If it's a 4500, David Tilston might have what you need- he's got some CAD drawings of the frame posted downpage in the thread at this link. (Post number 31)
You could send him a private message by clicking on his name there...
Good luck
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i have put a frame under beachcomber ,for the same reason cracks, whent with a flat ladder type works good and gives me a little better ground clearance. i also put a wider axle and added 18" to the tung it is easier to back up.
I am still working on lifting the "box" off of my frame.
I suspect that the frame is looking like a version of "metal swiss cheese".
I am considering adding some length to the back, for a storage box.
Also, add a couple of inches between the axle and frame to get some more clearance.
And, add a bit at the tongue.
I may even get a wider axle to move the wheels outside the trailer. Then add molded fenders. This would give a bit more stability and also a bit more space inside.
The addition, on the tongue, would be used for propane tanks, battery, and a heater.
I am planning to add a "proper" furnace to the rig. I am planning on having the actual heater outside the actual trailer.
However, it has been over a year and the box and trailer are still attached!!!! :-(
I got some time off coming up around xmas, with a snowstorm hitting us now the next few days will be spent shoveling snow away from the trailer getting timbers for supporting the body and blocking cut. I will find some time this weekend , to start cutting the old frame bolts and disconnecting the propane lines. I work outside all year long so weather should not be a problem , the snow should be nice and squeaky at -27
When you add to the back for storage make sure you add to the front .i did that once .what happens is at higher speed it will speed wobble./ fish tale. the only to fix this is to make the tongue longer.i think it is 60/40 split .60 front based from axle center..i added 20 inches on the front much easier to tow and back up .also the more weight rear of the axle the less stable it is .as for the axle wider is better. i have built around 20 trailer and modified lots more .hope this helps. Mike
,when i did mine i whent from 13" to 14" tires and made the axle wide enough so i could use front wheel drive wheels from a Oldsmobile ,now i have a large selection to pick from,
Yes i put 15" on my big foot .and the 14"off the bigfoot i put them on the Trillium better weight load and stability .tows flatter. gives the ball height at about 16" /17" front wheel drive rims have a nagitive off sett of 3 from center .
Yes I was thinking of 14" wheels from a ford ranger they are plenty in the auto wreckers. I will be ordering a new axle from Specialty tire here in Winnipeg.They have the custom axles either leaf spring style or rubber torsion style. They have a lot of stuff for trailer mfg ....tires, rims and lights and couplers.
If combining a rubber torsion axle with an offset auto wheel, you need to check that the rim will fit over the axle. One guy with a large teardrop tried to fit matching wheels to his Jeep and found that the clearance between the wheel rim and the non-moving end of the trailing arm was small. A sketch I did back then is attached.
I have not tried the rim swap on the torsion bar style yet .and yes that is a good point.I work mostly with axle and leaf springs . do you know what the offset was on the rim ? I know there are some places on the web where you can get spacers to move the rim outboard to make a positive offset and get the room you need.
This example was with a wide 7" rim and 2" of offset, so it is not likely to occur with narrower rims.
This is the one occasion when wheel spacers are not a nasty way to get around a problem - putting spacers on a trailer axle with offset rims allows the tyre/rim centreline to be brought onto the hub centreline, which is where the trailer hubs assume a wheel will be and where its bearings are designed for.
Using an offset auto wheel on a trailer axle without spacers is putting an off-centre load on the bearings - if the trailer weight is up near the axle capacity, that must shorten the bearing life, though I should say I don't have experience of that in practice.
My Beachcomber came with 3' positive offset from the factory ,same thing going the other way did not seam to be a problem. i know why they did that .The tires would rub on the body with center lines.and at the end of the day the factory put the wrong axle in ,or was cheep because they got a deal.
rebuilding a 1976 Trillium, the frame is rotten does anyone have a auto cad drawing that i could give to the fab shop to start a new frame.
Considering that the Trillium is pretty much a body on frame design with a flat floor... Why not just buy a ready made utility trailer , remove the wood from the floor and mount the body on it?
They are commonly available with 14,16 &18 foot platforms.Cargo area would be ready made, front, back or both!
Keep in mind that utility trailers don't usually count the tongue in the advertized length.
I built a 1952 Ford pickup on an Econoline frame, it drove great and is still going straight and strong after more than 20 years. That sort of thing is common for streetrods and custom vehicles.
Considering that the Trillium is pretty much a body on frame design with a flat floor... Why not just buy a ready made utility trailer
Just like a Boler, there is a step in the fibreglass behind the axle, so it is not quite flat.
The 4500 is much less flat. The water tank is below the floor of the dinette, and the drain for the tank is the lowest point of the fibreglass.
The offset required for the rim is zero. I have installed Ford Ranger rims on a Trillium 4500. The 3500# axle I had put on has too large of a center, so I had to grind about a 1/4" out the middle of the rim so it would fit.
Just like a Boler, there is a step in the fibreglass behind the axle, so it is not quite flat.
The 4500 is much less flat. The water tank is below the floor of the dinette, and the drain for the tank is the lowest point of the fibreglass.
The offset required for the rim is zero. I have installed Ford Ranger rims on a Trillium 4500. The 3500# axle I had put on has too large of a center, so I had to grind about a 1/4" out the middle of the rim so it would fit.
It was not much of a step on my 13 Trillium. It certainly doesn't look like a challenge to me, especially when you consider that it is a simple boltdown design.
Notice the size of the "step" and how straight the the frame is...say compared to a Scamp where the there is not really a step, but rather a lowered floor section including the doorside and door opening.
The wheel offset becomes nearly moot with a frame change especially with negative offset (like a Ranger wheel).
Look here...
Floyd, I agree that the step is not especially large, but it reflects a step in the frame as well. this step in the frame actually happens before the axle, so the floor from that point to the step in the fibreglass is sitting below the frame. If the body were put on a flat frame, then it would be a good idea to put something in the place of that step in the frame. Not a big deal, just a good idea.
Waltzin' Matrillda
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