Flatbed car hauler trailer fix-up
12-07-2012, 07:35 PM
#1
Flatbed car hauler trailer fix-up
It's not a truck (unfortunately), but I'm looking forward to fixing this thing up.
It's a 2003 Big Tex 12ET flatbed trailer. 18ft dovetail trailer, supposed to be a 12k GVWR (tandem 6k axles). Seller was asking $1850, got it for $1200 today. It's in pretty rough shape....needs new fenders, new deck, new wheels and tires (Its 8x6.5 lug pattern, there's lots of factory GM wheels with tires on CL for cheap!), new jack, new lights & wiring (hoping the brakes are good), and has a couple of cracked welds in the frame. Needs some fresh paint as well. I'll update this as I go.
Here's the craigslist photo. Trailer came complete with the scrap wood and tires!
I'm thinking that I'll end up putting about $1000 into it, and have something that's worth $2500-3000 when I'm finished *crosses fingers*.
It's a 2003 Big Tex 12ET flatbed trailer. 18ft dovetail trailer, supposed to be a 12k GVWR (tandem 6k axles). Seller was asking $1850, got it for $1200 today. It's in pretty rough shape....needs new fenders, new deck, new wheels and tires (Its 8x6.5 lug pattern, there's lots of factory GM wheels with tires on CL for cheap!), new jack, new lights & wiring (hoping the brakes are good), and has a couple of cracked welds in the frame. Needs some fresh paint as well. I'll update this as I go.
Here's the craigslist photo. Trailer came complete with the scrap wood and tires!
I'm thinking that I'll end up putting about $1000 into it, and have something that's worth $2500-3000 when I'm finished *crosses fingers*.
Last edited by thunder550; 12-07-2012 at 07:47 PM.
12-08-2012, 04:51 AM
#3
That's a nice trailer and a hell of a deal for a steel 18' dove tail .
I have a similar interstate all steel 18' DT, I use the hell out of it.
Trailer fenders aren't to expensive , bout 100 a piece, I've repainted mine once, but am going to spray the deck this next time with a good bed liner and see how it holds up .
Congrats !
I have a similar interstate all steel 18' DT, I use the hell out of it.
Trailer fenders aren't to expensive , bout 100 a piece, I've repainted mine once, but am going to spray the deck this next time with a good bed liner and see how it holds up .
Congrats !
12-08-2012, 09:28 AM
#4
Right now all I have is a Razr. I bought a 12' single axle trailer for it awhile back, but quickly realized that I wanted something bigger. My dad and I built a retaining wall to extend my back yard this summer, and had to make several trips for pallets of blocks because the small trailer could only take 1 pallet. He may also buy a Razr this spring, so I wanted a trailer that could take 2 of them. So...general construction stuff, toys, and being able to haul a car if necessary is always nice, especially if I decide to get back into a project truck 
That's a nice trailer and a hell of a deal for a steel 18' dove tail .
I have a similar interstate all steel 18' DT, I use the hell out of it.
Trailer fenders aren't to expensive , bout 100 a piece, I've repainted mine once, but am going to spray the deck this next time with a good bed liner and see how it holds up .
Congrats !
I have a similar interstate all steel 18' DT, I use the hell out of it.
Trailer fenders aren't to expensive , bout 100 a piece, I've repainted mine once, but am going to spray the deck this next time with a good bed liner and see how it holds up .
Congrats !
12-08-2012, 09:42 AM
#5
So...here was the fancy light setup. Magnetic stick-on lights that were "stringed" and taped to the fenders. Somewhere along the way they reverse the running and turn filaments (bright lights came on with running lights, dim lights came on with signals and brakes), and reversed the sides, so when I had my left signal on, the right light would flash on the trailer, and vice versa. I had to stop on the interstate and cut and splice wires once I realized what was going on, lol.
These are the fancy tires and wheels. All 4 tires are different brands, sizes, and I think there's 1 truck tire and 3 trailer tires on it. I think all 4 wheels are different too.
Tongue jack is bent, needs to be replaced. Also, for some strange reason they though it was easier to weld rail to the tongue to increase tongue weight rather than move the load further forward on the trailer. These are coming off.
Inner fenders...driver's side is ok, but there's not much left of the passenger side. These will be replaced.
So here it is with all of the trash removed:
...and here it is with the OSB removed.
Next up is removing the deck boards. Most of the screws that hold it on are rusted in place. I'm going to cut the boards to remove the spans between the floor bracing, chip away the wood left around the screws, then get something to hopefully penetrate the rust. What's good? WD-40? PB Blaster? Something else?
These are the fancy tires and wheels. All 4 tires are different brands, sizes, and I think there's 1 truck tire and 3 trailer tires on it. I think all 4 wheels are different too.
Tongue jack is bent, needs to be replaced. Also, for some strange reason they though it was easier to weld rail to the tongue to increase tongue weight rather than move the load further forward on the trailer. These are coming off.
Inner fenders...driver's side is ok, but there's not much left of the passenger side. These will be replaced.
So here it is with all of the trash removed:
...and here it is with the OSB removed.
Next up is removing the deck boards. Most of the screws that hold it on are rusted in place. I'm going to cut the boards to remove the spans between the floor bracing, chip away the wood left around the screws, then get something to hopefully penetrate the rust. What's good? WD-40? PB Blaster? Something else?
