Through a unusual partnership between the Oconto Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and the Oconto Falls High School Tech Ed Department, several area businesses and communities will have a chance to see a great example of the design and fabrication work being done in that department. As part of the Chamber’s community Falls Fest celebration at the end of September there will be a major raffle of a Cabelas ATV, kayaks, and many other related items.
The idea was to have a trailer that would be part of the prize package and could be parked at various businesses and used in community parades during the summer leading up to the celebration at the end of September. It was suggested that the OFHS Tech Ed Department could build one of their custom trailers for the event to help promote their work. Taking it a step further, it would be great if the trailer could be designed to have a kayak rack that could also display those prizes as part of the display. OFHS Welding Instructor Tom Karban jumped on the idea and put his students to work designing and fabricating the custom trailer. Peterson Ford partnered with donating tires for the trailer, and John Senn of Senn Landscaping donated the decking for the trailer. The design/fabrication team included students Cole Nowinski, Jordon Neshek, Brian Peters, Nathan VanArk, Scott Anderson, Forest Rohr, Nicholas Gering, and Dillon Curl. The challenge was to put the trailer together and out the door to the paint shop so that it could be debuted in the Oconto Falls Memorial Day parade on May 26th. The parade will offer the first “up close” look at this custom trailer.
Picture 1 The trailer takes shape in the fabrication shop at OFHS. The unique design includes removable kayak racks that could also serve as ladder rakes.
Picture 2 Brian Peters prepares to attach the tailgate latch on the trailer. The design incudes an innovative tailgate that can lay flat inside the trailer to add versatility and less wind drag when that is desired.