73-87 Trailer

[LiveAnimals]

I was looking into buying a utility trailer and stumbled on a guy who turns wrecked trucks into trailers. Anyone on here do this? Just wondering what's involved. Thought it would be cool if either one of my squares were towing a square trailer.
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[bitchin85]

ive seen it alot. i know theres some pics of them on here i just dont know where. sorry i couldnt be more helpful

[Da88burban]

Heres some pics I found.

[alwaysbroken]

yeah we have a 80s in out back yard, was a 4x4 many years ago. its just sitting there were going to sell it soon.

[Tx Firefighter]

I've done it a lot. Just cut the frame and pull it together then weld the coupler on.

[Davidmichael]

I always wanted to get one of those. they are cheap to build and easy to maintain.

[russgt]

I actually have an on going deal with a friend in which I can use his shop, lift, tools, help, and in return I give him the frame and box from the truck that I am parting out. Dont worry, the boxes and frames are always in rough shape. He has an out door wood burner so he has about 8 of these trailers now with toppers to store wood.

[LiveAnimals]

Would the local tractor supply have the weld on tongues? If not where? And what about the axle?

[Tx Firefighter]

You can very likely get the coupler you need at Tractor Supply or Northern Tool. I buy mine at a local trailer parts house for a little cheaper than those places but you won't pay too much more buying it retail.

As far as the axle, check the fluid level and run it. Leave the original axle assembly, leaf springs, shocks, and all of that as they are. Just cut the frame, make relief cuts on the top and bottom flanges of the rails and pull it together for the coupler to weld on to. Weld the coupler in place and weld the relief cuts solid.

[LiveAnimals]

Sounds good and what about wiring for brake lights and blinkers
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[Tx Firefighter]

I use the original truck light wires along the frame and back to the lights and install a 4 prong trailer light plug onto them up at the coupler.

[LiveAnimals]

Ok thanks for the help
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[eke82]

my dad and i have built about a couple dozen thru the years. we always run a 4 foot piece of square tubing down the center to the rear cab mount area and then bend the frame pieces to the tubing and weld it up seems to make it alot stronger less chance for something to move. I can send pics if you like very easy to do
eric

[LiveAnimals]

If you would send pics that would be great
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[staggerd86c-10]

Taking it to another level would be to lift/lower it to match your ride.
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[Pop's C-10]

Originally Posted by staggerd86c-10

Taking it to another level would be to lift/lower it to match your ride.
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I agree...it's guy on tha 67-72 side that did one to match his truck & it looks sweet..20's & all

[DetroitDan]

It would be more work but I think I'd consider putting a trailer axle under it, just to get rid of a ton of weight and rotating mass. Be a lot of extra work pulling a trailer and turning it's axles. I think it would look sweet painted and lifted to match, especially a two-tone. Unfortunately I can't think of a reason to have a trailer that small. Be good for dump runs I suppose, but have two pickups with dump stickers and have yet to have more trash than one pickup will hold.
I have seen a couple made that way and then had a slide in camper in it. I actually was going to build one a long time ago to put a sander in, but I ended up getting a different kind of sander. Little afraid the tow behind sander would be a pita, backing and turning and so forth.

[Tx Firefighter]

I tell you what I like them for, scrapmetal.

Keep one out behind the shop and throw the short iron in it as you collect it. The little trailer sits there minding it's own business until you need to pull it. Once it gets full, off to the metal yard.

Short iron is less than 36 inches and pays way more than long iron (over 36 inches). The little pickup bed trailers are great for short scrap and the flatbed is good for long and big scrap so you can segregate it and get the most money for your salvage.

[mooseknuckles]

....didn't everybody and their dog do that back in the 80's?

[Pop's C-10]

Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

....didn't everybody and their dog do that back in the 80's?

yep...

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

....didn't everybody and their dog do that back in the 80's?

The 80's ?

Just last week I got a call to go out to a guys farm and build one. It was an 88-98 era truck though. Here in Parker County Texas folks are still doing it.

[RandyP]

That's exactly what the frame and bed is gonna do for my old 74, be our scrap metal trailer here at the shop. I'm tired of seeing guys come get it for free just because we have no easy way of hauling it off. Just gotta get off my buttocks and get the front end and cab off this thing soon so we can build it real quick.

[WigglesTheHoly]

Originally Posted by RandyP

That's exactly what the frame and bed is gonna do for my old 74, be our scrap metal trailer here at the shop. I'm tired of seeing guys come get it for free just because we have no easy way of hauling it off. Just gotta get off my buttocks and get the front end and cab off this thing soon so we can build it real quick.

Tell ya what you can come get one of my already made trailers and I'll take that full truck off your hands lol. My family has tons of these trailers I have one and as soon as spring hits I'm turning another 2 rust buckets into trailers as well. Right now I'm fixing up a truck that I think probably should have went the trailer route.

[SS Delux]

That box looks 100% better than what I started with on mine, it is a dd as well.

[RandyP]

I bought that truck just for the front end and cab, the bed is trash. Already went to atwoods and got the hitch and a jack for it, all I'm lacking is a trailer connector so we can wire up the lamps.

I say that bed is trash, the front panel might be good, but I have not taken the bedliner out of it yet to really see for sure. The back looks like a 55 gallon drum was dropped from about 2 stories up, the tailgate was butchered as already said, the right bedside is caved in and the left is full of mud where someone thought it would fix the rust.

I thought about buying one already done, they seem to go for about $200 around here. But the hitch and jack were so cheap, and it's not gonna take much to move the frame over after we cut it down to size. I got a machine out in my shop that'll bend it where we want it cold, no heat required.