Scrapheap challenge: ATV trailer

Getting started on an ATV trailer, which hopefully will also be roadworthy for towing behind a light auto.

Planning on a 4'X6' bed with side-posts, open on both ends so 4'X8' materials can be hauled with some overhang.

Axle is salvaged from a 200x Voyager, which was chosen because it looked like it would be easy to narrow down, and it has nice mounting pads where the leaf springs used to attach.

Plus I happened to have a pair of serviceable low profile 23" OD 15" tires that are short enough to keep the surface of the bed just a little over 24".

ATV is 48" wide, axle is 52" to the outer face of the wheels.

So my questions are, how long should the tongue be, and does tongue length affect how far back the axle should be?

Thank you all for the insights.

Ended up placing the axle four inches behind the center-point of a 72 inch bed. My standard log length is 66 inches so I should be able to adjust where the load is centered to get a good tongue weight.

Width will be 49 inches inside the side-posts, so it should work OK for hauling 4x8 materials with some overhang on each end.

Got everything tacked together and now am experimenting with a long tongue, trying to figure out how much shorter will work well.

lukem said:

The one thing I love about my trailer is the sides are removable. If you are moving something super heavy its nice to not have to lift it the extra height over the sides. Something to keep in mind before you get too far into the build.

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Thanks, glad you brought this up.

Since the deck kind of comes to a point on the sides, I had given up on trying to figure out a way to make the sideposts removable and was going to just weld them solid.

But now that you mention it I can go with some kind of hinged plate arrangement for the base of each post, with removable hinge pins to remove the sides completely.

Added hinged posts as suggested, more triangulation, and under-slung compartments for saws and gear. Left tongue long enough to clear corner of towing vehicle in tight cornering situation.

Deck, doors, and lights.

First load, handles 1/3 cord over rough terrain OK.

Flatbedford said:

I like the under deck storage! Great job.

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Thanks, it's a cross between LLigetfa's neighbor's trailer and firefighterjake's Saab rig, with a box tucked up under the back.

Gonna have to get to work and smooth out some trails, it takes a lot of abuse to get through the rough stretches without getting stuck.

bogydave said:

Nice new saw, I see the green fuel cap, which model is it?

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New bar at least, just switched to 18", a little handier for what I do. It's a four year old 359 with twenty cords or so of use.

backpack09 said:

OK i will be the one to pee in your cheerios. That rear under deck storage box is going to get mangled, I use every inch of ground clearance on my trailers just driving around my yard, forget about when they are loaded.

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Pfft.

I suppose it's conceivable there exists some scenario where that little ATV could be wound up headlong into some granite outcropping fast enough to rip the trailer axle out of the way, so as to get enough bite on the toolbox to do it in as well.

But I can assure you that the special brand of fool that would attempt such a stunt won't find himself operating any of my rigs any time soon no matter how much George, Jim, Jack, or J.W. is involved.