7 Must Have Utility Trailer Modifications - DIY Trailer Sides and MORE!

ever since i bought a utility trailer i've  come to appreciate how handy it has become   and wondered why i went so long without one   however giving a few simple mods the utility  trailer had the potential to be more than what   was already asked hello i'm radha socenda and  in this video i'll take you along my process   and show you what i did to my utility trailer  to get the most from it when shopping for a   utility trailer i'm always on a hunt to look for  something well designed and highly functional i chose to go with the caravan 6x10 because  it had checked off a lot of my boxes   the main ones that it was large enough  to transport my new cnc plasma table   and have rails that fold down  or can be completely removed   this would help when it comes time to forklift  the steel 4x8 sheets onto the trailer bed   while i did most of what i asked i knew  with some customization they could do more   that being said the goal of this video  is to show you how i outfitted my   utility trailer and to share  my experience along the way the first thing i knew i wanted to do was build  sides for the trailer for me adding sides would   help increase carrying volume and i wouldn't  have to worry about smaller items falling out   because this trailer was brand new i had one  requirement that i couldn't drill into it or   weld on anything to the trailer frame this meant  i had to come up with a way to bolt up the sides   to get a better idea how tall i want on my sides i  use some clamps to hold them temporarily in place   i also did this to check for clearances  and to see if i can still easily climb over   i went with 22 inch tall sides to work best for me  each side assembly is constructed using four five   and a quarter by six pressure treated decking  boards that i picked up from home depot and   is supported with pressure treated 2x4 for  the verticals to get the two by fours to sit   flush with the trailer rails i ripped  out a piece that would fill in the gap then use some deck screws to attach the verticals i also added a chamfer to the ends  to give it a more finished look then with my little helpers attach  the first set of decking board   starting with the front side first to attach it to the rails of the trailer i  initially thought about using 4x7 square u-bolts however i end up fabricating something  similar but made it more robust to fit snug   while i was welding up the custom bracket  i thought it'd be a good idea to weld some   scrap square ends to be used as a tie-down  point by the way i'm using 3 8 hardware with   uh 1 8 inch thick plate steel okay bring  the screws bring the screws up here aria   yeah for the install i pre-drilled the holes  here as it would be the most secure spot then repeated the process for the left and right  sides making sure each board butts up to the front   boards here i'm checking to make sure the crown  side of the boards are facing up when installed thank you that's it to get the ramp to close i  trimmed a few inches off the ends to make the front corner connections  i looked into a few options   initially i was just going to get these off the  shelf brackets but after reading the reviews they   don't seem to work with 2x4 corner connections  and my corner setup was a little unique   instead i used some toggle latches the cool  thing is that you can adjust this over time   if the connection becomes loose  here is a breakdown of the install time will tell on how they hold up to get a feel  on how the sides work i got a yard of bark loaded   it seemed to work out okay as long as  i laid out some tarp on the ramp side   and depending on what i'm hauling i  may just temporarily add a thin board   to the back to prevent smaller things from  falling out but for now tarts need to do the work   next was to get some wheel chocks to keep  the trailer from wandering when parked   to make them convenient to carry  i added a bungee with a carabiner foreign next was to have a place to store  and organize all my trailer gear   i got a trailer tongue box and did a quick  dry fit i wanted it as far as the back as   possible to clear my tongue jack and  also clear my hitch mounted spare tire i also didn't want to drill into the frame  so i ended up using some off-the-shelf   square u-bolts that worked out great after loading up my gear one other  thing i will eventually want to do   is create separate compartments  to stay more organized when i hitch to my 4runner i end up getting  these stabilizer jacks to keep the trailer   from being tippy these also might come in handy for if or  when i need to change out a wheel i chose   this particular one because it's a low profile  design and i like the range of adjustability and   i can appreciate how well this was designed and  how simple it had worked but they needed a minor   tweak to make it mount up to my specific trailer  because i had the tools to do it i modified it and as much as i didn't want to this was the one  exception that i made to drill into the trailer here's actually a quick demo of me over  exaggerating on trying to rock the trailer previously it was quite tippy before  i added the sides and the tongue box now with the stabilizer jacks it was rock solid   i can definitely see this come in handy when  driving up something heavier like an atv   especially when the trailer is not hitched  up next i added some simple reflective decals   this will help make my trailer more visible  for other drivers when in low light conditions when it comes time to storing the trailer i think  adding a cover can be helpful to protect it from   the elements currently i'm just using a tarp as  a cover and using my 10 foot john bolt as the   frame piece to hold the tarp in place but down the  road i do plan on getting a custom size waterproof   canvas cover i actually got the idea from remackel  trailers they use two removable aluminum bows   to help keep the canvas tight from flapping in  the wind while driving on the highway because   mine has a ramp i plan on reaching out to heavy  duty tarps to get one custom-made for my trailer   this will definitely come in handy since i store  my trailer outside and since we're on the topic   of storing to slow down thieves i keep the trailer  parked between the street sign and my bigger boat then i move the boat back to narrow the opening   in addition i do use the proven  industry trailer coupler lock then a padlock for the tongue latch and then chain up one of the wheels it's funny i even used a post of the street  sign to chain it up and i've also thought about   using my boat as well i know it seems a little  bit overkill i'm hoping this will at least slow   thieves down or somewhat detour them i do  have cameras and the trailer is insured   but if i can i'd like to do my part to keep  my trailer jack wheel from sinking into the   soft ground i use the wheel dock this also  prevents my trailer from rolling on pavement   i found that i use this often whenever i need  to unhitch my trailer and leave it somewhere   in the near future here are some things i plan to  do install some hard rubber pads at the end of my   ramp where it makes contact with the ground  to help reduce the amount of paint chipping next install a spare tire mount and have  a dedicated spare for my utility trailer   luckily my boat trailer spec wheels are the same  so now i'm just using that spare i also plan on   redoing my custom square u-bolts to make them  flush and i may add a second u-bolt to the base this will help make each bullet point even  sturdier as i plan to use these points to   add the x track rails to help make tying down  easier also at a later date i plan on removing   the two by fours up front and using some angle  or flat bar as a replacement this in turn will   help free up some space and give me the clearance  i need to lay my 10-foot john boat completely flat then once i'm content with all the tweaks i've  made i'll spec out a custom waterproof canvas   cover as mentioned earlier that completes what  i've done or planned to do to my utility thus far   i've had it for only a few months and i've got  to say with the setup it's done so much for me   it's helped me bring my cnc plasma table home  and something for my kids to enjoy playing on   has helped me hauled my building supplies for  my fence now i'm able to load or haul landscape   material away and it's been something that i've  used to store now and trailer my little john belt if you're interested in what you've  seen here i've left links to resources   in the description below if you have any  questions ask and i'll do my best to answer   if you'd like to see more videos like this leave  me a comment and subscribe if you haven't already   with that out of the way it's  time to go load up some more stuff

Channel: Ratha Sochenda

Views: 990,154

Keywords: utility trailer modifications, top utility trailer upgrades, keep your trailer from being stolen, building sides for trailer, custom utility trailer, diy utility trailer, homemade utility trailer, how to build a trailer, karavan utility trailer, trailer tips, 6x10 utility trailer, utility trailer, trailer sides, how to put sides on a trailer, best utility trailer, best trailer accessories

Id: XqD6D6I-HAI

Length: 13min 1sec (781 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 08 2022