Epic Trailer Build – Part 1.

If I had a hammer…

 

So we finally got the new (to us) trailer back to Rad Fondo BBQ headquarters. Figured we better get started getting this thing road ready. Before we even picked it up we pulled off the tires and had them replaced with a new set of radials. Brakes and bearings were in great shape and we injected the bearing buddies with fresh grease.

 

Last week I drove down early and grabbed the trailer. Once home most of the afternoon was spent removing all the wood shelving the previous owner had installed. Hooked up the new Harbor Freight loading ramp and tested it out by loading up the Battle Box, WSM and a UDS that I have been meaning to get out of my hair. Was really surprised how much room is in this thing.

 

Important note – Double check your trailer ball sizing before towing your new trailer. Previous owner told me it was a 1 7/8 ball. No problem, I have that so I locked the trailer on, hooked up the chains and brakes and off I went. The bumping motion should have been a giveaway but I ignored it. Thankfully the trailer stayed attached until… Yes, until I was moving the trailer into its new home and had to drive across an angled driveway. The trailer came off the hitch and slammed into my bumper. Luckily I knew to cross the chains (but not double check ball size) and the safety chains kept it from being a lot of damage to just a small dent. I would include a picture but I needed to get it out of the road and didn’t have time. Lesson learned and now there is a new 2 5/16 ball on my drop hitch. Phew – I drove 70 miles of freeway like that!
On Saturday morning the trailer came home and I swapped out the BB for the QBB and loaded all our comp supplies for an overnight practice cook. Headed off in the early afternoon for RFB Headquarters with the plan of setting up for the cook and installing the new overhead LED lights inside. The install went well and only took a little while. Since they are LED and the bulbs are permanent we went with a hard mount and went straight into the ceiling frame. It turned out pretty good and we had plenty of light. For now we are just using extension cords and do not have a dedicated wiring panel. Not sure we need one as we only have the lights and phones at this point.

 

You can see from the pictures we have no storage yet. Going to build a shelf above the smokers, add a knife rack and put in some small shelves for spices above the tables next. That’s likely the extent of the mods until we get back from Reno and Santa Anita. Then we will address the floor. Stay tuned for part 2.

 

 

If you have any suggestions just drop them in the comments below.