no use for moving it at home, and I've only needed to drop my trailer twice in eleven years while out on the road.

I also think it would be in my way.
Heck I just banged my shin on the tongue a few minutes ago. No need for extra crap in my way.

When I get home, I unhook the chains/wiring, hook the chains together to make a loop, and lift with the chains to walk it back ten feet to where the driveway meets the fence for the back yard.
Been working out fine that way.

 

[OakNut]

I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with an AFFORDABLE solution for a storage box mounted on the tongue.
I need something as large as possible, yet not very deep (front to back) so that it doesn't protrude forward too far, getting in my way when I stand between the SUV and the trailer, to open the back door to get my backpack blower out.
Everything is either too big overall, or so small, it's almost pointless.

I was ready to use a long toolbox. This exact same box is sold under at least 4 brand names, but the 28" Craftsman PRO box with weather seal was looking pretty good.

Then, while getting frustrated at not being able to find what will work, I stumbled upon the PLANO brand "Sportsman's Trunk" available in 3 sizes, and the medium looked like it may work - even though it's about 2" larger than I had hoped.

https://www.planomolding.com/sportsman-s-trunk-medium-black

I did a search and found the best price to be $30-$35 shipped. "Hey, that's not bad", I thought.
I did another search and found it at a local Walmart marketed as an auto storage trunk - for $19.97! Plus I get my associate discount, making it $17.97
I ordered online for pickup since there were only 5 in stock. (and I got TWO)

Once home, I just sat one of them on the tongue to see if it looks like it will work.
I think it will. I don't think I can get both of them across the front though - probably be in the way when cutting the trailer sharp backing in my driveway.

Anyway, here's a preview. I'll have to come up with a way to mount it, but I have a few ideas. (I really regret not having purchased a welder years ago)







I wish it had a hinged lid, but we can't have everything we want - especially at this price point.
The box is more sturdy than I had expected though, so that's a bonus.

Oh, I also picked up a "snap top" battery box on the off chance that I may be able to mount one on either side of the trunk if I can't do two trunks.
It's a lot easier to figure this stuff out when you have the items on hand than it is to "imagine" how they may fit.
If any of them don't work out, I can just return them.



Stay tuned!

 

[FitzRightYardServices]

Maybe you can bolt it on?

 

[OakNut]

OK, I stopped in a parking lot and backed up to put the trailer at a severe angle to check available clearance for the box.
(the box is just sitting on the tongue to give me an idea of what I'm working with)
This medium Plano box will fit in the center, but it would be too far forward to place two of them side by side across the front of the trailer.

Figured I would share the pics in case anyone seeing this is thinking about something similar.
Obviously, different vehicles and different trailers will affect how much room you have to work with.







I took some measurements of the space left over to see if it would allow any other options.

 

[OakNut]

Welding some angle iron to form a shelf/bracket/support would be ideal - if I had a welder - and knew how to weld.

Looking around at what I have available at the house, I threw some planks on there and TA-DA! They create the perfect platform. I think it's a 2x6 and a 2x8 - they just need to be cut to the proper length.

I have some ideas for attaching them to the tongue/securing them that I'll get into later.

At first, I thought the lumber was overkill - extra weight I don't need - but the thickness of the board raises the box to the perfect height so that the LID is above the top frame rail of the trailer, allowing the box to be back as far as it can go AND by having the lid at the height it's at, it can be removed easily.



Need some opinions - Just look at the two pics - I'll explain below.



What do you think? Does it look ridiculous with the two boxes?
(try to ignore the excess plank material that won't be there - I'll paint it black too)

As I was playing around with the box and other possible smaller "side boxes", I had a thought - what would it look like if I STACK TWO BOXES???
The tops and bottoms are formed to allow for stacking.
What if I were to secure the lid of the bottom box to the bottom of the upper box?
I could keep lighter items in the top box and to get into the bottom, I just unlatch the bottom lid and lift the top box off with it!

I think the stacked box idea can work. I would probably run a bungee over both for safety, rather than relying 100% on the two latches to hold the top box secure to the bottom box. Just something to act as a "backup" method to prevent the top box from falling off should a latch pop loose.

If I bolted the lid to the bottom of the top box, this is how it would work...

 

[FitzRightYardServices]

I do not like the two idea but if it makes you more productive make it work.

 

[OakNut]

The good thing is that I can do ONE box and if I decide to stack them, I can do that later with no need to factor it in when I mount the first box.

Another idea I was toying with is adding two surplus ammo cans - one on each side of the plastic box.
I tried positioning the plastic battery box there and I think I could make it work, but it's just a LITTLE bigger than I would like.
The ammo can is the safer bet in terms of not being in the way.

A 30 caliber can is too small. The "FAT 50" can is too big.
The standard 50 cal can (shown) is just right - it fits perfectly on the board as I have it laid out.
Paint it black and bolt it onto the board with a rubber washer to keep water out.

 

[Bitches_Brew]

The good thing is that I can do ONE box and if I decide to stack them, I can do that later with no need to factor it in when I mount the first box.

Another idea I was toying with is adding two surplus ammo cans - one on each side of the plastic box.
I tried positioning the plastic battery box there and I think I could make it work, but it's just a LITTLE bigger than I would like.
The ammo can is the safer bet in terms of not being in the way.

A 30 caliber can is too small. The "FAT 50" can is too big.
The standard 50 cal can (shown) is just right - it fits perfectly on the board as I have it laid out.
Paint it black and bolt it onto the board with a rubber washer to keep water out.

Are "Assault trailers" legal in your state?

 

[OakNut]

Are "Assault trailers" legal in your state?

You can have my trailer when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

 

[OakNut]

The good thing is that I can do ONE box and if I decide to stack them, I can do that later with no need to factor it in when I mount the first box.

Another idea I was toying with is adding two surplus ammo cans - one on each side of the plastic box.
I tried positioning the plastic battery box there and I think I could make it work, but it's just a LITTLE bigger than I would like.
The ammo can is the safer bet in terms of not being in the way.

A 30 caliber can is too small. The "FAT 50" can is too big.
The standard 50 cal can (shown) is just right - it fits perfectly on the board as I have it laid out.
Paint it black and bolt it onto the board with a rubber washer to keep water out.

I made a little progress today. (no pics)
I picked up all the hardware I think I'll need to mount this up.

One minor change - instead of the cuts indicated in red above, I am keeping the front board the same size and cutting the rear board to the exact same length as the front board.

I stained the boards, made my cuts, and connected the two boards today using brackets and lag screws on the underside.
The ammo cans will be going on either side of the plastic box, but instead of placing them as shown above, I am flipping them the other direction.

I hope this works out. I forgot about how much this trailer "flexes" side to side, so I'm hoping it won't cause issues with how I plan to brace/support the platform.
Unless it all turns out to be more sturdy than I hoped, I doubt I'll be able to stack two plastic bins.

This would be SO much simpler if the tongue was an A frame style.

 

[Rick1111]

WTF is up with those ply prices?

 

[OakNut]

WTF is up with those ply prices?

Building materials are insane right now.
I'm glad I had those planks of wood laying around for the storage box platform. If not, I doubt I would have proceeded with this.

 

[Crazy 4 grass]

WTF is up with those ply prices?

I think the term you are looking for is hyper inflation. Luckily for you we have a whole other thread specifically devoted to discussing just this.

 

[OakNut]

I didn't get the tongue box mounted today as I had planned, but I did pick up two 50 cal ammo cans.
(I didn't want to use the cans I have on hand since they are pristine)
I found some locally with only minor rust spots for a good price. I sanded them and sprayed them black today.

 

[OakNut]

I forgot to post these pics the other day.

This is how it will be laid out.



I used a piece of cardboard to make a template for making a support brace.
Since I don't have a welder to build a frame under the box that's welded to the trailer frame, I had to come up with something else.
The boards get their main support by resting directly on the tongue, but I needed a way to support the ends.
(I plan to run a rectangular U bolt through the board, securing it to the tongue)

I figured the support could come from above by using two braces, bolting the top onto the top frame rail, and bolting the bottom end completely through the plank.

 

[OakNut]

Oh, the two boards are attached on the underside like this.
I plan to add two more braces on the top side (in the spaces between the plastic box and ammo cans) to further strengthen it.
This could easily turn into a big failure if the two boards end up warping badly, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

 

[OakNut]

I picked up a 4' piece of bar stock 1.25" wide and 1/8" thick to use to fabricate the side support braces.

I don't have a workbench.

Here's my solution. Laugh all you want!

I picked up a hitch step on clearance a while back for this purpose.
I can mount my small vise to it and so far it's come in handy for several projects.



(I'm planning to add a board between the step and the vise, but haven't gotten to that yet - cardboard temporarily protects the two surfaces)



Beat it with a hammer while applying downward pressure...



Check for fit before cutting to proper length...
(note the freshly painted ammo cans)