One of the problems I have when loading the car trailer by myself is determining how far forward to place the car on the trailer. I knew from previous experience where the car worked best when being towed, but getting it in place each time meant driving onto the trailer, getting out of the car, and eyeballing its exact location fore and aft. Since I use this trailer to go racing and I load the same car each week, I decided that I needed some form of stop that would help me to determine when the car was properly located on the trailer.
I first checked out the common rubber wheel chocks that are available in various stores, but didn't like the fact that once it was attached it limited the use of the trailer to vehicles that were similar or shorter in length to my Mustang. I thought about it for awhile and came up with the following wheel chock which could be driven over when necessary. It could also be quickly and easily removed.
Here is my 16' long open trailer that needs the wheel chock:
The deck (narrow track) on my trailer is 22" wide.
I made my wheel chock using a short length of 1/4" thick, 2" angle iron and some 1/4" thick, 2" flat strap steel stock. The angle iron was cut down to 16" and the flat strap was cut into 4 pieces--two were 2" x 6" and the other two are 2"x 2":
The 2" x 6" straps will be welded to the underside of the angle iron, allowing 2" of each to extend beyond:
I ground the edges of the strapping so that it fit flush with in the angle iron edges and then welded the straps in place:
I then marked where to drill the attaching holes in the chock. At the same time I marked the center of the 2" x 2" strapping. These pieces will be used to strengthen the underside of the trailer deck so that the bolt will not pull through it:
Once each piece was marked, I drilled a small hole and progressively worked up to the 1/2" diameter hole:
Once the 1/2" holes were drilled, the jagged edges of each side of the holes were cleaned up using a countersink. This leaves a nice, slight taper in the hole:
Next I gathered up a pair of 1/2" bolts, flat/locking washers, and matching nuts:
To lessen possible tire damage, I ground the end of the angle iron so that it had less of a point. I also trial tested the parts and hardware before primer:
Here are the chock and support brackets after a coat of primer:
Prior to building my chocks, I had marked the trailer deck in the location that I determined through trial and error using the car:
With the chock in primer, it was time to drill holes in the trailer. I placed the chock in the appropriate location and ensured that both sides were equal distance from the front of the trailer and from side to side:
After checking the underside of the trailer for wires or other unwanted obstructions, I drilled the 1/2" attachment holes and verified that the hardware fit properly. Once satisfied with the fit, the parts were painted black to match the trailer and reinstalled:
An under deck support bracket:
Due to its construction, it is quite solid and easy to drive over, plus it it should last the life of the trailer.
A couple of photos of the front tire resting against the new stop:
Conclusion:
As expected, this wheel chock is easily detected when loading the car and yet it can also be driven over when needed. I am quite pleased that it works as intended and am happy that I have eliminated one major aggravation.
Today
