5x8

Single Axle
Trailer Build
Instructions
INTRODUCTION

A 5'x 8' single axle trailer is a great size for all those big jobs where weight is not an issue.

It has most of the advantages of a tandem trailer but with the convenience that a single axle trailer will give you.
5x8 single axle rear profile. Perfect for the serious home handyman, odd jobber, builder, or contractor requiring a
trailer that will haul with the best of them.
With or without brakes this trailer can be rated up to 3000 lb GTW depending on your states braking
requirements.

This design runs 14" tires, has 15" high sides with an internal, level capacity to carry 50 cu ft, or more if heaped
up.
Heavy duty fenders with fender braces, a strong rear light channel to protect your lights, plenty of tie downs and
a strong dependable tongue which can be set up for hydraulic or electric brakes easily. What more could you
want ?

Specifications -
- Deck Size 5' x 8'
- Single axle 14" wheels
- Fully welded steel chassis
- Steel panel sides/tailgates
- Hinging front and rear tailgate
- Full length tie rails
- 3/4" Plywood decking (options available - See "Trailer Decking" )
- 3000 lb GTM (can be upgraded if required)
- Tare Weight 616 lbs
NOTE -If are contemplating galvanising your trailer it pays to do a bit of prep work on your cross members prior
to welding. Please check the Pre-Finishing page prior to starting.
Cutting List / Parts Detail
Chassis Setup
Lay your chassis rails with the widest sides together and clamp. Mark one end of the chassis rails with 'F' for
front of trailer and use this as your point for your measurements.
Divide the length of the chassis rails so that the cross members will are at approximately 19"centers. Mark the
chassis rails with the required measurement and a second mark 1" further on. This marks the front and back
position for the cross members. Using a square mark across both the chassis rails and un-clamp.

On a flat surface or trestles lay the chassis rails parallel with each other and lay the cross members and the light
channel (see detail shown below in finished position - flip upside down when setting up the chassis as below) in
the right positions and as square as reasonably possible
Tack weld all the components together with one or two welds and measure across the trailer frame diagonally for
squareness. Both measurements need to be taken from the same point of the chassis as each other and the
frame will be square once both measurements are exactly the same.

Where one measurement is longer, divide the difference between the two measurements and gently knock the
longest corner of the frame to match the shortest side plus the difference in measurement – for example – if the
shortest reading is 112 1/2 " and the longest is 113", the difference between the two is 1/2".
Divide this in half- 1/4" - then knock the longest corner so your tape reads 112 1/2" plus 1/4" (112 3/4") Re-
measure, divide and keep adjusting the frame until both measurements are exactly the same.
Once the frame is square, you will need to clamp or sandbag the frame to prevent any movement while the
frame is being welded.

Work your way around the frame welding all the components together. If you have welded the frame on the floor
of the workshop, lay a couple of good welds on all the components and lift the frame up onto your trestles or
stands, recheck the frame squareness and finish welding of the frame.

Springs
Divide the chassis in half and mark the chassis rails, then accurately measure where you want the spring
centers to be - ideally between 2" to 6" behind the center of the chassis and a good compromise for general
cartage is midway at 3" behind the center. Double check your measurements.
Set up your springs in their front hangers and position the springs and hangers on the chassis rails (hanger
towards the front of the trailer) and using a large square resting on the chassis rail at the spring center mark,
adjust the spring position until the spring bolt or pin is in line with the spring center marked on your chassis.
Make sure that the outside spring edge is flush with the outside edge of the chassis rail and once double
checked, tack weld the spring hanger to the chassis rail.
Once this is completed on both sides, position the slippers over the spring tails allowing for clearance between
the spring and the slipper for the spring to move in and out when loaded.
Again make sure the outside edge of the spring is flush with the outside edge of the chassis and tack weld the
slipper in place.

Spring Packers
If the position of your hangers and slippers do not cover a cross member you will need to cut a couple of packers
to support the overhang of these parts and weld into position.

Once all components are in position, remove the springs and fully weld around the hanger, slipper and packers.

Before measuring up our axle, fit the springs back onto the chassis.

Getting the required axle measurements to your axle manufacturer as soon as possible will reduce the waiting
time while your axle is being fabricated.
Firstly we need to clamp the fender approximately around the area where it is to go. If you are unable to clamp
the fender or if the clamps will not hold, tack weld the fender on.
Position your tire and rim inside the fender and line up the outside of the tire flush with the rim of the fender, both
vertically and horizontally. If you are pushed for room within the fender, you can move the tire out so that the
start edge of the tire tread is flush with the fender.

Once the tire is in position, measure from the inside hub mounting surface of the rim, to the outside edge of the
spring. If your springs are set up correctly this will be the same measurement as the outside edge of the chassis.
We'll call this measurement "A".

Measure your chassis width across the central part of your chassis for measurement "B". The Hub to Hub face
measurements will be measurement "A" x2 (doubled) added to measurement "B".
Measuring between the spring center bolt centers will give you the spring centers. Another way to get this is to
measure your chassis width "B" and subtract the width of one spring.
These measurements should be all that is needed to get the axle manufacturer started. If you are going for a
different style axle (ie, stepped or dropped axle) then further measurements will be required.

Tongue

The tongue shown is designed for a straight coupler and is able to be fitted with a hydraulic surge coupler if
required. This design allows the tongue to be longer giving the trailer better road handling and stability. See the
Tongue design section for more details.
The tongue is made up of 4 components, the 2 main tongue sections, the tongue insert, and the tongue brace. It
is possible to fit a full length tongue insert so that it goes under the chassis (composite tongue).
This will increase the strength of the tongue, but will add additional unnecessary weight.
Measure and mark your main tongue sections for both length and cut angle. Double check your measurements
and trim the end of the section at 18 degrees.

Measure and mark out the tongue brace, again, double check your measurements and trim each end to 72
degrees.
Find the center of the tongue brace (5 7/8") and mark. Do the same with the butt end of the tongue insert (1 1/2")
and sit the two pieces together on a flat surface. Check the two pieces are square to each other and tack weld.
Check for square again and once you are sure that everything is as it should be, run a couple of extra tack welds
to hold it all secure.
Lay the two tongue sections down the center of the trailer parallel with the chassis rails with the long edge
vertical and the angle cut faces together. Take one section and slide the inside end around till the inside edge is
resting against the inside upright of the spring hanger and tack weld in position.

Repeat with the second section and then take the protruding sections and work them gently and evenly until the
inside angle cut edges are approximately 3" apart. Clamp a couple of pieces of straight steel or lumber under the
tongue so you can rest the tongue insert and brace section.

Fit the tongue insert between the main tongue sections (check that it is fitted upside down!) and adjust until the
brace is just touching each side of the main tongue sections and that these are touching the insert. Clamp or
lightly tack weld the insert to the main tongue sections.
At this point it is a good idea to double check that the tongue is central and to do this take a couple of
measurements from the same point from the front of the tongue main section diagonally back to a point on the
chassis in a couple of positions and check that both measurements from each side match.

Adjust the position of the main tongue sections until they have equal measurements and clamp into position.
Do the same thing with the tongue insert. Measure from each side of the end of the insert back to the chassis
and adjust until both measurements match.
At this point you can weld up the tongue sections, brace and insert in all the down hand and vertical positions.
Do not under any circumstances weld across the horizontal faces on the tongue where it intersects the cross
members as shown below.

At this point you can weld up the tongue in all the down hand and vertical positions. Do not under any
circumstances weld across the horizontal faces on the tongue where it intersects the cross members as shown
below.
Chassis Trims
This section covers the all important angle gussets which provide additional strength to the drawbar. Also
covered is the coupling mount, deck joiner and wiring conduit.

TONGUE ANGLE GUSSETS

Where the tongue meets the front crossmember, fit a piece of 1 1/2" x 3/16" equal angle approximately 4" long
over the exposed section and weld around the angle on the crossmember (Never weld across the top of the
tongue) and a couple of welds under the angle gusset where the top edge of the tongue meets. Round off the
outside edges to prevent any injury to your shins.

The angle gusset will give the tongue and chassis a stronger and stiffer structure at this point.

TOPSIDE
Double check all the welds on the tongue and chassis and grind/buff any sharp burrs and edges before flipping
the trailer right way up.
Sit the chassis on your stands or trestles and run an eye along the length of the chassis frame and check that
the frame is level and straight. Any extreme twisting of the frame will need to be heat shrinked to correct before
continuing. Twisting or bending of the frame normally occurs when there has been too much heat applied
through welding on a poorly clamped chassis.

To correct any major twisting, weld up the top of the chassis where the welds are missing (don't weld along the
front chassis crossmember and tongue), recheck any twisting and mark where the centre of any bending is
occurring. Using a oxy/acetylene/propane torch heat the side that needs to be shrunk and once nice cherry red,
quench quickly with cold water. This will cause the steel to change structure and shrink hopefully correcting the
problem.

LIGHTING CONDUIT
Once all the welds have been laid, cut short sections of pipe(1/2"NB or similar) or small box section (1" x 1")
around 1 1/2" long and run these down one side of one of the chassis rails at regular intervals of around 10-12"
apart from the inside end of the tongue back, and also along the back of the light channel. These pieces of pipe
will be your conduit for running your lighting cable along the trailer and will support and protect the cable.

DECK JOINER
If you are using sheet decking like plywood or alloy/steel sheets, you may need to run a deck joiner down the
length of the chassis. This is to support both edges of the sheets if the sheet is narrower than the width of the
required deck. For example, if you have a 4'6" wide deck and your sheets of plywood are only 4' wide, you will
need to have support under the sheet between the cross members for both the 4' wide sheet and the 6" wide
sheet.
Deck joiner allows joining of panel decking where the width is greater than the panel.
Deck joiners can be offcuts of 2" x 1" RHS laid between the cross members with the widest section facing up to
a length of folded panel steel in a 'U' section notched and welded along the length of the trailer making sure that
the center of the deck joiner is where the cut edge of the sheet will be.
Next we will build and fit the sides - Click SIDES below

Side Fabrication
The side profile is designed to give good strength to the trailer while keeping the weight to a minimum, lighter
panel may be used but there may be issues with buckling of the panel when welded.

Using the chassis as a bench, set up the end uprights flush with the ends of the chassis and fit the top tie rail
between them.
Tack weld bits together. Place a couple of bits of scrap steel or wood and clamp flush under the ends of the
chassis to support the uprights while tacking in place. Make sure uprights are flush with the ends of the chassis
and level with the underside of the chassis rails.
Check uprights are square with the chassis and clamp into position.
Fit panel into frame and adjust so that the panel is flush with the inside of the uprights and sitting on the chassis
rail. Clamp the panel down onto the chassis rail and tack weld onto the uprights.
Unclamp and lay the frame and panel onto the chassis, flip over so that the side with the panel flush with the
uprights is facing up, clamp to the chassis and fully weld where the panel and the end uprights meet. It is only
necessary to weld the inside face with a nice light weld, to prevent blow through and buckling of the metal, but
enough to join the two pieces together.
Clamp the side back into position on the chassis and clamp fully along the inside lip of the panel/chassis rail.

Fenders
To find the correct position of the fender, fit the axle to the springs loosely, dry assemble the bearings and hubs
and fit the wheels to the hubs.
Place an off-cut of timber or steel around 1 1/2" thick on top of the tire and lower the fender onto this. Stand back
and check the clearance around the front and rear. The fender can be pulled open if needed to allow for a better
fit. Whatever measurement you pulled the fender out to, make sure that the other fender matches.
The fender needs to have roughly equal clearance at the front, top and rear, but pays to give a little extra at the
top and rear to compensate for spring movement.
A good rule of thumb is 1 1/4" clearance at the front, 1 1/2"at the top and around 2" at the rear, or of similar
ratios.

Once the fender is in the correct position, tack weld the fender in position (another set of hands is
recommended. Make sure that the fender is in full contact with the panel side and then stand back and make
sure that the fender is in the correct position.
If the fender doesn't look quite right, now is the time to adjust it.
Mark out 2" from both front and rear of fender at the base of the chassis rail, and using a large square, mark up
the panel to the top lip, measure 1 1/4" away from the guard and mark on the lip.
Using a grinder with a cutting blade, notch out the top lip back to the main panel to fit the center uprights.
Position uprights square with the chassis rail and tack weld into position.

FENDER BRACES
Fender braces provide a couple of necessary functions, firstly to give the fender strength and support especially
as the fenders are normally the first things to get knocked around. Secondly they function as a step onto and into
the trailer. Be wary of using a piece of rod or pipe to brace the fender, slip on this, when you are climbing into the
trailer, you are likely to break your leg if you fall between the brace and the trailer.

When fabricating the braces, ensure you make 2 pieces as per the drawing and 2 pieces with the lip folded the
opposite direction. The drainage cut out is to help prevent debris and water settling causing corrosion.
When fitting, make sure the brace is square with the side and flush with the underside of the chassis rail. This is
another job where a spare pair of hands is useful. An out of square brace is very noticeable so take care getting
it right.

Once everything is tack welded in position and looking right, stitch weld along the outside of the trailer along
where the panel and chassis rail meet. A 2" stitch weld with a 4" gap is perfect. It is not necessary to weld the
panel on the inside of the trailer.

Stitch weld both sides of the center uprights, around the topside of the fenders and braces and fully weld all
visible joins around the top portion of the center uprights.
TIE HOOKS

You can fit as many tie hooks to your trailer as you like and
some say the more the merrier. Practically you only require four to six tie hooks on each side, and as long as
they are strong and can accommodate good sized rope or tie down hooks, there is little else you need.
Tie hooks can be made by rolling a piece of rod around a former in a vice and cutting to size. The easiest tie
hooks are made from chopping off the end of chain links.
To prevent your rope chaffing, make sure all surfaces and edges of the tie hooks are smooth. Weld the tie hooks
with good strong welds to the chassis rail and the center uprights.

Tailgate Fabrication
Setting up the tailgates is similar to the sides but care needs when welding to prevent the tailgates from twisting.
Use the drawbar as a clamping table if you have no other suitable surface.
Position the angle uprights at either end of the tie rail as per the drawing, square the uprights to the tie rail and
tack weld.

Mark the center of the panel on the top lip and drill a hole to suit the rod center support. Mark the bottom lip to
help line the rod up when in position.
Fit the panel with the lips facing upwards, between the uprights and flush at the bottom. Tack weld panel to the
uprights.
Slide in the rod center support, line up with the bottom mark and tack weld into position.
Clamp a piece of flat bar across the top of the tailgate lip and place a hinge pipe underneath. This will ensure the
hinge pipe is flush with the top of the lip. Adjust the hinge pipe until it is flush with the outside edge of the angle
upright and tack into position. Repeat with the other outer hinge pipe and centralise the center hinge pipe and
tack into position.

Fully weld the hinge pipes and the upper and lower lips as shown

Stitch weld the center rod and angle uprights to the panel as shown below.

HANGING THE TAILGATES

Position the tailgate onto the trailer so that the top of the tailgate is flush with the top of the trailer sides. Clamp
into position and slowly adjust the tailgate so that the difference in width between the tailgate and the uprights is
even.
Slide the gudgeons into the hinge pipes until there is a little resistance. Do not force the gudgeon into the pipe as
this may cause the tailgate to jam when operating.
Level the gudgeon to the tailgate and tack weld onto the light channel/front cross member.
Once all gudgeons have been tack welded, unclamp the tailgate and check its operation.

The tailgate should operate smoothly up and down and if it jams up, find the culprit hinge/gudgeon and adjust as
needed.
Once the tailgate is functioning

correctly, remove the tailgate and fully weld the gudgeons in place. It does pay to mark each tailgate with a spot
of weld so there is no confusion when fitting the tailgates at a later date, especially if the trailer is to be
galvanised.

Repeat the process with the other tailgate.

We have go back to the end uprights on the sides to fit the Lug tube. Measure down 4 1/2" from the top of the
upright and mark on all four corners.
Place the lug tube against the side of the upright with the top of the tube level with the line. Tack weld the tube
position and check it for square and fully weld.
Carry on around the trailer until all four corners are complete.
Raise and clamp the tailgate in the up position and place the latch plate centrally covering the lug pipe. Use a
marker through the lug pipe and mark the center for drilling.

Remove latch plate and drill oversize to suit your drop lock - 3/4" is a standard size.

Fit the drop lock to the lug pipe, place the drilled latch plate over the drop lock and latch in position. Centralise
the latch plate then tack weld to the tailgate. Remove the tailgate once both latch plates are tacked in place and
fully weld.
GALVANIZING AND PAINTING PREPARATION
Depending on the type of finish you are planning for your trailer, there are a couple of things that need to be
done prior to either.
If you are painting your trailer, you will need to drill drain holes in the tailgates as shown below to allow rain
water to drain from the tailgate.

With either option, go over the trailer with a hand grinder with a flapper disc attached and clean any burrs, sharp
edges, left over welding slag and spatter. Remove any paint, crayon or grease that may be on the trailer with an
alcohol or solvent based cleaner.
Use a square or rat tail file to remove any burrs from inside the box section uprights, tongue and chassis rails,
including the tailgates.
Galvanizing drain holes are extremely important to ensure that your trailer is fully coated with galvanizing, inside
and out, and to prevent your trailer deforming when in the galvanizing bath.
The cross members ideally should have been pre-drilled prior to the chassis being welded, but if not now is the
time to do this. Two holes at least 5/16" in diameter (3/8" holes are ideal for the cable side of the trailer to allow
the cable to pass through) must be drilled on one side of the vertical face of the cross members at each end.
One hole needs to be drilled on the underside of the cross member at each end.

Wherever a piece of hollow section (SHS or RHS) is blocked, it requires drilling. The tie rails along the sides
require a hole drilled through both sides at the junction with the end uprights.
The side panel requires holes drilled on the top where it meets the end and center uprights (see pictures below)

Drill holes in the light channel as shown above to prevent galvanizing from building up around this area.
Holes also need to be drilled in the top of the center uprights, just under the tie rail. At the bottom of the center
uprights, there needs to be a partial opening at least the size of a 5/16" diameter hole or bigger. If not drill the
underside of the fender brace gusset into the upright opening.
Lastly the deck joiner sections need to be drilled with two holes on the underside and one hole on the side
passing all the way through. This needs to be done on both ends of each section.
Some galvanizers require the fender to be drilled in a couple of places where it meets the panel - Check with
them prior to drilling even more holes in your trailer.

Tongue Drilling
Determine where you require your safety connectors to be bolted to the tongue and drill holes to suit your
mounting bolts. A good position is approximately 2" back from the front of the tongue and at least 1/2 a chain link
length up from the underside. If you are galvanizing, drill the hole oversize by about 3/64" to allow for galvanizing
build up.
You will need to have your light cable and rubber grommet to measure up for the light cable exit hole on top of
the tongue. Position this behind the coupler and centrally on the top of the tongue. Again drill the hole slightly
oversize to allow for the galvanizing build up.

You can pre-drill for your lights and license plate if you have these to hand. Most new lights will come with a
drilling template or guide.

Lights
Note - Before doing any cable fitting, it is advisable that the trailer is fully prepared and painted or galvanized
and at the bare minimum, has a primer coat applied.

Running the light cable

From the front of the trailer, slide a semi-rigid section of mild steel "pull" wire down the tongue until it comes out
at the spring end. Tape the trailer 4 core cable (6 or 7 core if you are fitting electric brakes) to the end of the
"pull" wire and pull from the spring hanger end until the cable comes through.
Gently pull the cable through until you have a good length that will reach along the length of the trailer and
across the rear light channel. Allow another foot or so extra cable to play with.

Allow another 2 foot extra at the coupling end of the tongue for wiring into your plug.
Drill through any cross members not already drilled to allow the cable to be threaded through. Thread the cable
from the spring hanger end of the tongue, through the conduits and cross members until you reach the position
of your first light. Add on an extra 6" of cable and cut.
Thread the left over cable through the conduits along the light channel to the second light.

Fitting Lights
Make sure that your license plate light is in the correct position and that the light will shine on the plate. Keep
your Turn/Brake lights as wide as possible in the light channel, but do not place lights directly behind the rod
bracing. Find the center of the light light channel for mounting the 3 Marker Lights.

Mark out your light position on the light

channel and drill the mounting and cable
holes as per your lights instructions or
template.

It is normal to run the earth cable directly to the trailer

chassis (ground) but I prefer to run an earth to each light to
ensure the best grounding.
There are a couple of ways of joining the wire together behind the left hand light. Using a strip connector inside a
sealed junction box is one of the best ways of keeping the join secure and weather tight and also gives the
option of easily changing lights should they get damaged, etc.
Other options include soldering the wires together and sealing with insulation tape and a heat shrink tube or
using crimp connectors and covering again with heat shrink tube. These options take less time to do than the
first option, but will cause a bit of a headache when maintenance needs to be done at a later date.
If you go down the junction box route, secure the box to the chassis rail directly behind the light channel.

SIDE CLEARANCE LIGHTS

For side clearance lights, an additional two lengths of 2 core cable need to be run from the junction
box, up through the conduit to the spring hanger. Take one cable under the chassis rail and behind the front of
the fender. "P" clip (see photo) the cable in appropriately hidden positions to prevent the cable from being
snagged by either the tire or debris flung up from the road. For the other cable you need to "P" clip one cable
along the cross member to the right hand spring hanger and again take under the chassis rail up to the light
position. Drill the appropriate holes for mounting the light and for the cable to pass through the fender.

Crimp connectors are the most convenient method for joining the wires to sealed lights with attached wiring.

PLUG
Pass the plug end cable through the cable hole drilled in the top or side of the tongue and slide a suitable sized
rubber grommet over the cable to prevent any chafing of the cable where it passes through the tongue.
Trim the length of cable so that the cable can move with the trailer behind the tow vehicle without being
stretched or kinked, but not too long that it will dangle too close to the ground.
Slide any plug sleeve or nut - that came with the plug - over the cable, then strip each end of the
plug wires leaving approximately 3/8" bare wire, fold the bare cable in half and enter them into the plug
connector in the correct sequence as per the chart above. Tighten the screws snugly but do not over-
tighten. Screw the cable clamp down to prevent the cable from pulling out and fit any sleeves, nuts or covers
that came with the plug.
If possible, check all your lights by hooking the trailer plug up to your tow vehicle. If you don't have a mate to
help you check your brake lights, grab a mirror and position it behind the trailer where you can see it from the
tow vehicle.

AXLE FITTING
Now is a good time to fit the springs and axle to the trailer as this is the last time you will be able to work on your
trailer running gear without having to get on your back.

Hub Fitting
Prepare a very clean surface and hand pack your bearings with grease, take your time, the more you can work
the grease into the bearings the better.

Over a clean axle, slide the seal retaining washer and seal onto the axle shoulder. Fit the larger inner back end
bearing into the hub and tap on the seal wear ring. Grab a good handful of grease and apply it to the inside of
the hub and slide the hub over the axle until the back bearing rests against the axle shoulder and seal.
Check that the seal is fitted into the hub and slide the smaller front end outer bearing into the hub.
Fit the washer and castle nut and tighten the nut up until resistance is felt. Give the nut a quick nip and then
back off approximately 1/4 of a turn or until the slot in the castle nut lines up with the hole in the axle.
Check that the hub rotates freely and fit the split pin through the castle nut and axle and twist to lock in place.
Tap on the dust cap and repeat for the other hub.

Axle
Lay the axle on the ground under your trailer with the spring holes facing upwards. Slide the "U" bolts under the
axle in around the position where the springs will sit.
Position the springs over the axle so that the spring center bolt fits into the holes in the axle.

Fit the spring plate and "U" bolts together and lightly tighten up.
Twist and lift the axle to inset the tail end of the springs into the slippers and then lift the springs so they are in
the spring hangers. Bolt the springs into position and do up the lock nuts. Loosen the "U" bolts and give the axle
a bit of a wiggle to make sure everything is aligned correctly. Tighten everything up securely. When tightening
the "U" bolt nuts, it pays to tighten each nut a little at a time, working your way around the four nuts.

The Deck
The following information is for fitting plywood decking.

Plywood decking is a versatile and hard wearing decking material. It is relatively cheap and easy to replace if it
gets damaged. Plywood normally has two graded faces, with one face being better than the other.
For trailer purposes a "AC" or "BC" grade of plywood is more than suitable. Ensure that the plywood is either a
marine or exterior grade to prevent de-lamination of the ply. It does pay to handpick your plywood from the
merchant if possible, as there may be a few imperfections that pass the "B" grade but would look un-sightly on
your trailer.
Before positioning your plywood on the trailer, mark the positions of your cross member centers along the side of
the trailer above the level of where the plywood will sit.
Lay the main sheet of plywood against the side furthest from the deck joiner (if fitted), adjust the sheet so that it
is level with the front crossmember and rear light channel. Clamp sheet into position.
Measure the gap in the deck for the remaining sheet (double check measurements at both ends and in the
center of the trailer) and cut the second sheet to fit.
Lay this in position with the mill edge (the uncut edge) against the first sheet of plywood and clamp into position.
With a string line or a straight edge, mark the sheet across the width from the marks on the side panels.

Mark out evenly across the lines spacing the hole centers at approximately 8" apart both along the cross
member marks and down the outer edges and the join.

Fastenings

There are a couple of options for fastening your deck to your chassis. Rivets have been used for many years,
but after a couple of years of carting loads around, rivets tend to fail and pop out. By far the best option is self
tapping countersunk screws and if you have a good powerful electric hand drill, this job will not take long. For a
3/4" deck thickness, 8G x 1 1/4" screws are ideal. A 1/8" hole needs to be pre drilled and then the screws can be
driven in by either hand or with the electric drill and screw attachment.
It pays to start at one end of the trailer and work your way down to the other end to prevent any buckling of the
deck.
As with all timber, the plywood deck will swell and shrink depending on how wet or dry the environment is, and
you may find over time, the occasional screw breaking from this action on the deck. If this does happen,
increase the size of the replacement screw to a 10G x 1 1/4".

Once the deck is screwed down, give the deck a good going over with an orbital sander to take off any high
spots. For a really good look, roller some exterior oil based stain over the deck.
We're almost finished.

Finishing
Fit your chosen coupler to the trailer using 3/8" UNF bolts and lock nuts or larger if required.

Bolts should only protrude through one side wall of the tongue section. Full width thru bolts should not be used
and they may compress the box section and the coupler will not be securely fixed. It may be a bit of a squeeze
getting the nuts from within the tongue section and a bit of grease on your spanner may help hold the nut in
place while you turn the bolt.

Check that the coupler is centrally

aligned before tightening up securely.
Fit the chain and hooks to the tongue
using a chain washer and high tensile
bolt.
Fit a plug holder if required on the
tongue to keep the plug out of harms
way while the trailer is in storage.
Fit the drop locks to the front and rear
trailer uprights and bolt up securely and fit the tailgates.
Double check your spring hanger bolts and "U" bolts on the axle that they are secure and tight and the wheels to
the trailer.

Hand tighten the stud nuts to help align the rim

on the hub and tighten the nuts in sequence as
below. Ideally use a torque wrench to ensure that
the nuts are tightened adequately.
Torque Settings for wheel nuts are
7/16" UNF 110Nm or 80 Ftlbs
1/2" UNF 125Nm or 90 Ftlbs
Check with your local DMV for details on the
paperwork required to legally get your trailer on
the road.
After the trailers first decent trip or within the first
500 miles, recheck all coupler, spring and axle
bolts for tightness. Recheck the wheel stud nut
torque settings.