Build a compact utility trailer that's ready for projects around the house, the yard, or the campsite. This open-frame kit includes everything needed for assembly, plus corrosion-resistant steel construction and E-Z Lube hubs.
Your vehicle may have enough towing capacity for the job but not enough room for lumber, yard waste, tools, equipment, or camping gear. This open-frame trailer kit gives that cargo its own dedicated space with an 8-foot-long by 5-foot-wide bed and stake pockets that let you add side rails or customize the trailer around what you haul. The 1,500-lb gross vehicle weight rating includes the trailer's 250-lb empty weight, leaving 1,250 lbs available for cargo. (Note: wooden rails in picture not included)
Utility trailers often spend more time parked outside than they do on the road, so durability and routine maintenance matter just as much as hauling capacity. Galvalume Plus steel construction helps protect the frame from rust and weather exposure, while E-Z Lube hubs make regular bearing service easier to keep up with. Spring axle suspension provides dependable support for everyday hauling, helping the trailer stay ready for the next project, equipment move, or campsite run.
Buying a utility trailer usually means spending half your Saturday driving to a trailer dealership, walking the lot, and explaining what you plan to haul. Instead, this complete kit is shipped to your home with the finished floor, side rails, lights, wiring, safety chains, coupler, hardware, and assembly instructions. Build it when it's convenient for you, then put it to work.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Instructor Welcome to the Westbrook kit trailer assembly video. Today we'll be putting together the five by eight kit trailer with plank floor and rail sides. If you're assembling a kit trailer without a floor, certain steps will vary. Please watch for instruction prompts along the way. We will cover all the steps to complete the assembly of the following models. Before unboxing any parts of your trailer, please ensure you have received all your boxes.
The registration documentation for the trailer is enclosed in a brown envelope on the outside of box one. We recommend keeping these documents along with your bill of sale in a safe place. For Canadian residents, please match your VIN number with your NVIS form. For US residents, please match your VIN number with your certificate of origin title form. You will find the instruction manual inside of box one.
Here's a list of the tools you will need to complete the assembly. You can stop the video at this point to take note of the needed tools. Now let's start the assembly process. Step one, stake pocket and grommet installation. For this step, refer to the frame diagram in your kit trailer assembly instructions for your model.
Only hand tighten the hardware during the frame assembly or until you have completed the tongue assembly portion. If you tighten the hardware at this step, you will need to go back and loosen it to install the tongue. The edge of the frame channels can be very sharp. Please wear your safety gloves provided in the kit when handling the frame to prevent injury. All channels have been labeled on the inside with the item code for easy reference.
Take the back channel. One stake pocket, two ramp mounting brackets, and the necessary hardware. Position the stake pocket in the center of the back channel, aligning it with the pre-drilled holes. Secure it using the same 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch hex bolts and 1/4 inch lock nuts with a 7/16 inch deep socket. Align the ramp mounting brackets to the pre-drilled holes on the back channel. Secure it using 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch hex bolts and 1/4 inch lock nuts with a 7/16 inch deep socket. Grab seven stake pockets and all remaining frame channels with pre-drilled holes and the required hardware. Align each stake pocket with the pre-drilled holes on the frame channels. Secure them with 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch hex bolts and 1/4 inch lock nuts using a 7/16 inch deep socket. Take your five cross channels and install the electrical grommet on both ends. Step two, frame assembly. Take your front channel, the one with two vertical slots, and place it at the front. Take the two driver's side channels. The side channel with the marker light holes is the front end of the trailer. The square holes have to be facing down. Take the rear channel and place it at the back with the three holes facing up. Line up the passenger side channels the same way as the driver's sides. Take the connecting channels and place one on each side of the trailer. Take the five cross channels and place them in the center of the frame. If your trailer doesn't have a floor, you will only have four cross channels. Then grab the hardware that is needed. At the front corner, overlap the side channel over the front channel without inserting the side channel inside. Then use a 3/8 by 3/4 bolt and nut to hand tighten the bottom only. Slide the short connection bracket over the two side channels, aligning the pre-drilled holes on the bottom. Note that only four holes on the top will align and they will be secured once the cross channels are properly lined up. This is the hardware you will use in the next steps to secure the frame. Place the first cross channel with the opening facing the front. Do not fasten this one. Place the next two cross channels back to back on the next two available holes of the connection bracket and hand tighten them on the top and bottom. Place the fourth cross channel facing the back to the last hole of the connection channel and hand tighten on top. Place the last cross channel facing the back to the fourth last hole and hand tighten the top and bottom. You can now secure the passenger side by repeating what you did on the driver's side. Slide the rear channel over both side channels and connect at the bottom only using the 3/8 by 3/4 hex bolt 3/8 lock nut. Step three, tongue assembly. Start by sliding one tongue channel through the vertical slot of the front channel with the angled side at the front. If the tongue isn't aligning with the frame's holes, make sure all bolts are loose before adjusting. Repeat with the other tongue channel. Install the electrical grommets on the tongue channel. Repeat the two previous steps on the other side of the trailer. Hand tighten the tongue channels to the side channel on top using 3/8 by 1 1/2 hex bolts and nuts and at the bottom using 3/8 by 3/4 hex bolts and nuts. Hand tighten the tongue channels to the front channel using 3/8 by 3/4 hex bolts and nuts. Place the tongue cross channel in between the tongue channels and fasten it with a 3/8 by 1 1/2 inch hex bolts and 3/8 lock nuts on top and the flange bolts 3/8 by 3/4 and 3/8 inch lock nuts at the bottom. Step four, tongue connection. Place the tongue connection bracket in position with the threaded holes facing up. Don't slide it all the way in yet. Separate the wires from the harness and feed the yellow and brown wire down the driver's side. Feed the green and brown wire down the passenger side. Leave the wide wire at the front. To attach the tongue connection bracket, start by sliding it into one of the side channels, pushing it forward as you insert it into the opposite channel. Be careful not to pinch any wires. Line up the bracket to the pre-drilled holes and then secure it using 3/8 by 3/4 flange bolts on top using a 9/16 inch socket. Now that you have completed the tongue assembly, go ahead and secure all the top bolts. At this time, you shouldn't have any bolts on the top, front, and back channel. The hardware will be installed with the floor. Step five, coupler hitch and safety chain. Start by placing the long coupler channel with the opening facing up. Next, grab the safety chain and locate the center link. Insert a 3/8 by 2 1/2 hex bolt through the third hole of the coupler channel. Threading it through the center chain link and into the coupler channel. The bolt will be a tight fit. You may need to use a rubber mallet to help it through. At this point, only hand tighten the bolts as it will be removed at a later point. Secure the coupler to the channel with 3/8 by 3 inch hex bolts and 3/8 inch lock nuts. Tighten these bolts with a 9/16 inch socket and wrench, making sure it's tight enough so the tongue foot doesn't move, but the coupler latch can release. Pull the excess wire through the connection bracket all the way through the back, leaving enough at the front to connect the white wire to the chain bolt on the coupler channel. Slide the assembled coupler channel into the tongue connection. Be careful not to pinch any wiring. Line up the holes of the tongue connection bracket. Secure them with 1/2 inch by 3 1/2 inch hex bolts and 1/2 inch lock nuts using a 3/4 socket and wrench. Remove the lock nut from the chain bolt and place the ground's ring terminal on the bolt. Secure it with the lock nut using a 9/16 socket and wrench. Don't over tighten to avoid damaging the ring terminal. With the help of another person, move the frame out of the way to begin the installation of the floor. This area where you put the floor will be where you complete the final assembly of the trailer. Step six, floor assembly and secure V connection. Separate the floor planks into two types, Those with double notches underneath and the one with a single notch. Place the planks with double notches at the front of the trailer, ensuring the notches are all lined up towards the front of the trailer. Position the plank with a single notch at the back of the trailer, aligning it in the same direction as the front planks. Take one of the U-channels and insert the 3/8 by 3/4 flange bolts in four of the holes, skipping the middle one. Hand tighten with the 3/8 nuts. This will help keep the bolt in place. Slide the four planks around the bolts. Then slide the remaining planks into the U-channel. Fasten the planks to the U-channel using the self-tapping screws. Slide each back plank into the front plank using the side cutout, ensuring the back plank overlaps properly. Making sure that the holes line up perfectly and do not overlap. No cut edges should be visible. Take the second U-channel. Insert three 3/8 by 3/4 flange bolts using the two outer holes and the middle hole and hand tighten with the 3/8 nuts. Place the U-channel at the back of the floor on the ground and secure the first corner with a screw. This will allow you to pivot the U-channel in order to fit the other planks. You will need to sit the planks at the very edge of the U-channel. Once all planks are slightly sitting on the U-channel, slide them into place and fasten with screws. Flip the floor and place it in the area that you will be finishing the assembly. Remove the seven nuts from the front and back U-channels. Set the frame upside down on top of the floor, lining up the front four holes and the back three holes. Place all nuts on the seven floor bolts and secure the floor to the frame with 3/8 lock nuts. Secure the tongue V connection to the four pre-drilled holes of the tongue channel using the cutting screws and 1/2 inch socket. Then secure all the remaining bolts of the frame. Step seven, fender plate and marker light. At this point, if you're working on the ground, you'll need to elevate the trailer four or five inches off the ground to provide enough clearance for the fender plate installation. Line up the fender support plate with the frame. Secure it in place with machine screws 10 and 10 lock nuts using a 3/8 socket and a Phillips screwdriver. If the holes are not perfectly aligned, use a punch to align them. Repeat on the other side. Take in marker light, remove the nut at the back, and insert the stud and wire into the pre-drilled hole. Tighten with a 10 millimeter socket. Starting on the driver's side, carefully separate the brown and yellow wires near the marker light using a knife. Be careful not to expose any wiring. Push the brown wire into the channel of the blue wire connector and slide the marker light wire into the opening of the connector, making sure no wire sticks out. Use pliers to squeeze the metal blade of the connector until it's tight. Check that the blade is fully in place and close the cover. Repeat these steps on the other side of the trailer. Using the zip ties, secure the wire in the frame and cut excess wire at the back, leaving six inches left. Step eight, axle assembly and installation. Before proceeding with the axle assembly, all the bolts on the frame should be tight. Place the leaf spring mounting brackets to the square holes on each side of the frame, making sure the round holes of the brackets are oriented closest to the center. Secure with a 3/8 by 3/4 inch carriage bolt and a 3/8 lock nut using a 9/16 inch socket. If there's no cross channel where you're mounting the bracket, use a washer as a spacer. Lay your axle down, ensuring the welded U-brackets are facing up. Place the spring on top of the axle, making sure the bolt lines up with the center hole of the U-brackets. Take the U-bolts and place them around the axle at both sides of the spring. Take a mounting plate and place it on top of the U-bolts with the oval holes facing front to back. Secure but do not tighten, and repeat on the other side. Make sure that both springs are facing the same direction. Lay the axle with springs into the mounting brackets, making sure the eye of the spring is toward the front and the flat side towards the back. Secure each spring with 9/16 inch hex bolts and nut with a 7/8 socket and wrench at front and back of the spring. Do not over tighten. You want the springs to be able to move a bit. Then tighten all the U-bolts securely. Step nine, screw floor, fenders and tires installation. Flip the frame with the help of a second person, being sure to take all the safety precautions. Screw the floor in place with the cutting screws using an impact. Position the fender over the fender plate. Insert a 3/8 by 3/4 inch hex flange bolt into the top hole and hand tighten it with a 3/8 inch lock nut, ensuring the nut is inside the fender. Line up and secure the two side bolts. Finally, tighten all bolts using a 9/16 inch socket and wrench. Put the tire on the hub and hand tighten to the rim with a 1/2 inch wheel nuts. The tapered end should be facing the rim. Use a torque wrench and a 13/16 inch socket to tighten the wheel nuts in a star shaped pattern. Use torque to 95 feet pound. Repeat on the other side of the trailer. Step 10, tail lights, light test and VIN labels. At the back of the driver's side, you will need to separate the yellow and brown wires with a knife. Strip 1/4 inch of insulation from the ends of both wires and twist the copper ends. Push each wire into the corresponding hole at the back of the taillight by removing the nuts at the back and running the wire along the recessed groove. Place the license plate holder on the studs. Then insert the taillight on the back channel of the trailer using a 10 millimeter socket. Do the same on the passenger side, excluding the license plate holder. Test the lights before using the trailer. Place the VIN label on the driver's side of the tongue channel and put the clear overlay on top. Make sure you have verified your VIN label matches your registration documents. If you do not have rails, your assembly process is complete and you are good to go on the road after you have registered your trailer and attached the license plate. Step 11, rail side installation. Gather all the components to assemble the two side rails. Take one side rail and slide both connecting channel pieces into the open ends. Ensure they're aligned in the same direction. Match the channels to the pre-drilled holes. Then secure them in place using 14 by 1/2 inch pan head self-tapping screws. Take the other side and insert and secure it the same way. Then flip the rail and secure using 14 by 1/2 inch pan head self-tapping screws. Assemble the opposite rail side in the same manner. Take one of the rail sides and insert the side posts into the stake pockets, lining them up with the stake pocket hole. Secure each side post with a 3/8 16 3/4 inch hex bolt and 3/8 16 lock nut. Repeat the process for all remaining side rails. Attach L brackets to the bottom rail of the two front corners and fasten it with a 3/8 16 by 2 1/2 inch hex bolt and 3/8 16 hex flange lock nut using a 9/16 socket. Secure the gate by sliding the hitch pin through the center stake pocket and gate post, then fasten it with the R-clip. Position both ramps behind the gate, ensuring their openings of the ramps face forward. Insert the eye bolts through the counters and coles and secure them tightly using the knob nuts. And now your trailer is ready to use. Thank you for watching the video, and we hope you enjoy your brand new trailer.
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