"The P.F.C." (Primary Function: Carrying) Trailer Build on a budget

[notdeankane]

My first trailer build

First of all, Kudos to JScherb and Dinoot.com for developing the modifications to a Harbor Freight Trailer so that weekend amateurs like myself can enter the world of adventure trailers! JScherb's posts are here and several other forums, and are very detailed and inspirational! :bowdown::bowdown:

The mod takes the 4'x8' HF 1720# trailer and sizes it down to 40"x72". The extra parts are used to create a backbone.

The narrowing of the frame plus the addition of wheel spacers allowed me to fit the same wheels/tires as my '07 Wrangler JKU (255/75/R18):

Although the trailer is sized for the fiberglass tub Mr. Scherb designed, I don't have the mad money yet for one, so built my own cargo box....since I don't have the welding skills that many talented folks here have shown, I stuck with what I know...Lowe's lumber department .

I started from base up...it is designed so that six bolts attach it to the trailer cross members; when unbolted the whole crate can be lifted off and will sit on the garage floor like a pallet

I purchased the biggest single tire fenders from Northern Tool, but the geometry wasn't quite right, so I broke out my angle grinder and trimmed them back a bit:

The box is 24" deep, and the design of the frame adds a receiver to the tail of the trailer for accessories like cargo baskets or bike racks, so to be able to easily load and unload it, I decided to have it open gull wing style along the entire side:

Three weeks after starting, only putting in a couple nights per week, I was ready to roll for Labor Day weekend...albeit unpainted...we towed it 400 mile round trip to the Gulf of Mexico at Nokomis, FL.

I built some home-made tent poles out of 1/2" EMT slid into 3/4" with a couple holes drilled in for adjustment, plus a cheapo 10'x 15' HF Tarp. It really saved us cause when we got to the campsite, it poured for a good forty-five minutes....but my girls had a good time playing in the box until we could finish setting up camp

It all worked out great! Although it probably won't see anything more challenging than a forestry road, it certainly was nice adding an extra 40 cubic feet of cargo space to my JKU!

Now on to paint and the never ending bucket list of stuff to add

 

[sseaman]

Interesting design, looks completely functional without spending crazy money. Tent poles can be easily found at yard sale and close out stores if you need to replace the conduit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[notdeankane]

Thanks SSeaman!

Total is under $800, including the rims I found from another JKU owner who put aftermarket wheels on his.

 

[RagnarD]

Good concept and build. Does it get a little tongue lite with the cooler off the rear?

 

[Modeler]

Great idea. I may be stealing this one for mine this winter.

 

[notdeankane]

Good concept and build. Does it get a little tongue lite with the cooler off the rear?

It was just a tad light...so I bolted a full toolbox on the tongue to counter, and only put enough ice in to get me to the destination...my plan is to move the cooler to the tongue and to add a water tank or Jerry can forward of the axle. Even almost balanced as it is now, it still tracked true with no fishtailing

Great idea. I may be stealing this one for mine this winter.

I will be glad to answer any questions or cooperate on any design improvements/additions! Thanks!

 

[Bluedog225]

Looks great. How are your gas struts attached? They look long where they are.

2x stock throughout or is it 1x under the lid?

3/4 or 1/2? Looks like 3/4.

Great set up.

Tom

 

[notdeankane]

Looks great. How are your gas struts attached? They look long where they are.

2x stock throughout or is it 1x under the lid?

3/4 or 1/2? Looks like 3/4.

Great set up.

Tom

Thanks for the compliment!

The gas struts are off the shelf replacements from the auto parts store...I really was just guessing when I selected them, and simply chose the longest and fattest ones thinking they would provide the most strength and leverage. I couldn't say what vehicles they are intended for...but will try to remember to shoot some pix of the number on them and some closeups of how it is attached. For reference, the box is 41" wide and the struts cover most of that...so probably around 36" give or take.

The struts have two different types of ends: the ram end has a metal angle bracket with two holes for bolts...this I simply screwed into the lid with wood screws. The cylinder end has a cup with a spring clip and attaches onto a ball stud (which was included in the package). The threads of the ball stud are like 3/4" or 1"...and metric. I had to run to Lowes for a metric nut to fit, and then used some scrap pieces of the trailer frame (from the narrowing mod) as a good solid base to bolt the ball stud on. I used four 3" deck screws per to attach the red scrap bases to the box side.

Now that it is put together and I have the fender on and a couple pounds of paint on it, the struts are a little weak. They helps lift, and will hold the lid open, but a good breeze or a small child pulling on it will cause it to slam down. I am going to add one more of the same strut to the outside on the front, parallel to one in the inside to see if that is enough. If not, will double up both front and back for a total of four struts. Or maybe just find stronger ones...? These were pretty cheap...I think around $15 or so.

The entire box is built from 2x4 and 15/32 sheathing ply. It weighs a lot, probably in the neighborhood of 250#-300# e,[ty w/o the trailer frame....which is nice to keep the trailer from being 'bouncy' when empty, but makes it more challenging to lift it off the trailer (like I did to paint). Ended up using a 3:1 block&tackle and a neighbor to lift it off and put it back on.