Jah310 Trailer Build. Here goes...!

[jah310]

Looks great man! Weld aren't that bad either. It's ok to have a few dog tird welds. As long as you get good penetration. A grinder will take care of the rest. I just sold a real nice m100. And have a m416 clone with a flimsy chassis. So I am gonna build my own chassis. And put the tub on it. How much time and money do you have into the chassis?

Thanks! Some welds are better than others - the grinder indeed takes care of the rest. Regarding the chassis only, the cost was minimal. Just the steel ($150 - $200 or so) and two weekends. That's my best estimate - hopefully that helps.

 

[jah310]

Finished up the tailgate by adding the support cables.

Started with making four brackets...

And ended with a fully supported tailgate : )

 

[MtnClimber]

I'm digging the support cables being on the inside. Mine are mounted on the outside and have chaffed the paint abit. Nothing I can't touch up, but yours looks "cleaner".. I've been in some pretty dense woods/brush and have never had the cables get snagged...too badly.

 

[Mark Harley]

Great build. Lots of good ideas too!

 

[BurbanAZ]

Awesome build, my favorite ive seen on here. Im going to have to steal a bunch of ur ideas what i get around to building mine. Your build definitely sold me on the idea of just building one from scratch instead of building off of an existing trailer, i was kind of leaning that way anyway but this build sold me. Great work!

 

[jah310]

I'm digging the support cables being on the inside. Mine are mounted on the outside and have chaffed the paint abit. Nothing I can't touch up, but yours looks "cleaner".. I've been in some pretty dense woods/brush and have never had the cables get snagged...too badly.

Thanks - I wanted them on the inside but was worried about the cable getting in the way when closing the tailgate. Luckily it seems to work fine and doesn't cause any interference. I also wasn't sure about the brackets holding up to the weight when sitting on the gate, but it seems totally okay. ps your trailer looks great.

 

[jah310]

Awesome build, my favorite ive seen on here. Im going to have to steal a bunch of ur ideas what i get around to building mine. Your build definitely sold me on the idea of just building one from scratch instead of building off of an existing trailer, i was kind of leaning that way anyway but this build sold me. Great work!

Thanks man! I'm really surprised how the trailer is turning out. I owe my thanks to all the folks who've have shared their builds on the forum - there are really some AWESOME custom trailers on here. Many of my those builds have inspired my vision. And for what it's worth I really liked starting from scratch - almost felt like it would be easier since there was no "fixing" just building. Super fun. Good luck on your build!

 

[jah310]

Great build. Lots of good ideas too!

Thanks Mark!

 

[jah310]

I’ve done several little things since my last post…

Welded in a metal loop for the safety chains... (pic to follow).

Temporarily wired up the lights including the brakes. I say temporarily as I’ll have to take it apart when I disassemble for paint. In the process I found out the tow package wiring on the Tacoma was not working properly. I broke off the wiring plug mount the first time I went off road and apparently damaged the wiring. It wasn’t anything I could trace myself, so I had to leave the truck with the dealer for a few days. They ended up changing a relay (not one of the ones in the cab or engine department) and hooking up a new wiring loom & plug. Good thing my extended warranty covered it – otherwise it would have been $600. All works well now. At some point I’ll probably relocated the plug up higher next to the license plate.

I also relocated the lift struts so they work more efficiently. The one on the front is mounted a bit lower and outside the box so it begins to work earlier in the opening range. I would have done the same on the rear one, but the fridge slide (not installed yet) would get in the way. For the rear I simply swapped the way it’s mounted. (Pic to follow).

Instead of welding down the floor, I decided to use button head allen bolts to secure it to the frame. I drilled holes and used a tap to make mounting points… Still need to finish up the last few. (pic to follow).

Finally I also managed to get the trailer registered at the DMV! Process wasn’t too bad. I brought the trailer, had it inspected, filled out an Application For Title (form 343), Permanent Trailer ID (form 4017) and a Statement of Construction (form 5036). I made sure to bring my receipts and told them it was a homebuilt utility trailer. The 8am appointment was key…

Then on the way home I saw this set up - love it!

 

[jah310]

Here's the plate - fired up that I can actually tow it around legally.

Need to post a few other pics, but I'm away from the trailer right now... I'll try to post as soon as I can.

 

[Nuclear Redneck]

Looks excellent. Glad to hear that you didn't have any issues getting it registered.

 

[jah310]

Took a spin to the beach...

Going to start on the water tank and pump soon. Here's a tentative mock up next to the fridge slide.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Looking good.

 

[jah310]

Installed the P3 Tekonsha controller in the Tacoma today - decided to use the cubby hole in front of the shifter. That space always fills up with useless junk like recipets anyway - plus the area under the steering wheel just seemed too susceptible to my knees. Also this gives me easy access to the manual brake switch under the controller and puts the unit in easy view while driving.

Here are a few pics.

Question for those who have the Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Controller. What power setting are you using and what boost level are you using? I found myself setting the power up fairly high, despite the small trailer size. I can definitely feel a difference, and know they're working (tested using the manual lever) but just want get some feedback from others. Any help would be appreciated - Thanks!

 

[ilguy]

Installed the P3 Tekonsha controller in the Tacoma today - decided to use the cubby hole in front of the shifter. That space always fills up with useless junk like recipets anyway - plus the area under the steering wheel just seemed to susceptible to my knees. Also this give me easy access to the manual brake switch under the controller and puts the unit is easy view while driving.

Here are a few pics.

Question for those who have the Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Controller. What power setting are you using and what boost level are you using? I found myself setting the power up fairly high, despite the small trailer size. I can definitely feel a difference, and know they're working (tested using the manual lever) but just want get some feedback from others. Any help would be appreciated - Thanks!

I don't want to sound like a smart a$&, but use the directions to set the brake controller. I never use directions but did for my Tekonsha and it worked perfectly on the first try. Plus, you have a light trailer.