TheGillz Explo Off-Road Trailer via Geotracker90 Build!
- Thread starter TheGillz
- Start date
GeoTracker90
Adventurer
Update 7-31-08
I snuck out to the shop for a bit of time tonight and worked on figuring out where the rear fender segment will land.
I wanted to have the wheel/tire centered between the fenders as closly as possible. How do you do that? Level the trailer front to back, and use a string and some heavy nuts to form a plumb line to locate the axle centerline. Measure forward from the plumb line to the outrigger that the fender will attach to. Now you just have to place another outrigger an equal space back from the plumb line.
I took the one fender segment and used it as a mock up to see what the rear will look like. So far I like it a lot.
What the heck! Might as well check out the driver side as well and throw a tire on the spare carrier as well for good measure.
This trailer should look pretty good by the end of this weekend. I plan on having the doors for the two side boxes completed, finish the other three fender segments, and I hope that I'll be able to finish off the tailgate with the latches. If I get all of that done I think that there will just be some finish welding to go over and some final inspections of things before it will be ready for powder coating.
It feels like I'm coming into the home stretch.:26_7_2:
Mike
I snuck out to the shop for a bit of time tonight and worked on figuring out where the rear fender segment will land.
I wanted to have the wheel/tire centered between the fenders as closly as possible. How do you do that? Level the trailer front to back, and use a string and some heavy nuts to form a plumb line to locate the axle centerline. Measure forward from the plumb line to the outrigger that the fender will attach to. Now you just have to place another outrigger an equal space back from the plumb line.
I took the one fender segment and used it as a mock up to see what the rear will look like. So far I like it a lot.
What the heck! Might as well check out the driver side as well and throw a tire on the spare carrier as well for good measure.
This trailer should look pretty good by the end of this weekend. I plan on having the doors for the two side boxes completed, finish the other three fender segments, and I hope that I'll be able to finish off the tailgate with the latches. If I get all of that done I think that there will just be some finish welding to go over and some final inspections of things before it will be ready for powder coating.
It feels like I'm coming into the home stretch.:26_7_2:
Mike
highlandercj-7
Explorer
5000 lbs and a unlimited lol... Of course 3/4 of that is the Gillz gear lol...
JK y'all
Looking good!
JK y'all
Looking good!
Rezarf <><
Explorer
Looks great! Keep it up.
Just a thought before you burn everything in, you might want to make sure as the axle swings rearward you have the clearance between the fender and the tire that you need. Sometimes setting the rear fender back just a bit more than the front is a good idea when the suspension starts to work up a sweat.
Again, awesome job!
Just a thought before you burn everything in, you might want to make sure as the axle swings rearward you have the clearance between the fender and the tire that you need. Sometimes setting the rear fender back just a bit more than the front is a good idea when the suspension starts to work up a sweat.
Again, awesome job!
TheGillz
Explorer
Whoooot!! What a nice surprise this morning, I was planning on waiting till Sunday for an update. Looks great. Exactly what I had in my brain.:clapsmile:
Now I have to think of cool things to store on those little rear platforms....hmmmm
P.S. That flat rear section would sure look nice with a dimple(s) on there.
(if you were planning on covering it)
Now I have to think of cool things to store on those little rear platforms....hmmmm
P.S. That flat rear section would sure look nice with a dimple(s) on there.
(if you were planning on covering it)
Last edited:
GeoTracker90
Adventurer
Update 8-2-08 Part 1
I was able to justify a new shop toy, err.... I mean tool.
These Riv-nuts are great for installing threads in thin wall material. They are offered in various thread sizes and grip ranges.
These Riv-nuts are for a 1/4"-20tpi bolt and as youcan see in the second picture they really compress well on the back side. These are also fluted to give greater resistance to twisting with int the hole whaen torquing down the bolts.
The first picture shows how many of these threaded inserts went into the passenger side of the trailer to support the propane tank rack as well as the side box.
The second picture shows the box and the front and rear fender segments mocked up. They still need a little trimming.
I have more pictures for a Part 2 update but I have to wait untill I get home to load them up.
Mike
I was able to justify a new shop toy, err.... I mean tool.
These Riv-nuts are great for installing threads in thin wall material. They are offered in various thread sizes and grip ranges.
These Riv-nuts are for a 1/4"-20tpi bolt and as youcan see in the second picture they really compress well on the back side. These are also fluted to give greater resistance to twisting with int the hole whaen torquing down the bolts.
The first picture shows how many of these threaded inserts went into the passenger side of the trailer to support the propane tank rack as well as the side box.
The second picture shows the box and the front and rear fender segments mocked up. They still need a little trimming.
I have more pictures for a Part 2 update but I have to wait untill I get home to load them up.
Mike
GeoTracker90
Adventurer
Update 8-2-08 Part 2
I'm home! That means that it's time for some additional photos.
This shows the passenger side with both the front and rear fender segments in place. It also has the side box lid hanging in place. I must say that it looks a little naked with out the shiny latches.
Driver side of the trailer. I ended up with too many interuptions this weekend and didn't get the rear fender segment and support structure done as I was hoping to.
Lock-n-roll hitch all welded up to the 2" square tube tongue. There are eight rosette welds, two per side as well as a multiple pass circumferential weld around the opening that the 2" tube slides in to.
Just for kicks here is an obtuse picture of the trailer hitched up to the Tracker. The trailer actually sits quite level once I flipped the ball mount to the rise position instead of the drop position.
I was able to weigh the trailer today and as it sits in the pictures here it weighs 840 lbs. (Across the street from my in-law's place there is a certified truck scale, so I ran it over there and un hooked from it.) Just for comparison purposes the "Base Trailer net weight lbs" for the Horizon and the Chaser are 1100 Lbs and 700 Lbs respectively. Adventure Trailers Comparison
Boy this is getting so close it is killing me. I can only imagine how Clark is doing being on the other side of the state and watching all of this going on from afar.
Mike
I'm home! That means that it's time for some additional photos.
This shows the passenger side with both the front and rear fender segments in place. It also has the side box lid hanging in place. I must say that it looks a little naked with out the shiny latches.
Driver side of the trailer. I ended up with too many interuptions this weekend and didn't get the rear fender segment and support structure done as I was hoping to.
Lock-n-roll hitch all welded up to the 2" square tube tongue. There are eight rosette welds, two per side as well as a multiple pass circumferential weld around the opening that the 2" tube slides in to.
Just for kicks here is an obtuse picture of the trailer hitched up to the Tracker. The trailer actually sits quite level once I flipped the ball mount to the rise position instead of the drop position.
I was able to weigh the trailer today and as it sits in the pictures here it weighs 840 lbs. (Across the street from my in-law's place there is a certified truck scale, so I ran it over there and un hooked from it.) Just for comparison purposes the "Base Trailer net weight lbs" for the Horizon and the Chaser are 1100 Lbs and 700 Lbs respectively. Adventure Trailers Comparison
Boy this is getting so close it is killing me. I can only imagine how Clark is doing being on the other side of the state and watching all of this going on from afar.
Mike
GeoTracker90
Adventurer
WFTW said:
Well, when I bought it the fender was crunched so I bought an aftermarket one to replace it. I was about to have it painted a year ago when one of my co-workers backed into it taking out the grill and radiator. The radiator was easily replaced and we ordered a grill for it as well. I ordered a newer grill hoping that it would use the same mounting points and I was about 50% correct. As a result the grill still sits in the shop.
This little guy has almost 200,000 miles on him and as a result has some issues. The biggest issue is the clutch cable. It had a catastrophic failure and hasen't been the same since. Despite my best efforts to brace and repair the firewall it will no longer hold the clutch cable adjustment for any longer than about 5 days and then it needs adjusted again. If all goes as planned this guy will be parted out next month. Then I can get my S-10 Blazer fixed before the snow flies again.
Mike
Rezarf <><
Explorer
This build is getting cooler all the time. I hope your little rig is up to the task. Any mountain passes in your future? I can feel a huge difference in the hills when towing my trailer!
TheGillz
Explorer
WFTW said:
Bumper? We don't need no stinking bumper!! :ar15: :ar15:
Rezarf <>< said:This build is getting cooler all the time. I hope your little rig is up to the task. Any mountain passes in your future? I can feel a huge difference in the hills when towing my trailer!
Well I can tell you that I am happy that it looks like its going to be <1000lbs dry. The lighter it is the easier it will be to manipulate front/back balances and tongue weight. It is looking awesome and obviously I can't wait to tow it. I am in Idaho, so basically there aren't anything but mountain passes, unless I go south. But the wifey doesn't so much like the desert. It looks like I can keep it close to 2k-2.5k loaded which is what I was hoping for, so I think the Jeep should do ok. Only time will tell.
highlandercj-7
Explorer
PSSST HEMI........
:victory:
:victory: