A Simple Toy Hauler on the CHEAP!
I should have just renamed this blog CHEAP SHRED JESSE as I constantly am trying to do things on the cheap. To demonstrate my point, the same day I ran out to get this trailer, I went and bought a cheap hunting rifle because the price was so absurdly low. This trailer was also cheap, $500 infact. It's a screaming deal for the price thoguh. It's on legit car tire and wheels (no cheapo harbor freight tire/wheel combos here), it's steel framed inside and NICE, and it's a good size. I could probably flip this thing for $1400 tomorrow if I wanted... but I don't want to do that.
What i wanted is a cheap trailer that I can pull around with my light to mid sized truck without suckign down 800 gallons of gas going anywhere. I want it to be very low maintenance. I can deal with lugging water jugs in and out of the vehicle, and I've taken more bathroom breaks in the woods than most people have even seen the woods at all. This is just a bed, some storage for cool stuff like dirtbikes and guns... and that's it.
Trailer Drop Down Bed
The concept of the drop down trailer bed, or the toyhauler drop down bed if you will, is simple. You don't want to reduce your floor plan, because you've got toys to put there and what not! They toys however aren't over 4-5' tall, and that leaves you an extra foot and a half or so to the roof. That's a perfect place to stash a drop down bed and still have room for all your stuff. Sure, you might have to crouch to get around, but I'm not a big fan of getting 4mpg dragging a small garage places with me. I want something simple.
Googling trailer drop down bed and toy hauler drop down bed yielded less results for me than "beautiful women who date nerdy dudes into guns", IE: there isn't anything to really be found on the net. I did find this forum thread online however, and these two pictures form the inspiration for my project:
Now there are a few key differences between this setup and my intended setup. First of all.. the toy hauler is friggen HUGE! That dude has spare space for sure. I don't have that luxury. Second of all, my toy hailer has a steel frame that I can weld onto, this poor dude didn't! I think that gives me a notable advantage since I've got a much more rigid and solid structure in palce to work with. Second off, he went width wise for orientation. I won't have the luxury of that much space, so I'll have to go lengthwise in my trailer.
So that's it for now. I just got the trailer home and it's happily sitting in my driveway. I'll begin this project in the next few weeks. I've got to see if the cost of purchasing a welder and related supplies is less than having a friends fabrication shop do the work to my specifications. The cheap bastard in me will report back on the chosen avenue.