M353 Welding Trailer

[tylerryals]

Thought I would share my welding trailer build off of an M353 base, because when I got this idea, there were hardly any (that I managed to find) examples to pull inspiration from, or to decide if it was a bad idea or not. I chose this route because it was easy and cheap to get a hold of an M353, there is a guy in fairly easy driving range that peddles them (any .mil trailers really) out regularly.

Counting buying the trailer and the required materials to mod it, I'm into the trailer sub $2000 (I don't have an exact number, more than $1500, less than $2000). The other route I would have went would have been a ground up custom trailer and after some quick estimation, it was apparent that I could buy, mod, and be done an M353 before I could even buy the major materials (channel, angle, tread plate, axle, springs, rims, and tires) and still have all the minor materials and hardware to have to purchase.
I am perfectly aware of the fact that you can buy a cheap "utility" trailer for that or less and use it, several people around here have done so, but that was not an option in my eyes; they do not make good welding trailers for regular-heavy use, in my opinion (and that's all it is, an opinion).

Overall, I would say its not as ideal as the custom one I would have built, but at less than half the price (estimated) its perfectly good enough. I'm not completely settled on leaving the job box on it (hence why its only strapped down), but for now it will serve its purpose, it was one of my old ones I don't use anymore. Eventually, I would like to draw an integrated box out in CAD, send it out to be sheared and plasma cut, and build an integrated box onto the trailer that sits in the "hole" at the front of the trailer.

The box that is there now is 48"x24"x24", if I do make one to go there, it'll be approx. 40"Wx20"Dx24"H and be a permanent part of the trailer, but that project will be farther down the line when I have time. The only thing that is incomplete at this point is I am going to add a bench vise to it, I just haven't made up my mind where and how yet. If anyone has any questions, feel free to throw them at me; I would have liked to seen examples to get a better plan before I started and will be glad to help anyone else.

Sorry for the lack of progress pictures, I didn't really intend to make a build thread or anything, it just hit me to post it as an example to someone else.

 

[simp5782]

Looks good.

I have one of these with the hydraulic unit on it that the military used. I was Planning on using it run the 400amp 20,000kw Hydraulic welder/generator I have. Luckily it is 1/3 the size of your Miller unit there so it won't the up much room with the hydraulic unit still on the trailer.

 

[tylerryals]

Looks good.

I have one of these with the hydraulic unit on it that the military used. I was Planning on using it run the 400amp 20,000kw Hydraulic welder/generator I have. Luckily it is 1/3 the size of your Miller unit there so it won't the up much room with the hydraulic unit still on the trailer.

Thanks,

I believe I ran across a picture of one of those trailer setups when searching for ideas for my trailer. I had never heard of it before, but I seem to remember it having an HPU, welder, and a big hardigg style case mounted on it. It looked very intriguing, I would have liked to seen one in use.

 

[country]

NICE WORK!

Thanks for sharing pictures

 

[tylerryals]

NICE WORK!

Thanks for sharing pictures

Thanks

 

[tobyS]

I like to lay my oxygen bottles flat on the floor to keep the CG low. Then I use a 20 lb lp tank (also low). I carry (3) 330 cu ft tanks and 2 lp tanks with my Hobart in an 1101. A side opening box is in the front and another box is on the extended tongue (kept the surge brakes but went to 2 5/16" ball).. use regular 16" truck tires.

 

[Mullaney]

I like to lay my oxygen bottles flat on the floor to keep the CG low. Then I use a 20 lb lp tank (also low). I carry (3) 330 cu ft tanks and 2 lp tanks with my Hobart in an 1101. A side opening box is in the front and another box is on the extended tongue (kept the surge brakes but went to 2 5/16" ball).. use regular 16" truck tires.

.
Gotta ask though, what about an Oxy bottle "getting loose" with it pointed in your direction?
Low is good. Tied down?

 

[tobyS]

I'm a slow moving farm vehicle (I have the triangle to prove it). Ha. I keep the caps on when going far (off the farm) and they are sandwiched between the wheel well, the welder and a reduced size gate. The tank would have to go through a tool box and front wall of the trailer. Nope, don't worry at all. One will be for shield gas at some point on al mig.

 

[Mullaney]

I'm a slow moving farm vehicle (I have the triangle to prove it). Ha. I keep the caps on when going far (off the farm) and they are sandwiched between the wheel well, the welder and a reduced size gate. The tank would have to go through a tool box and front wall of the trailer. Nope, don't worry at all. One will be for shield gas at some point on al mig.

.
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That sounds good to me!!

Red triangles are cool to have.
I should add one in the toolbox of my wrecker.
Maybe mount it to a magnet.

That way, maybe I can say I did all I could do to warn?

 

[tobyS]

.
.
That sounds good to me!!

Red triangles are cool to have.
I should add one in the toolbox of my wrecker.
Maybe mount it to a magnet.

That way, maybe I can say I did all I could do to warn?

They are visible against the green background and while I have a title, I'm not buying plates. I'm keeping 32,000 commercial farm plates on the 929....so they get plenty of my money.

 

[Mullaney]

They are visible against the green background and while I have a title, I'm not buying plates. I'm keeping 32,000 commercial farm plates on the 929....so they get plenty of my money.

.
Agreed!

On the solid green truck it can't be much better.

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As far as taxes:

Best I can calculate it comes really close to 50% of every dollar that you get is assigned to paying tax (in one form or another).

You buy a house. You pay taxes on it when you buy it, then every year thereafter. Don't forget updates in a few years. Building permits to properly report what was done and how much more it is worth now... Then, take your already taxed income and go to the grocery store and pay sales tax there (7.5 % in NC). Your already taxed money and buy prepared food at a restaurant causes an additional 1% bringing it to 8.5% tax.

Buy yourself a new car with your already taxed income and pay sales tax on that new car, then pay more yearly taxes. We even have a dog tax and a cat tax! You buy it, and the government will tax it for sure! Especially high needs for tax money because of those who prefer to collect a check rather than have a job... Wow! I can definitely get all worked up over that.

 

[tobyS]

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Agreed!

On the solid green truck it can't be much better.

---

As far as taxes:

Best I can calculate it comes really close to 50% of every dollar that you get is assigned to paying tax (in one form or another).

You buy a house. You pay taxes on it when you buy it, then every year thereafter. Don't forget updates in a few years. Building permits to properly report what was done and how much more it is worth now... Then, take your already taxed income and go to the grocery store and pay sales tax there (7.5 % in NC). Your already taxed money and buy prepared food at a restaurant causes an additional 1% bringing it to 8.5% tax.

Buy yourself a new car with your already taxed income and pay sales tax on that new car, then pay more yearly taxes. We even have a dog tax and a cat tax! You buy it, and the government will tax it for sure! Especially high needs for tax money because of those who prefer to collect a check rather than have a job... Wow! I can definitely get all worked up over that.

There is a basic flaw in our money system. We use a reserve requirement on banks, then let them loan out 95 dollars of new money .....with interest. That 95 dollars is a debt.....no, the debt is on 100. Taxes pay the our government debt.

A graph of the " dollar" growth, principle and interest was proven to follow a simple graph of compounding interest since the FED money system was made the sole maker of money for the USA in 1913 in a book called Truth In Money, 82.

Using M3, it matches and predicts the growth of US Dollars at about 6% interest.

The flaw is, there is no mechanism in place that makes the interest portion. Yet interest paid over the life of a loan can be 30-60% or more. My house loan at 5 was good (at the time) but 15 years of payment was 80% interest if I paid it off today. Our country has huge and mounting debt but no method to "make" equity money to pay interest from. It's a forced borrowing mechanism....borrow for the principle and then borrow more to pay the interest. Not good.

OOPS ....a bit off topic.

The welding trailer is a good investment....a great investment.

 

[Mullaney]

There is a basic flaw in our money system. We use a reserve requirement on banks, then let them loan out 95 dollars of new money .....with interest. That 95 dollars is a debt.....no, the debt is on 100. Taxes pay the our government debt.

A graph of the " dollar" growth, principle and interest was proven to follow a simple graph of compounding interest since the FED money system was made the sole maker of money for the USA in 1913 in a book called Truth In Money, 82.

Using M3, it matches and predicts the growth of US Dollars at about 6% interest.

The flaw is, there is no mechanism in place that makes the interest portion. Yet interest paid over the life of a loan can be 30-60% or more. My house loan at 5 was good (at the time) but 15 years of payment was 80% interest if I paid it off today. Our country has huge and mounting debt but no method to "make" equity money to pay interest from. It's a forced borrowing mechanism....borrow for the principle and then borrow more to pay the interest. Not good.

OOPS ....a bit off topic.

The welding trailer is a good investment

.
Thanks for the info. I need to go dig and learn. Thanks tobyS

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Agreed. A fantastic Welding Trailer makes it easier to Get Stuff Done!

 

[tobyS]

Tylerryals, is the suspension on that as heavy as the spring on a 105 trailer axle.?

 

[tylerryals]

Tylerryals, is the suspension on that as heavy as the spring on a 105 trailer axle.?

I can't really speak to a comparison to that axle , even though we do use one for a water carrier with a ~750-1000 gal poly tank in/on it (which goes without saying, that suspension is plenty heavy), I've never really paid much attention to it, but I can say the suspension on an M353 is plenty stiff. Its a torsion and leaf sprung setup and even with most of my weight sitting on the trailer axle (which isn't that much), I don't compress it much and I still get a little bit of bounce out of it on rough roads. It was pretty bad empty and weighing down did help a lot, but I can tell its still not springing much.

The drive home with it from buying it was a little interesting when you got to a rough patch of road. It probably wouldn't be an issue for someone with smooth roads, but if you were going to use it on rough, poorly maintained, county roads (which are plentiful around here) getting some weight on it to make it spring would have to be a priority. I forget how much the data plate shows, but I think it was nearly 10K Lbs. GAWR off-road and I believe that is a little conservative on there part (at least suspension wise).

 

[tobyS]

The spring pack on a 105 has 11 leafs plus overloads. Weld trailer, with the size welders we have, could loose a few. I'm lucky with the 1101 to have torsion and shocks.

 

[tylerryals]

The spring pack on a 105 has 11 leafs plus overloads. Weld trailer, with the size welders we have, could loose a few. I'm lucky with the 1101 to have torsion and shocks.

Good to know, next time I'm around my 353 I will have to count the spring pack and see how many there are for a comparison.

 

[tobyS]

The 105 spring is also the same as the front of most deuces. Will be interested to see if it's the same.

 

[tylerryals]

I know its been awhile, but I didn't forget about the leaf count. It has 15 leaves (not counting the overload), for what its worth. Also threw in a picture for everyone's viewing pleasure. As a bit of an update, I haven't found any new downsides to it and its actually grown on me a lot and I would say I am as happy, if not more, with it than I would have with a full custom built one. My favorite thing about it is there is plenty of room to put other stuff and basically everything and everywhere is strong enough to put a ratchet strap on