Cheap Harbor Freight Build

[RangeRunner17]

Here's my HF Expedition/Camping trailer. It's the 40" x 48" model that's just good for over 1000 lbs out of the box.




In July of next year I'll be starting a 3 month trip up to the Arctic, and I thought a trailer would be very nice to bring along. I built it to be a base camp of sorts so that I wouldn't be "stuck" when I open up my RTT. As of right now, it has provisions for one 5 Gal. jerry can, two ammo cans, some quick fists on one side and a folding table on the other.

Future plans for her are to put a spare on the tongue, full size tires and axle, more capable hitch, and provisions for an awning.
I made this on a whim while on vacation. I had two weeks at most to complete it and was aiming for road worthy in one so that I could take her camping the following weekend. I met my goals (minus paint), but my plan was thwarted by the DMV and Colorado laws. I feel like I kind of rushed through this project, and it didn't turn out quite how I'd like, even though it does everything I wanted it to.
Build to follow. Any feed back, tips, or criticism is very appreciated!

 

[RangeRunner17]

While talking with a friend about what I want to do with my truck, I mentioned that I want to eventually build a trailer for my RTT so I don't have to break camp to drive around. He tells me that Harbor Freight sells trailer frames for around $200. I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like, but didn't have any of the details worked out. After a night of sleep, I went down to HF with a 20% off coupon in hand to see what they looked like, and 30 minutes later I was the proud new owner of this!!!



Plans are to add uprights to each corner and a rack to the top for the tent, with some triangles for strength. I welded the frame together in places since I didn't trust the nylok nuts. Steel used was 1.5" x 1.5" x 11 ga square tube, and some 1" x 1" x 11 ga square for the gussets. All of the steel I used was leftover from other projects. I always buy several extra feet, and now I know why!



We then cut the walls and floor from two sheets of cheap 1/2" plywood to see if the cooler and kitchen would fit. They Did! My wood cutting skills were not up to par. Every piece is different, and there are some massive gaps. (I used a circular saw. Any tips for straighter edges?)




I like the look of fuel cans and such on the side of trailers, so we made mounts for a jerry can, and ammo cans in front of the axle. They are strapped down through a single chain link welded to the bottom of the mount, and a cheap-o tie down kit from HF




The tailgate and folding table are made from 1" x 1" angle iron frames, and plywood surface. I used 1/8" vinyl coated wire to hold them level, And the hinges are just simple tabs with a bolt.





I had to make a separate trip to the store to get an idea of how to latch them shut. I ended up going with the locking hasp latch things

 

[RangeRunner17]

Once I had the tailgate and table figured out, I bolted in the walls and floor. I used 1/4" bolts and nylok nuts. I had to make about 30 1" tabs from a three foot piece of flat stock. I also added some quick fists for an axe and shovel. Items that are used often at a camp that I don't want to dig out every time. Then we went for a test drive!




I'm not crazy about how tilted back it is, and I want to add some full size tires. But I think It'll be fine. The lean should allow water to drain since this thing is no where near water tight.

Now it was time to wire up the lights. I thought would take 15 minutes, but it ended up taking two days, and a trailer repair shop. What happened was the cheap lights HF gave me in the kit were faulty, and they grounded themselves through another hot wire instead of the frame. That blew several fuses in my truck that I didn't know existed, leading me to believe that the truck was at fault. I had no clue that a truck as small as a ranger, with it's minimal tow capacity, would have separate fuses for the trailer harness. I plugged the trailer into my friends truck and had the same result. So now I think that I have a mis-wired trailer, and a truck with a bad harness. I screwed with the wiring for a few hours trying to fix it my self, before I accepted the fact that I was close to doing serious damage (Think electrical fire). I returned everything to it's factory setup, and took it to a shop (Superior Trailer of Colorado) fully prepared to spend a lot of money. They didn't charge me a dime since I was military, and I would highly recommend them because of that.

After the electrical debacle, I painted it. Rattle canned the metal, roll on Behr exterior paint for the wood. Black on Black because it was easy. Neither wants to stick very well, and both are already chipping badly. In hindsight, I think I should've gone with a different color for the wood panels. OD green, tan, or even grey would look better I think.




I still need to add some jacks to the back end for stability while sleeping, and a way to carry a 33" spare on the tongue.
That's how she sits as of today, and likely how she'll sit for the next 9 months.

 

[jscusmcvet]

Nice practical trailer.

 

[Eaglefreek]

I've had the same trailer for almost 10 years, but use it as a utility trailer. I've used it on a couple trips that were 3-4,000 miles, also. If you haven't already, I would dissemble the hubs, flush the grease out of the bearings and pack them with a quality grease. I would also suggest keeping a spare hub with bearings. I had a hub come apart on me which also destroyed a new tire.

 

[toyotech]

I use a long 1x6 wood board that I clamp onto the plywood to use as a straight edge guild. Works really good when I need 2x8 sheets.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[RangeRunner17]

Thanks for all of the replies!

Clamp a straight edge upon your workpiece & perform cutting at a comfortable height, such as sawhorses etc. dont cut on the floor if you can avoid it.
Keep the pieces supported until cutting is finished, dont just let the cut pieces fall.

I use a long 1x6 wood board that I clamp onto the plywood to use as a straight edge guild. Works really good when I need 2x8 sheets.

I never thought to use a straight edge when cutting. Everything I've cut was metal and with a 4.5" angle grinder, just draw a line and follow it. I'll have to do that next time.

I've had the same trailer for almost 10 years, but use it as a utility trailer. I've used it on a couple trips that were 3-4,000 miles, also. If you haven't already, I would dissemble the hubs, flush the grease out of the bearings and pack them with a quality grease. I would also suggest keeping a spare hub with bearings. I had a hub come apart on me which also destroyed a new tire.

I received the same advice on my trip planning thread. I made space for two ammo cans on the trailer. Probably going to fill one with wheel chocks if they fit, and the other with a spare hub, spare bearings and grease.

 

[rnArmy]

We took my little 4' HF type trailer up to Alaska and Canada for a few weeks a couple years ago. The factory short/stiff slipper springs really made the trailer bounce around a lot (it went Airborne!). May I suggest:

1. Longer double-eye springs with a shackle on the end.

2. A slightly wider axle (say 51" hubface-to-hubface) with some 205/75/15" tires on 15x5" trailer wheels.

Check out this build thread. There's actually a table of contents in the front (check out "suspension swap"). But the first few pages will cover the wider axle and larger tires.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f27/...ype-trailer-ultimate-build-up-thread-1180456/

And my Alaska/Canada trip (at least read the first few pages):

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f312/alaska-canada-jeep-adventure-1371427/

 

[RangeRunner17]

rnArmy, I've actually been slowly working my way through that build thread (I'm trying to save most of it for my deployment) and there's a LOT I want to do. I priced out a new axle, 3 new tires and hubs, and fenders earlier last week, and it was almost $550. I'd love to do it but I think I wont have the time, I'm going to have about 2 maybe 3 weeks from when I EAS to when I leave on this trip.
Thanks for the link to your trip report! Think I'll read it now!