Ideas, I am building a welding trailer [Archive] - Miller Welding Discussion Forums

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snyder253

12-01-2005, 11:25 AM

OK;
I am wanting to build a trailer that will carry a Bobcat 250. I am wanting to go with tandem axles for ease of backing it up as well as weight. I am looking at it being no more than 14 feet long and 7" 10" wide. I have some ideas in my head, however I am not sure where I should mount my Bobcat due to weight. I was thinking, towards the rear of the axles in the center. But I am not sure if that is the correct location. If you have any advice, please send it to me as I how never done a project like this, or if you have any advice in general as to ideas or problems you have come across while building a trailer please send them to me. Lastly if you would like to share a pictures with me it would be helpful.

Thank You

aametalmaster

12-02-2005, 10:09 AM

I will load some pics in an album you can get to. I built 500 trailers in 8 years. If you can't see the pics email me or have any questions...Bob http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/aametalmaster/album?.dir=/67ec&urlhint=actn,ren%3as,1%3af,0

snyder253

12-02-2005, 12:19 PM

Thanx, that gives me some ideas for a starting point, would you have pointers as to the proper placement due to the weight of the machine?

aametalmaster

12-02-2005, 02:15 PM

I see Bobcats daily on trailers, most of them are right above the axles. If you pull it forward it adds a lot of weight to your truck. Just something you are going to have to play with when you get it built...Bob

Snuffy1946

12-02-2005, 07:32 PM

I think he means a Bobcat 250 engine driven welder, not a Bobcat 250 skidsteer, because I don't think there is 250 model skidsteer. Tandem axle trailer for a Bobcat 250 welder seems a bit overkill, but if you ever get a bigger welder you would be ready for it trailerwise.

snyder253

12-02-2005, 07:48 PM

Sorry guys, I mean a Miller Bobcat 250 gas driven welding machine. I am looking at a tandem axle trailer as I want to be able to equip. it with a torch set up as well as other tools. Sorry for the confusion. :rolleyes:

aametalmaster

12-03-2005, 03:21 AM

Thanks for the update, i was thinking that on the first posting, then my mind wandered :D ...Bob

meadweld

12-04-2005, 05:57 AM

Chris, my trailer is only 5' x 8' single axle. It has a oxy/act. bottle rack on the front, machine in the center, toolboxes down each side,lead racks, extension cord rack, water cooler holder, and a fab table with vise & chop saw on the back of the trailer. I love the way it is laid out and has been plenty big enough to do just about anything I have wanted to do with it.
To answer your question about where to put the machine, all depends on how you lay the trailer out. If you have alot of things on the front of the trailer you will have to move the machine more towards the back. When I built mine, I put my bottles, boxes, etc. on the trailer before I bolted the machine down. This will allow you to move the machine forward or backwards on the trailer to get the tongue wieght right. I like at least 75lbs of tongue wieght. If you make the tongue of the trailer a little longer it will make it easier to back up. I have pictures but haven't figured out how to attach them to this post yet.
see ya, Jason

aametalmaster

12-04-2005, 06:30 AM

Jason, To attack pics, just go to the bottom of this reply (when you reply on yours) and look for MANAGE ATTACHMENTS click there and a little box will come up that says BROWSE. Click the button and look for your pics where you have them stored, desktop, floppy or disc. Then when the number comes up for that pic you want click it, and click OPEN. It wlll appear in the BROWSE box, click UPLOAD, then close This window. The pic should be at the bottom of the message, you can click on the picture and make sure its the right one :D . Hope this helps...Bob

snyder253

12-04-2005, 09:28 PM

Thanx, guys for the information. Jason I look forward to seeing your pictures. One question, a Miller 250 weighs 560 pounds what machine do you have and can one axle handle 560 pounds? Sorry two questions.

Thanx again

Chris

jniolon

12-05-2005, 06:28 PM

chris,

thought I had posted this already... ??? brain fade

this is a 250 mounted on single axle with mounts for bottles
a 'jobox' welder box will be on the front.
still got to rig with tail lights, work lights and fire extr.

axle is a rear from a Mercury Villager van... think it's actually a Toyota axle that merc specs... added helper coils but not for weight... the leaf springs were a little too 'springy'.. the coils cut down on the bounce when traveling...

hope it helps
john

snyder253

12-05-2005, 07:10 PM

John;

Thanx for the information and pics. That gives me some better ideas than what I originally had.

Chris

meadweld

12-05-2005, 09:09 PM

Chris, I think I have finally figured out how to attach pics. I have a bobcat 225, it also wieghs about 560lbs. The single axle does not have any trouble hauling the machine and all the other things I have on it. The trailer frame is built out of 4" channel with 3/16" plate for the floor. For the boxes, I had a sheet of 1/8" plate sheered & broke into L-shaped pieces. I used the floor of the trailer for the bottom of the boxes. I made the lead/ext rack the way I did to prevent shaking. I cut holes in the floor to recess the bottles 4". Let me know if you have any questions.
Good Luck, Jason

Agades

12-06-2005, 09:38 AM

just make a skid for yer truck
drops in in 5 minutes
cant see much, but thats the beauty
tanks hidden
cables rolled up
tools locked up

jniolon

12-06-2005, 07:26 PM

John;

Thanx for the information and pics. That gives me some better ideas than what I originally had.

Chris

chris,

I've got some rough dimensions if you're interested

j

snyder253

12-06-2005, 07:31 PM

[QUOTE=jniolon]chris,

I've got some rough dimensions if you're interested

j[/QUOT

Yes I will take any advice that I can get. By all means, send them when you have a chance.

Thanx :D

jniolon

12-06-2005, 07:46 PM

there u go

snyder253

12-06-2005, 08:05 PM

Thanx John for the measurments, I plan to use that as a starting point, with some minor changes, for racks and toolboxes, etc. Hopefully after the first of the year I will be able to post some pics. of my new trailer and machine.

Once again Thanx

Jesse 1

12-07-2005, 01:55 PM

Here's a pic of the welding trailer I'm in the process of rigging out. I had the 5 x 8 trailer built. I welded up the stand for the Trailblazer and since the picture was taken I've added reels for the leads and chains for the tailgate. I need to add bottle racks. I raised the welder up so I could load pipe or supplies and not hit it. Any suggestions for additions are appreciated.

tbird

12-09-2005, 06:22 AM

Just a side note...keep in mind where you're gonna be goin' with your trailer and the environment it'll encounter. No sense in doin' all that work only to watch your new trailer bouncin' around in the rearview because of cheapo tires that just self-destructed. Leave the passenger car tires on the car, invest in some good trialer tires. Mount a spare somewhere on that puppy too!

Is the wheelbase long enough? Yep, you've seen those guys flyin' past ya on the freeway with their little HF trailers at 95mph about to lose it huh?

Watch your mounting points for bottles etc. Don't skimp on bracket thickness or one pass with a wirefeed. Everything might seem dandy when it's sittin' there in the shop and you're buddies will vote you cool-dude-of-the-month BUT ya need to anticipate real-time conditions such as bumpy roads, ruts in the field...you get the idea. Things can get un-funny real quick in an auto accident too. Will those bottles stay there in a somewhat hard fender bender? Can't depend on gravity for everything LOL!

Don't mean to be a neysayer, just tryin' to keep a few points out front. Maybe a someone would like to start a "safety thread"?

'bird

snyder253

12-10-2005, 06:29 PM

Tbird

Thanx for the info. I would rather go stronger now, rather than find out the hard way. :D

tbird

12-11-2005, 08:38 AM

Tbird

Thanx for the info. I would rather go stronger now, rather than find out the hard way. :DAgain, not tryin' to be a horse's youknowhat but you'd laff at some of the things I see come through our shop. BBQ pits are a popular (duh, we ARE in Texas LOL!) and lots of times they're wantin' to build 'em out've 18ga. to keep it "cheap". Lately, because RITA decided to rearrange Beaumont we've had TONS of repairs to do on the tree/debris trucks that came from around the country to help clean up her mess. Some of these fellas just want "a tack" to hold somethin' back together and then ya gotta explain how it really should be done. Works well and when the customer sees the results and you point out the benefits they're glad they listened. Now if we can just convince them to quit buyin' those $15 jacks from HF to hold up their $20,000 trailer...

Guess what I'm sayin' is ya need to put yourself into "structural engineer" mode every now and then and think ahead. Also, keep an eye open for just the right spot to add in that "gotcha factor". Did you see the TEXAS TAILIGHTS on the trailer that meadweld built? Veeeeeery neat! His trailer has some "weight" to it also, bet it pulls like a dream.

'bird

ps- If you know someone that came down here to Texas to help us, we sure are grateful for their efforts!

9R Ranch

12-12-2005, 07:35 PM

Chris I built this 8x6 service trailer with a torsion axle. It works awesome and it pulls nice and straight. The wheel wells I made of 1/4 inch plate so I can use it as a small work surface. I have a vise installed on one side. It has a torch rack, Bobcat 250 welder, air compressor, and a tool box. The air compressor is a little small for air tools but it works for now. I'm planing on a bigger compresor and I'll put another tool box either in front or on the other one for air tools. I use it on my farm and down the road a few miles. Make sure its strong and have every thing bolted down good. It gets rough in the ruts. I hope this gives you some good ideas. Lee

snyder253

12-13-2005, 08:10 PM

Lee,

Thank You for the photos and advice. Looks really cold, its still nice and warm down in Texas. :cool:

Chris

Bert

05-06-2007, 04:22 AM

Snyder253,
Far as I know, single axle can carry up to 3,000 lbs. That's what it is here in Hawaii, and have seen other people mention that on this forum. Also, friend that used to build trailers, used the same tires he had on his truck, so spare could be used for his truck or his trailer....
my 2 cents....

Bmxin^Bjorn

05-06-2007, 09:18 AM

i dont know what the trailer restrictions are in your area but here the width restriction is 8' 6''. you may as well put the 2 sets of brakes on it in case you put more waight on it, just my suggestion..
nice looking trailers by the way guys:D

wes40

06-13-2007, 12:52 PM

stfleming

06-13-2007, 06:55 PM

Chris,
I would recommend that the first thing You do is take the time to carefully plan out Your needs and wants. Then layout the equipment (or areas) with the weights that You are dealing with. Rule of thumb You want ~10% tongue weight when you are done for a pull type trailer. Not enough tongue weight will make for a squirrelly trailer (especially on a down hill grade when trying to slow down). The tandem axle won't make it easier to back up and with the weights I see posted I see no reason for it. Tandem does tend to be a little easier to balance the load but, you should have no problem getting an axle that has all the capacity that you need for a trailer this small.(if you needed a trailer with a fairly large capacity and are using a fairly small small tow vehicle that can't handle the tongue weight, but has the towing capacity this might be a consideration) If you plan to put a caster type screw jack on the front so You can manually push the trailer around I would strongly recommend using just 1 axle. What kind of tow vehicle is another consideration that might come into question here also.
In the past I have done 2 things that have worked well for me are
1. fab the top deck of the trailer and then set the machinery / equipment on the deck, then using a pipe or jacks find my load center and move the balance point to the rear to give me the desired tongue weight.
2. set the deck as I did above but mount the axle suspension up so I can slide it forward or rear to get my tongue weight. This is really nice if / when my needs change and I end hauling more than I originally planned for or not the same place on the trailer that I originally thought would be best. (it would also be a benefit if I lessened the load but, that never seams to happen for me)
Good luck
Steve Fleming

FusionKing

06-13-2007, 09:16 PM

Dudes.......this thread is ancient....I would think the trailer was done long ago:D

weldtek221

06-18-2007, 05:45 AM

HI CHRIS,
YOU CAN USE A 3500 LB AXLE NO PROBLEM.THATS WHAT I USE ON ALL MY STANDARD UTILITY TRAILERS......ALSO KEEP THE WELDER ABOUT CENTER OF THE AXLE IF POSSIBLE YOU DON,T WANT TO MUCH TONGUE WEIGHT AND IF YOU GET IT TO FAR BACK ON THE TRAILER IT WILL WANT TO SWAY SOME GOIN DOWN THE ROAD.......I,VE BUILT ALOT OF TRAILERS AND THATS WHAT I FIND WORKS BEST...ANYMORE QUESTIONS YOU CAN E-MAIL ME AT PROTOMAN224@AOL.COM THANKS REX