Another trailer thread by me

[frumpy]

Except this one will hopefully turn into a build thread. I am planning a trip to Florida for July (5000km round trip).

My plan is to make a basic multipurpose trailer for lugging gear. I have looked at tons of threads on here and found something similar to whats in my mind made by seanz0rz

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=542676&postcount=132


I already have a set of jeep tires and rims and here is the rest of my shopping list

Name SKU Quantity / Update Price Subtotal
60" axle
8300618 $77.77 $77.77
single trailer fender
2080021 $24.99 $49.98
u-bolt axle mounting kit
2080027 $19.99 $19.99
single axle double-eye spring mounting kit
2080025 $24.99 $24.99
wheel lug nuts
8191009 $6.99 $6.99
double-eye leaf spring
2080096 $27.99 $55.98
submersible trailer light kit
4200174 $19.99 $39.98
posi-lock straight trailer coupler
4200048 $16.99 $16.99
Subtotal: $292.67

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Total: $292.67


Any suggestions on where to improve or where I can cut costs (with out sacrafice.

Also for material I was thinking of doing the whole trailer out of 2" square tubing .120 thick. I will also most likely upgrade to a pintle hitch in the future but my florida trip will be all on roadd (with my compass, not the liberty). Plan is to also have it 4'x4' with a 4' tounge (overall 8' long)

 

[elmo_4_vt]

Does that axle come with the hub? It doesn't look like it by the cost.. But maybe. Brake hubs would run about $75 per side, standard about $30 per side.

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[frumpy]

Does that axle come with the hub? It doesn't look like it by the cost.. But maybe. Brake hubs would run about $75 per side, standard about $30 per side.

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The axle is a "surplus buy" (one time buy, once they are gone, they are gone) so they are on for cheap, hubs included.

I still also have the option of modifying my current utility trailer (take the box off, swap axle, and throw my tires on)

[/IMG]

 

[seanz0rz]

i am REALLY glad to have inspired someone's trailer build!!! i didnt have time to build it from scratch as i would have liked to, so alot of my mods were working around and with what i had.

if you do get to start from scratch, i really highly recommend building it with the future in mind. some of the stuff ive done on the trailer i did without thinking of the possibility of this feature or that feature, so ive limited myself in what i can do with it in some ways.

 

[frumpy]

Anything you would recomend doing different? Also, what are the dimensions of the trailer if you happen to know.

Love the paint too

 

[seanz0rz]

ill grab some dimensions when i get home on friday. off the top of my head: bed is 68 inches long, 42 or 41 inches wide inside the fenders.


the tongue is kind of short. its ok as its highly maneuverable offroad, but its a real pain to back up! the axle and hubs and tires kind of forced me into buying tires for the wheels, instead of wheels and tires and hubs and an axle that matched my truck. it was cheaper in the long run, but i lose some flexibility there.

the cage on top kind of limits the way you can load it for hauling stuff. the bar in the rear makes it difficult to put heavy objects over the axle. i actually cut it off the other day to haul a large plant in a very heavy pot, and im working on a design that will make it removable when needed.

i had to contend with some previous owner mods that dont fit my needs. the areas ahead of the fenders for example. for the stuff i carry, its hard to utilize that space. some simple mods will resolve that, but it would be nice if i could plan those from scratch and not have to use what is there.

 

[highlandercj-7]

If you have the ability to store a large trailer I'd build it a lil bigger, a 4x6 at a minimum. IMHO it would run down the road better. If you get to short it will be all over the road and a pia to back up, short trailers turn super quick. The shorter trailer needs a lil more tongue weight too.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I think I know the light kit you're looking at from Princess Auto. I had bought that but returned it and went with standard oval trailer lights for cheap.

I also recommend 4x6 intead of 4x4. It won't weigh much more, will give you 50% more space, go down the road better, and if you design a tailgate like a pickup truck, you can use it for 4x8 sheets on occaision if you want.

Also, you should look into using longer leaf springs than just standard trailer springs. Standard trailer springs are too stiff for off-road.

 

[frumpy]

The trailer will be for at base camps and camping. I was thinking of grabbing some leaf springs from the wreckers instead, any suggestion on from what vehicle? I wanted to go with 4x4 as thats all I need room for (2 rubbermade containers and cooler in the box and battery/propane on the front, jerry cans on the side). I think tongue weight should be fine especially with the battery and propane on the tongue, if need be I can also build the axle further back.

 

[highlandercj-7]

My new multi use trailer is 5x8 for that reason. I'm tired of trying to haul plywood in short trailers.

There are tons of things to get junkyard springs from. I like to use Jeep stuff, CJ rear springs 76-86, Wrangler YJ 87-95 front or rear and Grand wagoneer Fronts all years. You can also source the spring hangars from them. My CJ trailer uses wagoneer front springs, hangars and shackles. I have hauled 1250 lbs in it with out any issues. They ride nice and flex well.

 

[frumpy]

This trailer really wont see much weight at all, if my math is right the trailer will weigh 250-300 lbs and wont see more than 500lbs of gear. I happen to have some old YJ shackles kicking around so I might see if I can find a couple YJ packs (maybe even take out a leaf in them). Also, for the weight thing, I may make the tongue a bit longer and put a 2x3 box there.

As for the bigger things I have a rack idea in mind for hauling canoes that could definatly be incorporated to haul plywood and other bigger things.