Trailer officially complete 09-25-08

[cactusjack]

Folks, I am proud to announce my trailer is completed! Well, almost - I still have to wire the cargo box itself. Here's the 99% finished project:



I think the bumper looks a lot better with the cargo box mounted:



Here's the inside of the cargo box:



A side view when open:

[gghost]

Looking real good, especially with that snappy and fast Black bike! It is obvious that you put a lot of work into it.

[mrfuni]

Very nice CJ..Thanks for sharing..Joe

[abbo]

WELL DONE- makes me think I want to do one this winter! :)

[audiogooroo]

Looks great Scott! Nice job!
Let us know how it pulls. You gonna tow it to Custer next summer?

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by audiogooroo

Looks great Scott! Nice job!
Let us know how it pulls. You gonna tow it to Custer next summer?

Thanks Daryl. I haven't towed it with the bike yet, It wasn't even fully wired for lights until this morning. Yes, I do plan to tow it to the big rally in Custer next June.

[chainsaw]

Nice job, very professional looking. You need a nice piece of carpet for the floor of the trailer.

[VulcanE]

Does look good CJ. I thought it was HUGE until I saw the tag on the back, now the tag looks HUGE
Does look very professional. ;)

[dantama]

How much beer does it hold?

[cactusjack]

Theoretically, it will hold 18 cu. ft. of beer. I went out and hooked it up tonight to see how the lights look at night. Those taillight LEDs are really bright. Like I said, I still have to wire the cargo box for my high-mount tail/stop light. I need to get another trailer wiring harness for that. I will probably go find some lightweight indoor/outdoor carpet to put in the bottom, just to minimize things sliding around in there.

[beezer]

That really looks good CJ. Those bolts you used to fasten the box to the bed look like good anchor spots for bungies or a cargo net.

[misunderstood]

Quick releases, good idea. Looks great and obvious you thought this one thru, start to finish. Best homemade job I've ever seen completed. Love the look of the bumper and lights on the back.

[ells]

Very nice, good job! Hefty looking wheels/tires, actually look properly proportioned to the trailer.

You probably mentioned this before, but what does it weigh?

I suppose one in blue an silver would cost a little more :(

[phenrichs]

Originally Posted by gghost

Looking real good, especially with that snappy and fast Black bike! It is obvious that you put a lot of work into it.

I don't know about the work part. Knowing CJ it was probably more thought and planning in advance than actual work.

That thing looks great!

[cactusjack]

You people are too kind! I was kind of worried the plywood bumper would look dumb, but with everything assembled I think it turned out pretty good.

Some random thoughts...

I've been working on this since July. One of the reasons this took so long was that I really only worked on it on weekends and some days I could only work for a few hours before the heat in my garage would start getting to me. The past week, it's kind of started to cool off here and it allowed me to really kick it into gear. I was in no hurry.

Originally I was going to build it during the winter but once I started acquiring parts, I couldn't wait to get started. I'm very meticulous and (my wife would tell you), something of a perfectionist and it takes me forever to do some things. I spent probably 6 hours just wiring the trailer. All wires are secure and neat and tidy and everything worked on the first try when I powered it up.

I'll go on my lunch to pick up what I need to finish the wiring on the cargo box. I am thinking of adding a small switched light inside the cargo box to illuminate it at night. I'm anxious to get this 100% completed now.

Weight: Don't know for sure. The trailer itself weighed 130 lbs as sold. I cut maybe a couple pounds of that off when I narrowed it, but I added a 1-1/4" steel angle crossmember, so it's probably a wash. The box is maybe 40 pounds. I'd guess maybe 180 pounds total. Given a 400 pound weight limit of trailer and contents, that leaves me about 220 pounds of cargo capacity, which should be more than plenty.

Beezer - I hadn't thought of using those quick-release knobs as places to anchor bungees. Excellent idea! The box came with those, as it's designed to mount of a vehicle roof-rack. I used them because it was expedient and was thinking of replacing them with some 5mm nylon lock nuts, but maybe I'll keep them now.

Cost: In case anyone is considering building one, my total investment in this was ~$500. I waited until the trailer and the cargo box were on sale before buying them. Buying stainless steel fasteners was expensive. Good LED lights are not cheap, either.

Unfortunately, one goof was that I used #10 screws to secure the taillights to the bumper. The size of the heads were such that the chrome trim rings for the lights will not snap on now. I tried looking for some #10 screws with smaller heads, but no luck.