I bought one of the Harbor Freight trailers tonight for my tires. The trailer with the 12" tires is on sale for $159 right now so I picked one up. Overall, it's not bad. It went together well enough (other than the cotter keys that don't fit through the axles to hold the castle nuts on), but I soon started to find parts missing (one cotter key, a safety catch for the tongue, the cotter key for that, nuts to hold the tail lights on, etc) and a broken tail light housing. I hope to stop by harbor freight tomorrow and get replacement parts for the ones I have that are broken/missing.

After that, I need to fab a tire rack and a way to secure the tires and a tool box on the trailer. Then, off to the BMV to try and title and tag this thing. I've heard that can be a challenge, I'll let everyone know how it goes.

I guess I can't complain for $160, but I'd like to have all the parts.

I ordered mine on the net and SAIA Freight dropped it off at the house with all the parts! Must be a miracle. I've had the HF trailer for a couple of years now. I use it behind my Jeep or beater to haul whatever is needed. Title and license plates were no problem - I lost the receipt so I took an HF catalog and showed the picture to the gal at the county courthouse. She filled out the paperwork and that was that! At least that's how it goes in Texas.

My Harbor Freight trailer came with all its parts IIRC.

One little bit of advice (or two)..

I used loctite on all the bolts. I didn't have faith that all those nuts would stay put.

I'd recommend putting some added insulation around the lighting wires if you passed any through frame holes. I was chasing a problem last summer with blown tail light fuses (dunno if anyone remembers my thread on trailer wiring). Come to find there were small cuts in the insulation allowing the wires to short intermittently. Small cuts. I could finally see them upon close inspection with my new, ahem, reading glasses (as the Dr put it - "My friend, you finally have enough birthdays on the calendar to need reading glasses)! I put rubber grommets in the holes this time.

I suggest welding all the corners.

A local AXer had one come apart on him while travelling. It was ugly ...

I'm an ex avionics technician. I hear you on the grommets. They will be installed with the wiring.

Mitch, I thought I heard about that happening somewhere. I was thinking that it was a good idea to lay a bead on all of it, maybe I'll run it to my friends house and borrow his welder (or, good excuse to go buy one).

Good point on the receipt Bobbylee, I almost forgot that I needed to keep it for the title work (I'm getting rusty in my old age ).

I got a "modified" HF trailer used and when I went to get tags for it, the lady asked me what brand it was and I started to explain, "Well, I got it from this guy, I dunno where he bought it, but I think it's...etc." and she stopped me and said "OK, it's 'homemade' ". It was like $35 or something. Saves the messiness with paperwork of receipts and model numbers, etc. Especially if it's just a small tire trailer, not for a car/boat/cattle/etc.

It is a great trailer too, isn't it?
Morgan Manufacturing Vin# 00001

Maybe I should have ordered one of those.

Does anyone know where I can find a sheet of aluminum Diamond Plate for it (for a semi-reasonable price?)?

I'm thinking of covering part of it in diamond plate and bolting a tool box on it and "sinking" the tires through the other end of the trailer and building "rails" to set the tires on. Then, I may keep enough diamond plate to cover the recessed tire mount (the second half of the trailer) in case I need to haul something else on the trailer (since I have no truck, this will have to do for picking up big stuff).

Well, whatever you do, take pics, because I want to steal your idea

I've been drawing up random things in the 3d program we have here at work, trying to find the best way to fit 4 315's and a decent size toolbox, but I haven't found the perfect solution yet. I work at a structural steel fabricator, so I've got a few extra resources to help bulid it when I figure it out

Will do, but I'm only running 275 tires.

Might try www.mcmaster.com for diamond plate. Although there are probably cheaper options.

https://www.metalsdepot.com/products/alum2....e=tread&LimAcc=

I found these guys. I've never heard of them, but a sheet of 2x4' 1/8" diamond plate aluminum is like $72. That may be just what I need. I'll bolt it to the frame with counter sunk screws and nylock nuts. Then, I'll install "brackets" on the remaining 1.5' of trailer "deck" that is uncovered to allow the tires to drop slightly through the surface for a lower cg and a low profile. It's just simple enough it might work. And for under $125 in stuff.

BTW, what size HFT trailer did you get?

Oh, I forgot something...The coupler on those things isn't worth a damn. Carry a 3/4 socket with you and double nut the adjustment on the coupler. I couldn't get mine to adjust properly. It would slip over the ball okay, but when you closed it it would not be tight enough to stay hooked up. I know because I hauled it 20 miles and when I stepped on the tail to load it, the thing came uncoupled! I tighten mine down after hooking up.

Kevin, read your post on C-C.com about the maiden voyage. Got any pics of the finished product? Inquiring minds want to steal...err....learn from your ideas

The maiden voyage was without tires (hauling a 9 bolt and an engine hoist). I'm going to mount the metal rails for the tires tomorrow after work and I'll try to take pics then. It's an elegantly simple design, you'll be "impressed".

I spent all of tonight rewiring it. I had a light that didn't work, but all the connections measured perfectly with an ohm meter. I realized that I had a bad ground (after the entirely new set of lights and wiring didn't work on that side either). I had measured for a ground, but I clipped the meter to the metal bracket the light was mounted to and the paint on the trailer frame had isolated it from grounding to the trailer. It was a simple/stupid mistake. Oh well, now the wiring is done the way I wanted it (loomed up under the trailer, out of sight).

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow when I get it completed.

I did pull it down the street and down a back road tonight with the Camaro to make sure "all was well". I didn't even know it was back there (since I can't see it at all, that's not surprising).

I have a friend who may buy this one, and I may still get the one from tractor supply to use instead. I think I can use the extra room. But, I'll use this for now and I'll post up my "design".

Sounds good

I'm still wrangling ideas to fit 4 315's and a toolbox on my 40x48 HF Trailer. Haven't found the perfect solution yet...

I'm going to use 2 sections of 48" angle iron (2" x 2") and run them across the trailer. I can put 4 275's across those and have some room to spare. The tires are wider than the trailer, but only a little bit. And, the 48" iron is not as wide as the fenders. It's an elegantly simple design. I'll post pics tomorrow (or I hope to).

The angle iron was $9.00 each from tractor supply (in case you were wondering).

Kevin, you forgot to mention that it tows very straight, even with no load, up to about 75. At least, that is what it felt like behind the Tahoe. There was no way you could see it!

And "Doh!" on the ground. I should have realised that too!

I "knew" it had to be a ground. But my meter said it had a ground. However, I was testing from the light to the bracket it was on and that was a good connection. I needed to test from the light to the white ground wire in the front. Then I'd have seen the problem. Oh well, it's all rewired with new split loom and new lights (wires, etc) and is a much nicer job than it was before. Everything is now soldered and heat shrunk (damn avionics techs..... ).

It really seems to tow well, even empty. I'd have never believed a trailer that is that light would actually tow well empty, but it does.

Tire rack photos.

Loaded with tires.

Side view.

And, the method of attachment (carriage bolts).

Kevin, I'm not sure you have the tires adequately secured. Those nylon straps will stretch some as you bounce down the road dry, and they'll stretch a lot if they get wet. I'd try to add some kind of support at the ends to keep the wheels from flopping over if the strap goes a little slack.

I'm going to use a second strap on the top side to hold the tires together. I'll "gather" them with one, tie them down with another and I'll run a strap from the rear to the front to hold the cooler and help support the tires. I'll not tow with only one strap on it, it was just late and that's what I got for pictures. I think it will work better to tie them in a bundle an then tie them down.