Structural Design of an Enclosed trailer
These things are often engineered like a Lotus - the bare minimum of materials to function. In the Wells Cargo, the two main frame rails run right were the car tires will go. This way they can use 1/2 inch plywood flooring and the weight is born by the frame rails and not the flooring. Roll a big block on a cart down the center and you'll see.
The upper framework is structure, but a weak one. What actually gives the strength in many of these is the plywood interior. Strange but true. The upper framework is a lot like the framework of a house. What gives the strength is the cross bracing provided by attaching the plywood on the uprights and the crossmembers.
As such, if your plywood walls are screwed in, be sure to check them for tightness occasionally.
Many use rollers for dragging the tail, but some simply have skid plates. The rollers often reduce your clearance more. The problem lies in that when you drag the tail, you stress the box the wrong way and it can be not pretty a few thousand miles later.
By the same token, do not jack the trailer up by the back corners. If you jack it up to change a tire, jack as close as possible to the axles.
The big box invites more things to carry, just like you said. many start with the idea of just hauling the car, but realism sets in fast.
- spare tire
- floor jack to lift trailer to change tire
- tool box to do things to the tow vehicle and the car if problems happen on the trip
- cooler, because why use up the space in the tow vehicle with that huge box in back?
- luggage, because ditto
- awning or canopy, to avoid the sun
- lawn chairs
- carpet, to keep the area nice at the place
- brooms, to keep the trailer clean at the place
- bbq, because you have a lot of time on your hands
- cleaners and waxes
- water jugs, maybe water
- hoses
- scooters and pit bikes, because we are too old to walk all over
- golf carts, because many places won't allow the scooters and pit bikes but will golf carts
And this isn't even racing, just showing.
These things are often engineered like a Lotus - the bare minimum of materials to function. In the Wells Cargo, the two main frame rails run right were the car tires will go. This way they can use 1/2 inch plywood flooring and the weight is born by the frame rails and not the flooring. Roll a big block on a cart down the center and you'll see.
The upper framework is structure, but a weak one. What actually gives the strength in many of these is the plywood interior. Strange but true. The upper framework is a lot like the framework of a house. What gives the strength is the cross bracing provided by attaching the plywood on the uprights and the crossmembers.
As such, if your plywood walls are screwed in, be sure to check them for tightness occasionally.
Many use rollers for dragging the tail, but some simply have skid plates. The rollers often reduce your clearance more. The problem lies in that when you drag the tail, you stress the box the wrong way and it can be not pretty a few thousand miles later.
By the same token, do not jack the trailer up by the back corners. If you jack it up to change a tire, jack as close as possible to the axles.
The big box invites more things to carry, just like you said. many start with the idea of just hauling the car, but realism sets in fast.
- spare tire
- floor jack to lift trailer to change tire
- tool box to do things to the tow vehicle and the car if problems happen on the trip
- cooler, because why use up the space in the tow vehicle with that huge box in back?
- luggage, because ditto
- awning or canopy, to avoid the sun
- lawn chairs
- carpet, to keep the area nice at the place
- brooms, to keep the trailer clean at the place
- bbq, because you have a lot of time on your hands
- cleaners and waxes
- water jugs, maybe water
- hoses
- scooters and pit bikes, because we are too old to walk all over
- golf carts, because many places won't allow the scooters and pit bikes but will golf carts
And this isn't even racing, just showing.
Comment