Truck Bed trailer

[abeemanator]

So before I get rid of my truck, I wanted to make a truck bed trailer out of the bed, Now I want to get as much money as I can when I take it in (I will take anything else off and will put it in the Sell to Donate area, So I can the sell the rest.) But, should I take the bed off, and keep the frame in one piece, or cut the frame in half behind the cab? IDK how much I will get if half of the truck is gone at the scrapyard. Also If you needed any parts for it (Sliding window, Dash Clock .etc) Put it in this thread, and I will put it in the For Sale section.

[Razmear]

Scrapyards around here pay about $12 per 100 pounds, so whatever you cut off should subtract your payment by that much.
Most bed made trailers I see just cut off at the frame behind the cab so you get the axle and wheels, unless you think you can buy the parts for cheaper than $12 per pound to make your trailer, I'd keep the frame and scrap the rest of the truck.
btw, what year is the truck? I need an exhaust manifold and probably a few other things. Mines a 2.0 G63B (86).

eb

[Razmear]

edit: cheaper than $12 per hundred to make your trailer.

[abeemanator]

Mine is a 2.0 G63B from an 87, manufactured in 87, but it is the same engine, I have the entire truck from top to bottom, just a bad crankshaft and a bent rod.

[abeemanator]

The only things I don't think are compatible between the two years are anything cosmetic(Body, and interior anyway). Just thinking out loud here, I think it would be cool to see a second gen interior in a first gen, like dropping a second gen cab on a first.

[abeemanator]

But then also, If I built the trailer, I could sell it for $200-$300

[Razmear]

Add a seat belt receiving end and belt to floor to my wish list. The spring inside the passenger side failed last night so the metal dohicky no longer sticks in the receiving dohicky.
Gotta go browse the scrap yards once I'm not so broke, might be cheaper than shipping from ID to SC.

eb

[abeemanator]

Add a seat belt receiving end and belt to floor to my wish list.
So just the receiving end or the whole belt?

[abeemanator]

Jeesh, I just quoted exactly what you said. I will pull it out tomorrow, but this belt is blue.

[Razmear]

I'm not worried about matching colors, the current seat will be getting tossed sooner or later anyways, just don't want my passenger to get a ticket for not wearing their seat belt.
I'll have to take some 'before' pics of my truck while it still looks like shit, not that it's gonna be in an 'after' state any time soon.
btw, discovered that my speedometer doesn't work when it's under 30 to 40 degrees out. The odometer cranks along nicely but the speedo just sticks at 30 until the outside temp hits about 55-60. Somehow I think that's pretty low on my to-do list tho.

[abeemanator]

So I didn't know where to put this, since it technically isn't a Mighty Max, its a trailer. So I guess off topic works.

So, the trailer started its life as a 1987 Mighty Max truck bed, and it had 209,xxx miles on it, the engine bent a rod and I'm too poor to afford a lower end rebuild kit. So I had it sit in my yard for 3 months, and people got tired of seeing it. Figuring even if I did fix it, it would still have the same issues it had before the engine quit, it didn't seem worth the time and money to repair it. I am a High School Senior with a shop class, and we are required to have a shop project, School started August and it is now almost December, So I found this as my chance to get a project.

What I did with it is I took the bed off, and jacked the center of the frame, right underneath the rear of the cab up, and put it on jack stands. I removed the fuel tank, lines and cut the rear wiring harness at the grommet in the cab, and just cut the rear hydraulic brake lines. I then attempted to cut it with a sawzall, but after about 15 seconds, I realized it wouldn't work. So I used the acetylene torch (I haven't been allowed to use acetylene at home since my water bottle acetylene bomb at school incident in February). But after 15 minutes of trying to remember how to mix the gas and oxy, I went and cut the frame at the back of the cab. Just cutting time took me maybe 10 minutes, but the whole thing took an hour to get it in half.

After it was cut in half, I then realized the E brake lines would not come out, and since I was on a roll, I just cut the lines with the torch. I then dragged the cab out of the way with my new 1984 4x4 Toyota. And I was able to easily move the bed frame out of the way by myself. I then had a friend come over and we moved the front end to the back yard, and placed the bed on the bed frame. I then removed the brake drums, so it rolled with less effort. I am able to push the trailer around our property very easily.

My plans are to sell parts off the front end, or just sell the whole thing to somebody who needs a parts max. On the trailer I plan not to look like a dumbass, and actually wire the stock lights up to a 4 pin flat connector (I've seen some where people just put trailer lights in, right in front of the stock taillights, seems like a waste to me. I also plan to pull the diff out, so it will be much easier to move.

On the build part I have a plan to use 4x2 13 ga rectangular tubing for the tongue, I don't want a tongue that is as long as the trailer, but I'm thinking 36" from the front of the trailer to the hitch is long enough.

If you read this far, you are either real interested or are just board,
QUESTIONS I HAVE
1. Will 4x2 13 ga rectangular tubing be good for a tongue, or is it too thin.
2. Should I pull the brakes out, or keep them for something.
3. What Kind of work would have to be done to flip the axle underneath the leafs, instead of on top?
4. What is the math to figure out what the angles will have to be for the tongue, I read on another site, a 50º spread on the tongue "rails" and a 12.5º angle where the tongue attaches to the frame is what is "Standard", But how long will that be before they meet, the frame is 43 1/4" wide from outside of the frame rails.

[abeemanator]

QUESTIONS I HAVE
1. Will 4x2 13 ga rectangular tubing be good for a tongue, or is it too thin.
2. Should I pull the brakes out, or keep them for something.
3. What Kind of work would have to be done to flip the axle underneath the leafs, instead of on top?
4. What is the math to figure out what the angles will have to be for the tongue, I read on another site, a 50º spread on the tongue "rails" and a 12.5º angle where the tongue attaches to the frame is what is "Standard", But how long will that be before they meet, the frame is 43 1/4" wide from outside of the frame rails.

[abeemanator]

Actually after looking 10 ga is about the same size as the frame rails

here are some pictures.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/393187_296119803742427_100000332301244_1056198_147 0672329_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/306383_296120887075652_100000332301244_1056228_214 7481095_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/317659_296120483742359_100000332301244_1056218_205 3787357_n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/387213_296120420409032_100000332301244_1056217_566 421218_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/313212_296120347075706_100000332301244_1056216_125 9574785_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/376401_296120277075713_100000332301244_1056215_738 045118_n.jpg
Notice the oil PSI gauge is covered, it was removed because it burnt up.


http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/391347_296120110409063_100000332301244_1056213_206 1707405_n.jpg

[camoit]

Simple answer. the longer the tung / frame rails the easer to back up the trailer. All you do is notch the upper lower flanges and section out part of the inside rail. Bend them to each other. There is no set rule on how many deg. to cut them. As for thickness it depends on how much weight you are planning on pulling. 3/16 is the minimum I would use. Or somthing equal to the thickness of the rails.

Never mind you posted the picts when I was posting this. Now that you cut the rails to short you need to buy square box tubing. I would have pulled the cab and cut the rails at the fire wall.

[abeemanator]

EDIT: You must be Donator to sell parts on the site. Make a Donation before trying to list parts. Then use the for sale area.

Please see this post..
http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin/showthread.php/624-People-banned-for-one-reason-or-another

[abeemanator]

Yeah, But I really didn't feel like taking the cab off, its much eaiser to move if it is attached to the frame.

[abeemanator]

Also, I see what you mean, the pictures make it seem as if it is cut too short, I have about 1 inch of frame off the end of the bed.

[abeemanator]

Oops, I didn't think about that. Hmm, I must think about something to put in the Sale to Donate section.

[pennyman1]

First thing - your axle is above the leaves not under them; to lower it, use blocks. Second, pull the pinion out of the center section and cap the hole; you need the carrier to keep the axles spinning true and also to keep oil for the axle bearings in the rearend. another solution to the tongue for the trailer is to weld a piece of rectangular tubing across the front of the frame, then bring a tube straight out from the center with gussets for strength. Or get a towbar from Harbor freight and attach the attachment points to the rectanguler tubing across the frame; this way the coupler and the arms are already certified for more than the trailer can carry. Add plates under the arms to prevent sagging.

[abeemanator]

Well, I will be pulling it with a 4x4 Toyota, which is taller than the trailer, and I thought flipping the axle around so it sat more level with the Toyota, but I just found a 2wd 1992 Mighty Max on Craigslist, that is only $575 and has 80,400 miles on it, he says the only issue is the computer quit working in it, I
might save up some money and buy it, the Toyota I am using isn't mine, but I am borrowing it for an indefinite period of time.

[pennyman1]

In that case, unbolt the axle, reverse the center bolt on the leaf springs, then rotate the housing 180 degrees, spin it around, and rebolt with the ubolts - remove the shocks, as they will be too long after the flip.

[abeemanator]

Ok, I didn't know if that would work that easy or not. But dang, no shocks, that will be a bouncy ride for whatever will be loaded in there.

[abeemanator]

Oh, so like a tow-bar you would see on the front of a Jeep or Ranger?

[abeemanator]

So today I took the bed off again and took the frame to my high school, about 1 1/2 miles from my house, It was very creative, but we got it there. What I did is I got the front of the frame under the Toyota bed, and put tie down straps on each side of the frame on the second bed support, and I put the other end of the strap on the other side of the tailgate, and put it on the tie down hook inside the bed. It rode nicely, but I had to take corners very wide so It didn't bend anything, lukily the school is pretty much on the same road I live on.

[abeemanator]

I havent updated this in a while since I have been on Thanksgiving break, but I did get the differential out, it took a long time as I did not know that you had to pull the axles out, once I Got the diff out, I took the pinion, two of the opposing spider gears and the ring gear, so the only things now in there is the two spiders that connect to the axles, I had to keep thoes so the axles did not bounce around alot. The whole reason to pulling it out is so the axles would spin almost effortlessly, instead of the whole diff spinning, which I belive would be a little eaiser on the truck and better on gas milage, and so the empty weight of the trailer was a little lighter, but It probably only weighs 15-20 lbs lighter. Now I need to start making the tounge

[abeemanator]

Well, I haven't updated this in a few weeks, but I already flipped the axle, and welded a cap on the differential. Believe it or not, the frame sits a foot and a half off off the ground, at the lowest point. It will need shocks, because it bounces like crazy, but I cannot attach a shock absorber to the stock mounting points because it will not work as the shock will just rotate, so I need to put a new mounting point on the frame. I will be using the stock taillights, which I absolutely hate when people attach trailer lights ON TOP OF the stock lights!!! They could have saved $25 or $30 by just wiring the stock lights. Well, is still need either some 10 ga or 3/16 2x4 rectangular tubing to make a tongue.

[camoit]

Just move the mounting so the shock sits at a steep angle. It should work just fine.