Hinges & Latches

I bought some heavy duty hinges at Home Depot and welded the pin in place to prevent someone from breaking by pulling the pins out. I decided to bolt the hinges to aid in replacement if they are ever damaged, and to allow the lid to be removed if I need to use the trailer to haul something large with the lid off. The hinge bolts to the 1.5" square tube that I welded below the tub's lip.

It took quite a bit of searching to find the right type of latches on the internet. I got them at Nielsen Sessions. They are smaller than I was thinking, but they will do the job. I wanted them to be stainless steel, lockable, adjustable, and a draw-latch. Making them adjustable ensures a tight fit so you don't have to drill your mounting holes perfectly. Plus, once I add a weather strip around the lid I'll have to re-adjust the latches to make them work. The bottom of the latches bolt to the 1.5" square tube I welded under the tub lip on the driver's side of the trailer.




UPDATE: I had to reverse the latches putting the catch on the top (lid) instead of the tub. When you tried to close the lid, there were three latches dangling which hit the lip of the tub and caused it not to close all the way. With three latches you don't have enough hands to simultaneously pull them out from the tub to allow it to seat properly. Flipping them around keeps the body of the latch on the tub rather than the lid, so when they dangle, they don't get in the way of the lid closing.