Another trailer build: advice needed

[mntbkrguy]

I see many trailer builds mine is pretty simple but I would like some input. I bought this unfinished off-road trailer for a very good price considering it has brand new 33" BFG AT's new 16" soft eight rims a new axle and wheel spacers. I can see the plan that they were going for but I need something more versatile.

The main thing I need help with is dimensions. I like the design of the Bantam T3-C trailers but they seem as though they may be a little small, but I have only seen rough dimensions. It looks as though the size of the bed itself is 36"x72" and a height of 18". That is from the Bantam site based off of the "Body", "Floor Width" and the "tailgate" measurements they have listed.

I am thinking I want mine to be 46" wide in order to make smooth sides inside but I may be able to get 48" depending on the size of the side supports I use. Right now the front and back are 1.5" square tubing and pretty beefy. The current length is 55" but I would like to make it around 7' long.

My end goal is to have an open trailer that will hold my camping equipment eventually have a removable lid to keep everything dry, and a rack to hold my kayaks. I don't foresee spending the money on a rooftop tent. What are your thoughts on size based off of your experience?

Below are pics of it when I got it and after I stripped the sides and roof off along with the current dimensions I drew.

 

[Woods]

I think you're asking a tough question. I'd figure out what you want to haul (utility and camping) then build the smallest that will handle what you need. I wanted to be able to haul a full sheet of plywood. My trailer is 48" wide as a result. I did a 6' length and the plywood would have to hang a couple feet off the back. Something else to think about is the width of your tow vehicle. If you're doing any hard offroading, you'll want the trailer track to be smaller than your tow vehicle. My trailer's total width is about 5" smaller than my tow rig. I'd prefer to be smaller than this, but it was a compromise.

 

[highlandercj-7]

It's a royal PIA to tow a trailer you can't see in your mirrors. So I say the width or trac width should be as wide as the tow rig so you can see it. I'd say the way you are talking a 4x6-8 ought to do what you are asking of it. How long are your Kayaks? If they are too long you may want an extendable tongue.

 

[Yellowkayak]

I agree with Woods. I recently bought a utility trailer and the same day I got it back I was thinking ....EXPEDITION. So I sat down and asked my self what will I carry and HOW I will carry it using this trailer. First think I did was an axle flip to get the body off the ground more. Then I got one line and saw all kinds of ideas and picked the best of all of them and looked at what I have and see if I could incorporate them into my "idea" of what I want my trailer to be used for. After all said and done I just came up with the plan to have rizers added to build up walls on three sides (it has a three foot tall wire mesh tail ramp), even that on all sides add cross rails to moutn a roof top tent, add wire mesh to the remining three sides and just get water tight truck boxes to store things in. Cheap (which I am) and simple, but very versatile, sense I can still haul my riding lawn mower on it by pulling the boxes off.

So look at what you have, what you want ON IT, and how you are going to use it, get ideas from others, and build from there. You have a great base already so you not going to have to do much to it...good find BTW!

JJ

 

[bob]

As the others have stated, figure out exactly what you want to do with the trailer.

The frame looks to be built welll. But the tongue appears too long. I would make some support triangles if you are going to leave it that long.

Have fun and keep us up to date on your build.

 

[mntbkrguy]

Thank you for the advice. Taking that all into thought I have looked through it and I bob said the tongue is long so I am going to extend the box, as I have been calling it, forward with some support triangles underneath. The dimensions I have settled on are 4x7 and 18" tall. This will give me enough length fo the dirt bikes, the width for plywood (if needed) and the height to fit my containers with w/ a little space above to set things like folding chairs, awning, etc. The other possibility is to make the tongue extendable as highlandercj7 suggested I can make the tongue extendable at any time since the original builder was smart and used the right size tubing to easily make it a 2" receiver. The width of the trailer is almost the same as my jeep which was the intention of the original builder, I think he had 2 Cj's in the front yard and a YJ like mine in the back yard.

I removed the floor last night and started cutting the sides off. The welds are not the best but the have a gusset at every corner including down the center where the the main tube cuts through the center of the trailer.

To make it the length I want I can extend the box forward 20" and add only 9" to the rear, that will give me 21" of overhang in the rear. Does anyone think that is too long? I will not be rock crawling in Moab so I don't foresee me needing a huge departure angle like the original owner made. Also the trailer is about level with the bumpers on my jeep which has 35" tires on it.

 

[mntbkrguy]

It has been a long time since I posted, mainly becuse I forgot abpout the thread and the trailer isn't anything more than what most have done. I did however make a lot of progress with the trailer making it usable for many things including camping. I have plenty of picures of the building process I can post if anyone is really interested but the best part of the whole project is the low cost! I have only purchased a few pieces of 1" and 2" square tubing, hinges for the tailgate, trailer jack and tail lights. so far including the trailer I am under $600


Here is what it looked like when I used it camping last.

 

[mntbkrguy]

Since then I have moved and it came in very handy but I hadn't been able to work on it now I need it for another trip in Feb. to Rousche Creek in PA. It was 20* last year with wind strong enough to knock down a few tents. needless to say I was cold.

I began finishing the fenders, (I need another piece of 1x1 steel tube).

I also found a topper for a ford ranger 7' long bed on Craigs List which is almost the exact same length and only 4 inches wider on each side. The plan now is to sleep inside instead of a RTT.

I have made some brackets to support the top and will lay some sheet metal sandwiched between to fill the gap between the width of the trailer and the top.

Now for some more questions. I have looked at pictures of the interior of pickups w/ camper tops but haven't been able to see any trailers. Does anyone out there use the same set up?

 

[Mark Harley]

Nice work, It looks very good and useful.
The topper is a great idea and I have seen several used on Military M101a trailers.

 

[mntbkrguy]

Update:

I have gotten some use out of the trailer and in subfreezing weather at a not so well equipped campground (AKA Parking lot) it worked well, with the assistance of a small Mr. Buddy heater. I set it up with a platform to sleep on and to provide storage below. Originally the platform covered the entire width of the trailer then I realized it would be more convenient to be able to sit with my feet lower and avoid mud getting all over everything. I also purchased a neat compact awning that I have mounted to the top that folds up nice and compact. Here are some pics of my set up:





I have only used it when it was extremely cold and I wanted to avoid a tent on the ground. The problem is I can’t sit up without a kinked neck and it only sleeps one. Most of the time I am alone especially on the off road trips so space isn’t as big a deal but the kinked neck is a problem.

I have thought about several options including adding a strip of 2x8 around the edges to lift the topper up which I have seen on some trucks, not so pretty but it is doable. Another thought is to make a way to lift the topper when camping and have a strip of canvas around the sides between the topper and trailer. Then there is the option of chopping the topper down to make a lid for the trailer and go back to camping on the ground.

Anyone have any other creative ideas? Examples in the form of pics would be cool!

 

[Phoenix]

Rausch Creek's parking lot / camp ground is frosty. I like the idea of lifting the top with some pistons once you arrive at your location.

 

[mntbkrguy]

Every year a member of my club sets up a "working wheeling weekend", this last time with the trailer it was just below freezing which wasn't that bad compared to the previous year which it was around 10 degrees. :Wow1: The trailer was very nice compared to past experiences being there in a tent.

I am really tossing around what it will take to turn this into a pop up vs some sort of DIY roof top tent. I have been looking at a lot of different types of pop-top trucks to get ideas and reading up on DIY RTT's so I am still torn. I think my design for a RTT will be to make a folding platform sized to fit an existing tent. It may take a little more set up time but is the easiest in design and may even be the most cost effective. If I do a pop-top there are several options in style, the easiest is to just hinge onse side/end but it may prevent window leak issues when up. lifting the whole thing creates more of a design challenge.