Fish house trailer frames?

[Coach1310]

Hello all. Just looking for some of your expertise. I am looking at building a fish house on wheels and was wondering what/who you recommend for a trailer frame to start with. My most important issue is I need to be able to haul a 4 wheeler in it and pull it with a 4 wheeler. What suggestions do you have for v vs square front and how do you keep the overall weight down when building? Thanks guys. Won't be long and no one will be on this forum because everyone will be out on the ice!!!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

If you don't really super duper know how to do the frame my advice is to contact sportsman fish houses and buy one from them.

[deepportage01]

Yep, call ED at sportsmen fish houses he will be happy to help you out, I bought mine from him this year it is one tough frame and thats what ya need on the ice

[Farley]

For keeping the weight down, you can go with an aluminum frame but you sacrifice duriblility compared to a steel frame. Obviously use 2X2's for the studs. I'd use green treated 2X4's for the floor though.

We are about to tear into our fish house that we built about 5 years ago, we used 2X4's (my roomate is a carpenter) and a heavy steel frame that could haul a bobcat. So we are also looking for ideas to lighten up.

[Gordie]

Post deleted by elwood

[harvey lee]

You could contact either of these Fishing Mn. sponsors

[email protected]

phone-320-360-0081

or

[email protected]

763-682-2953.

Both these companies can take real good care of you.

[love to hunt]

Farley,

If I am understanding you correctly then you have green treaded 2x4 floor joices on top for your steel frame to make up the floor.

If you frame is built with cross braces 2' on center then there is no reason you can't screw you 3/4" ply wood right to the frame eliminating the floor joices. That would reduce you weight considerably.

Then to fasten your floor and walls down to the frame use self drilling screws. 2" for the plywood and 3.5" for the walls. You my have to predrill all the holes depending on how heavy your frame materials are.

If you have questions drop me an email as I have quite a little experience in this arena. I will be more then happy to help out. I could probably give you several ideas on how to lighten up.

As far as aluminum there was quite a thread not long ago about AL vs Steel and there are good arguments both ways, I think you will find the majority of folks out there are using steel for 2 basic reasons:

1- cost Al will double you marteial costs

2- strength In my experience aluminum frames are just not strong enough to haul an ATV inside of a fishhouse while banging it across a rough lake. I am sure some one will reply to this in dissagreement but I have never seen a well built steel frame broken on the boat landing.

[Farley]

Love to Hunt-

You're right, I was thinking of a trailerless fish house when I wrote that. I guess that's what happens when you got too many irons in the fire. We are gutting our fish house on wheels this fall and I'm planning on building my own on skis, got the two mixed up thinking about it.

[Coach1310]

Thanks for info. Keep it coming. Has anyone framed their walls with aluminum studs? What are your thoughts on v-front vs. regular???

[deepportage01]

I realy don't see why there are any flat fronted wheel houses IMO, There are so many ++++ to a v front it will just tow better you will get better milage,it's realy hard to jack knife a v front,more space,a tv fits in there nice ,Infact some ice house makers don't even make flat front ice shacks like sportsmen fish houses. I ordered a 18 ft shell house[sportsmen fish house] and I'm doing all the finish work to make it home away from home, there is a post on steel vs aluminum you should look it up, if I remeber rite steel won out but there was a guy with a green shack made out of aluminum and if your going to use aluminum I would try to get a hold of him the thing is sweet but $$$$

[love to hunt]

Aluminum studs are nice but way more $$$ then wood. Also if you don't insulate correctly you will get frost line on the inside walls, more $$$.

Wood is pretty much the standard and 2x2 are pleanty strong. Infact if you have a table saw and rip a 2x4 in half you just saved more $$$.

[Coach1310]

Sounds like some good ideas so far!! Thanks for the info. Keep it coming. I would really like to do a steel trailer frame, with the house part of the fish house framed with alluminum. This would really keep the weight of the house down, but give me a sturdy, durable trailer frame. Could this work? Good or bad idea?

[deepportage01]

The weight of a 2x2 wood stud vs 2x2 aluminum is nill at best if you realy want to save on weight go with a smaller shack. Coach how big of a shack are you thinking about building? and are you going to have atvs in it? what is towing it? I realy want help you out but I need more info. Steel and aluminum don't mix you will get metal rot I'm not sure what it's called but it's not good so if you go aluminum it all has to be made out of it even the frame IMO.

[love to hunt]

DP,

"Metal rot" is called dissimilar metal corrosion and you are correct the 2 don't mix.

Coach,

If you are planning to haul a wheeler this is the harsh fact. You will have to sacrifice goodies in your house. My 16' has bunks, 2 deepcycle batteries, 2 20# tanks, front counter top, TV, and a couple fold up tables and it goes across the scale at 2650. You can only tow a 3000# trailer legaly with out electric brakes. There are a few frames out there with brakes but they a wow expensive to the tune of $2500.00 or more. So if you want goodies and haul and ATV that may be the path you would have to persue.

Weight is going to come down to what options you want in the house and how big of a room you are looking at.

I put my wheeler in the bed of my truck which is what works best for me because I like goodies.

[imfishing]

Hey coach,

My first official post on this forum.

I agree with DeepPortage about the Sportsman Fish House Frames. Those things are great. I went one step further and purchased the 16' shell with the rear ATV door and am very glad I did. Those guys really put together a nice house and I could have never done that nice of a job.

Mine came with a weight slip (I think they provide weight slips for all) showing the weight of 1590 giveing me 1410 worth to play with.I added about 500 pounds leaving pleanty of spring left for my 700 Sportsman.

I have had that house for a year now and have put lots of miles on it and have never been more pleased. It has been to Idaho and Michigan as well as all over this great state and I have not had a single issue.

Give them a call, I see they are sponsoring this forum.

[fishinalot]

I have had a "Tundra" 6000# frame from Fish House Supply for 2-seasons and I will get my next frame from them.

We have made 2 trips to Colorado elk hunting, 3 trips to Minot, ND for duck hunting and many trips to Red lake and LOW. I would guess at least 15,000 miles.

It pulls strait as an arrow @ 75 MPH. I like the 6000 # suspension because if you have a fish house and 4-wheeler that weighs 2500lbs like I do, and go off road like I do, the weight of the fish house if it hits a pot hole etc. can double its weight when pounding down (5000 lbs), bending any 3500lb spindles no matter how well the frame is built.

Both our trips going to Colorado we had close to 2500 lbs of gear and 2000 lbs of fish house for a total of 4500 lbs on that frame!! Got to love it!!

They are also a sponsor of Fishing Minnesota.

[LODFFB]

I just towed my Fishhouse home I built. I could tell it was back there!I never have really pulled any kind of trailer before over 500# Mine pulled srtaight but if I made a correction to quick or got around 60 mph and moved, not a gradual correction it fished a little. I do drive a Dodge Dakota though There has to be some kind of differance in pulling with a small truck like mine or a full size. Wheel base, Suspenshion? I'm not sure I'd go 70 mph

[love to hunt]

Check your tongue weight. You should have no less then 175 lbs on the tongue. I reality a trailer should have 10-15% on the total weight on the tongue (3000# trailer = 300# tongue weight), but that is not realistic for a fish house if you plan to tow it with an ATV.

Aloso hieght may be playing a factor as a high center of gravity would cause your issues.

fishinalot,

Use caution when hauling that heavy load. My best buddy was stopped by HP last year going to the Eel Pout Fest in Walker. They pulled out the scales and was cited for pulling a trailer over 3000# with out trailer brakes. He weighed in at 3645# and it pretty much used his poker money for the weekend to pay the fine. I too was stopped but came in under weight thankfully. One of those "it could never happen to me" things.

Just food for thought

Also I have had 3500# spindles on my fish house for 5 years with out any issues. At resonable speeds on or off road you should have no issues bending anything.

[nytelyter]

ok they will stop a guy for pullling an overweight fishhouse but what about these yuppies pulling a 23 or 25 foot cabin cruiser behind a small suv its rediculus. ok just venting here but i see it all the time and it is definatly unsafe. ... paul

[deepportage01]

I had a post about that "big boat little truck" you should have read some of the stuff guys wrote, By the end of the whole thing I thought I was wrong for even posting the topic, it was in open water about 6 months ago.Sorry got off the topic a little later DP

[love to hunt]

Oh come on Paul, you don't think a 5000# SUV can safely pull a 7000# boat??? I don't see an issue here, as long as they can keep the swerving and weaving between the ditches on 371 I am happy.

Just don't forget the little SUV is loaded with beer, pop, luggage, coolers, wake boards, fishing equipment, water skies, knee boards, people, dogs, bicycles, TV, DVD, and a 2 man deep sea diving bell. What ever doesn't fit in the truck goes in the boat.

I would have to agree with you if you didn't catch the sarcasm.

[Coach1310]

I will be hauling an atv in it and I don't need lots of goodies inside, I just want space. I am thinking of going with an 8' x 16' v front with a back atv door. Does anyone have an estimate as to how much that would weigh and what it would cost to buy a frame like that?? Thanks for all the info guys.

[love to hunt]

There is no way you could have an 8' wide house and have enough left over to carry an atv. An 8' foot wide house 16' long with essentials woud weigh approximatly 2600# giving you 400# to play with.

I know you can get a loaded 16'x6'6" house that weighs in the neighborhood of 2500#. Strip some goodies and you have a toy hauler.

[nytelyter]

chuckleing. uh huh i got it. lol