this little guy

the kid

Juke Box Hero
well i dont have a build thread yet for this little guy, but im looking to start one(cant think of a good name so thats kinda whats been holding me back). i bought this trailer a couple years ago from a friend of mine who had it/made it -it started out life as all these do, a pickup, but it got hit and totalled out. my friend owned a couple body shops and this was a truck that came through one of the shops, they picked it up and did the conversion. he used it for a while but as time went on, he got other trailers better suited for his needs and uses, so this little guy just sat by the way side. i actually used it more than he did, and when i asked to barrow it one day, he asked me if i was interested in buying it. i had never thought of it, but he told me i was the only one who ever used it and that it was taking up room in his back yard so $200 and it was mine.... well i drove home with it that day. spend the next weekend cleaning out the excess crap like fuel lines and brake lines, dumping the old fuel tank ect. then i went down to napa auto parts and bought a wiring kit for it. it really only needed a new front plug but i figured it would be just as easy and better in the end to just rewire the entire thing. so for like $35 in wiring and loom i had brand new wiring. it served me well, i have had it loaded down with well over 3000lbs of fire wood, and it towed it just fine(of course it was on the bump-stops so the fact that it had blown shocks didnt matter much at that point lol). its done several trash and yard debris runs for me and my parents.

the goal is to have a multi purpose trailer, used for SAR, utility and camping/overlanding. i am going to line-x the entire trailer, inside and out. i want to build a modular type rack system that can be quickly bolted in and unbolted/removed to accommodate a RTT and other camping things like a kitchen and stove ect, but be taken out when i need to haul a yard of gravel, or topsoil or trash ect. i have a set of first gen tacoma springs that id like to put under it to increase its capacity, but that will require cutting and relocating both the shackles and the spring hangers. but for now i have just done a spring over(vs the original spring under) and installed some nice bilstein shocks to help stiffen things up, along with a nice(r) set of enkei alloy 15"wheels with some 31x10.5x15 tires. i would also like to find a late 80s pickup or 4runner rear axle(v6 carrier) to swap into it as well, as then i could use the that 3rd member as a spare should i ever blow a ring gear on the trail, -same with the axle shafts them selves.

IMG_20140425_165206058 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_20140425_153928539.jpg by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_20140425_153851186 by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_20140425_153839350.jpg by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_20140425_153502267.jpg by isaacyocum, on Flickr
IMG_20140425_153448907.jpg by isaacyocum, on Flickr

picks before the spring over and with a "good load"
loaded by isaacyocum, on Flickr
firewood by isaacyocum, on Flickr


list of mods to do;
-line-x entire trailer
-replace tail gate, i already have a spare(came with the trailer) -this will get done when i linex
-instal 2" receiver hitch
-wire trailer with 2awg for mobile winch
-wire up 7pin trailer side wiring
-install 4 deep cycle RV batteries for base camp(still retaining 12v system)
-build modular rack/cargo system/RTT stand
-instal/swap toyota IFS v6 rear axle with tacoma leafs
-build mount/bracket for cs144 alternator driven by axle -to charge batteries while on the move
-build mount/brackets for aux fuel and water tanks under trailer
-build removable tripod/third leg with dual wheels(similar to pneumatic hand truck type tires)
-
 

skersfan

Supporting Sponsor
It looks like you may have slightly overloaded it, by a couple thousand pounds there. It won't last long with that type of load no matter what you do with the axle.

Nice work, but the DAECO 55 gallon drum gives me some concern for your neighbors safety. lol
 

the kid

Juke Box Hero
It looks like you may have slightly overloaded it, by a couple thousand pounds there. It won't last long with that type of load no matter what you do with the axle.

Nice work, but the DAECO 55 gallon drum gives me some concern for your neighbors safety. lol

lol yeah that was about 3200lbs, the trailer handled it ok though... yeah the stock springs are not up to the task. i have a set of first gen tacoma springs that im gonna install on the trailer, but that means cutting the hangers and shackles and relocating them. i also want to put in a IFS v6 rear axle from a toyota truck/4runner.

that drum is just a trash can... i learned my lesson a long time ago about welding or grinding around chemicals especially in open containers....
 

Toyotero

Explorer
Nice looking welds, and trailer... and 4Runner :-D

What is the tongue box? It looks well built.

Regarding your springs, Taco springs might do what you need but they aren't very heavy duty either since the Tacomas weren't built to carry much weight. Have you considered building a thicker pack with the Taco springs and the Nissan springs? (if they are the same width.)

IIRC, the Toyota axles 1986 - 1995 were all the same housings and axle shafts, only the differential carrier casting was different with vanes to increase the strength of the housing. If you find an 4-cylinder axle cheap, you might consider using it and picking up a V6 diff.
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_TechInfo.shtml#DiffTypes
 
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the kid

Juke Box Hero
yeah i want the v6 carrier, i just figured it would be easier to find a complete axle, but if i have to part one together then so be it... its not beyond me. thanks for the kind words on the welds guys, but i cant take credit for those welds myself, i had a friend do it for me, as my back is out right now so i cant to much work right now, but i can weld as well. the tacoma leafs will haul a lot more than the nissan ones will. the over load leaf on the nissan pack is the same size and the regular leafs in the tacoma pack. i have several sets of tacoma leaf packs, some have 3 and 4 leafs plus the over loads, and i have both 1st and 2nd gen tacoma leaf packs to chose from. one thing i dont want is this trailer to be too stiff when unloaded. i think i might install a set of air bags if things get bad. but i have hauled over a yard of top soil and gravel several times in my 85 pickup and been fine. i mean its not like i make a habbit of doing so, but these little trucks are more than up to the challenge. look at other countries who have these trucks... i have seen people doing crazy things with them, and hauling ridiculous loads -when i was in Iraq i saw a guy with 3 cars stacked in the bed of his older early 80s toyota pickup, he had made a bracket/basket off the front of it that he had filled with rocks and blocks to keep the front end on the ground so he could steer... im not too worried about my occasional heavy loads.


the front box is a merritt box. they are a canadian company that specialises in making aluminum trailers, boxes and other trucking accessories -fenders, racks ect. they make some great stuff too. idk how old that box is but its come in very handy. thats where i keep all my tarps and straps ect. -on that trip thats where we kept the chain saws and fuel ect. at first i didnt care too much for that box. i wanted one that was lower and wider, pretty much the width of the whole trailer, but now as i look at it, i can fit two NATO fuel type cans on either side of the box perfectly. so thats probably what i will do and keep that box, just have to get the front fixed, one of the latches quit working -spring broke. and there is a small crack in the door as well.
 

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