This is a project I have been working on for a couple of months. It is 6' x 8' mobile hunting blind. We already have a couple of locations picked out to put it.
Caleb T. had an old boat trailer given to him for the removal from the someone’s property. He then gave it to me when I said we could build a big mobile blind on it.
The trailer was in rough shape since the “V” shaped cross members of the frame were rusted out, the surge brake system was broken, the lights were broken and not working, and the wheeled jack stand was broken.
Initial work involved removing the boat cradle, stripping off the surge brake connector, removing the fenders, removing the jack stand, and stripping off the lights and wiring.
Since the trailer had been built for a boat, the axel was offset below the center of the wheels to lower the level of the trailer. With the use of an impact wrench, Caleb and I removed the spring shackles, rotated the axel to above the center of the wheels and reattached the axel. That raised the height of the trailer frame by about 6 inches, providing a lot more ground clearance.
Unshackled
Axled rotated.
Next, I installed pressure treated wooden cross members between the main left and right frame rails. I used 90 degree metal brackets bolted to the frame and the wooden cross pieces. Then came the deck and deck paint. Also, the jack stand was repaired and a new wheel for the jack stand was installed. Of course, a new 2” ball connector was put on.
Deck joists installed.
Deck Complete
I tried to follow conventional framing techniques, but made some sort cuts, based on the non-critical nature of the build. A friend came and helped with the framing one day. Boy, what a difference it makes to have an extra two hands available. The work went about 3 times faster.
Framing complete.
Getting the roof on seemed like a major milestone to me. I went with a brown color.
Getting the plywood sheathing all installed also seemed like a major accomplishment. As did getting it painted.
I used plexiglass for windows. They slide in diagonally cut grooves. The botton edge sits on the outside edge of the window sill. The top of the plexiglass just clears the inside edge of the top of the window frame. The window is removed by sliding it up and out on the inside.
Note the black foam cushioning to rest the rifle's forearm on.
Well, I can only attach 10 files.
I will add a second post with a couple more photos
Caleb T. had an old boat trailer given to him for the removal from the someone’s property. He then gave it to me when I said we could build a big mobile blind on it.
The trailer was in rough shape since the “V” shaped cross members of the frame were rusted out, the surge brake system was broken, the lights were broken and not working, and the wheeled jack stand was broken.
Initial work involved removing the boat cradle, stripping off the surge brake connector, removing the fenders, removing the jack stand, and stripping off the lights and wiring.
Since the trailer had been built for a boat, the axel was offset below the center of the wheels to lower the level of the trailer. With the use of an impact wrench, Caleb and I removed the spring shackles, rotated the axel to above the center of the wheels and reattached the axel. That raised the height of the trailer frame by about 6 inches, providing a lot more ground clearance.
Unshackled
Axled rotated.
Next, I installed pressure treated wooden cross members between the main left and right frame rails. I used 90 degree metal brackets bolted to the frame and the wooden cross pieces. Then came the deck and deck paint. Also, the jack stand was repaired and a new wheel for the jack stand was installed. Of course, a new 2” ball connector was put on.
Deck joists installed.
Deck Complete
I tried to follow conventional framing techniques, but made some sort cuts, based on the non-critical nature of the build. A friend came and helped with the framing one day. Boy, what a difference it makes to have an extra two hands available. The work went about 3 times faster.
Framing complete.
Getting the roof on seemed like a major milestone to me. I went with a brown color.
Getting the plywood sheathing all installed also seemed like a major accomplishment. As did getting it painted.
I used plexiglass for windows. They slide in diagonally cut grooves. The botton edge sits on the outside edge of the window sill. The top of the plexiglass just clears the inside edge of the top of the window frame. The window is removed by sliding it up and out on the inside.
Note the black foam cushioning to rest the rifle's forearm on.
Well, I can only attach 10 files.
I will add a second post with a couple more photos
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