Pic One. I built the frame out of 1x4s, since that’s what fit into the trailer. The first picture shows how the walls are held in place. I used metal straps that wrap around the bottom of the 1x4 stud. A 5/16” bolt goes through the strap, the 1x4, and the trailer side. I also used 5/16” fender washers and lock washers. The strap is screwed on with #8 3/4” pan head screws. Nothing is nailed, everything is screwed into place. Buy your screws in boxes of 50 and 100.
Click on any image to see an enlarged version.
Pic One
Pic Two. Here is the completed frame. I used mostly 49¢ metal plates and the pan head screws to hold everything together. I built one wall flat on the ground and the opposite one while it was attached to the trailer. I think it might have been just as easy to build it mounted and in place. No dimensions are listed here, that is left up to the discretion of the builder. That said, I built the box 44” tall for three reasons. (1) The exterior paneling I chose had a one inch lip on each side so it was - for my purposes - only 46” wide. (2) 44” would give me the clearance I needed for my large frames, and lastly, (3) the complete height of the trailer is almost exactly the height of my truck with the topper, which will hopefully reduce wind drag.
The front is angled. This too should help reduce wind drag, but the actual purpose was to give me four more inches inside the trailer, again, for the big 40”x50” frames. I bought a couple of angle metal brackets, but instead of buying more (they cost almost three times the small flat ones), I clamped the 49¢ ones to my work table and bent them with a pair of pliers. 2” wood screws were used to connect the 1x4s at the corners. (See next page for a better photo of these brackets) The finished frame is pretty sturdy, when you shake the frame, you shake the trailer. It is even sturdier with the paneling installed.
Pic Two
Pic Three. Here it is with the paneling installed. I used 3/4” flat head wood screws (more than 200 screws were used in this project). I chose 3/8” LP SmartSide paneling. The stuff is lighter than 3/8” plywood, has a 50-year warranty (I’m sure it doesn’t cover being used for a trailer, but I figure its pretty weather proof. Plus I will always store the trailer under the carport to help keep it from the weather). It cost about $22 a sheet at Lowes, and I used two sheets. My big mistake can be better seen in picture seven on the next page. When I cut the front pieces, I had the panel side down and cut the pieces the wrong way. I wanted the grooves in the panel to all be horizontal. On the front they are vertical. Oh well, what do you want for a home-made trailer?
Also note that the seams have all been caulked - with a paintable latex/silicon caulk.
Continue to Page 3
Pic Three