10 Harbor Freight Trailer Modifications

After 22 years, I have come up with a unique set of modifications to make this trailer better than stock.
Topics: Split Safety Chains, Centered Trailer Jack, Traveler Tube, U Bolt Lift Points, Unfolding Assist Bar, Assembly Overview, Folding License Plate Holder, Weatherproof Deck, Reliable Wiring Harness, Spare Tire Holder, Custom Picket Fence, Captured Fence Pocket Pins
Music by Bensound.com
This channel is owned and operated by Armed and Dangerous DIY.

[@stephenwalker319]

Awesome brother!

[@stark0228]

I also have a garage hoist to raise and lower my trailer. One useful thing that I've learned is to throw some cheap wheel chocks behind the wheels right before they hit the floor of the garage. It stops that wild swing backwards.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Omg I can’t believe I never thought of that. It’s the only unsolved problem of that setup.

[@mikehenrichs5449]

Dude, your Genius is all showing in 14:59 your video. Keep making videos they’re great.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

I appreciate that!

[@TheKotik32]

Just FYI, any bed liner coating works very well for the bed. Very durable and not slippery. Excellent ideas for the trailer.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Interesting. I didn’t Know Bed liner paint was available for diy. Any suggestions on brand?

[@nealplatzer2182]

​@armedanddangerousdiy6096 Herculiner is the big brand available at most hardware stores. They make a aerosol version most people say is easier to work with, I have only used the brush/roll on version...which is a pain, but pretty effective.

[@TheKotik32]

That’s what I have used, the roll-on version. It makes a very nice, thick and rubbery surface after 2-3 coats.

[@jameskleist4019]

You are the 2nd person to say they had to brace up the tongue because of the twisting when moving it. Plus, I like the other ideas you showed in the video. Great job. 👍👍👍👏👏👏

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Ya the twist on my old trailer was terrible. It was a 6 inch drop from the front right to back left deck corners. There are fancy tongue jacks better suited but I’m on a budget. I prefer a project vs expensive projects.

[@luemas3219]

Great mods. Thanks for sharing!

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Appreciate the comment!

[@TxBoi4891]

Great video. A lot of simple, yet very effective mods.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Thank you!

[@letscheckitoutfirst1667]

Great video with lots of great ideas!

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Glad you like them!

[@donthuvc8115]

Been trying to figure out how I could unfold this trailer on my own in the garage instead of my steep driveway & I’m a short not very strong lady 😅. Your mods are great. A pickup without a pickup truck is now a possibility for me! TYSM

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

You can do it!

[@avgFloridian]

Neat mods, dude. I also ended up completing the ground circuit on mine. I need to grab those stake rack connectors and corner security latches.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

It was the only way to make the wiring reliable. I road trip a lot with it and I don’t want police trouble. The whole concept is no tools. Some day I’m going to invent a no tools way to bolt the back trailer deck to the frame when you unfolded. Until then, the only thing you need to put that trailer together is a 9/16 socket everything else like the corner security latches are easy. I’m glad you like the video, it represents 20 years of trailer modifications by myself and improvements.

[@youcanthide004]

Awesome, thank you!!! / This is the video I was looking for. I will follow your lead to a T once I assemble the trailer.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

I’m glad you can benefit from 20+ years of evolution. Thanks for watching!

[@pb-bx1ll]

Great video, thank you

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Glad you liked it!

[@namelast8697]

Great video Thank you..

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

You are welcome!

[@christophervela5447]

You did a great job

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Thank You!

[@Hawk-qn2zk]

What a great video! 👍 subbed, now to take a look at more videos.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Welcome aboard!

[@marcster13]

Love the location of the spare tire.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

First I tried the tongue. It made the tongue too heavy to fold the trailer. Then I tried the picket fence but then you have no spare flat bedding. Then I just kept it loose but then it was in the trunk in the way. I finally settled on the under deck location as a happy medium. I’ve only used the spare once in 22 years. That was the trip I broke the leaf spring overloading it. To be fair an 18 year old rusty leaf spring from China didn’t have much of a chance. I want to figure out a traveler tube to hold the wrench and mount an old car spare jack to be complete. Take care bro!

[@nyinfamous2k2]

Thanks for the updated post. Ok after you open the trailer you ONLy use the 2 carriage bolts to lock it in? what about the other 2 regular bolts, one on each side near the carriage bolts, and 2 bolts that go through each independant frame to hold the frames together? you dont lock those in ? I was wondering what most people did about that. Since I plan on keeping this folded up most of the time, I always see people post just unfolding it and using it, they never mention locking in all those 6 bolts. Got a lot of good ideas from this clip, bummer that I literally just finished wiring mine up last night lol. I took a few extra steps to protect the wires and better grounds. Ill keep the junction box idea in my head for the future. man you have it stored in the perfect spot. takes up no room there.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

So if you look at the instructions for the trailer, you are correct, that there are two more carriage bolts that are installed vertically through the two frames near the axle. They are virtually IMPOSSIBLE to install. So on a whim about 18 years ago, and decided not to put them in and see what happened. Nothing that’s what. I’ve never installed them since. My theory on that is the two carriage bolts by the fender that I showed in the video plus the hinges are enough to hold the rear deck in place. Plus if you look at the trailer design, as long as you properly load the trailer uniformly, with a slight positive bias towards the tongue, you’ll never have too much weight on the very back of the deck. And trust me, I’ve driven a garden tractor up loading ramps onto the deck without those two extra bolts, and nothing happened. I’ve been running without those two extra bolts for so long, I guess I’ve proved to myself they are not required. I intentionally did not mention that in the video because of the liability of me circumventing harbor freights design. Surely you can appreciate that. And yes run a ground wire to each light and use junction boxes. Rust and corrosion are the real enemy. The free wiring bundle you get with a light kit is too thing and the plastic cracks in the cold. When you upgrade in ten years buy some heavier gauge wire intended for automotive. Merry Christmas bud!

[@mattharvey8712]

Bravo........my upgrade.......add second axle...and...spare tire........cheers

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Good choice! Thank You!

[@AmericaFirst069]

I made T handle type threaded screws with a threaded plate from behind, to lock the pickets, in place, on my trailer.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

That’s a good idea!

[@JIsabelle218]

What size clam and clevis pins are used for the fences. What did you use to secure it to the fence when not in use? Ingenious mods!

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Glad you liked it. 4 inch clams. I just bought some inexpensive stainless chain and screws.

[@user-xu7lv9xi2q]

Great video, thanks a lot! What size are the wire lock/ clamshell pins you used?

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

You’re welcome! They are 4 inch. I’ve bought them at Menards and tractor supply in the past. They are near the rope, chain, and ratchet straps typically. Thanks for watching!

[@user-xu7lv9xi2q]

Thanks for letting me know. I couldn't find 4" pins, but my local TSC sold 1/4" diameter square bale locking pins with 3.5" of working space, which did the trick for the trailer walls - except the left/right brackets forward of the axle. The pivot bracket for the tongue gets in the way there, but with a set of trailer corners the whole thing was stable enough for me to trust it driving 1,450 miles. To prevent movement/rattle, I recommend 3/8 diameter x 3.5" if you can find them. Amazon sells a SS a multipack 3/8 x 2.5", and I use these to hold the rear down trailer frame in place instead of the carriage bolts that came with the trailer itself since they're much easier to remove. Also recommend 1/2" x 2" for the folding tongue to make life a little easier when storing.

[@danielsmith2447]

Nice mods, problem is most people aren't equiped to 'weld up' anything

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Only two of the 10 mods require welding. And you are right, that most people aren’t equipped to weld. However, there are other ways to achieve the same objective without a welder if you’re the creative type. Thank you for watching!

[@jamesmyers2087]

Brother all that is so ingenious. I just have to ask though is there some way you can work the unfolding process where the hitch coupler doesn’t get pushed across the floor? I’m thinking after watching your video I’d like to get this model and make about every mod you’ve done. But the port floors in our garage are all epoxy and I’d be afraid of digging into it. I guess you could hold it up while you’re down winching?

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

On my old trailer I had the wheeled jack stand on the outside much closer to the receiver. With that setup only the wheel rolled when unfolding. Putting it in the middle moved it back. Frankly you could just buy a 4 wheel dolly for ten bucks from harbor freight and just rest the receiver on it instead. www.harborfreight.com/18-in-x-12-in-1000-lb-capacity-hardwood-dolly-58312.html

[@NVBL42]

I’m curious with all the mods you’ve done, why not get some slim LED oval taillights that bolt right on the back frame? Nothing would sticking out anymore so they’d be nothing getting knocked around all the time…

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

That’s a good idea. The main reason is I can’t put a hole bigger than 1/2” in the frame without compromising the integrity strength wise. If the taillight hung down it would interfere with the tilt function. It’s why the license plate folds up. You have me thinking now though. Expect a video in three months implementing a version of your idea. Thanks!

[@TheOrdep1976]

smart man

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Thank You!

[@nickmandziak7702]

must be a lot of fun to get at the spare tire when you have a flat with a loaded trailer

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

In the 23 years, I’ve owned a trailer, I’ve had one flat. That was because I overloaded it and broke the leaf springs. So in general, you are right that it sucks, but how often do you really get a flat?

[@nickmandziak7702]

@@armedanddangerousdiy6096 once would be enuff

[@silverstake88]

🙄🤦​@@nickmandziak7702

[@quailhunter9343]

Great modifications and 70s porno music

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Trust me, finding music that’s not copyrighted that I can use on KZbin is harder than you think. The good music you hear on KZbin cost a lot of money per year subscription fees. But thanks for the comment, I’m glad you like the video. Take care buddy.

[@Joenoblocks]

Just a heads up, your jack is on incorrectly. The plate needs to be turned, and the three both holes need to be on the bottom and one bolt hole on the top on each side of the plate.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

I had no idea. Do you know people like us, we just take the instructions and throw them in the trash without reading them as usual. I’ll flip it around, thanks for letting me know!

[@GBFANMD]

GO PACK GO!!!!

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

I hail from the motherland my friend

[@stevewheatley243]

Great video. The musics a little distracting though.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

Noted!

[@santiagomejia5620]

Cuales son las medidas de largo y de ancho

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

The trailer deck, the flat part you can carry a load, is 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. If you include the tires and the tongue, the trailer is 6 feet wide and 12 1/2 feet long approximately.

[@jameskleist4019]

O I forgot GO PACKERS 😊

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

So sayeth our lord, Vince Lombardi in the glory years!

[@mikerossman9863]

I’ll be damned if I got to lay on my fat rolls to put a tag down, self tap screw it to it.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

These days I flip the license plate before I unfold the deck so I don’t have to climb underneath

[@hughjhardon8080]

Barefooted? Fuck.

[@armedanddangerousdiy6096]

I get made fun of all the time for doing projects barefoot. I never much pay attention I guess