Armadillon's Dirtbike/MX/Offroading Trailer

[armadillon]

Hey everyone!

Picked up a 44x48 Harbor Freight trailer on CL for $100. It's an old one as it actually folds up.
The goal is to have an oven/stove, propane fridge, motorcycle rail on the tongue, and instant hot water. You know, just like everyone else on here.
Trailer is not for sleeping in. The inspiration for the trailer came from an idea of mine to comfortably set up camp at 13,000 feet and be able to take a hot water bath under the stars. More on this later.

Tow vehicle: 2009 JKU, 3.5" lift, 35s.

What I've done to the trailer:
Replaced the center spine beam with a 13' 3x3 with .25" wall. Trailer is now just over 13'.
Modified the frame slightly.

(***YES. The original axle was placed super far back. I'm moving it as you'll see in the next post ***)

 

[armadillon]

I found a 76" wide torsion axle at the junkyard with E brakes. $46.75 out the door. Yup. A 3500# torsion axle for less than $50.
Found a brand new Dexter E-brake kit on FB market for $125.
Swapped brakes and started shortening the axle.

This is a hexagonal Al-Ko Dexter 3500# torsion axle. (Including that term in case someone else needs to search. I couldn't find how to shorten hex axles ANYWHERE online. No worries, it wasn't hard. It took about an hour!
You can use a .25" 2x2 square tube section and it will fit snugly into the housing. I creatively welded it into one side and then welded it all up.
I am a terrible welder and I made sure to bevel the axle housing edges to allow for a V groove when welding. It actually welded up quite beautifully with my Lincoln 140HD Weld Pak with a dedicated 20amp circuit (Created a 12/3 Romex extension cord and it connects directly to my 220V stove circuit in the basement. A few materials and you can create an extension cord that only utilizes 120V from the circuit. ANYWAY... More in a moment!

 

[armadillon]

The axle is 56" or 56.25" from mounting surface to mounting surface. These are junkyard 33" tires that I got for $15 each. I had a mishap early on and some metal ended up digging a groove in one tire. I don't care at the moment as they're just rollers. I WAS able to find "matching rims" to my Jeep on CL (black 15" Soft 8s, but I'm an idiot and I purchased the wrong bolt pattern. No worries. The axle hub/drums are 4.5x5 and I don't mind using spacers to correct.

Here is the axle with the tires...

 

[armadillon]

I need to mount the axle, but the torsion arms are not adjustable. I've seen 22 degree torsion arms on axles, and that sounds nice, but hey, sub-$50.

Here's my current frustration. I filed a claim on hail damage on my Jeep and they've had it in the shop for OVER a month. I want to measure my hitch so I can figure out ride height, but I don't have access to it.

I've been searching and Googling like crazy, but I can't seem to figure out measurements for the hitch height on an 09 JKU with 35s and a 2.5" lift.

I need to put lift blocks in between the mounting brackets and the bottom of the trailer frame, I think, as it's only lift right now is from the tires. I'd like a bit more clearance under the entire trailer frame. When I eventually move to 35s like my Jeep, I'll have identical ground clearance on the axles.

I think my solution is to utilize the bolt holes on my torsion axle brackets and make it easier to remove. That way I can add or remove lift blocks later. So I can add a couple of small plates/brackets to the trailer frame, drill holes, then work on blocks that can attach between.

 

[armadillon]

I hired a mobile mechanic to burn in the axle lift blocks with his Millermatic 225. The axle itself is attached with Grade 8 bolts. This way if something happens and I have to replace the axle or remove it for a different project I can do so easily(ish). I'm using a drop hitch, and I have a standard I'll switch to when I swap the balls. Next will be to weld on fenders/running boards and then wire it up. Then floor, then sides/roof, then doors for the rear.