Zieman trailer: fix or ditch

[ZackN]

My boss had me go get this trailer from a field.
It had 6 flats, a bunch of rotting wood, mice, rats, and had been sitting since 1998 (18 years).
I was able to get most of the tires to hold air to get it down the street to the shop. (5/6 tires now hold air)

The issues it has are:

• needs new deck
• hard to find tires
• rats ate the wiring
• hard to find any info on it (serial number, weight ect.)
• no paperwork (currently not in DMV, this is good and bad)
• possibly too big for my truck

My co-wroker said he would help me rewire it as long as I weld some stuff for him.
My boss wants to use it to remove and sell some machines we have.
I got some free 2x12s (concrete forms) to use to replace the deck, but they look to be 1/2 thinner than current boards.

Im having issues knowing where to start as I am fairly new to trailers/heavy equipment.
I was planning on doing the following in this order:

1. service drums/axles/brakes
2. get a couple new tires and rims
3. do the wiring (help from coworker)
4. put on new deck

Any info on getting me started with the axles would be great. (torque specs, how-to's ect)
Thanks

also here are some pictures....

 

[Jonas302]

That type of trailer is not generally pulled with a pickup defiantly not with much load on it
First have the Boss decide if or how he can get license before you put a lot of work into it
Electric brakes? A lot of times its cheapest to get the backing plate brakes all assembled on it take one off and bring to the parts store go to Dexters website for more info

 

[indyandy]

I'd say gopherit

 

[ZackN]

That type of trailer is not generally pulled with a pickup defiantly not with much load on it.

What is this type of trailer called? Other than equipment trailer?
What type of truck usually pulls this kind of trailer?
Is there a way to safely modify this trailer so that I can safely use it? I have a gooseneck fold down ball installed in my truck that I have never used.

This my trailer, my boss just wanted to use it once I fixed it all up. I can sell it if it wont end up working for me.

 

[John C.]

It's a beaver tail equipment trailer. Some areas call it a ramp trailer also. With three axles I can only assume it was meant to have air brakes and not electrics. They are usually pulled by a dump truck. There may be a tag on it somewhere that will give the manufacture's information. Vin numbers in those days were usually stamped on the one of the rails behind the hitch. Many times the tags have been gone for a long time. Many times there is a small box somewhere on the front of the trailer with a couple of wing nuts. The trailer registration paper was put in there. If you have that it will identify the trailer. All the Zieman trailers I've seen were pretty old and I don't know if that company exists anymore. You can check what they go for at auction using the Ritchie Bros auction web site. I suspect just replacing the tires will be more than you can purchase a good used comparable trailer for.

 

[brewchief]

Tires aren't really hard to find, most tire stores will be able to get them, axles are probably either 6k or 7k rated each and parts shouldn't be that hard to come by. Any half decent trailer supply store should have the brake parts in stock and bearings and seals will be common parts.

Since that type of trailer was made to be towed behind a medium duty truck it will be heavy and it looks like the axles are set back a bit so it will have a bunch of tongue weight.

Make sure that your trailer brake controller is rated for three axles, some can only handle two, you will probably need to add a breakaway battery and switch as well if it doesn't have one.

I could see spending a couple thousand bucks making it good again, might be better to sell and buy a newer trailer that is more suited to be towed by a pickup.

 

[old-iron-habit]

I would not spend a cent on it until I found out if I could title it. Be a shame to spend a couple thousand and then find out you can not license it. In most states you can apply for a new title if there is none but you normally have to have a complete inspection done by DMV on it to do so. Been there and done that. It works if all is up to snuff for its manufactured date.

 

[ZackN]

Thanks all for the opinions, they align with what I was thinking. This trailer is not meant for my truck.
I was planning on dropping a connex container on it and using it as storage.
My boss said I could keep a container at the shop yard as long as it was on wheels and movable when they leave the property in a year or so.

It looks like my friend is getting a killer deal on a trailer project to keep him busy between jobs!

Any recommendations for a trailer that I can use to put a 20' connex (sea train, cargo container ect.) container on? Im thinking gooseneck since I have the hitch already, but may as well ask your opinions while you are here.

 

[Nige]

From the last of your photos it's apparent that there is far too much weight on the tongue for your pickup, even with the trailer lightly loaded as it appears to be. Check out the lift on the front suspension of your pickup then imagine what it would look like if the trailer actually had a decent weight on it ..........

 

[walkerv]

Is there any good info on the tag in the picture that is on the right side of the trailer tongue?

 

[ZackN]

Is there any good info on the tag in the picture that is on the right side of the trailer tongue?

I cant find any tags, serial number, vin ect anywhere on the trailer.

From the last of your photos it's apparent that there is far too much weight on the tongue for your pickup, even with the trailer lightly loaded as it appears to be. Check out the lift on the front suspension of your pickup then imagine what it would look like if the trailer actually had a decent weight on it ..........

I agree with you , but also part of the problem is that the tongue of the trailer should be raised vertically 6-10in or so higher than where the receiver is on my truck. Like others have said, this trailer is for an industrial dump truck type of vehicle, and was not meant to be pulled by my truck.

 

[lantraxco]

Sell it to somebody that needs it, buy a gooseneck trailer that will do what you need. I had a three axle Eager Beaver gooseneck equipment trailer and loved it, I kick myself every other day for selling it when things went South after the 2008 disaster.

 

[ZackN]

I ended up selling this trailer to the local guy who bought it new in '81.
He scaled down his concrete bushiness in late 90s and sold this trailer to a local hauling guy.
It was then parked in a field for a couple decades.
Then I came along and got it back to the original owner!
Happy ending, except now I need to find a trailer that will suit my needs.

 

[JBGASH]

You prolly buy a new one that fits your needs for what it would cost to rebuild that one, and at the end of the day have a new rig with new tires to boot. Good luck.