My little 5x10 CAM trailer has been a real workhorse in my stable. I got it 3 or 4 years ago in NH. It will hold about 2265 lbs, and weighs around 725 lbs. The amount of items I have retrieved with it are pretty substantial. Things likes.... 8' plow for Kioti 7' York rake Multiple garden tractors Super tilt off road dump trailer Loads of lumber Loads of furniture Loads of firewood Loads of scrap metal etc...etc Many of these items were out of state. The reality is that I'd love a 6x10 or 6x12 tandem axle dump trailer, but I just cant afford to drop the 5 or 6 grand right now. Little gray will have to do for awhile longer. I decided to give him, a few upgrades. First thing I did was make some side extensions. I got some 2x8's and painted them black. Then I made some metal brackets to bolt the 2x8's to the trailer frame. Looking at the spare tire holder (bungee cord) I decided it was not up to par. So I bolted the spare tire to the 2x8. There are some sleeves/spacers that go over the bolts between the tire and the 2x8. Next I made a 4x4 Oak foot to attach to the bottom of the jack. The pipe was getting pretty mangled and was full of dirt. I used a U shaped metal bracket to bolt the Oak to the pipe. My last upgrade will be replacing the gate pins. The holes are 5/8" but I cant slide in a 5/8" steel round. I've been using 1/2" bolts, but they are too loose and are getting pretty bent. I'm going to have to machine down the 5/8" or try and find something a hair smaller diameter. I'd like them to have decent sized L shaped handles on the top, and a cotter pin in the bottom so they cant pop out. The other option is to get rid of those bolts and make a latch that connects to the new 2x8 with a chain or swing down piece of steel. Any suggestions?
If you can find some kind of 15mm pin or bolt that should be quite a bit more snug. (0.5905" vs 0.625" existing hole) Maybe drill a cross hole through the end for a cotter pin or retaining clip of sorts. L-pins sound good if you can find or make them. I wonder if you could make your own from 15mm round stock/threaded rod (again, if you could find that cheaply)
Nice work SBD. Know anyone with a welder? Would be easy to cut off those ramp ferrules and install new heavy duty ones. It’s odd IMO they are spaced that far apart. Was the ramp added later? The excess distance allows for some slop which is advantageous in some aspects. Also allows extra wear and bounce tho. Went outside and looked at my buddies trailer. I’ve never used it. Similar to yours with a ramp. Here’s some pics of what his looks like. A large pin/bolt that comes out of the angle iron pointing to the rear. Hole drilled in it for one of those cleaves pins or whatever they’re called. He also installed one of those ramp lifters because his back went out. You may not be interested but I included a pic anyway.
My father has a nice Millermatic. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. I think the ramp is original, but I’m not sure. The trailer is a 1997.
If your going to keep it for a bit.... Heres a good read of Pallet Pete did to his little trailer... So begins the trailer rebuild.
I used to have a trailer with the same latch that jo191145 posted. It was one of the best methods that I have used. You can use 3pt links from TSC or another farm supply store So you don’t have to drill a hole or taper the ends
That's a great trailer and some great upgrades to it, nice job. Should serve you well for many years! I'd like to add some side extensions to mine so I can haul a bit more.
I have another 5x10 trailer that I'd love to put into service. Much, much heavier duty than the gray trailer. I wish the axle was set back another 12" or so. With the ramps it wagged pretty bad going down the road. Too much rear weight I think. It has: *4" C channel main frame vs 3" C channel main frame on the CAM *3" axle vs 2.375" axle on the CAM *8 leafs per side vs 4 leafs per side on the CAM *C channel cross members vs angle iron crossmembers on the CAM *8-14.5 load range F 12 ply tires vs ST205/75R15 load range C 6 ply tires on the CAM *1.5"x10" Oak floorboards vs 5/4x6 PT floorboards on the CAM *Adjustable Pintle hitch vs fixed 2" ball hitch on the CAM Plus it tilts, and has an eye ring that could be used with a winch. I already removed the ramps and cut the tops of the boxes off. I think I'm going to remove the boxes as they hang pretty low, and I'll make some wooden sides for it.
