[BushBoneYard]

The Mrs. and I have been trailer shopping for quite a while, but we finally scored one this weekend. Either the trailer or the "extra money" was not there all summer. TSC had their 5x8 Carry Ons on sale and some financing specials running so we went to check them out. We got lucky because the trailers they had in stock were actually delivered that morning, so little kids did not have the chance yet to yank wires. The trailers seem to get beat up pretty quick sitting in the lot, but the four they had were factory fresh. Long Story short, an hour later it was in my driveway.

The first thing I wanted to do was put down a wood floor. The 5x8 with the composite deck was also on sale, but was $350.00 more than the mesh floor. Everything but the floor on the trailers was identical. 1 - 2x4x10 pt, 11 - 5/4x6x8 pt deck boards, 8' of aluminum corner and the hardware ran me just under a $100.00, still $250 cheaper than the floored model. Still to come will be a wheeled jack, a 2x12 "bumper" bolted across the front with 2 eye bolts for extra tie downs and eventually the Harbor Freight 12 volt winch that will attach and detach quickly by way of 4 bolts through the 2x12 and 4 large "industrial" wing nuts. I hope to pull power for the winch from the hitch. I'll post more pics as I get the work done.

 

[hankll]

Nice job on the floor!

 

[BushBoneYard]

Nice job on the floor!

Thanks. Came out pretty well. By the time the 2x12 and jack are on about 150 pounds total comes off the weight I can put on, but it's still plenty at 1,500 pounds.

 

[rodder]

Good Job Looks Good :thThumbsU

 

[BushBoneYard]

Good Job Looks Good :thThumbsU

Thanks. It's gonna be my Murray Rescue Trailer..........

 

[ar2stp48]

Looking good. You did a great job on floor install.

 

[BushBoneYard]

Looking good. You did a great job on floor install.

Thanks. Being somewhat of a carpenter comes in handy for sure.

 

[HydroHarold]

Did I miss the part about how the wood is attached to the trailer? Nice trailer and nice floor... I've been checking these out every once in a while @ various places but haven't taken the plunge yet.

 

[forkz]

looks great put some kinda sealer on it

 

[BushBoneYard]

Did I miss the part about how the wood is attached to the trailer?

When Elmer's says "Glue-all" they mean "Glue-all". Sorry, early morning attempt at humor. My post was gonna be more detailed but I got lazy.....

The first thing that I did was bolt a p.t. 2x4 "on the flat" across the width of the trailer in the front and rear underneath the deck. The 5/4 decking is attached by 2 1/2 decking screws from the top, through the holes in the mesh and into the 2x4's. It worked out really well and it's not going anywhere. If for any reason the floor needs to come off, it could be done in about 10 minutes. You can see one of the 2x4's in the picture below.

I'm really happy with the trailer so far. I looked for a while and the right price on the right trailer finally showed up.

 

[BLIND REF]

Very nice looking trailer!:thThumbsU

 

[HydroHarold]

Thanks for the added info BBB, tonight I can sleep!

 

[BushBoneYard]

I got one more little improvement done. I wrapped the wires in a plastic loom instead of having them flap around in the breeze.

 

[BushBoneYard]

I got a little more done today. Got a swing away wheeled jack put on from Lowes. I was gonna order the $20 special from Harbor Freight, but by the time you throw in s/h and tax you're right at $35, the cost of this nice heavy duty Reese. Plus the reviews of the HF one were luke warm at best.

 

[VlvtnRbt]

Congratulations! I saw the unit in the sale flyer today, I'm rebuilding a found trailer frame to something similar. What I am discovering is that I will probably end up spending almost as much as you spent for something not quite as good as what you bought. You can tell your wife that, but please don't let her tell mine!

 

[BushBoneYard]

Congratulations! I saw the unit in the sale flyer today, I'm rebuilding a found trailer frame to something similar. What I am discovering is that I will probably end up spending almost as much as you spent for something not quite as good as what you bought. You can tell your wife that, but please don't let her tell mine!

Thanks. I laughed out loud with the wife comment. Your secrets safe with me lol.

 

[jpdocdave]

nice murray hauler. i'm big on trailer spares, first thing i did for mine.

 

[Burizado]

Hi BushBoneYard,

Thanks for the great pics of your "mods" to the trailer.

I am buying the same trailer today from TSC, and plan on putting the deck boards down like you did. One question I have is how did you bolt the 2x4s to the underside of the mesh deck?

I was thinking lag bolts with washers on top of the mesh, going down through holes in the 2x4, with a washer and nut on the bottom side, but I was unsure. This was the only way I could think to keep the mesh deck fairly flat for the deck boards to lay on top of.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kyle

 

[BushBoneYard]

That's pretty close to what I did. There are two bolts on each end of the trailer holding the 2x4. I drilled right through the steel in the front and the back. I used carriage bolts with washers on top and the bottom and just used nuts underneath and snugged them up tight. The bolt heads end up being about the same height as the mesh, so they do not interfere with the decking. I used deck screws, two in each end of decking, and so far it's holding up great. The price of the floored trailer has come down this year, but it's till cheaper going this way.

 

[Burizado]

Thanks for the quick reply!

OK, yeah, that is what I was thinking (carriage, not lag bolts duh, lol).

Right now they are having a Memorial Day sale, so the 5'x8' mesh floor is $100 off. Not too bad for a nice little utility trailer.

Thanks for the info!