Can I make a trailer out of this?

I am in need of a trailer on the cheap. I have some 3 inch pipe from the local plumbing supply. WOuld this work ok?

Reply to
stryped
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Load? Speed?

Something that would be OK for farm use, or behind an ATV will fail catastrophically at highway speeds.

Reply to
Louis Ohland

To pull behind my truck. It is very heavy pipe or seems that way.

Reply to
stryped

"stryped" wrote: To pull behind my truck. It is very heavy pipe or seems that way. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ There is a saying, "Give me enough sand and I'll build you a golden castle." I could build a trailer out of conduit, by using enough of it, and designing it not to be weak. That doesn't mean I would. Building a structure out of round pipe is more difficult because the joints have to be "fish-mouthed." Welding galvanized pipe has its own problems. How do you plan to cope with these? Are you a welder? I don't think a person qualified to weld up a trailer frame would have asked this question.

So my answer to you is: "No."

If you are a troll, please ignore this entire response :-)

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

"Leo Lichtman" fired this volley in news:sSPKj.81096$D snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

He didn't say it was galvanized, Leo. It could be black pipe. It could even be well casing. Well casing is pretty stout stuff.

He'd still have to deal with the assembly fitting issue, though.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" wrote: He didn't say it was galvanized, Leo. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Neither did I, Lloyd. I just made a general statement about weldingt oif galvanized pipe. :-)

But seriously--he did say it was from a local plumbing shop. Odds are that it IS galvanized. What would you say the odds are that he is qualified to build a trailer out of pipe, but doesn't know whether it can be done?

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

I am a hobby welder. I have both mig and stick capabilities. This pipe is not galvanized. I am thinking it is black iron pipe but not exactly sure. I purchases this several years ago and it has been in my shed ever since.

Reply to
stryped

Is there a place to get cheap angle then if this pipe would not suffice? (I live in Kentucky by the way).

Reply to
stryped

This is a "blue book" listing of several companies that *may* be able to supply it. One is a refiner. I know none of them. Check them out.

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Here it is in "shorthand" -- (TinyURL.com is your friend).

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BTW, You didn't say what part of Kentucky - in case there's someone close by who can point you in the right direction.

Al

Reply to
Al Patrick

3" pipe is stronger than the frame of my little snowmobile trailer but weaker than my neighbor's construction trailer. If you know how to do the engineering calculations you should be able to make one in between those sizes.
Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Make that MAY fail. I've seen lots of trailers on the road made from 2" Sched 40. Done properly, it can be a very good trailer.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario do

Acid dip the ends to remove galvanize. Mitered joints work just as well on round tubing as on square. Gusset the corners (or better yet, all joints) And fishmouthing is not difficult if you use templates.(get a copy of WINMITER) Done properly the round tube trailer is stronger for the weight than a square tube or channel trailer.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario do

Sched 40, or 80? (what is the wall thickness)

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario do

It will be stronger than angle. If you are a decent welder and have the material (and the time and patience to do it correctly) go for it. Even Sched 40 3" pipe is pretty stout stuff. Make the sides into a "truss" and it will handle anything your pickup will pull (done right)

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario do

Good can be cheap if you already own the material and the tools, and your time isn't worth too much. He's in Kentucky, not silicon valley, so his time is likely pretty reasonable.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario do

I believe that the OP wanted to only use it to move his boat from his yard to the launch on his property. In this case, his risk is only that of a minor embarrassment.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus15795

If you are building a motorcycle trailer, for one off road bike, 3" should be fine.

If you plan to haul cars or several yards of gravel, it's going to fail.

Angle in 3" is weaker than pipe, depending on the thickness of each. .

Reply to
Mechanical Magic

Go for it. What's the worst that could happen?

I'm a welder. I have welded since 1974. I would not make a trailer out of that material. But that's me. Unless it was to drag stuff around on private property at low speed.

You can probably find what you need used, and with modifications, have a safe trailer.

But not cheap. Cheap ain't good and good ain't cheap.

Just my two cents. Where do you live and what color truck do you drive so I can be on the lookout for you? Is your liability insurance high enough to protect you just in case?

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

"Ignoramus15795" wrote: I believe that the OP wanted to only use it to move his boat from his

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Just curious, Iggy--are you corresponding with OP privately? I can't find any such statement in his posts.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

On topics like this, I was initally surprised at the sheer number of posts that criticize the poster of the initial question or make comments relating to liabilty of the action.

The poster asked if it would work OK.... (not whether you wanted to be near it on the highway).

Personally, having grown up in an environment where the everyone took personal responsibilty for their actions, and where frugality was a virtue, I don't find the question objectionable enough to respond in the negative manner that many have chosen.

Would 3" pipe from a local plumbing supply work to make a trailer? In a word, Yes, but depending on the type of pipe and the cutting and welding skills of the person assembling said trailer. There are quite a number of factors that determine the serviceability of a trailer, not the first of which is the intended load. What it is made of is often the last of the problems encountered. Take for example the typical $150 or $250 trailer offered at the local borg. These are typically nothing more than a simple frame with some small "whellbarrow size" wheels and a load rating of perhaps 500 lbs. Given the purchaser has to provide their own decking and possibly some side rails, they've already used a hundred lbs. or more of the wight capacity before they even begin. For

400 lbs, I'd find a way to get the object into my trunk (if a car) or just load it in the back of the pickup... However, for someone that wants to haul their riding lawnmower from job to job in town, they may be a reasonable purchase and use. Not that I'd be caught dead towing one down the freeway, because the small wheels tend to burn up bearings at decent speeds, but for the right environment, they would be a viable choice... I've seen many "homemade" trailers built by neophytes that so far eclipsed the crap being sold today in places like the borg, it makes me sick that the borg can actually get away with selling such crap, while the individual gets nothing but grief for asking a simple question (even thought the answer may be more complicated than first thought).

Having seen an extreme range of trailers, including many that I wouldn't even think of hitching to any vehicle I owned (many of which are still being sold today at the local borg, among others), I applaud anyone that would think about making their own. Through building my own, and at a relatively early age, I learned an incredible amount about mechanical engineering that made college a much easier experience, because I already possessed a considerable amount of "real knowledge" with which to temper the "book learning" approach of some of the professors, (most of which had never seen what happened in the real world, nor could envison being able to determine if something would work without spending endless hours with calculations).

Now, given the current litigous society, one needs to be considerably more careful today than, say 40 or 50 years ago, but wouldn't it be nicer (and more civil) to ask the questions necessary to determine what the poster would be wanting to use the trailer for, wo they could truly be helped to make the right decision?

For example:

o-- Is this trailer intended to be used on public roads?

o-- What state are you living in? (to license a new trailer in most states, you have to take the trailer down, have it weighed, and then inspected by the local DMV before they will consider making a title for it so you can license it for on-road use)

o-- What are you intending to haul? (weight capacity and/or type of load)

o-- Type of hitch?

0-- What sort of axle? (single or dual, sprung or fixed mount, commericial axle (set), recycled rear axle from a front drive automobile, or weld your own from spindle stock of some sort and a connecting structural member) (again here, there are state restrictions and/or inspections if this is for on-road use)

0-- Are you skilled in welding this sort of material?

See the difference?... the respondents could have asked intelligent, helpful questions to get more information instead of providing a slam response trying to discourage the poster, which would have been a greater service to all, as there are far more people reading posts and acting on what they read than those with the guts to actually post a question.

So how about asking some reasonable questions, providing answers based on actual structural integrity of the resultant trailer and it's intended use, and stop slamming anyone that tries to make do with what they have? Thought so, as I've seen it time and time again. More people out there with negative response than those actually trying to be helpful.

And for those who think this post is negative because I criticise unthinking individuals that are quick to answer with in a manner as to discourage experimentation or inquisitiveness, or those that feel this post whacks their ego, I really feel for you. I just don't think it is the "right" thing to do in answering the original question that was asked. Yes, this is a problem in many of the newsgroups, but the internet is no longer the helpful place it once was, as it has been flooded by naysayers and spammers. Unfortunately, one of the largest sources of information has become a forum for those that seem to want to squash the efforts of others. [too bad, there was so much promise...]

[stepping off the old soapbox]

For the original poster, please check the fourth paragraph of this reply. Yes, you can do it, but to help you intelligently, we will need more details to be able to provide a meaningful response. Don't give up, the internet can help, if you can just sort the wheat from the chaff.

Good Luck

--Rick

Reply to
Rick Frazier

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