Redeth's Overland Trailer Build

Redeth005

Redeth005

Adventurer
Hey guys. I made this profile a while back ago but i havent had time to post anything due to being in school for the past 2 years. And now that i am finally finished and graduating as a Certified Surgical technologist and getting hired at UCLA hospital to work in the operating room i am finally going to have an income again. So now i can finally kick start my first build thread here on ExpeditionPortral. Some of you guys May recognize my truck from YotaTech.com or Instagram as my name there is also "Redeth005" I am still pretty new to fabricating but anybody that knows me will tell you that i can get extreamely creative and have lots of attention to detail when it comes to fabricating something. For instance on the times i built my front and rear bumpers. http://www.yotatech.com/f88/redeths-89-4runner-custom-front-plate-bumper-fab-273271/
I guess i can be pretty handy when i have a project.

Anyway...
One thing that i realized i started wanting a lot over this recent year is having the need to explore! Being stuck in a classroom setting with very little off-road trips during that time really made me want to get out more. Not only that but during our sponsored BF Goodrich trip, by Internet Brands, last November (in 2014) (Part of Yotatech.com) i realized how much i liked overland stuff. itT wasn't even that long of a trip. IT was only from Barstow CA to Las Vegas NV. But that short trip But for a guy that normally goes Rock Crawling with the 4runnner i found this to be so much fun and it made me want more.

After Many camping trips i have realized how much i hate setting up tents.
Small tents like this one down below aren't too bad....


...but i'm just tired of getting super dirty all the time and uncomfortable floors even with my memory foam mattress toppers i am not too satisfied. Air mattresses get too hot or lose their air half way through the night. I just rather not deal with it.

I didnt give up there. I figured i would buy this cool Napier Sportz SUV Tent that attaches to the rear of my 1st gen 4Runner.

Here it is in the most recent trip for fathers day 2015


Pix from Before when the truck was still IFS and that suv tent in 2013.



As you can see this tent creates a nice seal around the rear of the body








This tent was awesome for the times i used it. but once i added the rear bumper that i built with the tire carrier i found that the swing out leans too much on the tent and will potentially cause damage to the tent.
you can see for yourself here:


One of the things i liked about this tent was that i could always leave the tent back at camp while i went off rock crawling and when i get back i could just back it up into the tent again and re-strap everything to wrap around the 4runner. Simple enough right? WRONG! i hate it. too many straps and too many hooks to properly seal everything. This tent is only good if you plan to stay in one location for a few days. But its a huge pain in the butt when you gotta come and go like i had to. You gotta redo everything and on the bottom side you literally need to go under the bed of the 4runner and strap things off good there too. Any mistake and the mosquitoes will be eating you alive! ANd rolling around under my truck on a dirt ground so i could mosquito-proof the tent is the last thing i want to do after a long day of wheeling. So that got my mind wondering. I began to research Teardrop trailers. Some which i found were pretty awesome. But none are ever built with a 29" size tire or larger. Biggest i found was 31" but the trailers are very simple and i question the integrity of the wooden build. So next choice is a rooftop tent. Well i own a 1st gen 4runner with a fiberglass top. and i want to be able to wheel still without being top heavy due to a roof tent. So that is out of the question. I still liked the ability to leave camp at the campsite and take off at a moments notice. So i finally had a mind set on what i wanted to build. I seen lots of people have offroad trailers.

Then I would see Instagram User: "Defconbrix" always uploading awesome pix of his VMI offroad trailer. I wouldnt mind buying one of these if the base model wasnt so dang expensive. So im stuck having to build my own. here is his tacoma and his trailer.


He has one of the biggest rooftop tents that CVT offers.




Also after researching home made builds i came across "Dirtco" and his trailer build on Yotatech and continued on a few other forums. Here is his trailer:







--->





You can actually find Dirtco's trailer build Here:
http://www.yotatech.com/f88/my-camping-trailer-project-219053/

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So After much research and lots of drooling over these awesome builds it drove me to want to have a trailer project of my own. I figured i would take my time and get the main things to begin this trailer foundation for free. And luckily on instagram i have lots of followers willing to help

My buddy Ruben(Pisarunner on Instagram) Donated a near mint condition IFS 4runner chassis to me for free! He just made me promise i build something really cool with it and i intend to. This trailer has very minimal surface rust. Literally nothing that cant be wiped off with a rag. im very happy with the condition of this frame.

Also another buddy (LivingTheDream138 on instagram) in planning to donate his used, broken in 4" lift trail-gear leaf springs that now sit at about a 3" lift. Theyre broken in and he is planning to install his new ones in the next 2 weeks some time. and he told me that he'd let me have them for free as well once he has them off his truck. And I still have my old 4" shackles in the garage that i plan to use for this trailer as well. So far im off to an amazing start and what better way to start off with then a toyota frame as my foundation.
 
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Redeth005

Redeth005

Adventurer
Here i am after bringing the 4runner chassis home. I drove the entire trip on the street and was still scared of having that weight up on top. [YES I KNOW IT WAS DANGEROUS- Please pardon me i just didnt have any other way to get it home] But luckily nothing happened. i wish i had access to a flatbed. its okay though it was secured on really good. for the 15mile drive on the street home.





Here is my frame. I am planning to chop off the front end of this chasis some more. I will be cutting where the thin aluminum bar is near where that front cross member is at.


I plan to make the main storage box 6ft long by 4ft&3" wide and 2ft tall.
In this next pic you can see the lateral aluminum ruler begins at the drop of the frame and i plan to end it where the red 'arrow' welding magnet is at toward the rear of the chassis.


Heres a better view from above.


So the longest compartment is going to be 6ftx4'3". But im going to cut it in 2. I want the smaller of the 2 located toward the front for the 12v fridge. I'm not sure on the exact side yet but i plan to make it 2ft. and leave the remainder 4 ft for storage. Like Dirtco i like the idea of having firewood storage in the front of the trailer. So i'll be having a compartment for that there as well. Maybe it all sounds like jibberish so heres a quick basic idea of what i want. side view.


This was just a basic overview of what i wanted. But After checking out a few trailer builds here on ExpeditionPortal.com i definitely want to incorperate alot of ideas i have found on this site into my build. for instance i never thought of using skateboard bearings for a drawer, that is one pretty Macgyver idea.
Anyway Usually when i begin a project the design always changed 3-4 times since im always adding cool stuff or going a better route for something. So dont expect this trailer to be exactly like that picture i drew on. it may change a bit.
 
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Redeth005

Redeth005

Adventurer
So yesterday i was wondering how i would build or weld higher platform to extend the body mounts up more because the chassis sits 0.5" taller then those body mounts and then it dawned on me that my next door neighbor, who i usually go offroad rock crawling with from time to time, had a COMPLETE 3" BODY LIFT KIT. Not for a 4runner but for an early ford explorer which he sold a long long time ago. So he has had this brand new kit, never been used, in his garage for the past mmmm 10-15 years or so lol So i knocked on his door and asked him if by any chance he had it. AND HE DID. All i gotta do is modify a plate to center those body lift mounts onto my frame so it doesnt move out of place. That was a real score on that kit. FREE FREE FREE FEEE


Right now the trailer is completely level i literally took a leveling ruler to make sure the bubble was centered forward, across and diagonal. So this is with the use of 2 body lift blocks stacked up. was still left perfect. I like the idea of using these. But I'm not sure i like the idea of having 2 stacked. I may need to weld up some higher towers and just weld the plate for the block to sit on nicely. We will see what i decide. I could always just end up welding some steel bars upward to keep those stacked blocks from moving. I need to see if they move while under pressure first. But you can really see how straight that thing is. It really doesnt look bad at all.


I was just playing around with the aluminum rulers today to get more of a feel at how large this bigger box is going to be. And it is pretty dang big. I'm sure i wont have a hard time using up the space when i go camping but it is pretty big. and i still have the 2' space in front of that plus the 1.5' wood box in front of this lol This is gonna be a hell of alot of fun to build.


same pic different view.
Here you can see that i already cut off the IFS torsion bar brackets



After getting a better idea of what this was going to turn out like it was time to bring out the Acetylene torch. My dad saw me bringing the gear out and he insisted on cutting the frame himself. So i took the liberty of taking surprise work shots of him doing his thing.

Cutting off a couple of feet from the passenger side.





Driver side



After the chassis i cut off small brackets that i suspect would be in my way. the top 2 are the brackets that hold on the stock 4runner muffler. the bottom pic is the brake like bracket that mounts on the back side of the stock gas tank. Which reminds me i need to go look for a gas tank with the fuel pump so i can use these stock mounts. It'll work perfectly and will be so convenient to have that stock gas tank there.


BAM! :scared: Now there's something i can work with! This portion that got cut off was also the part that had heavy reinforcements within the chassis toward where all the IFS stuff was mounted to. We pretty much cut everything off from directly behind the transmission mount. There is a guy that lives accross the street from me. He's a retired Vietnam veteran and on the side he collects metal to sell at recycling places. I figured he could put these to good use to help him out make a few bucks. Those side portions weigh a ton!


after torching off the frame took a wire wheel to clean off all the dirt, light oil, and surface rust off. I am really happy with what i saw. The truck has very minimal rust. Literally a few passes with the wire wheel exposed the nice clean black powder coat underneath. The passenger side had a bit of rust but nothing serious. It must had been stored on its side for a while and the moisture was probably allowed to sit on the metal for a while. But its all good I just kept going with the wire wheel to expose the metal underneath then i primed the exposed areas. (I ran out of primer so i only did the larger exposed patches. I'm debating if i should hold off on priming the entire frame since i am still going to have to weld brackets and mounts for my upcoming water tank, and water heater with compressor stuff. YES YOU HEARD RIGHT! WATER HEATER AND COMPRESSED WATER! Yea yea so what call me a glamper i dont care. At least i'll be clean and sleep comfortably in my future CVT Mt Rainer roof top tent lol
http://www.cascadiatents.com/Mt-Rainier-Roof-Top-Tent.htm?m=87&s=615&&id=117



I cant wait to show you guys the water system set up that i am planning to get. It is all rated 5 stars and it's super cheap. I've seen a few people use this system here on expedition portal. I'll share this info later just to leave you all in suspense lol :lof:
 
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yngbuck19

yngbuck19

Adventurer
Welcome and good luck with your build. I Have one of those Napier truck tents as well but it is for an old truck I had (1996 F250 8ft bed) and I Have a TruckBedz mattress to go with it I'm thinking of selling them soon since I have my new trailer and RTT setup. Defconbrix's trailer has the CVT Mt Adams which is One of the two tents I am thinking about getting next. other tent would be the Eezi Awn Globe Trotter.
 
Redeth005

Redeth005

Adventurer
yngbuck19 said:
Welcome and good luck with your build. I Have one of those Napier truck tents as well but it is for an old truck I had (1996 F250 8ft bed) and I Have a TruckBedz mattress to go with it I'm thinking of selling them soon since I have my new trailer and RTT setup. Defconbrix's trailer has the CVT Mt Adams which is One of the two tents I am thinking about getting next. other tent would be the Eezi Awn Globe Trotter.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the welcome. I've seen the truck tents made by Napier. I always thought those were really cool. I actually like them a whole lot better then the SUV Tents.

As for Defconbrix, yea he does have the Mt Adams cvt tent. I am planning in getting the Mt Rainer for this particular build.
 
Redeth005

Redeth005

Adventurer
I don't know what you guys use for a sound system when working on truck/trailer projects while outdoors, garage, or shop but I can sure tell you not many of you guys can top my 1000watt 8 channel SoundCraft PA system with Peavey PR12 speaker combo.

This thing is the best! Especially when grinding and cutting metal I don't like my music to be overpowered. I'm sure my next door neighbors are gonna be pissed off today but I don't care they put on their music and sing crappy kareoke all the time so this is payback! lol


Swung by the local steel shop (BOBCO metal) in Vernon Ca to pick up some metal for the trailer build. Gotta fab up the rear bumper to the trailer and raise those body mounts by 4 and 8 inches to make level with the rear body mounts. All the steel you see on that green stand and a 3'x1.5' 1/8" thick plate sheet cost me 30 bucks. Soon when i get the cash i want to go back and buy 2 or 3 sticks of 20ft 1/8" thick square tube so i can begin working on the main storage compartment box.


Cutting the bumper to size.


Cutting out the 2.5" square dead ********** in the center of the bumper so i can add a trailer receiver for carrying bikes, or extra cargo basket if needed or even recovery D-Ring.


Gave the sides a more bumper like look vs just a straight 2x4 lol :hillbill:


Bought this 12" trailer receiver from Harbor Freight for $16.34 I want to go back later today or tomorrow to pick up another one for the front.


There she is Boys n' Girls. Bumper shape is all cut out. Made of 2"×4" rectangular tube 1/8" thick. Now I just need to weld on some plates to the sides to plug the holes I cut out to give the bumper shape. And add that 2" receiver onto the bumper as well as onto the cross member that is behind. This will be good for carrying extra stuff, like a =n extra cargo basket (if needed), small generator unless i figure out this solar battery bank i want to put in it is also good for adding a bikerack(s).


Here is how it looks on the frame.


It sticks out 9" and 7/8ths on each side from the outer wall of the chassis. I think it is a perfect length. It'll still be shorter then how far out the tires are going to protrude to the sides. But it wont look too bad at all.

That is all i got done today. Next up is to plug the sides of the bumper and add the receiver hitch. Then i can get to work on building the new body mount towers. I need that done before i can start on my cargo box.
 
Redeth005

Redeth005

Adventurer
toyotech said:
Turn your rear bumper into an air tank.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Toyo, thats not a bad idea but i have an air compressor set up already. I have a 3000 watt with a 6k surge power inverter that i just hook up to my battery, and then connectly my small 110v 3gallon Husky compressor. That thing works great and fills up all four 35" tires in less than 10 minutes. My compressor actually works quicker then Chefyota4x4's on board air system by about 4 minutes time haha! I am actually planning on using this particular set up for the trailer a 3000 / 6000watt peak inverter would be really nice to have on the trailer project. Plus i need something for the solar charging system so i kinda need to have one anyway.

Here is the my set up:
https://instagram.com/p/4ey-K1lIpj/?taken-by=redeth005
 
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toyotech

toyotech

Expedition Leader
Impressive cuz chefs oba is better sweet. What inverter. I didn't know one could run a 110v compressor lol.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Redeth005

Redeth005

Adventurer
toyotech said:
Impressive cuz chefs oba is better sweet. What inverter. I didn't know one could run a 110v compressor lol.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

i meant 120v. This compressor is the kind that runs off a normal wall outlet. but with that power inverter that i have i am able to use it when i go offroading powered off my truck battery lol
 
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