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My new homebuilt Spyder trailer for $460.

mhan

mhan

Member
Just finished my homebuilt Spyder trailer for $460. Am very pleased with the result.

Aluminum Ultra Tow trailer kit 48x40 (Northern Tool) $409. delivered to Az
Voyager 18cf roof top carrier (Craigslist) $40.
Plywood deck and fasteners $10.

Took about 8hrs to build including removing 2 leaf on each leaf spring assembly, wheel bearing pack and wiring.

Loaded it up with about 150 lbs -- distributed for 20lbs on the tongue. Took it out on the Hwy at 65-70mph. Couldn't tell it was back there.
Did bounce a little at first. Discovered the tire pressure out of the box was 40psi. Reduced to 20psi and solved that issue.
 

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mhan said:
Just finished my homebuilt Spyder trailer for $460. Am very pleased with the result.

Aluminum Ultra Tow trailer kit 48x40 (Northern Tool) $409. delivered to Az
Voyager 18cf roof top carrier (Craigslist) $40.
Plywood deck and fasteners $10.

Took about 8hrs to build including removing 2 leaf on each leaf spring assembly, wheel bearing pack and wiring.

Loaded it up with about 150 lbs -- distributed for 20lbs on the tongue. Took it out on the Hwy at 65-70mph. Couldn't tell it was back there.
Did bounce a little at first. Discovered the tire pressure out of the box was 40psi. Reduced to 20psi and solved that issue.
Click to expand...

What is the dry (unloaded) weight?
 
mhan said:
Just finished my homebuilt Spyder trailer for $460. Am very pleased with the result.

Aluminum Ultra Tow trailer kit 48x40 (Northern Tool) $409. delivered to Az
Voyager 18cf roof top carrier (Craigslist) $40.
Plywood deck and fasteners $10.

Took about 8hrs to build including removing 2 leaf on each leaf spring assembly, wheel bearing pack and wiring.

Loaded it up with about 150 lbs -- distributed for 20lbs on the tongue. Took it out on the Hwy at 65-70mph. Couldn't tell it was back there.
Did bounce a little at first. Discovered the tire pressure out of the box was 40psi. Reduced to 20psi and solved that issue.
Click to expand...

Nice DIYing .... I built something similar, I used a Sears car top carrier also 18c.f. .... I didn't buy a trailer :lecturef_smilie: ... I made mine from 2 in. PVC 40 plumbing pipe & fittings .... did a cantilever axle set-up using a few BED springs .... works great ..... PS, I have found that trailer tires are different from reg. tires, they like to be on the HIGH side pressure-wise .... see what it says on the sidewall ..... Mike :thumbup:
 
Actual dry weight of completed trailer 142lbs.
Trailer full of our camping gear and cooler filled with ice - 230Lbs. 20lb tongue wt
Trailer comes rated for 1000lbs. Tires 4.80 X 12, sidewall says max load 800lbs @ 50psi.
I am running them at 20psi, will experiment with different pressures and watch tread wear.
 
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I am finishing up my DIY trailer and used almost the same exact setup as you have. I have two questions:
What did you use as a base for the cooler?
Did you have a part in the trailer kit to hold up the tongue when the trailer is not connected? I didn't have anything left in the box.
Thanks!
P.S. - Looks Great!
 
I crafted a cooler carrier from alum angle from the hardware store. Riveted together with alum rivets.

rack (2).jpg


Trailer kit does not come with tongue stand. Made mine from a piece of 1x1 alum square tube I had laying around. Swivels up into the tongue bar.

stand (2).jpg
 
mhan said:
Actual dry weight of completed trailer 142lbs.
Trailer full of our camping gear and cooler filled with ice - 230Lbs. 20lb tongue wt
Trailer comes rated for 1000lbs. Tires 4.80 X 12, sidewall says max load 800lbs @ 50psi.
I am running them at 20psi, will experiment with different pressures and watch tread wear.
Click to expand...

I've had something similar and tried reducing tire pressure for a softer ride, but had problems with tires breaking their beads loose on twisties and losing air. Keep an eye out for that.
 
I looked into doing something like that last year but backed away because of the "speed rating" of 45 MPH for the trailer. Did you do anything about bearing or tire upgrades? Not sure if it's necessary with the load well below capacity but just curious about your thoughts. Thanks..... Jim
 
canamjhb said:
I looked into doing something like that last year but backed away because of the "speed rating" of 45 MPH for the trailer. Did you do anything about bearing or tire upgrades? Not sure if it's necessary with the load well below capacity but just curious about your thoughts. Thanks..... Jim
Click to expand...

Jim, I have a Harbor Freight steel version of that trailer that I have set up to convert from stake sides to car top carrier quickly and have done some 70 MPH testing for 50 miles and hub and tires were cool. Load in trailer was about 50 pounds.
 
I got my hands on one of the last HF tag-along trailers available before HF dropped the line. Experimenting with trailer tire PSI can be tricky at best. Loaded vs unloaded, lightly loaded vs heavily loaded, and so on. Something I learned early on was to chalk my tires and test run them. Simply record your PSI and mark a chalk line across the tread of the tire you're testing near the valve stem (makes the line easier to find). Pull the trailer a short distance and check the chalk mark. If it is gone from the center of the tire and still showing on the edges, too much air. Just the reverse, too little air. What you're looking for is the chalk line to wear off evenly within a short distance of travel. I did that with my spyder using BK 911's PSI recommendations and his inflation suggestions appeared to be spot on.
 
I bought one of the HF trailers in 2013 before they haulted sales for several years. Stored it away for almost five yars, then brought it out and assembled as a bike hauler using a loading ramp for the bike to set on. Still working great, and has hauled 3 GL1000s, CB750F, RD400, and hauls my GL1000 to shows regularly. First thing and annually after I change the grease. Pull behind an S10 pickup. Tires as mentioned are hard to figure. To handle a load they need full pressure. Light loads need low pressure to prevent bounce. Would I pull it behind the Spyder? Maybe, if I had the correct lighting setup I might haul the RD400c, but not a GL1000! Normally on tour we plan to pull our Uni-go.
 
Greasing HF wheel bearings

I've pulled apart several trailer wheel bearings and have found the efforts both useful and useless. I've found that on the first inspection if I get no noise or excessive slack when spinning the wheel, there's likely no need to pull the bearings. I punch an appropriate-sized hole in the bearing cap and screw a zerk fitting into that hole. Then I fill the hub with grease until it starts coming out under the seal on the rear bearing. After that, I take the trailer for a ride to heat the bearings. Then I recheck the bearing for proper slack. Yep, some of the grease is going to ooze out but it's easier to clean that up than it is to disassemble and repack the bearings if there is no need.
 
Update:
Just returned from 30 day road trip-- Az to Key West and back. Now have 9500 mi on this little cheap trailer. Speed 65-70mph, with original 45mph tires. Found 15psi in the tires gave best wear pattern and least bounce. Tires about 1/2 worn at this point. Aluminum fenders cracked from metal fatigue at the fasten points after passing thru the Ozarks. Took them off and saved them to repair later. Easy fix. Did about 4000mi without fenders, not sure if that was legal.
 
mhan said:
Aluminum fenders cracked from metal fatigue at the fasten points after passing thru the Ozarks.
Click to expand...
Keep an eye on the tongue also. There's a tremendous amount of up/down bouncing on the hitch. If the tongue isn't stout enough it may be prone to cracking at the front of the trailer body. As you've already seen, aluminum is prone to fracturing since it's not very elastic.

The tongue on my home made trailer broke more than 3/4 of the way around at the front of the body. I had made it out of 2" inch square steel tubing, 0.060" thick. It wasn't stout enough. It's held up good after the reinforcement and repair I did on it.
 
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