Dana 35 trailer questions

[95monty]

Hello all,

So a couple of years ago, I swapped out my YJs rear dana 35 (3.07 gears) for a ford 8.8. As time went on, I sold the YJ and now own an XJ (that has 3.55 gears). I still have the axle sitting around and was thinking of building an offroad trailer with it. I've tried to do some searching and haven't had much luck in finding what Im looking for. I've never built a trailer before, but have access to pretty much any tool needed (from metal saws to welding equipment).

I want it to end up being something like this, this, or this. Those are just for reference of what I'd like to do.


For those that have built, I have a few questions:

1) Is it even worth attempting? The d35 is know as a weak axle, but this wont have any torque applied. It has the same bolt pattern as my xj, which is great. That makes repairs easier.
2) Does anyone have a basic material list that would be needed for such a project?
3) Sort of related to question #1 but, is it even feasible to consider a home brewed ORT or should I try to buy a ready made one?

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[bonomonster]

Unless cost is why your choosing to reuse the Dana axle, I would probably go with a traditional style axle over the Dana. The Dana axle is heavier, has less ground clearance, and is more difficult to rig up brakes if you ever wanted to. A standard trailer axle may not be quite as strong, however they are lighter, easier to add brakes, and you can accommodate your wheel pattern using wheel spacers. The wheel spacers are also great if you decide to sell your truck in the future. By changing the spacers, you can match the wheels on the trailer to another tow vehicle if needed.

 

[FredB]

Most trailer axles are the same lug pattern as the XJ's. I'd scrap the axle and buy a new one to build from. They're cheap.

 

[navigator]

I agree with the guys above. You might also find someone who doesn't know any better that you might be able to sell the jeep axle to offset your cost.

 

[highlandercj-7]

I'd say your better off going to tractor supply or Lowes and buying a cheap trailer chassis. It will have a certificate for the title lights and the correct bolt pattern axle. Add bigger tires and diamond tread and you got one like pictured above perdy cheap.



To answer the question on the D35,will it work for your trailer yes, it will work just fine. I had a AMC 20 in my CJ trailer for years. If you are not getting in to hard core offroad with it the ground clearance is not that big of an issue. My trailer had the same ground clearance as the tow rig so I never got hooked up on it.