JCMatthews
Tour Guide
Just finished rereading your entire build. The trailer and the 4runner look great. Can't wait to see the finished projects.
My Camping Trailer Project
- Thread starter Dirtco
- Start date
It should work fine, but it's not ideal. They are rated for being mounted this way, but it's less than being mounted the standard way. The package says they are rated at 300 pounds in the standard vertical position, and 100 pounds the way I have them mounted. I will only have a small cooler that will be closest to the trailer and the dry food box will be on the outside, I should be well under that 100 pound rating.
I didn't plan on having slides when I built the main frame work, otherwise I would have made it easier to mount them in the vertical position. I guess we'll see how it works.
I started the time consuming process of wiring the trailer, it’s going to take a while but I got a good start. Excuse the crappy phone pictures.
Started at the tail lights
Testing the tail lights…
And the brake / turn signals.
I got most of the wiring from the rear of the trailer ran to the control box, and started the process of sorting through it.
I also installed a small battery operated light in the box.
And where I’m at right now…
Started at the tail lights
Testing the tail lights…
And the brake / turn signals.
I got most of the wiring from the rear of the trailer ran to the control box, and started the process of sorting through it.
I also installed a small battery operated light in the box.
And where I’m at right now…
Thanks man, I can't wait to get it out on the trail!
Summer is quickly approaching, and if I want to use the trailer I’m going to need to spend some extra time getting it done. My goal was to have it done before spring, but building the new 4Runner has taken time away from the trailer build. I’ve been working on it whenever I can but I’m not going to kill myself to get it done, a couple extra hours here and there make a huge difference.
I got the fenders cut, painted and installed. There will be braces/struts on top of the fenders to strengthen them, and to make a good spot to set (and secure) my seven-gallon water jug at the campsite. They will also make a good mounting point for my shovel, axe and stabilizer legs.
I got the fenders cut, painted and installed. There will be braces/struts on top of the fenders to strengthen them, and to make a good spot to set (and secure) my seven-gallon water jug at the campsite. They will also make a good mounting point for my shovel, axe and stabilizer legs.
I’ve also decided that I’m changing the wheels. The whole point of having 35’s on the trailer is so I can run one (or two) on the 4Runner in an emergency. Since the new 4Runner doesn’t have a spare, and I have no intensions of running one; this is important. The first problem is that 15” wheels will not clear the front brakes on a Limited 4Runner, especially once I upgrade to the Tundra calipers and rotors. The second problem is that the 2” backspace wheels I had on the Turbo 4Runner will tear the rear fender flares off the new 4Runner the first time I hit a bump. I’m not going to buy two new 35x12.20x17 MTR’s with 17” wheels for the trailer, so there’s not much I can do about the first problem, but by changing the backspace of the wheels I could run them on the back of the 4Runner if I need to (If I get a front flat I’ll have to swap a rear tire to the front, then use a trailer tire). I needed a wheel with 3.5” of backspace; the Mickey Thompson Classic Lock had that, and also looked very close to the Trail Ready beadlock wheels I have on the 4Runner.
(Knock on Wood!) I’ve only had two flat’s my entire wheeling life, and both of those were rear tires that I lost the bead. I now have beadlocks, and I also have OBA with multiple plug kits. The chances of me needing to rob the trailer tires are slim, but I still like the fact that I can if I need to. I also don’t want to ditch the trailer out in the middle of nowhere, so I’m going to install the stock spare tire from the 4Runner under the trailer (that’s all that will fit) and use it as an “Emergency Donut” to at least get the trailer to a paved road. (Knock on wood again, just for the hell of it!)
(Knock on Wood!) I’ve only had two flat’s my entire wheeling life, and both of those were rear tires that I lost the bead. I now have beadlocks, and I also have OBA with multiple plug kits. The chances of me needing to rob the trailer tires are slim, but I still like the fact that I can if I need to. I also don’t want to ditch the trailer out in the middle of nowhere, so I’m going to install the stock spare tire from the 4Runner under the trailer (that’s all that will fit) and use it as an “Emergency Donut” to at least get the trailer to a paved road. (Knock on wood again, just for the hell of it!)
Seeker
Adventurer
Just found this build from your post in the Rig & Trailer photo thread. Great build. Both the rig and the trailer look nice.
Out of curiosity, what all have you had to do to run 35's on your 4Runner? It looks like you may be getting some rub at full stuff, or full lock steering, but I can't tell from what I've seen.
Out of curiosity, what all have you had to do to run 35's on your 4Runner? It looks like you may be getting some rub at full stuff, or full lock steering, but I can't tell from what I've seen.
Mark Harley
Expedition Leader
One of my favorite builds.
An out of the box design, that turned out great!
An out of the box design, that turned out great!
Thanks! The full build thread of the 4Runner can be found below, it took some work to get the 35's on but it wasn't that bad.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/95322-dirtcos-1999-4runner-build.html
Very nice fab work! Lots of great ideas and details I need to copy, like your electrical work, neat and clean. Nice vehicle gives you a total package. I have the expanded steel on my tailgate/ramp, your wood box reminded me to leave room for the campfire!
Thanks guys!
Well, I guess I kind of let this thread die. I never stopped working on it, and it has seen some big changes. I just never got around to updating the thread. I’m not exactly happy at the state of the trailer when I left off, so I feel that I should at least highlight the big changes and additions, and get some up to date pictures in here. This project really went from a simple camping trailer build to what I would consider an actual expedition style trailer.
I don’t have the time to go over everything step by step, instead I’ll highlight the big changes I’ve made since I left off, and some of the small stuff I’ve done lately that is still fresh in my head. If you have specific questions just let me know.
First up, I scrapped the whole Tent-Cot idea and bought a real roof top tent. The Tent-Cot was becoming too much work, and I felt after all the work I had done to the trailer that I deserved to splurge a little to make it the way I wanted. I also swapped out the wheels like I mentioned above to the MT Classic lock.
Pictures from around that time period.
I don’t have the time to go over everything step by step, instead I’ll highlight the big changes I’ve made since I left off, and some of the small stuff I’ve done lately that is still fresh in my head. If you have specific questions just let me know.
First up, I scrapped the whole Tent-Cot idea and bought a real roof top tent. The Tent-Cot was becoming too much work, and I felt after all the work I had done to the trailer that I deserved to splurge a little to make it the way I wanted. I also swapped out the wheels like I mentioned above to the MT Classic lock.
Pictures from around that time period.
When we left off I had just installed the fenders, in the above pictures you can see the strut bars I made to stiffen the fenders and add mounting spots for stuff down the road. The Fenders are pre-fabricated units that I trimmed down to fit. The trailer will have tendency to cut corners, so I built some side deflector / rock sliders to keep the trailer from getting caught up in a tree or rock. It also has a nice flow from the frame up to the body of the trailer.
If you didn’t notice in the above pictures, I kept the factory gas tank to carry spare fuel when on longer trips (it holds 15-18 gallons if I remember right). I installed a factory fuel filter, along with a fuel shut-off valve and electric fuel pump that will transfer the fuel over the 4Runner.
