critique this trailer

[infidel]

well guys i had this trailer just kinda fall in my lap got it for a good deal and its almost exactly what i was about to build. now it dawns on me that i didn't do any of the designing on this trailer so i dont know what needs reworked and what needs redesigned. so i would appreciate some of you guys who know what your looking at and how it will work/ hold up to fill me in!

my plans are to skin it and build a lid with mounts for all the normal stuff( hi-lift,RTT, jerry cans, spare tires) and buy a max coupler to replace the ball hitch it has now. the tires are 31-10.50-15 bfg ats, the axle is a 3500# off of a utility trailer that was narrowed to the same as the tow jeep and i believe the springs are from the same as the axle. and the tongue is "collapsible". this trailer will see manly just unimproved forest service trails. but some "harder" stuff is definatly a possibility as im a recent convert from rockcrawling (i know i just cant help myself:smiley_drive )

so on to the pics!
and thanks in advance
-jared

 

[Flyfishjeep]

Wow...what a great foundation to start with, Do you know when it was built? It looks very sturdy already and seems to be a great frame work to begin your mods. Do you have welding/metal work skills or are you going to 'farm " that out?

 

[gasman]

looks good i say . the only thing it needs is to be filled with camping gear !

 

[Toyotero]

Great looking frame on the trailer.

You might plan for some light shocks.

 

[orangeTJ]

Fenders for sure, and maybe brakes.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Screw diamond tread to the sides and front so smaller items won't fall out.

 

[Piet]

critique this trailer

Well.. it is a little spartan. Could use some camping gear. :wings:

Seriously, cool unit. What is the bolt pattern?

 

[chasingdreams]

x2 on the brakes. You will appreciate the extra braking power on long decents.

Sweet trailer though!,..... Has alot of potential!:ylsmoke:

 

[TacoDell]

looks like a good start...

but if I were to take 'er off road...
I wouldn't trust that clip underside, securing the tongue pin.

I'd think to swap out that standard clip for a circular spring loaded type clip.

'least it might be less prone to being rubbed off.

just a thought.

 

[indiedog]

Looks like a very solid base to start with. The drawbar, passing under the main floor frame, will be a lot stronger as it has a lot more resistance to bending than a simple welded connection at the front of the frame. With the way that is you could cut in a front tailgate for hauling longer items when desired. (I note that the maker welded across the top of the drawbar to the front cross rail on the chassis. This weakens the drawbar significantly so you may have lost the above advantage. Let me know if I'm wrong as pics are not 100% clear).

Are you going to stick with the ply floor? Are the vertical side posts the same size as the side chassis rails? If the verticals are smaller then you have a continuous support to the edge of the floor even if it is cut to fit inside the posts. You could remove the floor, install some side sheets with a horizontal bottom lip, and then drop the floor back over the lip to provide a good seal to the underside.

Not a long way from my trailer however yours is larger.

Good luck with it.

 

[dwh]

Brakes, fenders, shocks - agreed.

That floor looks mighty beefy - and heavy. Looks like at least 3/4". Good for hauling ATVs or bikes but 1/2" would probably be strong enough for a camping trailer and save a little weight. (I know, I know...save a little but not much. But remember what Senator Dirksen said; "A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money." It's the same with saving weight.)

I'm not wild about those top frame rails extending out past the tailgate in the rear. I also don't much like the way the rear frame rail / bumper extends out the sides - that looks like a Grade A ShinBuster to me. Maybe move the taillight down to the top of the rear bumper and then box around it with round tube to A) protect the light and B) protect the shins.

I'm also not happy with those spring mounts on the frame. Hard to tell from the pics, but the welding on the front one looks like maybe it didn't burn in deep enough. The rear shackle mount especially looks like just a bit of none-too-thick square tube. I'd be tempted to reinforce the mounts with side plates that go all the way up to the floor so they can't bend or break off.

Only other thing that jumps out at me is that I can't really see the gap between the tires and the frame, so I'd worry about the tires rubbing the sides at full articulation. If they do, then some bump stops would probably fix it and not be a bad idea just on general principles anyway.

Sweet little trailer.

 

[infidel]

this is awsome guys! just the kind of input i was looking for.
i was already thinking about cutting the "feet" that hang out over the top rails as well as the brake light brackets. well it looks like i will start skinning it this coming tues or weds and get the fenders on as well as the lid started and if i have time do some measuring for the shocks. the bolt pattern is the same as the jeep 5 on 4.5 and already has the same wheels that im running:ylsmoke: