A custom tri-axle hot shot trailer

[welder_one]

my buddy the hot shotter asked me for a custom tri-axle 30 foot trailer. 3 7.5k axles, brakes and led lighting.

[wroughtnharv]

What made him go for the three axle?

It's tough to keep the tires from losing all their tread on a three axle.

Oops, nice job. The comment has nothing to do with your work of course, it's just the idea of a three axle for a hot shotter.

[welder_one]

he asked for it, i built it.... i tried to talk him into a tandem dual set up, but he absolutely wanted a tri-axle...... (i would have MUCH rather set up tandem instead of tri..... lining up 3 sets of springs is no fun chore!!!)

[Kamikaze]

Nice work! Must have been a P-I-A to line up and square that beast up!

Aren't friends wonderful to deal with???

[1havnfun]

Nice Job,

We setup 3 axles on bumber pull units for stability.
A gooseneck - it looks COOOOL!

[nocheepgas]

$$$$

Nice work.
Any idea how much you've got into material?

[welder_one]

Nice work.
Any idea how much you've got into material?

i used mc 10 channel for the frame and 2x2 x 11ga square tubing for the crossmembers. w-10 beam for the gooseneck. all in all after the axles, lights, lumber, bolts, tires, paint (not inluding wire, gas and labor) about 6 grand.. and i used a bulldog adjustable hitch too. it was a fun build, but, i dont wanna make another tri-axle........ EVER

[c wagner]

Nice looking trailer.
I'm just wondering why he had a one off built when there are so many trailer manufacturers climbing over each other to sell you trailers... surely you didn't give him a better price than the manufacturers did you?

My other question is, in the 3rd picture there are four small red lights at the center of the trailer... is that even legal? Before you think I'm being stupid check out this link: http://grote.com/tech/fmvss/low_chart.html

They are item number 7, here is how it reads: Rear Identification Lamps-(P2 or P3)- Indicate presence of a wide vehicle- Exactly 3- Red- On the rear - center, facing rearward - horizontally spaced 150 mm (6 in.) to 300 mm (12 in.) apart - in Canada : at the top - maybe lower if door header narrower than 25 mm
in USA: as high as practicable

The other thing to note is the lens rating, are they P2 or P3? Did you check the lens rating of the rest of the lights? I also noticed it's missing requirement #9, 11 and 12... looks like you have a little more work to do.

I'm not trying to nit pick... but you get the right officer and they WILL nit pick, or if he gets in an accident (say someone rear ends him), they take pictures and later their lawyer picks up on the trailers faults, he gets sued... his insurance sues you... and well you get the picture, it's a worst case scenario but I'm sure it happens.
Either way there's not a lot of money to be made sitting on the side of the road dealing with officers of the law, unless your the tow truck driver that was called to come haul it away.

[wroughtnharv]

I wondered about the four instead of three lights too. I knew the three indicated 96" width or more. But then you see guys with pickups who want to look kewel running with marker lights all the time so I guess it's something the cops don't get too excited about.

The way I've always done it was three in the rear, red at the side rear, amber at the side front and if the trailer is longer than eighteen feet an additional amber about in the middle side.

This tells anyone approaching from the side where the trailer starts and ends with a reminder there's a trailer there in the middle.

I've always understood it was the same for the front, except in amber, three to indicate width. But again, you see little pickups with big truck markers on their roofs and you see some rigs with umpteen lights across the front.

[c wagner]

I wondered about the four instead of three lights too. I knew the three indicated 96" width or more. But then you see guys with pickups who want to look kewel running with marker lights all the time so I guess it's something the cops don't get too excited about.

Actually it's anything over 80" wide that require the identification lights.
I don't know if they would complain about something less than 80" having the lights or not... all depends on the officer I guess.

In the grand scheme of things I just wanted to make everyone aware that building a trailer isn't as easy as welding up a frame, bolting on a coupler, axle and finding just any old lights. (Not saying that's what you did welder_one)
All too often people figure they will save a couple of bucks and do it themselves, nothing wrong with that as long as they do it right. Some places require a home built trailer to be inspected before your able to get plates/ insurance. The wrong lights, reflectors in the wrong locations and your going back to the store to spend more money and time doing it right the second time... pretty soon your in deeper than driving to the trailer sales place and getting one off the lot. Well ok that point may take awhile to get to ... but the point is there are rules that need to be followed. Welder_one or his buddy might have put the reflectors on after these pictures were taken, I'm not saying they didn't do it right, I'm just saying it isn't right in these pictures, so I hope they make it right before it hits the streets.

[welder_one]

the little lights at the bottom are red/ amber lights. they are red as clearance and 2 per side turn amber with the flashers. same with the main rear lights. it has led marker lights up and down the sides. the marker lights on the sides only required a 1/4 inch hole for mounting and are very small.

i did not sell him the trailer cheaper than a manufacturer... fella wanted a trailer that he could trust (you know what im talkin about) buy a trailer from lowes and then build one for yourself...... which one gonna be better???

i didnt make a killin off the trailer, however, i did make a little. (besides, he delivers my iron work across the nation for REAL CHEAP)

if the lights are a problem, then how does a truck and trailer that's running "chicken lights" all over it fair? i was told by a DOT officer that if they on there, they gotta be lit... the trailer passed insp and got tagged.... now that weight sittin on the inspecting officer *shrugs*

[c wagner]

the little lights at the bottom are red/ amber lights. they are red as clearance and 2 per side turn amber with the flashers. same with the main rear lights. it has led marker lights up and down the sides. the marker lights on the sides only required a 1/4 inch hole for mounting and are very small.

i did not sell him the trailer cheaper than a manufacturer... fella wanted a trailer that he could trust (you know what im talkin about) buy a trailer from lowes and then build one for yourself...... which one gonna be better???

i didnt make a killin off the trailer, however, i did make a little. (besides, he delivers my iron work across the nation for REAL CHEAP)

if the lights are a problem, then how does a truck and trailer that's running "chicken lights" all over it fair? i was told by a DOT officer that if they on there, they gotta be lit... the trailer passed insp and got tagged.... now that weight sittin on the inspecting officer *shrugs*

Good to hear that it made it past inspection, that's the main thing.
I'm also glad to hear you charged him more than a factory trailer, because even though I don't know you personally I KNOW your quality would be better (yeah I know EXACTLY what your talking about ).
I've done a lot of warranty repair, repair and custom fab on factory built trailers, their quality is the reason their prices are where they are... well that and the quantity that they build per year.
Good on him for being willing to pay for the quality that he wants, that trailer will last him for a LONG time.

Like I said in my first post, nice trailer.

[Horns]

What kind of lights are those 1/4" ones you're talking about? We have those on our Kenworth roll-beds but I havn't been able to find them online.

[welder_one]

What kind of lights are those 1/4" ones you're talking about? We have those on our Kenworth roll-beds but I havn't been able to find them online.

i'll look it up today. i buy all my trailer stuff from champion trailer in jacksonville, arkansas

[JSFAB]

No inspections here in Cal, build it, haul it to a DMV, lady comes out, puts a serial number sticker on it, goes back in, finishes the paperwork, you pay your money, get a plate, and done.

Commercial CHP, however, have the right to pull any vehicle over, at any time, with a reason or not. Can do a quick inspection, or a full inspection, whatever they want.

Over the years, I have NEVER seen anybody getting a ticket for too many lights, even in place of the "three-bar" on the back of the trailer.

You WILL, however, get a ticket for any light that doesn't work. Some years ago, I built a headboard behind a Freightliner cab, required in Nevada for hauling hay. Driver wanted it dressed up some, install cute little lights up and down each side. Owner said fine, but not wired in, didn't want all the electrical problems. Just decorative. Sure enough, a few months later, got a ticket for inoperable lights, had to wire them in (cheaper than filling all the square holes I'd already cut into the frame).

I notice also there was some mention of reflectors, if you buy the right lights they are reflectorized, meet the DOT requirements for both lights and reflectors. Costs a couple bucks more per light.

Another point to make, Fed DOT specifically says, tail-lights can NOT be used to satisfy the rear clearance light requirements. A way around this, simply wire the outside "tail-light" on a two or three tail-light per side setup, into the marker light or clearance light switch on the tractor, it then becomes a clearance light. You still have other lights, to wire into the headlight or tail-light switch, that will satisfy the tail-light requirements.

Remember, a typical seven wire commercial hookup, has both brown wire (for clearance/markers) and black wire (for tail-lights).