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Tell us about yourself: “I am a millwright by trade, and I enjoy spending time in my shop building and fabricating. When I'm not in the shop or at work, I like to spend time with the family quading or fishing.”
Loading a recreational vehicle onto a trailer by driving forward is one thing, but unloading without going in reverse is something else! Brad’s trailer design pivots just enough to allow him room to do just that!
Clever design, Brad! Thanks for sharing your project with us!
What is it? It is a snowmobile trailer, ATV trailer and utility trailer all in one. I built the trailer with ease of use in mind, specifically designed for transporting my snowmobile (Yamaha Bravo).
I designed the trailer so that I would be able to unload my snow machine by driving it off the front of the trailer, as my snow machine does not have reverse. I am able to pivot the front about 30 degrees, allowing me to fold down the front ramp and drive the machine off. I mounted a trailer jack horizontally underneath the trailer that pushes against the side of the tongue to pivot the front of the trailer.
What design/build challenges did you overcome? There were a few challenges in making a trailer that pivots for unloading, mostly because I had never seen anything like this before. I designed the pivot as I built the trailer so it went through a few different designs until I was satisfied. I wanted the trailer to be versatile so that I could haul my ATV and load a second ATV into the back of the pickup via the front trailer gate. I didn't want to have to handle folding ATV ramps, I wanted the ramps to be built into the trailer and double as side walls. The ramps are secured with pins for ease of use. There are no tools required. The front and back ramps as well as the sidewalls are removable as well. One of the most important details to get right was a means of locking the trailer tongue in place while the trailer is being towed. I built it so that the tongue would rest in a cradle with a removable pin to secure it in place. The pin fits very tightly to ensure the tongue does not move. The trailer pulls as straight as an arrow.
If you had to build it again, what would you do differently? If I had to do it over, I would build the trailer with a slightly heavier tongue to eliminate a bit of bounce while pulling heavier loads. I would also try to fit a 12 volt powered trailer jack to pivot the trailer; it’s quite a workout when you have all your winter gear on.
Which Princess Auto location do you visit most?Grande Prairie, AB