Our 6 x 10' cargo trailer has been an integral component for our many camping adventures for 3 years. I tow it behind our 24' Class C usually loaded with either our Rzr SXS or my Can Am Spyder. Destinations determine which toy to bring and we have nearly 25,000 miles towing the trailer.
For the last year I have squeezed in onto the north side of my driveway but it encroaches too much and is far from level. I finally made the run to Home Depot for 8 - 9" x 7" by 8' railroad ties that will form the pad for the trailer. The guys at HD loaded the ties 2 at a time {they weigh 150# a piece} using a forklift. I wrestled them out of my Honda Ridgeline ONE at a time.
Once they were stacked adjacent the build site the digging commenced. I hope to get the site dug down 4 to 6" and backfilled with small gravel so as to be level with the asphalt driveway. I'll drill the ties with a 3/8" bit and drive 2' 3/8" rebar to secure them in position. The last step will be to ramp gravel at each end.
Here are a couple of pics... definitely a work in progress:
Yep ,my little 570 RZR tows the {empty} 1200# trailer just fine.
Done for the day and at my age {70 next month} it is time for an Ibuprofen and a soak in the jacuzzi... I'll get back to it tomorrow {maybe?}
:B
For the last year I have squeezed in onto the north side of my driveway but it encroaches too much and is far from level. I finally made the run to Home Depot for 8 - 9" x 7" by 8' railroad ties that will form the pad for the trailer. The guys at HD loaded the ties 2 at a time {they weigh 150# a piece} using a forklift. I wrestled them out of my Honda Ridgeline ONE at a time.
Once they were stacked adjacent the build site the digging commenced. I hope to get the site dug down 4 to 6" and backfilled with small gravel so as to be level with the asphalt driveway. I'll drill the ties with a 3/8" bit and drive 2' 3/8" rebar to secure them in position. The last step will be to ramp gravel at each end.
Here are a couple of pics... definitely a work in progress:
Yep ,my little 570 RZR tows the {empty} 1200# trailer just fine.
Done for the day and at my age {70 next month} it is time for an Ibuprofen and a soak in the jacuzzi... I'll get back to it tomorrow {maybe?}
:B
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Pic above is what I was suggesting without the straps. I used 1/2" x 2' rebar dowels. Looks good!
Here is what I see. I obviously see the pic above. I have a Mac so I have no settings. This is an unusual issue. Maybe it can be posted again, don't want to miss out!
Here's the text from the shirt I saw on Monday at Disney World:
If you have to choose between being right and being kind
Choose being kind
And you will always be right
I thought of you when I saw that shirt.
Give kindness a try. You might like it.
Pic above is what I was suggesting without the straps. I used 1/2" x 2' rebar dowels. Looks good!
Here is what I see. I obviously see the pic above. I have a Mac so I have no settings. This is an unusual issue. Maybe it can be posted again, don't want to miss out!
Here is what I see. I obviously see the pic above. I have a Mac so I have no settings. This is an unusual issue. Maybe it can be posted again, don't want to miss out!
Let me "splain" it to you Lucy...
At 55 yards long the asphalt driveway slopes a bit from the garage out to the street. I leveled the grade on the pad to match that slope. The top of the asphalt coincides with the top of the ties. I dropped 4,000+# of crushed granite into the pad varying between 4 - 6" deep and then aggressively compacted it alternating between soaking it down and driving over it repeatedly with my Rzr and then the truck.
After three days the surface was extremely firm. I then carved a 2" deep trench along the ties and the asphalt and filled that as well as the rest of the pad with the top layer of the larger concrete gravel {another 2,000#}. Once again I soaked it all down and compacted it further using my truck. The second pic shows this clearly, the asphalt, gravel and ties are all the same height {mas y menos} and the compacted top layer of gravel will remain in place.
Absent the ties that secure the pad and provide the requisite structure the gravel would be displaced and scattered across the asphalt every time it was driven on. Containing the gravel is the key... After 8 months the pad where I park the coach {which weighs 11,500#} is working out just fine with no gravel movement and great drainage which Lucy, is why I utilized the same construction technique for both pads.
Here is a pic of the coach pad and as noted you can see that the gravel stays put:
:C
At 55 yards long the asphalt driveway slopes a bit from the garage out to the street. I leveled the grade on the pad to match that slope. The top of the asphalt coincides with the top of the ties. I dropped 4,000+# of crushed granite into the pad varying between 4 - 6" deep and then aggressively compacted it alternating between soaking it down and driving over it repeatedly with my Rzr and then the truck.
After three days the surface was extremely firm. I then carved a 2" deep trench along the ties and the asphalt and filled that as well as the rest of the pad with the top layer of the larger concrete gravel {another 2,000#}. Once again I soaked it all down and compacted it further using my truck. The second pic shows this clearly, the asphalt, gravel and ties are all the same height {mas y menos} and the compacted top layer of gravel will remain in place.
Absent the ties that secure the pad and provide the requisite structure the gravel would be displaced and scattered across the asphalt every time it was driven on. Containing the gravel is the key... After 8 months the pad where I park the coach {which weighs 11,500#} is working out just fine with no gravel movement and great drainage which Lucy, is why I utilized the same construction technique for both pads.
Here is a pic of the coach pad and as noted you can see that the gravel stays put:
:C
It is DONE! Woo Hoo!
It took another 2,000+# of the larger concrete gravel but that was just the right amount. Total cost of this project came in as follows:
8 Railroad ties {at 150# a piece} 9' X 9" X 7" = $199.76
2' X 3/8" rebar {12} = $33.31
Gravel, 4,160# of the crushed granite = $30
2,110# of the concrete gravel = $20
Grand total - $283.07
It took 6 days working 4 to 6 hours a day {which is about all this ole man can handle}. I filled and dumped about 2 dozen wheel barrow loads of earth from excavating, putting in the ramp and adjusting the finished grade {I'm guessing each load was well over 100#}. :h By the time I finished it was close to 10,000# of earth, gravel and ties moved.
The trailer sits dead level with the right wheel centered precisely on the RR tie stringer. I recovered another foot of driveway improving my access nicely. With the load ramp down I still have enough space for the Rzr {or my Can Am Spyder} to load from behind.
Here are the finished pics:
:B:B:B
It took another 2,000+# of the larger concrete gravel but that was just the right amount. Total cost of this project came in as follows:
8 Railroad ties {at 150# a piece} 9' X 9" X 7" = $199.76
2' X 3/8" rebar {12} = $33.31
Gravel, 4,160# of the crushed granite = $30
2,110# of the concrete gravel = $20
Grand total - $283.07
It took 6 days working 4 to 6 hours a day {which is about all this ole man can handle}. I filled and dumped about 2 dozen wheel barrow loads of earth from excavating, putting in the ramp and adjusting the finished grade {I'm guessing each load was well over 100#}. :h By the time I finished it was close to 10,000# of earth, gravel and ties moved.
The trailer sits dead level with the right wheel centered precisely on the RR tie stringer. I recovered another foot of driveway improving my access nicely. With the load ramp down I still have enough space for the Rzr {or my Can Am Spyder} to load from behind.
Here are the finished pics:
:B:B:B
