I have a 1995 hart 4 horse trailer with dressing room. I was thinking of extending the dressing room by 10 feet. I was wondering if anbody has an diagrams of the structure of the trailer so I would know what aluminum to buy, and also what is the trailer made of it looks like plywood covered in a white material. Is that right, and what is that white stuff?
Posted 2010-11-03 5:58 PM (#126634 - in reply to #126633) Subject: RE: Extending trailer?
Veteran
Posts: 147 Location: santa clara, ca
it seems like a lot of work....you will be adding a lot of weight which will probably require you to changes axles and tires: you might better off getting a new one
Posted 2010-11-03 7:27 PM (#126639 - in reply to #126633) Subject: RE: Extending trailer?
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Valdosta, GA
I emailed hart and see what they say I'ts just an idea I figure it shouldn't cost that much to extend it by 6-10ft, just a thought thats why I want to look into it. but right now I got some rotted wood where the air cond was leaking so have to figure out how to cut a big piece out and replace it. To me it looks like plywood with frp on top and bottom but i'll ask hart just to make sure thats what it is.
Posted 2010-11-03 7:31 PM (#126640 - in reply to #126633) Subject: RE: Extending trailer?
Expert
Posts: 2954 Location: North Carolina
Welcome to the forum ...
Your question is like asking the price of a 150 foot salling ship or a new Ferrari Testarossa.
"...If you have to ask, it's beyond your reach."
I admire your reach though... Can't spend for a built-in hot shower in my trailer so I built my own shower that does the same ... Just takes a bit of setting up.
You likely would be better served buying another trailer with 10 foot dressing room. Or by taking the trailer to a custom fab shop that can price your desires.
Posted 2010-11-04 7:38 AM (#126648 - in reply to #126633) Subject: RE: Extending trailer?
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
It sounds like it is FRP, like they said. It is basically a piece of plywood with fiberglass on each side.
IMO - Concerning extending the dressing room by 10', it wont be as feasible as you think. There are many things to think about;
Structure - it's kind of like making a 2x4 longer. You'll have to overlap a certain amount in order to maintain strength. With the aluminum extrusions, you can't just overlap for appearance, so you'll have to figure extra bracing inside and out.
Axles - not just if they are heavy enough, but distance from the coupler. It will make for a tongue heavy trailer just adding 10' to the front.
Price - Most manufacturers are charging somewhere around $500 per foot to add length to a trailer on an order. That will be cheap compared to dismantling an existing trailer and adding structure plus footage and then putting it all back together. IF, and that is a big if, you can find someone willing to take the liability and do it, with labor and additional bracing, it wouldn't surprise me to hear of a price from $10,000 to $15,000.
Resale value - While your trailer may hit a bigger market with the larger dressing room, it will not increase in value by what it costs you to do it. Unless you plan on keeping the trailer forever, I can't see the benefit in it. I can actually see it losing value due to being so heavily modified.
Posted 2010-11-04 5:34 PM (#126671 - in reply to #126633) Subject: RE: Extending trailer?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 447 Location: cedar rapids iowa
I can't understand why someone would even think it would be safe and cost effective to customize something existing vs just selling and buying something already done that way from the factory. Now it's one thing if you worked in a frame shop so you would have an idea if it is feasible and costs associated with it and then you would have an idea of what it takes so these questions wouldn't even be asked.
Extending trailer?
