I just saw that as of today, 11/27/21 if you spend over $500 you get a $100 gift card. That is how I bought this trailer kit. I don't know how long it lasts. but visit on-line at www.northerntool.com/. 👍
Built mine and the Arizona MVD said they couldn't register it and give me plates because the MCO (title) wasn't signed on the back by the dealer, so I had to call northern tool and get them to send me an "original bill of sale" signed by them.. smh hopefully wherever they send me is an "original bill of sale" and the MVD accepts it,,!! The trailer manufacturer is some Chinese factory, the front of the title was signed by some Chinese person but not the back dealer section. Smh lol
Thank you for the great advice on building the trailer. I would put tie down hooks on the top rails to and then both upper and lower in front and space the the tie down hooks. Love the way it turned out.😀🤘
Nice. Very nice. Incredible job! This video definitely boosted their trailer sales. Northern Tool should mail you a check for the cost of your trailer.
This is a good and informative video. Thank you for posting. I would like to mention about the trailer axels. After putting the hubs on the spindles, install the washer and then the castle nut (as you called it a slot not). You then tighten the castle nut all the way down to preload the bearings. Then back the castle nut off to where the tire will freely spin. Install the carter pin, cap and call it done. With the wire connectors, I couldn't hear weather you said the are or are not weather proof. They are not. I would have use butt connectors with a 3:1 heat shrink which has adhesive on the inside. This will help make it more water proof/resistance. All in all, it works for you and you did a good job showcasing the trailer build.
I would have put the carriage bolts in with the heads in the trailer and the nut on the outside. Not as pretty to look at but it’ll give you a flush surface on the inside to slide stuff up against. So you’re less likely to damage it. Also having the sides tighter together with less of a gap. This way if you need to haul sand or a loose material, you won’t lose as much. Nice build overall.
Thank you. I was the same way about finding a trailer that was affordable and still had what I wanted. It has held up great and I use it a lot. Thanks again for watching.
I enjoyed this video and your build. For my use, I would have made the following modifications. 1) reverse the carriage bolts so the rounded heads are on the inside. Then cap the outside of the bolts with Acorn round head nuts. That eliminates the studs of the bolts sticking out inside the cargo area and snagging the cargo or your shins and hands. Sharp edges are a no no. 2) I would have run a white ground wire to all the lights. I have experienced too many issues with bad grounds on trailers. For me, well worth the extra cost and effort. 3) grommets on all wire penetrations through the metal holes in the frame. Chaffing wire insulation is definitely a thing. Been there, done that, don’t want to go there again. I like your use of deck boards instead of plywood. It just looks better and I just like it more than plywood.
Same here with the lighting suggestions - that nice powdercoating breeds grounding issues. Same with the blue connectors - expect to start having corrosion issues with them, as they damage the wire and are not fully waterproof. I never have issues after I went to running a dedicated ground to every light and using shrink connectors.
I have watched this video of yours at least a half dozen times. Great video! Bought one and used your video as a reference. Cost me $549 with a $100 gift card as a reward. Used the gift card and got the loading ramp on sale for $79.99 and still had $$ leftover. 5x8 really is a great size!
One of the grease fittings broke when I tried to add lubricant. Called Northern Tool customer service and a few days later, got a new pair of grease fittings. Customer service vas very nice and helpful which makes this trailer just that much better of a purchase. Bravo Northern Tool!!!
I just bought the aluminum version of this trailer today and should receive it in a week or so. You did a fine job on your bed and stakes. I also think it was a great idea to run the wiring through the wood beams. Thank you for the video.
@@checkyoursix5623 After I assembled the trailer I priced out the lumber for the sides and floor and it was over $200.00! Now 4 months later the prices have finally dropped so i can get the decking and sides and finally finish the trailer.
Thanks for this great video! This is really well done. I'm on the lookout for a small, cheap trailer! I especially like how you built the deck. 2x boards are a huge improvement over plywood.
aaww... that van must really love you for just not willing to die, lol. Learning from your instructions I can build this trailer in 3D. Beautiful family, good sense of humor, I just enjoy watching your videos, thank you for taking the time to make them. God bless and hugs from Belgium.
great video! very thorough and clear. This convinced me it is the better choice over the HF folding type.A trailer definitely has advantages over a pick up.
I looked at both before settling on the Northern. The big differences I found are the axle is a full square tube VS a U tube with spindles welded on the ends. The fenders a better and the bed is 5’ wide VS 4’. It has been a great little trailer. The only negative is the instructions are bad and the wire connectors are not waterproof. Thanks for watching.
Thanks! My son left the kit at my house and I started to assemble. Instructions were absolutely worthless. Watched your video and I'm sure it will save me a bunch of time. He intends to build a teardrop camper on the trailer.
@@virgilwhetsel5289, I would love to see it! Here is my email gcavasos@gmail.com if you would like to send a pic. I would love to build something like that.
Hello, I haven't read any of the previous comments, but when you can even though you purchased pressure treated lumber, please please rano paint the underside of your trailer and wood, as well. This will save your purchase. As well as putting wire sheeting over them, as well as painting your leaf springs. You have a very good trailer!!! These are the things that I would of should of done to keep my trailer protected. 😢😢😢 . Have a very blessed life you and yours!!! Merry Christmas and a very happy new year 🎉
Thank you so much for the wonderful suggestions. Very good advice for the viewers. Thanks for watching and you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. God bless.
Great job, my only comment would be. The wiring should be soldered and covered with weather/water tight heat shrink tubing. The provided connectors are not weather tight, and are really meant for temporary internal use. In no way your fault, they should have put better connections in the kit, or explained in the directions...
Also wherever the wiring comes into contact with the fram there needs to be some protect with a small grommet. That will help to make sure the sheathing on the wire isn't scraped off resultng in a short and the lights not working.
The tailgate latches you installed have a tendency to wiggle loose when you're going down the road, leading to a lost tailgate. I'd recommend replacing them with something that securely locks, or adding a swivel catch that will secure the handle. When it's time to rewire the lights, get some good heavy duty jacketed wire and use heat shrink connectors. The wire that comes with those cheap light kits is usually almost as bad as the scotchlocks that they provide. Make your splices in protected locations if you can and protect any of the exposed wire with split loom or tape to keep the sun off of it. Make sure you have a good ground coming from the tow vehicle to the trailer. If the jack breaks, replace it with one with a foot instead of a wheel.
Replacement of jack wheel: speaking from a woman's, I'm much more prefer a wheel on my swing. When the trailer is loaded, the wheel allows me to move my trailer around manually with ease. It also saves stress and strain on my body.
You did a beautiful and very thorough job on this! You should make kits for these and make some money off of them. It might be tedious, but seriously, very impressive.
Great video. My only suggestion would be to put the heads of the carriage bolts to the inside of the bed so there would be a smooth edge for not scratching up any cargo that is hauled.
I just bought this trailer. I too was confused by the center brace and the tongue attachment points that varied from the instructions. I attached them the same way you did although I wished I had seen your video prior to this confusion.. thanks for the video. Great job! Also NT now just offers a $50.00 card instead of $100.
Thanks, by far the best video out there on the Ironton 5 x 8. I really like your 2 x 4 idea under the decking. Although, I would have made them flush with the top of steel cross channels with the same floating floor like you did. I plan to weld the upper cross channel bolts into ends of 1" sq. tubing for my side panel upright posts, then weld a 1.25" top rail on and something along the bottom and 1/8" HDPE plastic sheets to save weight.
Great tutorial. Your video is definitely a better guide than the instructions, and mine also came with locknuts and a double-middle instead of the large channel.
Gene you did very well just a thing. I would change .... 1. On the side boards and end boards. I would have reversed them and put the heads on the inside and threads on the outside. My late Father and I built several utility trailers and all had the heads on the inside. His reason was the threads would possibly scrach something you were hauling.
Excellent point! And I ended up doing that exact thing, but only after tearing a whole in a friend’s couch LOL. I also would recommend using water tight wire connectors. The ones it came with are not. Thanks so much for sharing and for watching.
Put the heads of the carriage bolts for the upright fence boards on the INSIDE of the trailer, not the other way around. Now you have bolt heads that will chaff and are in the way.
Hi Cap, I hope it help folks skip over some of the things I had to do twice. But it’s a great little trailer and I think I’m going to get a lot of use out of it. Thanks for watching.
Hindsight being so good, I might put the carriage bolts for the side rails from the inside, and countersink for the washer and nut in the 2x4 on the outside. Great job though! I have a HF trailer, and it seems I'm always thinking of ways to do it better. Never satisfied.....
Nice project Gene. If a lack of engine oil isn't doing the job, start adding oil to the transmission, or antifreeze to the brakes, whatever works.. LOL
When connecting the tongue to the frame a spacer inside the channel with a longer bolt running through both sides of the channel would be nice. There are holes on both sides of the channel. Some sch 40 galvanized pipe would work for spacers.
Good video. I like the decking. The wire connectors that crimp the wires are junk. They are not waterproof and are very susceptible to corrosion. Using butt connectors or soldering and covering the joints with heat shrink tubing is the best method.
did that with a 98 geo prizm (toyota), it went a couple more years before the seals completely failed. Was on it's way out anyways, was an interesting experiment.
Nice video thanks for posting, that trailer looks very similar to the Harbour Freight Super Duty 5x8 that I've seen on YT, however, judging from the look of those fenders it would appear to have somewhat better specs. A friendly word of advice, those blue snap together electrical connectors ( known as Scotchloks here in the UK) are most definitely NOT waterproof, after a while they will begin to fail when exposed to rain, road dirt, winter roadsalt etc and are not suitable for an outdoor automotive application. I learned this the hard way. Regards from Wales UK.
It’s my understanding that they are. Why would the manufacturer provide connectors that that are not considered waterproof. But if you can improve on it, why not? Thanks for watching.
@@brentbradley6711 Thanks so much for adding these amazingly insightful comments Brent! Have you been doing your insecure internet troll act for long? Your really good at it!
The scotch locks that were used to connect trailer wiring to your lights are prone to failure. There are other connecters that work a lot better. Ground wires should have bare metal to bare metal so a dremel tool would do the job. ex. military electronics guy
Great build, Gene. Looked good finished. Curious how much weigh it is rated for? My only comment on a job well done, may be to torn the carriage bolts around and counter sink the nut side into the 2x4 side. Puts the smooth head to the inside and hides the threads from catching on clothing on the outside. Should lose enough strength since these are just side walls. But, hey, maybe your way has served you fine. Again, thanks for the nice video.
Great video!!...trailer looks awesome...hope it has served you will these past 2yrs!...1 quick question....did you bolt the 2x4 cross pieces to the frame cross pieces...or did you leave them floating?
Great question. I cut them tight taped them into place. Then when the decking is screwed down it sandwiches the cross stringers and locks them in. I hope that helps. The trailer has been a great help for me and is still holding up great. Thanks for watching.
Use caution with the tongue jack. If the trailer has a lot of weight in it those A frame rails will twist a lot. I replaced the center cross brace with a cut up 4x4 and bolted my jack to that so it's inline with the center of the trailer.... works much better with weight.
Nice job on the trailer. I would have fastened your side and end pieces to the 2X4 side pocket stakes with 5 deck screws at each intersection of upright 2X4 and 1X6. The screws drive in from the 1X6 into the 2X4. That way, no carraige bolts to trim when you're done, it's less expensive, faster and just as strong.
When running your lights, you went thru the top of thebeem. You should have drilled a hole thru the Beem and used grommets to protect the wires. Just a little something great will save your wiring in years tocome.
i'm about 1/2 way through so far great video. do yourself a favor and buy a good impact driver. they aren't quite as powerful as an impact wrench but they are the handiest tool you'll ever own. finished the video and its a great video! thank you for making it and sharing!
@@DIYGene i know. i have 2! home depot puts the ryobi 3 speed p261 kit on sale about 3 times a year for $99. i got one for myself and one for my dad. i snagged a hart single speed 3/8 at walmart on clearance for $55 (tool only) but the one i use the most is my dewalt atomic impact driver which was $99 for the kit.
As far as i'm concerned, an impact and drill are a necessity for a project like this in order to preserve my sanity, SO many fasteners, can't imagine doing them by hand.
@@DIYGene I was building a shed that cost $650, and bought a bosch12v drill and impact driver set for $100 for that. I had been looking for an excuse to get a small drill for a long time, and that project alone was worth the purchase. Now that I have them, I rarely touch a regular screw driver, and with adapters, I only use sockets on things requiring more than 50 foot pounds. Been working on my chainsaws recently, and especially when its the end of the day and I have to take my saw apart AGAIN because I didn't get it right the first time I really appreciate having them. Having both the drill and impact driver allows me to keep 2 different bits / sockets ready so I don't need to swap them out as often.
I got the bottom square but the top is off by like 1/4 inch. Also air is trapped in my grease cover, it just pops itself off. Guess i need to prefill with grease to solve this? Too tired today to finsh it.
Just saw this video. Excellent build. Thanks for sharing. How satisfied are you after 2 years of use? Any issues? Anything you would have done differently? How heavy is the wood comparing to the plywood since heavier it is you would loose your load carrying capacity. Thanks in advance!
The trailer is doing great. My only advice would be to use different wiring connectors than the non waterproof ones that come with it. Using deck wood has really been a advantage and is holding up great. I don’t think it added much more weight than plywood but will hold up better. The powder coated metal looks as good today as the day I got it. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
I bought a log hauler from Northern tools and it is very heavy duty and.quarter of the price of competitors. It was missing a lot of bolts and the heavy duty chain. They credited me for the missing parts. It seems common to be missing parts from there but price and quality is great. Great video, I am thinking about buying the same trailer, how is it holding up?
Good vid. I just gave away my trailor I made from an old pop-up camper and need something smaller. Aka that will fit through my gate into my back yard. This would be perfect. Would just make the deck into a dump trailor insted add a hing or 2 and a tall support upnfront and a winch hand crank or eletric
That’s a great idea. You might check out Northern’s web site because they were offering $100 gift cards with the purchase. That what I did. But I don’t know how long that deal lasts. Thanks for watching.
Deck screws are ok for around the house, but on road conditions, they tend to snap, pop out , end up on the road, when the wood gets older, warps, weather beaten, bounced around.
Is it a preferred method to install lumber to screw the deck bed into? I was "gifted" the 4 × 8 foldable and I need to strip all rotted lumber. Would it weaken frame if drilled for fasteners? A job well done! 👍
I liked screwing the wood on for straight. But I also installed wood stringers for the wood to be installed on. Would the trailer you have be able to have wood stringers? This could cut down drilling a lot of holes in the metal. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
You had me going OK til you got to the wiring. I can't say I share your opinion of crimp on connectors. IME they corrode and fail in about a year. And No chafing protection for the wires passing thru the frame? You're killing me smalls! ;-) By the time you did that "ground" I was offended enough I had to say something. A self tapping screw thru the frame would have been better. I got my trailer like this earlier this week. Mine is the folder, but I can see where they share many of the same parts. Thanks for your time presenting this. Lots to be learned here.
I see what you are saying with the connectors, but that is what it came with. I have sense gone back and replaced them with heat shrink. I hope that dose better. Thanks for watching.
I have seen a few teardrop trailers built with this trailer. It can handle the speed but I have noticed they usually go to a larger tire and wheel. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching.
Replace the van with a Chrysler product van. It'll be dead in no time. Haha And before people start to criticize my statement, I've owned several Chrysler vehicles. I have a ram 1500 currently, but I also have 2023 Outback touring XT. I was thinking about getting a 4-ft trailer for it for certain purposes. I've looked at the harbor freight one, but I thought it was just painted. I wouldn't mind getting a powder coated utility trailer instead of painted.
I off set it so I could use deck screws to attach the deck to the stringers. Otherwise I would have to drill a lot of holes in the metal and use carriage bolts to secure the deck. You can do that, but this seems to make more sense. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for watching.
Great video. I just bought this trailer and started putting it together. In the beginning I noticed that I didn’t have washers so I thought I would go through the parts list. And going by the parts list I am missing quite a few of them. I called and they are going to send me a new trailer but after watching your video it seems like I might have everything I need. All I really got was the smaller bolts, nuts but no washers. I can get washers no problem. I didn’t get the large middle cross beam like you but never thought of putting the two together to make one. Did your video show all the bolts that you used for the trailer? I might cancel the order they are shipping if you recorded all the bolts that you used.
It came with enough including bolting the two center braces together. I didn’t get any washers either. But I feel the lock nuts should suffice. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.
@@TheCriticalChris I ended up keeping it. At the time I thought I was missing more parts. I called and the manual is really out of date. It calls for a few items that didn’t come with the trailer. I just bought washers to use.
You will have no end of trouble with those Scotch Lock wire connectors. They are not waterproof and they are aluminum cinch to copper wire. You should have at the very least covered the connection with dielectric grease to give your wiring a fighting chance at keeping the connection over time.
You are so right. It’s a shame that those are the connectors that come with the trailer. Maybe I should do a video on updating the wiring. Thanks for the comment.
I wonder after it was all said and done what the final cost was. A 5x8 trailer at Northern Tools is currently $1099 with all metal construction and wire mesh floor.
After the lumber the total was around $700.But I also got a $100. gift card at the time. The mesh one must be on sale, its $1140. here. Thanks for watching.
Great video . I like the use of the 2”x6” for the deck boards . Maybe it was the camera angle, but it looks like there was no spacing between the boards. Unless you have a great water sealer on them they will swell up when they get wet. Still great job
I used a couple of 16 penny nails through a scrap board to make a spacer between the deck boards. It gives me about a 3/16” space between them. Thanks so much for watching.
@@DIYGene Awesome video! I liked how you spaced the deck boards. However, in my advanced years, I'd suggest screwing only one screw, not two, for a few months, depending upon the moisture content in the wood. I've seen new deck boards pressed against each other with no spacing, screwed on both sides. Then months later STILL end up with a 1/4" gap and split wood where the screw was because of the shrinkage. These lumberyards sell them saturated with water.
@@rusosure7 , That is an excellent suggestion. I was disappointed when I purchased the lumber because it was still wet. I don’t understand why they leave it out side so long uncovered like that. I am waiting until summer to put a sealer on it so it can dry out. Thanks so much for watching.
@@DIYGene I'm no expert, but I assume if the boards are pressure treated, they *must* have to saturate them with a water/chemical solution like in a pressure cooker. And since all this covid nonsense has choked the factory's output, they're probably in the tank on Monday, on the truck Tuesday, in Home Depot Wednesday, and dripping dry on your trailer Thursday. Not any time to dry out.
@@rusosure7 actually Home Depot has them sitting out in the weather for weeks. The wood is wet from the weather not the treatment. Home Depot clams because it’s pressure treated, they don’t need to store it inside. But it’s sure heavy when it’s wet.
@@DIYGene Are they rated for not above 55 like the HF's? They look like the same cheesy bias ply. I don't want to have to upgrade piecemeal unless it really makes sense.
@@DivineMisterAdVentures , I’m pretty sure they are not rated for speeds above 55. I actually purchased a spare because I don’t want to be stuck somewhere. I do feel the construction of this trailer is better than HF. The axel is a solid piece unlike the HF is a U channel with two axle studs welded in. The paint is more like powder coated and the fenders are better built. I hope that helps.
@@georgekrabs6948, That’s a great idea. When the weather warms up I want to seal the wood, add your suggestion and maybe show how it’s holding up. Thanks again.
Couldn't the carriage bolts be inserted from inside out so they don't intrude on the interior space? Could serve as bungee points too, when they're on the outside.
Great video. I was on northern tool website when i saw the aluminum frame version and wondered how to build the decking for the bottom. I knew they don't make a 5x8 piece of plywood so I figured to use decking boards, but didn't know how to fasten them to the frame. So I RU-vid'd it and found you :-) Obviously, you answered my main question but I have a couple more. Would it be a good idea to trim down the 2x4's a little to make them flush with the frame so there isn't a space between the frame and the bottom of your deck? Or would it even matter? Also, "All in", how long did it take you to completely put this entire thing together and approx. how much did you spend on lumber? And do you know if a steel frame is better/worse than an aluminum frame? Thanks again for the video. It was very informative and good. And loved that your son was helping you.
I thought about flushing it to the metal, but because of the bolts that run around the outer edge, I decided to go this route. I holds really well and I have had no issues. I went with the steel because it is powered coated and cheaper. The down side was I had planed on $100 in wood and ended up spending $180. Mainly because of the pandemic lumber prices have gone through the roof. I am hoping they come back down soon. I would also look at that composite decking because it may be cheaper than wood right now. I hope this helps, thanks for watching.
If using treated pine, depending on the treatment it can react with certain metals (Aluminium and Stainless Steel for example). Minimising direct metal contact like Gene did is an excellent idea. If you use composite decking, pre-drill and countersink everything, as it can crack easily if precautions aren't taken (perhaps also use a clutched drill, instead of an impact driver, so they aren't over driven too). I would have installed the Coach Bolts (Carriage Bolts) the other way around too, so that the round head is to the inside. That way you can secure things to the side without worrying about damage from the nuts and remaining bolts. Not as pretty to look at perhaps, but its a utility item!
