Customizing a Trailer For Hog Fest

I bought this trailer new for my Brother from another Mother. It has been a while since I saw it but when they wanted a wash station trailer I suggested use this one. Little did I know the boards were falling off as it was towed to my shop. I stripped the boards off the other day and thought I took pictures but right now I don't know where they are.

So the project is to fabricate a full width wash table with a 31in single sink, a built in 65 gallon water tank, 12 volt pump, and battery. Totally portable wash station so it can be carried into the tent if they want to. A canopy for keeping them dry and cool is going overhead but must be removable. Also 2 55 gallon drums for extra water must be secured somehow.

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Here I'm making some pads that will be welded to the trailer frame so the canopy frame can be removed when not wanted. Using my Bandsaw I cut out some circles then grind the edges fairly even.

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Using some leftover Roll Cage material I cut some 4in sections, cope the radius of the trailer frame, then weld mounting pads on before welding to the trailer.

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Using a layout center punch I transfer the aluminum pad mounting holes to the steel pads, drill the holes, and buff off the surface rust before welding. The blue rust / paint remover pad on the grinder really works better than anything else I have used.

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I use a piece of angle iron to keep the mounting pads level for welding. After its all welded up I primed the raw metal to prevent rusting. Now I will switch to 1-1/2in aluminum pipe for the canopy frame.

Getting it done

:popcorn

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I didn't know my phone camera lens had a greasy smudge on it so that is where the halo in the photos come from. When building a custom T-Top for a boat I add references, here a vertical center is added to work to.

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Aluminum pads are bolted to the steel pads so when I weld the frame to the pads a perfect fit to simplify removal and re-installation of the canopy frame is achieved.

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Just a shot of the welding area, the table and stands are both needed due to the size of the forward riser.

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Now with the forward riser welded in place I can move on to the next step of fabricating the rear riser.

Love the step-by-step photos. This is going to turn out nice.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Love the step-by-step photos. This is going to turn out nice.

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I think so too. I had them send over their Que Dat logo artwork so I can make custom banners for it. In fact I need to sweet talk Slab into sending the artwork over in a vector for the cool logo he has on the camper. That would look very nice done in chrome on the smoke windows of my Fishin' Expedition.

Before closing down for the evening I cut & welded the back Frame section. The back frame is 1in higher so if it is raining I don't want water running off the back or access side of the top. Water will run off the sides and towards the front or hitch side.

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To ease tacking a bulky, unbalanced, frame up in the air like I need to do here rigging support is critical. In the next picture you can see steel & clamps used to position the vertical stabilizer while I tack up the bases.

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Coping the crossmembers could be difficult but I do something that makes perfect copes the exact distance needed. By cutting a piece of wood to fit perfectly between the riser pipes I use the piece of wood to mark the insides of the copes on each end of the crossmember.

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To check the Holesaw cutting location I just slide the teeth up to the marks and lightly by hand, use the teeth to mark the pipe. You can see how this lets you know exactly where you're cutting.

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Now that the crossmember is fitted I drill a hole to relieve the air pressure while welding under the crossmember so it can't be seen.

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To make lining up the second cope with the angled pipe joints I use a digital angle finder. Since I know my pipes are welded at a 40 degree angle I make the first cut with my angle finder zeroed out then rotate the piece of pipe 140 degrees. Simple math 180 - 40 = 140. Make my second cut and I'm within a degree on both ends for a perfect fit the first cut.

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Now I can pull the trailer out for painting & decking while finishing welding out the canopy frame. LED Spreader Lites will be mounted on each side under the front of the canopy and one shining towards the back of the trailer so I have to weld the mounting tabs for those on too.

I love how you think of almost everything like angling the canopy for rain, etc. Your experience and talents has no bounds. :highfive

Just a partial post showing the LED Spreader Lite mounting pads being installed. I have drilled and pre-wired the frame but have to take pictures.

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Jumped from the fig trees right to the trailer. Using a DA Sander I went over all the above wood metal feather edging the rusty areas ahead of the rust remover disc.

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The rust remover / stripper disc really cleaned all the rust up well. They wear down, pictured below is a new disc and a worn out disc. As it wears new abrasive is exposed rolling thru the rust.

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Best way I know to wash up a project like this is a car wash. Quick trip to Diamondhead for the task and look at the metal now. That is how clean the stripper pads remove rust.

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A quick trip to Picayune for a PPG Refinish Commercial DTM (Direct to Metal) Urethane paint. I will have to post the actual paint tomorrow, if you have to paint a trailer / piece of equipment and want it to last this is the paint.

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First and second coats, the picture on the second coat does not due it justice, the sun was gone. This paint stays color fast, will not burn out or caulk, is rated for direct salt spray, gets almost as hard as a ceramic, builds 5 mils with 2 coats, etc. Now I have to wait a while before installing the boards. Although catalyzed it still takes time to fully harden, got to move to the LED Lites, they are in, installing them tomorrow.

Wow, big difference. Looks good.

Quick picture with the Canopy frame on top. The Canopy marine vinyl fabric arrived today so I will be working on it along with the refrigerator & refrigerator hole.

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After looking all over this morning for the ARP Fridge Defend controller for the camper fridge unsuccessfully I switched over the the Canvas Top for the Hog Fest Trailer. I have never sewn Weblon Regatta Marine vinyl before but it sews very nice. To walk you thru the steps to making a well fitting marine canvas it starts with a very well fitted pattern.

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I use house wrap to make patterns so every marine canvas I make I can make a duplicate. After getting the house wrap clamped tight to the frame I trace the finished edge onto the wrap with a sharpie.

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After removing the pattern I lay it out on the sewing table to straighten out all the lines with a long straight edge. I also mark any obstruction to a grommet so here the center pipe would be in the way of the lacing so I X it out.

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The corners need some kind of radius. Since I didn't bend the pipes but welded a square edge I have no bent radius to match so I just add something I can make the turn on with the sewing machine.

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Reinforcing the edge of a marine canvas allows it to be laced on Banjo Tight. Here I'm cutting two 2in strips that will be sewn on as a reinforcement where the grommets go. Cutting it off the side of the entire roll before cutting the fabric prevents the need for piecing later.

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The most waterproof seam is a Double Fold Felled Seam. Here I attach the two halves with Basting Tape so they don't move while sewing. I sew the first stitch run 1-1/2 inches from the longest edge. Then baste the flap with tape before folding it over to the seam I just stitched. After folding the flap over I add another run of tape then fold the top piece over flat pressing the seam flat as I stretch it out.

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My machine was a bit dry, not a lot of sewing these days so I had to stop and do a full service before running the rest of the canvas.

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The first picture I'm sewing the first stitch, the second & third I'm doing the second stitch. It only shows one stitch on top. That second stitch I try to run right down the edge of the fold as straight as possible. When sewing such a large canvas it helps to fold it so it will slide better.

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Now I can lay the pattern on top of the piece of canvas centering the center pipe with the center seam and trace the pattern on to the canvas. I use the books as center weights and tape the edges of the pattern as flat as possible. After tracing I again straighten all the lines out before cutting out the Top.

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Now the 2 inch reinforcement strips are basted in so they don't move while sewing. I first sew the entire outside edge then baste and sew the inside edge. A Binding trim will be added to the outer edges tomorrow. I had to go look at a Yamaha F250 this afternoon the hydraulics is having issues. It's on a 33ft boat so I may be using my waders tomorrow.

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Laying out the grommets takes focus, focus I don't have anymore of today so Tripletail here I come.

Amazes me all you can do. Truly an artist.

Definitely a handy man to have around

Very nice sir!

You are a man of many talents.

Somebody got some skilz goin on

Got up this morning and added a sewn on the edge binding to give the canvas a professional edge treatment.

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The walls in my log home reflect little light, in fact it's kinda dark. I'm lightening the photos as much as I can without totally washing them out. You can see the Binding Attachment guides the canvas while folding the Binding right before the needle. You can't install binding well without a Binding Attachment. The finished edge is nice and clean.

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I did a 3 inch Grommet spacing since this trailer will be pulled on the Interstate.

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Using a Press-N-Snap tool with hole punch dies and #1 Grommet install dies I punch the holes and install the grommets.

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Of course the canvas fits perfectly. There is no replacement for patterning a canvas job for a perfect fit every time. My hand strength is not what it used to be so the tiewraps will hold the canvas in position while I lace it with Parachute cord, tomorrow - not today. The press-N-Snap killed my hands, with the thumb troubles I'm having on both hands (the abuse never ends) I have to pick my fights these days. Lacing, you must hold tension constantly for about a hour to finish a run this long.

Curious will that stretch any over time and have to be laced again? Looks good John.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Curious will that stretch any over time and have to be laced again? Looks good John.

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No just the opposite, it will shrink just a bit. I weave enough extra line in so if the canvas is removed there is enough to lace it back.

The canvas will shrink too. Working with Sunbrella if you are using a old canvas to make a replacement better add 1/2 inch all the way around minimum as it shrinks over time quite a bit. People can snap their canvas, zip the canvas closed, secure the canvas properly due to shrinkage.

I figured it would stretch. Just the opposite, interesting. Thanks

Got going today with the usual morning tasks but after seeing the forecast for a rain event to move in by this afternoon I went to buy decking for the trailer. I knew what materials I wanted for decking and with my 2009 pickup full of stuff for the landfill I had to use my UTV trailer to haul the wood. Dropping the tailgate in the yard first I hooked up the trailer and went for a drive.

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This trailer has a very odd width to the deck so I needed 11 2x6x12's and 2 2x8x12's to fill it out perfectly. First I put a few boards on for size.

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Seeing the boards would need trimming I put the rest on to mark them all at the same time. Found out my Mercedes was ready to pick up and faced with loosing my ride to the shop till next week I dropped what I was doing to pick up my car. The shop did a full Transmission service (you must have the Mercedes STAR Software to do the service) and fixed a oil leak while under the hood.

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So tomorrow will be a drilling & bolting, 78 bolts are going into these boards. That will take a while.

After taking care of some chores I got back on the Decking. I laid out where to cut the long Deck Boards first, cut them, then started cutting and fitting the Dovetail Decking.

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Now this trailer came with 3 pieces of thin angle that held all the decking in. The manufacturer added a run of self-tapping screws in the middle but that really is a band-aid attachment at best. The screw heads always pull thru.

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I mitered the Dovetail Decking to the Main Decking. The fit is so tight I had to use a Wonder Bar to fit the last piece in. Now they will shrink, after all its treated wood, still a bit on the wet side.

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I deck'em like they should be decked, thru-bolted using galvanized Carriage Bolts in every brace, and in every board. Before bolting the Decking in you could shake the trailer and it flexed & twisted. After I was done with the 78 bolts the trailer had spine!

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I still have to mount the Spreader Lites, wire them up, and lace the canvas top.

Lunch Break. Went out before light to get on wiring the trailer itself, laced it yesterday.

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After running the calculation on how much lacing cord I would need I added 10 ft, measured out the length on the cutting table 110ft and cut a piece of cord. Calculating you count the number of grommets, multiply that by the circumference of the pipe, add 2 inches for each grommet, since the grommets are 3 inches apart you multiply the number of grommets times 3 and add all that together. Adding the extra 10ft keeps you from coming up short which I have done over the years.

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You start in the front & center with the lacing divided exactly in half. You 1/2 hitch all the way around till you get to the back center.

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After lacing all the way around you go back to the starting point and work all the slack out holding tension and working the 1/2 hitch up to the grommet. Once you get to the back you cross over one grommet into the other side before tying off. I weave all the rest of the lacing into the top.

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Now you can cut all the wire ties loose that are holding the top canvas centered while lacing.

That turned out nice. Looks really good all laced up.

I will be happy to see this one go home. Hog Fest is closing in, I'm driving in to teach the crew how to cook my Tamales as they will be selling them at the Festival. The trailer is going in too to stay hopefully. Now to the lighting. I didn't pay attention to one of the rear trailer light brackets being missing till I moved the trailer away from the welding machine so I made a bolt on one to replace it.

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Using a fish tape I ran the new trailer light harness thru the top tubing and out to the light fixtures making sure to secure the wire well.


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Grounding the trailer lights is always a problem so I drill and thread a grounding screw for each fixture then put a locking nut on the backside of the screw after making the connection so it never loosens. Last up is wiring the Canopy Lights.

Super nice trailer setup. Love that dovetail decking, and the way you mitered the wood, most folk just woulda jut it square. And that canopy is so tight you could bounce a penny off it to the moon. Great job John.

Definitely an awesome build

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Originally Posted by Slab

Super nice trailer setup. Love that dovetail decking, and the way you mitered the wood, most folk just woulda jut it square. And that canopy is so tight you could bounce a penny off it to the moon. Great job John.

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I pulled it 70mph to New Orleans yesterday and the canopy didn't move so the delivery was a success. Of course the Chef for the Hog Fest event was very pleased, he's the one who needs it. Still have the Wash Station to fabricate but working on the camper today.

I welded mounting tabs on the canopy frame so I could add lighting. These BBQ competitions you're working before daylight and after dark so my guys needed light. I ask them to order 3 of these 12 volt Spreader LED Flood Lights and I would install them.

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I terminated the Lites with marine grade Butt connectors and where I had dissimilar diameters in copper conductors I used Step-Down Butt connectors. If you look close at the connectors pictured the blue stripe inside the connector insulation designates the 14-16 gauge wire side where the other end is for 10-12 gauge wire.


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I ran all the wire internally in the pipe as much as I could.

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And tested the lites before pulling the trailer home.

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Catching up…wow did it turn out nice. I need to do my 12 ft landscape trailer this summer. This will be a great reference for the decking replacement.