My little Harbor Freight trailer build

[rnArmy]

So I got it all painted up and put together. I also got a receiver mounted lunette ring (2.5" diameter hole).

Just for fun, I took the lunette ring out and took my magnetic angle finder and went to my pintle hitch on the Jeep.

Side-to-side measurements (twist): 28-30 degrees
Up-and-down measurements: 90 degrees up and 90 degrees down
Left-to-right: 180 degrees.

Then I took the 1 7/8" ball coupler, and took some measurements using the ball mount.

Side-to-side (twist): 18-20 degrees
Up measurement: 15 degrees (not much)
Down measurment: 10 degrees (even worse)
Left-to-right: 180 degrees.

When we took the trailer for a test run, the only clanging we heard was the lunette ring rattling in the receiver tube. So I'll probably drill a hole on the bottom of the tube and weld a nut there so I can thread a bolt in to take up the slack (it's not much, but enough to make a noise).

With this set-up, the trailer sits level with the Jeep when connected.

 

[rnArmy]

Here's a couple of pictures with it all connected to the Jeep. Right now the trailer is at an upholstery place getting a vinyl liner and cover made.

 

[Balzer]

Very nice work man! Should provide lots of movment. Good luck on your adventure!

 

[Mark Harley]

Great build! Looks great!

 

[Dirtytires]

Mark, is right. It looks great. Good weight and pull for the Jeep. Gee , I think I need to find me Jeep this summer..

 

[rnArmy]

Now if somebody would just make an aluminum diamond plate box for these little 4' trailers that would be great. Make them with a base of 41" x 50", about 22" tall, and in the shape of a M416 trailer. I'll bet you could sell a bunch of them. Make them like a big aluminum tool box (with an optional locking lid like a truck tool box). Any hunting-dog truck box makers out there(?); I've seen some that look similiar to what I'm talking about. Lots of folks buy these little trailers and would love to have a ready made box to finish them off. Plus they'd look too cool shaped like an Army trailer.

 

[jrfII]

Excellent thread...

RnArmy,

Just read your entire thread over at jeepforum. Very informative. Kolpin Jrs are now on my list for my adventure trailer build. I love the compact size and agree with you on 3 gallons buying 45 miles. This will be more than adequate reserve for our use.

The down side to looking at your thread is you have me thinking about a mini galley trailer for behind the wifes 4 banger TJ. Getting buy in on this idea might be pushing my luck!

Thanks for all the detailed info! Great idea for those under powered crawlers!
:sombrero:

 

[Balzer]

This trailer is one of my inspirations for my trailer build "scrappy". I should have followed the size a little more closely. Especially after seeing how much this little trailer carries. Mine is big enough to load too full and even bog down a 4.0L wrangler or a JK. In fact I loaded a bunch of garbage in my trailer (towed it with my pickup) and took it to the transfer station. It ended up being 893lbs! :Wow1: And that wasnt even heaped above the sides! later that day I carefully loaded scrap metal and it ended up being only 612lbs.
-
This is an excellent trailer build in my oppinion. Its a great size for small 4x4's and gettting your gear out for a few days.

 

[Woods]

I've thought about doing a kit like this. I think the problem would be pricing. Let's say that I could sell a box for $1,500. Would someone buy it to put on a $300 trailer?

I also had another idea. What If I made all the corners and joints. Offered a kit where a guy would have to go to a local metal yard and have them cut material to a specific size. All corners would come pre-drilled for rivets. Using rivets and adhesive backed tape, a guy could easily and quickly build a box. You could adjust the size of the box, also. What would that be worth?

Now if somebody would just make an aluminum diamond plate box for these little 4' trailers that would be great. Make them with a base of 41" x 50", about 22" tall, and in the shape of a M416 trailer. I'll bet you could sell a bunch of them. Make them like a big aluminum tool box (with an optional locking lid like a truck tool box). Any hunting-dog truck box makers out there(?); I've seen some that look similiar to what I'm talking about. Lots of folks buy these little trailers and would love to have a ready made box to finish them off. Plus they'd look too cool shaped like an Army trailer.

 

[rnArmy]

I've thought about doing a kit like this. I think the problem would be pricing. Let's say that I could sell a box for $1,500. Would someone buy it to put on a $300 trailer?

I also had another idea. What If I made all the corners and joints. Offered a kit where a guy would have to go to a local metal yard and have them cut material to a specific size. All corners would come pre-drilled for rivets. Using rivets and adhesive backed tape, a guy could easily and quickly build a box. You could adjust the size of the box, also. What would that be worth?

$1500 would be too much; I was thinking more around $500 - $600. But I like your idea about pre-made corners and such. Would you be talking about making them for an M-416/M-100 type trailer tub, or just a rectangular box? If it was for an M-416/M-100 type tub I'd be game to give it a shot. Other than the odd shape of the ends, the rest would just be rectangles, and no bending would be involved (of course you'd want to somehow put square tubing around the top perimeter). I guess you could also bring it somewhere to get welded up after you bolted it all together.

Another option would be if anybody made stuff out of plastic/polyethylene like this tub pictured above. I contacted the company that made them, but they weren't interested in changing their measurements. If they would make them with a base measurement of say 41" x 50 or 51" and about 22" tall that would be great. You could mold them in different colors, you wouldn't have to worry about them denting in shipping, etc. Seems like these you could sell much cheaper than aluminum ones and still make a nice profit.

 

[Woods]

Yeah, if a guy did a tub out of aluminum, the materials alone would be more than $600. So you'd have a kit that was maybe $300 - $400, then add all the additional material. You'd be looking at a grand and you still have to put it together. For a box only - rivets, hinges, jointing compound, fasteners, gas springs, handles, powder coat, etc. There's a reason an Adventure Trailer runs upwards of 20K.

Tooling for the tub in the picture may cost $15,000 to $50,000 depending on how they are making them. The other issue is shipping. Tubs would have to ship via truck and an educated guess is $350 to get it across the country.

We are spoiled by the prices of mass production from China.

I've tried to buy as cheap as I can and I've got about $6,000 into my trailer so far.

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$1500 would be too much; I was thinking more around $500 - $600. But I like your idea about pre-made corners and such. Would you be talking about making them for an M-416/M-100 type trailer tub, or just a rectangular box? If it was for an M-416/M-100 type tub I'd be game to give it a shot. Other than the odd shape of the ends, the rest would just be rectangles, and no bending would be involved (of course you'd want to somehow put square tubing around the top perimeter). I guess you could also bring it somewhere to get welded up after you bolted it all together.

Another option would be if anybody made stuff out of plastic/polyethylene like this tub pictured above. I contacted the company that made them, but they weren't interested in changing their measurements. If they would make them with a base measurement of say 41" x 50 or 51" and about 22" tall that would be great. You could mold them in different colors, you wouldn't have to worry about them denting in shipping, etc. Seems like these you could sell much cheaper than aluminum ones and still make a nice profit.

 

[Mark Harley]

Have Rubbermaid make them and sell it at Walleyworld!

 

[rnArmy]

Sierra Trailer (they make nice looking trailers) will sell the tubs separately, and will make them to fit my 4' trailer frame. With a lid and finished it would be about $2000. It would be first class I'm sure; I just can't justify the price.

The poly tub above cost around $300 on their site, and they were being sold in Canada.

I've got about $1100 in my trailer so far. The vinyl liner will add another couple hundred.

Heck, HF trailers are made in China; maybe they will make the poly tubs someday.

 

[rnArmy]

So the trailer's been at the upholstery place for a bit now. They've got the liner part almost done; now they're working on the lid. It is supposed to be done this week. Here are a few shots of how it's looking so far.

 

[Mark Harley]

You will be invited to alot of parties this year " you have the largest drink cooler on the block"
I like the liner!