Saw a guy at the lumber yard with a homemade trailer for hauling plywood

I was grabbing some treated lumber for a raised bed project last Saturday and this older fellow pulls up in a beat up Ford Ranger with a trailer he built himself out of scrap metal. It was nothing fancy, just a flat platform with some wooden sides he bolted on, but he had a full sheet of 3/4 inch plywood strapped down flat and secure. I asked him about it and he said he got tired of paying $50 for delivery every time he needed a few sheets, so he spent a weekend welding up a basic frame using old bed frame rails he found at the scrapyard. What got me thinking was how many of us just accept paying for delivery or renting a truck when we could build a simple solution for under $100. I've been debating whether to build a small utility trailer myself or just keep borrowing my neighbor's, but seeing his rig made me lean toward building my own. It wasn't pretty but it worked perfectly and he said it's held up for 6 years now. Has anyone here built their own trailer or know a good guide for a beginner welder?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.richard6d ago

Man, that's awesome. I built a similar lightweight trailer out of an old boat trailer frame a couple years back, just welded on some 2x4 railings and a plywood deck. Your mileage may vary on the welding part but for hauling plywood or gravel it's been a lifesaver. It ain't pretty but it works.

park.adam6d ago

Question whether it's really that serious a guy just threw some 2x4s and plywood on an old frame and called it a day. Not exactly a structural engineering marvel but hey if it holds a few sheets of plywood who cares.