New trailer for a project base.

[Whitemage25]

I am sure y'all get a lot of these types of post, here is yet another one. I just picked up this utility body trailer off the local classifieds for a cool $450 in the hopes that it can become my new base camp trailer.

My wife and I love our RTT with the exception of having to pack up if we want to drive anywhere and the seasickness we get on windy days as the tent moves around on the truck suspension. I already plan to add a rack for the tent (still working on design), remove the rear most axle (it hardly makes contact when driving and cause the trailer to jerk when it does), and shorten up the tongue end a bit. It also needs to lose some weight, took it to the Flying J today and it weighed in at 1880 lbs with a tongue weight of approximately 460 lbs. The tongue has a huge 1" thick steel plate and a large steel frame platform that is not really needed in my design.

The original truck frame is also under the bed, the original builder just built a new frame around it to attach the axles and lengthen the frame. I'm hoping to remove some of the original frame that seems to not be providing support, just weight.

The suspension is a home built combination of leaf spring and coil spring, I am very nervous about the construction and the strength of the welds on the spring steel if he didn't heat treat. I would also like to get the axle switched over to one that would support a tire that matches my tow rig (2006 F-150 4x4 on 285/75R16 DuraTrac's). I have looked a little into the Timbren Axle-Less Suspensions but I am on a budget and a trailer rookie so I am open to suggestions from the experienced here.

I don't know anything about the hubs other than I've never seen them before, the rim clamps into the hub vs. going over lugs. It does look like it has electric brakes but I haven't tested them.

My goal is to turn one side into a kitchen,

one side into storage of most use equipment, and use the bed for bulk items, liquids such. First priority is to get a rack for the tent and replace the door hardware so that I can go ahead and start using it for overnighting in parking lots (I help set up for a local triathlon race director and camp over night before race days). I don't plan to take it on long hauls or off road until I get the extra axle remove and feel confident about the condition of the hubs and their ability to hold up.

I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you guys may have. Most of the off highway camping we do is off of utility or fire roads, I do not take the truck over large obstacles and as such do not need anything to extreme

 

[cheepsk8]

I thought I'd done some redneck stuff! That suspension is scary. There is very little lateral support for that. I think those axles are from a mobile home. From what I understand, they're hard to get parts for. Did they have an anvil mounted on that tongue? Wow that's a lot of steel!

I like being cheap as much as anyone else but, I think you would be time and money ahead to sell that and get a commercially made one. Not trying to be rude or anything. I've been there and realized what I as into way to late. Good luck.

 

[Whitemage25]

Really? That's disappointing... The cheapest I've found for a commercial off road trailer is $6,000, even if I installed a brand new axle, hubs and springs I'm only in this maybe $2,500.

 

[cheepsk8]

I don't want to discourage you from doing a cool project and following a dream. I just think for $2500 you could find a similar sized professionally built cargo trailer. Or, if your good enough with a welder to do this project, you could build one. I'm glad to hear you are planning a different suspension. Good luck!

 

[cheepsk8]

For what it's worth, that's a really good deal on the utility box!

 

[cheepsk8]

A cool trailer idea

You could do something like this with your box. If your not into the survivalist thing, paint it a different color.

 

[Whitemage25]

Not discouraged, just surprised you don't think it's salvageable. The box is in pretty good shape and the frame is well built if not over built with most of the excess looking like it would be easy to replace. I considered a cargo trailer but I liked the idea of the side boxes on the utility bed.

 

[Whitemage25]

You could do something like this with your box. If your not into the survivalist thing, paint it a different color.

That's kinda the look I'm going for with a rack on it, probably grey instead of OD green though.

 

[workingonit71]

major rebuild needed, or start fresh?

Not discouraged, just surprised you don't think it's salvageable. The box is in pretty good shape and the frame is well built if not over built with most of the excess looking like it would be easy to replace. I considered a cargo trailer but I liked the idea of the side boxes on the utility bed.

I'm no expert, but I've been around enough trailers, helped build some, rebuilt one of mine, and built my squareback nearly from scratch. One thing I've heard the most, is not to use old mobile home axles, since the are built specifically for very limited use, and are practically thrown away by the transport companies. I bet those odd wheels you noted are 14.5", common to that type of axle. I would sell the trailer for scrap (keeping whatever metal you wanted to re-use (keep the utility box!), and fit that to a reputably built utility trailer from one of many on this list:http://www.trailersusa.com/manufacturers_list.asp?id=52 or others, maybe local, that you've seen. Or get a trailer from Home Depot, Lowes. Tractor Supply, that are ready-to-roll; assemble your own kits are available from Harbor Freight and Northern Tool (I think they may also sell assembled ones, too. If you need a second opinion, check out this thread :http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/149918-Axle-question-mobile-home-axles. I don't know how handy you are, but that trailer is so scary, it makes my homebuilt look professional, and probably will require some time, money, effort and skill to save. You got it for $450, which is a fair price for the utility box alone (they're high, around here), so add the scrap value to it, and start out with a safer platform. Like I said, I'm no expert. It's just my opinion. Good luckwith whatever you decide to do!

 

[cheepsk8]

I'm trying to look at the pics and re read what you said. Basically the pickup frame is just in there for no real reason? Do you think it's just there because he was to lazy to remove it?

 

[cheepsk8]

Will you be using the forward platform to haul a quad or bikes? After sleeping, I don't think your trailer is that bad. Get that pickup frame out of there and cut those axles out and see from there. Finding a budget axle that can support the tires you want might be a little tricky. GM six bolt wheels should fit trailer six lug axles but the wheels center hub hole usually won't clear the axles hub. Depending on your welding skill, or somebody else's, you could cannibalize one of the axles and fabricate a bracket to mount a hub assembly from a 2wd front axle and mount onto your existing axle. On eBay, front hubs are about $110 a pair with free shipping. That should let you run a pair of junkyard wheels. Hmmm. I'm starting to come around to this!

 

[Whitemage25]

Yea, I was wondering if there was some confusion after the suggestion to keep the box and trash everything else.

The builder used the trailer to haul around a large diesel welder and his gear. I'm just guessing here but I think he built the secondary frame to handle the heavy weight and as far I I can see just left the original truck frame (that had been set up to tow on) under there as support for the box. My boss who has a lot of welding experience looked at it with me and agreed that most of it could be removed and replace with crossovers where needed.

The frame that the suspension is attached to is over built, It should have no problem support a properly installed suspension once I figure out what to source, where to get it and where to mount it.

I'm actually going to cut off that whole front platform, it's plywood that is pretty beat up and weathered. I may also shorten up the frame on that end by about 24" (trailer is right about 15'5" long as it sits). I will probably put a weather tight tool box up there with all the electrical and such.

 

[stomperxj]

I'm going to echo some things that have already been said. I wouldn't use that trailer. You'd be miles ahead either having a frame built by someone locally or finding something else with better... everything on it.

 

[Whitemage25]

I'm going to echo some things that have already been said. I wouldn't use that trailer. You'd be miles ahead either having a frame built by someone locally or finding something else with better... everything on it.

Maybe you can explain a bit more to help me understand. I get why everyone is concerned about the suspension, I am too and plan to replace it. What else to you seen that is concerning specifically? I'm not opposed selling it and looking at other options but I obviously missed something in purchasing this one so it would help me know what to look for.

 

[stomperxj]

Maybe you can explain a bit more to help me understand. I get why everyone is concerned about the suspension, I am too and plan to replace it. What else to you seen that is concerning specifically? I'm not opposed selling it and looking at other options but I obviously missed something in purchasing this one so it would help me know what to look for.

If you are looking to have a trailer to just haul some gear and mount your RTT to, that trailer is overkill in a lot of ways. You said that it weighs 1800+lbs. My entire teardrop loaded with gear was maybe 1000lbs. You don't need that much steel to haul some gear and an RTT. Those axles are notorious junk and the tires are sort of hard to find sometimes. They are not safety bead tires either so popping a bead is easy. The suspension as other people noted looks quite dangerous. The tongue weight you stated above makes it impossible to move your trailer around at camp by hand if you need to....

I'm not trying to burst your bubble at all here. If you can sell the box and the rest of the trailer for scrap and get back most of your money that would be ideal in my opinion. You are going to spend a lot of time trying to turn that into something barely useful that has sketchy suspension and weighs nearly a ton when either starting from scratch or finding something else would put you way ahead of the game honestly.

Do you know anyone with a welder? If so see what kind of deal they would make you to weld up a frame for you. Steel isn't that expensive from a big supplier and you could either order an axle online or go to a Tractor Supply store or the like and get one. You would be into it a couple hundred more but you'd have a brand new frame to start with.

Where are you located?