Father and Sons Build Too

T

tgreening

Expedition Leader
jeeper92 said:
Quick question...do you guys think the trailer as is, is sturdy enough as a non off-road trailer??
Click to expand...


No. The way your trailer is constructed the bulk of your load is biased to in front of the axle and stops right where your tongue connects to the frame, and you have a fairly long span from there to the ball connection on your hitch. In essence it's just begging to fold in half. Even on the highway you're placing trmendous load on that connection point.

I would not run it. It could be a slow failure or a catasrophic failure but I would have little confidence that it would not fail. If it were me I'd cut it loose and run new tongue legs underneath the existing frame structure back at least two crossmembers.
 
J

jeeper92

Adventurer
Back from vacation

Was in Wildwood NJ, for 9 days fro basketball tourneys. Got home on Monday and started making saw dust as soon as I got home. I spoke with the guy who made the trailer and we are going to make the proper adjustments to the trailer within the next two weeks. We are going to weld two pieces off the angled pieces and one right down the middle. Thanks for all the input and concern. If this doesn't make it right then I am just gonna live with it. I started building on it and its pretty damn sturdy.
I will be posting some pics of the build process. If this welding didn't slow me down I could finished this thing in a week easy. I don't like waiting around!!!!
Here we go
First Side going up and secured to floor. Used lag bolts on the sides. 4 on each side and 2 in the front and the back. I also used wood to metal screws on the inside to secure it there as well. Its pretty damn sturdy. The only problem so far has been getting the damn roofing cement all over me!! Stuff takes a whole to dry but its thick! Im thinking about using it on my roof as well.....thoughts?

Both sides up and footers front and back bolted on

Ac box and read entry to galley. I wanted to keep weight off the tongue so putting the ac here does just that. THe cargo door was an ebay purchase $75 out the door with two locks. Works perfect

better view

Door installed for fit and ac box done, just waiting to build a little door for it. I used the ac last night and in my garage the temperature was 96 degrees. AC dropped the temperature in the trailer to 65 degrees in less than an hour and that is with out any insulation or being sealed up.

Driver side
 
J

jeeper92

Adventurer
More pics

This is where it sits now. Sorry for the angel but Im nipping at some Jack Daniels waiting for my buddies to get here for poker so getting up isn't an option!:Wow1:



And the front is on. Thinking of adding a simple truck box up here and using this as my electrical storage.
 
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J

jeeper92

Adventurer
Update

Hey,
Taking the day off from working on the trailer to head to the beach with all 4 of my kids. They can swim I can sit in the sand and think about things that needed to be done to the trailer. Id really like some input from you all on this. I am on a super tight schedule as Id like to have this done for the York All Breeds Jeep Show July 16th. So any and all help would be greatly appreciated. So to keep things clear on here Ill itemize all the ideas and questions I have and you guys feel free to suggest away.

1. Welding.........taken care of this week or next weekend. I'm glad you all said something to me about it.
2. Interiror/Wall treatments. I am at a standstill with this one. Not quite sure where to go. I am not going to panel it. I was thinking something like carpet but all the things I looked at would be too difficult to work with. My wife suggested staining all the "braces" then just using some tongue and grove pine in between and on the roof. I ran the ac yesterday again to test it and it holds air and its not even sealed up all the way yet. Neighbor suggested felt from a jannes fabric type store.. I'm looking for suggestions.
3. Galley. Here is what Im planning and my though process behind it. I want this to sleep three. Myself and two of my kids. Always one of the older ones and one of the younger ones. The bed itself will be big enough for myself and one of the older ones. The younger ones will sleep in a "nest" which is the back of the galley that will fold down over. So I will have the 2x2x5 galley and the back wall will fold down to make a bed once the galley is emptied. Thoughts? Suggestions on hinges?
4. Painting the outside. Im going to Bondo all of the holes and gaps I have sand it. Then treat the whole outside with CPES. The problem is I cant locate the stuff anywhere. Suggestions? After that I was going to use the bedliner product called Durabak. Seems like a great product and it comes in a textured finish which I love. Do you think I could just use the bondo then the bedliner???
4. Electric............just going to use an extension cord for now..........Im going to camp in it a few times and see what I want simply because space is at a premium and Id like to make sure that the electric I do install is exactly what I need.
Please give me suggestions. Thanks guys!
 
Mushin_Noshin

Mushin_Noshin

Adventurer
You could use speaker box carpet for the insides, super easy to work with and would form around all the surfaces nicely.
Enemy of wood is water, and fire. Water is big concern here so focus on that:)
CPES seems to be the goals to, but there are other ways. You could fiberglass tape the edges then few coats of that stuff you paint on concrete to keep water out, sorry can't think of name, sells at home depot, then your duraliner, or monsterliner.
Still confused about your galley idea


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D

DanCooper

Adventurer
jeeper92 said:
4. Painting the outside. Im going to Bondo all of the holes and gaps I have sand it. Then treat the whole outside with CPES. The problem is I cant locate the stuff anywhere. Suggestions? After that I was going to use the bedliner product called Durabak. Seems like a great product and it comes in a textured finish which I love. Do you think I could just use the bondo then the bedliner???
Click to expand...

CPES can be purchased directly from The Rot Doctor. http://www.rotdoctor.com They ship very quickly. You CAN skip the CPES step and apply the Durabak directly on the bare plywood, but I would recommend against it if you want to use the trailer for more than a few years.

You can also finish the interior with "auto carpet." I bought some from these guys. http://www.yourautotrim.com/80wideozite.html Shipped fast, reasonably priced for me. There are others out there, so you may want to shop around.

Keep building, it is looking great!
 
J

jeeper92

Adventurer
Sanding

Been sanding all day getting ready to apply the Bondo. Ordered the Durabak and Rot Doctor Epoxt Sealer. Still not settled on the flooring and walls inside or what to finish the galley in. A few people asked to clarify what I was going to do with my galley. The pictures up top should help me explain it better. You will see in the pictures that there is no back wall. When the back wall goes up it will be hinged to fold into the cabin to serve as a bunk bed for one of my younger ones.


Some one suggested fiberglass for the edges is there a product where the fiber glass comes in 4 inch strips??/
 
J

jeeper92

Adventurer
More advice please

I loved the roof cement I used on the bottom of the trailer. What do you all think bout using it on the roof??
 
Mushin_Noshin

Mushin_Noshin

Adventurer
I personally would not use that on the roof. The exterior treatment you are doing elsewhere should be fine for the top. Just my opinion

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