A little while ago Drew and I decided to both go in on an enclosed trailer for the bikes, with the main use being MotoGP every year. Last year we took an open trailer and the bikes suffered multiple small dings from rocks, etc. So we decided to pick up an enclosed trailer for future trips.
We ended up finding it on CL for quite a steal. it was pretty dirty in the pics, but it was 100% solid which is what mattered. We got it back to the house and started working on cleaning it up. There is still a little bit to go, but it’s getting there.
Installed a harbor freight tri-fold ramp so that it will fold up inside the doors and easily drop down when needed. It uses 6 standard door hinges with removable pins so it can be fully removed in a matter of minutes.
Put a couple harbor freight wheel chocks in to hold the bikes steady. With my 19" front wheel on the Stryker, I had to make up a couple extension brackets to allow it to work properly.
Decided that since I still had my old compressor and the tank was in perfect shape, we might as well modify it a little bit to mount to the front of the trailer to have on-board air. Granted, who knows how often you might use it, but it only cost a few bucks for the metal and a few hours of work so it was worth it. Don’t mind the ugly flux core welds… I’m still learning (and getting better). They are very strong and that is what really matters. I am trying to find a tire valve style connector so the tank can be filled at any gas station.
That is all for now. We also picked up a bunch of new clearance lights, a few interior lights, and a 7-pin plug to replace the 4 pin plug and give a constant power for the interior lights (so the tow vehicle lights don’t have to be on to use the trailer lights). We should be finishing it up (for now) within the next week or so.
looks good except for welding to a pressure tested container… the heat from welding can, and does, change the atomic structure of the metal in those areas and can weaken them as well as the vibrational forces working in that area now since the tabs connect straight to the barrel of the tank and are hard mounted to the tongue…
basically, i wouldnt trust being anywhere close to that tank while pressurized with air now… would have been much better off strapping it down… not trying to bust your balls, just keep you safe so you dont blow yourself or someone else up…
I did pressure test it in the back of the garage just in case. I filled it with air until the safety release went off then left it pressurized. With the trailer having suspension, I can’t imagine the vibration will be enough to cause a major issue. In addition, all of the mounting brackets that mounted it to wheels and the plate that held the compressor were all originally welded directly to the tank. I had the same worries you mentioned so I did some research online and the general consensus was that the air compressor really doesn’t reach a high enough pressure for it to become a major issue / concern.
Got a ton of work accomplished yesterday on the trailer. The biggest project was completely rewiring the entire trailer. It originally had a 4 pin plug but we opted to ‘upgrade’ to a 7 pin plug so that the tow vehicle’s lights won’t have to be on in order for the interior lights to work. In addition, the previous owner used about 1000 scotch locks on the pre-existing wiring and it was starting to cut through some of the wires. So every last inch of wiring came out and was completely replaced.
We finished up the rear doors. Which included changing out the tail lights for some flush mount lights, adding a 60" LED bar along the top that is connected as running light, brake light, turn signals, and a switchable while LED for working behind the trailer. And finally the license plate bracket with LED.
Added 2 more (for 4 total currently) interior LED’s all connected to a standard household switch located by the rear door. (a second switch controls the rear LED bar light). We have 4 more interior lights going in this week… which should make it quite bright.
