Posted 2005-04-12 1:09 AM (#23698) Subject: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
well i thought i would share with you what i am doing to my 24' Tracer trailer i have.
My trailer had a tack room in the front with a door on the curb side and that was the length of the long wall .the wall then went to the corner on the driver side of the trailerright by the gooseneck.so there was't a hole lot of room.so i moved the wall back midway in the trailer were the original middle divder was and put the wall back up.i then ripped up the floor and put in new angle iron to raise up the floor to match the originla tack room hieght.then i installed and a/c unit i had on an old motor home.
Well now i decided between my wifes to national show horses and my 17.2 hand standard bred the back might be a little too short.(he fits but is crambed)so i did some measuring with them loaded last week.and decided i need to add 24"to the stall area.so if 2' is good 6' is even betterSo now i have built a subframe 12' long that will add 6' to the back of the trailer and tie into the original trailer.and now the icing on the cake I am building an air ride suspension for the trailer.These horses are gonna love me!lol!
and since my trailer is only 6'3"tall i am also rasing the roof area in the horse area.So now i have to tear out my LQ wall and move it back 4'.I have also been designing a plan to build a slide out in the front of the trailer.Iam waiting on a call for some parts on that.
I am a millwright so fabricating all this stuff is my thing and i'm to cheap and poor to buy a new one(trailer)lol.I will have to take some pics as the trailer takes shape.
Posted 2005-04-12 7:50 AM (#23703 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Ontario - east of TO
Sounds like a really interesting project you have going there.. I love to see pictures - not that I could (or want to) do that to mine - just being nosey! LOL
Posted 2005-04-12 3:59 PM (#23740 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402
Location: Lockport, Illinois
You are sure doing things right. Have you taken into consideration adding 6' to the length of the trailer will also change your gooseneck hitch weight. You should be moving the axles back, but being a millwright you know that.
Posted 2005-04-13 12:19 AM (#23772 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
moving the wall back isn't too bad as long as you can cut the welds without causing too much damage to the rest of the interior structure.i had to put in some more sqaure tube were i was putting the wall in as there was none there so i would have a place to weld the wall back in.
Yes i am serious.lol!I just got done rolling steel to match the radius of the corners of the roof and got the rest of my air tubing and brass connections for the air bags.I hope to have the suspension fabbed up by thursday night and the subframe with the suspension attached to the trailer friday.(wishful thinking)I have been fabbing pieces at work everyday so i can get this done.
Right now i am waiting on my sister-n-law to call about a new axle.she works for dexter axle and can get them at costsince my front one is bent.
well thanks for the encouraging words.what will it take to post pics on this forum?i would like to put some up for you guys as the progress goes.Thanks
Posted 2005-04-13 10:46 AM (#23791 - in reply to #23772) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Ontario - east of TO
Originally written by jackel440 on 2005-04-13 1:19 AM
moving the wall well thanks for the encouraging words.what will it take to post pics on this forum?i would like to put some up for you guys as the progress goes.Thanks
happy trails
Many of us here use Webshots.com You post the pictures on there and then just post a link to the site. It makes it easier to e-mail pictures too, as the internet is faster than e-mail.
Posted 2005-04-13 5:45 PM (#23804 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Veteran
Posts: 140
Location: Colorado
Dang, I wanna see the pictures! What a project. It's a good thing I can't weld or I'd be doing the same thing. I was looking at the door on my trailer today and thinking if only I could take out one of the windows and put the door in that space... I'd never have my LQ done!
Posted 2005-04-14 9:59 AM (#23830 - in reply to #23804) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Expert
Posts: 2828
Location: Southern New Mexico
It's a good thing I can't weld or I'd be doing the same thing.
Thats what I was thinking. I'd love to remove my single door and put in a double rear door (already built a rear tack), add a door between the DR and stall area, add an escape door, and just all kinds of other stuff. Oh, well. It all goes on the list for the next trailer. I just hope I'm not to old and crippled to make use of it once I am "allowed" to get it.
Posted 2005-04-15 10:52 PM (#23932 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: Ontario, Canada
Sounds like you're doing an 'overhaul'. I have to do minor overhauls on some of our trailers, I'm hoping to do our 2 horse this summer. I'm a toolmaker by trade, but have been welding and fabricating for a long time too. I'd love to get some details about the slide out, I'm thinking about building a trailer in a year or 2 with LQ's, and would love to put a slide out in. (Having used a few RV trailers with them, it's amazing how much space they add.)
Posted 2005-04-16 11:15 PM (#23957 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
yeah the slide out makes a big difference!we had a jayco fiver and it had a slide it was sooo nice!I am waiting on a guy to email me about a slide mechanism he has in his shop.if it falls through i have a couple of design ideas to use.
I have been busy the last few days trying to get the air bag suspension fabbed together on the subframe.I just about have the front axle done.just have to make the plate to mount the bag to the axle swing arm.this little endever is taking me longer than i planned since what i had designed on paper is not always working.but it is coming out nicely.
ive got to get the pics i have taken posted but i keep forgetting to download them off the camera.i will get them soon.
Posted 2005-04-17 8:35 AM (#23960 - in reply to #23957) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 333
Wow, what a neat job. My 84 Park Ave needs some tubing in the front and my 94 NYLXT could use a window between the horses and the front.. I would like to see what they are doing back there while I am driving (had a horse go down in a stock when I was a kid and the driver didn't know til we got to the show!!!) makes me want to go to welding school. But I know it isn't the school, it is the experience. Let us know how it turns out, would love to see the photos!!!!
Posted 2005-04-21 1:14 AM (#24094 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
all right finally got some pics for you guys.haven't got a whole lot done but the suspension is coming along.the design stage and then fab took some engineering changes to make things work out smoothly.
I have one axle moving with air and have to find a set of shocks with the correct stroke to mount on it and get the ride hieght control valve mounted.
still waiting on my sister-n-law to find out about another axle from Dexter.I had to get her some # off the old one so they can get an exact match.
well if i can get this link thing to work here you go for now http://community.webshots.com/user/jackel440
Posted 2005-04-21 8:56 AM (#24104 - in reply to #24101) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Veteran
Posts: 140
Location: Colorado
Geeze! That IS nuts! Keep posting the pictures, I would love to see how this all comes out. Now I am REALLY glad I can't weld. That looks like hard work.
Posted 2005-05-03 1:52 AM (#24617 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
here's a couple of update pics and pics of the door and windows i picked up.Things have beeen going slow as other things keep coming up and has slowed progress down,but i am still chuggn away at it http://community.webshots.com/user/jackel440
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Posted 2005-07-13 12:35 PM (#28003 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
well my litttle project is on hold at the moment as we are doing some renovation work on the farm here so my time has been taken away from the trailer plus working lots of hours at work (aarrrgh!)I still plan to get it done just takes time.Hope to get back on it after the mopar nationals in august.
The slide out is still in the design phase as i have a couple of different options on how i plan to make it work and keep it all affordable (LOL!!!)
Sorry i havn't kept up on this for you guys but i will be back on it soon.
Happy trails
aaron
Posted 2005-11-08 12:12 PM (#32813 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
hi everyone!
I have had a lot of bad things happen here and haven't got to work on the trailer at all.
I lost my dad and grandfather in august and september then my best friends brother and then his mom.
I hope to start on the trailer again soon as i really want to go campn next year.I have been makn some design changes while i have had some time to reflect on things.
well just wanted to let everyone know that this isn't a dead end.38
hopefully in a month or so i will have some thing constructive going again.
have a nice day and happy trails
aaron
Posted 2005-11-08 10:46 PM (#32836 - in reply to #23698) Subject: RE: stretching my Tracer trailer and installing LQ
Member
Posts: 26
Location: galveston,in
thanks
i know alot of people were interested and i didn't want them to think it was just a flook that i started this.well got to go to bed as i just got off work.everyone on here is great and i hope to get to share more now.have a nice day
aaron