Need advice on mounting my 225 to a trailer

[cbone]

I purchased a 5x6 standard trailer today to mount my in-laws 225 on. Assuming there's really not going to be anything too weighty added to the trailer, where should I mount? Centered and a bit forward of the axle mid-line?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[griff01]

I purchased a 5x6 standard trailer today to mount my in-laws 225 on. Assuming there's really not going to be anything too weighty added to the trailer, where should I mount? Centered and a bit forward of the axle mid-line?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Set the trailer jack on a set of scales (bathroom scales are ok) then set the machine where you mentioned for starters. Check the scales. IF I remember correctly, you are looking for about 100 pounds of tongue weight. I am open to correction on that number. Then it is just a matter of moving the machine to get the correct tongue weight.

Remember to have everything else you may have on the trailer onboard when you do this.

Griff

[MAC702]

I go for about 10% tongue weight. Make sure you look at your hitch rating, your bumper rating (if applicable), the ball mount rating, the ball rating, and the coupler rating. Use the smallest in determining what your tongue weight can be.

But don't let that determine how you balance your trailer. Too little tongue weight is just as bad as too much, so if the towing vehicle is a lightweight, so must be the trailer.

[cbone]

Thanks for the advice. Towing's not an issue. It's on a 1 ton.

Two more questions:
1. The trailer's got a wood floor. Any positives/negatives to bolting directly to it or should I cut out where the welder's going to sit and weld up a rectangle for it to mount to? That seems like a lot of work if mounting to the wood's not an issue.

2. Is there any reason/benefit to mount the welder sideway (wheel to wheel) rather than lengthwise?

[MAC702]

If the wood floor is sufficiently secure on its own, there is no problem with securing the welder to it. Are we talking about 2x6's or 1/2" plywood, though?

The welder can be mounted either way, depending on what you want to put on the rest of the trailer. Having the heaviest items in a smaller longitudinal footprint will make balancing the trailer a little touchier, though. Depends on what percentage of the overall weight of the trailer is tied up in the welder. But either way works fine.

[Miller John]

I just wanted to add in some basic thoughts. Mount it so the front panel of the welder is facing the rear of the trailer. It is usually easier to access controls that way. Also, make sure the exhaust elbow is adjusted to the side so that rain, etc. will not fill up the muffler when going down the road and it is also not pointed at the person starting or setting the machine.

[ChiliDog]

You should always shoot for a minimum of 10% tongue weight. Otherwise you will have a fishtailiing trailer.

I would consider either mounting where load is tied directly into a crossmember or running a cross member on top of deck and then bolting down. MOST trailers do not have wood decks mounted or attached in a way to handle anything but a compressive load. When a welder tries to bounce UP, the deck will likely fail prematurely. Maybe not tomorrow, but what about after being out in weather and so forth for a year? Look at your deck and see how well it is attached to the substructure. Is it secured at every crossmember?

If you hoisted your trailer up and hung it in mid air upside down, would your welder stay attached? If you have ever seen a trailer get loose and the tongue dig into the pavement and flip the trailer up in the air, this doesn't seem ludicrous to ask yourself.

Imagine driving down the road and throwing your welder off the back at a car with mom and 2 kids in it. If you just attach to a wood deck, that could be a reality. In those 2 milliseconds in your rear view mirror, the extra effort to mount a stationary load to your trailer properly wont seem like too much work.

[rktompsett]

Excellent Thread

I think this thread is excellent and very informative. How might I save it for future reference?

[pyro2]

You might not have to make a complete frame under the welder, if you make some brackets to attach to the crossmembers and through bolt the machine to it, keep in mind if your machine is attached to a seporate frame and the frame is connected by means of welding only and a weld breaks( god forbid) then there is nothing else to hold it... I'm not saying the welds wouldn't be strong but trailers take a beating on bumps, if you incorperate a bolt as well it would make for a good safety

Kelly