DIY enclosed 1 place sled trailer.

[jackbombay]

I just finished this project, came out pretty good, a bit heavier than I expected, but I can't see that posing any issues.

I started with a cheap "harbor freight" trailer I got off KSL then welded 1" square tubular steel up for a frame, then sheeted in in 1/2" ply. I also used 1" foam insulation on all sides, the floor is a layer of 1/2" ply, then 1" of foam, and another layer of 1/2'" ply, all the floor ply was primed and painted on every side/edge.

I used silicone caulk to seal the walls to the floor and drilled drain holes in the corners of the trailer to let water out. I also set up a $20 electric heater in there fastened to the floor with the cord run through the floor so it's easy to plug in and thaw the sled when I get home. I can also plug it in of course on cold mornings when it's below zero.

Empty it ended up at 980 pounds, with my 850 165" in it it ends up at 1540, axle weight is 1460 with it hitched to a vehicle. So the tongue weight is a bit light at 80 pounds:-/

I can move the axle back another 3" without too much trouble, or I could modify the front of the trailer to make pockets in the front wall for the skis to go into... I am still waiting on a spare tire for the trailer, that will certainly go on the inside of the front wall to get weight forward, I can make a shelf there too to hold oil jugs, and put a gas can on the floor, but the oil jugs won't always be full and the gas cans won't either so really I just need to move the axle back or move the sled forward...

At this point I'm into it a bit over $600, I had some of the ply leftover from previous projects and had most of the paint left from other projects as well, the foam insulation was $49 from a guy off Craigslist... And it did take more hours to build than I expected, I'm in about 40 hours now that it's done, but it hasn't been snowing and I don't really work in the winter so I had the time... My garage is small and I like to keep cars in there and I like to keep road salt off my most favorite motorized toy so all in all I'm pretty happy to have this one place enclosed insulated trailer

At any rate, here are some pics.

Pic of the frame and back door done, with the sled inside,



Back door down with the sled inside,



Pic of the frame done and insulation cut and installed.



Pic of plywood on and painted, oil based primer and top coat,




Side door so I can fuel the sled and start it easily, also works well to climb in and ride it out once it is running,



I can also fit 3 dirt bikes inside it, I think, just one in the pic obviously.

 

[Butta]

That's awesome, nice work! One thing I would do if I were you, widen the axle. I had a friend who managed to flip his one place open trailer with his new sled on it when he was coming around a corner (probably a bit quicker than he should have). With the height, and narrow wheel stance, I would think a stiff wind would give you some big problems.

 

[jackbombay]

That's awesome, nice work! One thing I would do if I were you, widen the axle. I had a friend who managed to flip his one place open trailer with his new sled on it when he was coming around a corner (probably a bit quicker than he should have). With the height, and narrow wheel stance, I would think a stiff wind would give you some big problems.

I generally drive pretty cautiously, especially when towing on snowy roads, I think with the weight of the sled down low I don't have too much to worry about are far as flipping the trailer goes.


I did get in 25 miles of riding today, pretty deep, sled was a big ice block when I was done, I've had the heater running for a couple hours and the sled is mostly ice free and water is running out the drain holes in a steady unbroken stream

I pay $.08 per KWH for power and I have a 1500 watt heater in there so it costs me about $.12 per hour to run the heater...