Too Good to Pass Up Build (Done!)

[MNmtb]

I have been searching for a trailer or frame to build up a trailer for about three years, It was more of a want than a need, but really wanted the ability to camp/SCUBA/MTB etc and not have to pack up the RTT every time I needed to drive somewhere. Thanks to everyone here for everything you have all posted as it has provided so many ideas and got my creative juices going to build the trailer that I hope will suit my needs.

My wish list for the build:
- Can’t take up too much room in the garage. Have 3 car garage, but 4 cars (kids) and did not want to have it sit outside.
- Trailer can store camping gear and be stored on end
- Full access to tub while RTT is mounted and when fully deployed
- RTT should sit below cab height to reduce wind resistance
- Can raise RTT when at camp site
- Tailgate on trailer
- Off road capable but does not have to be “Rubicon Capable”

So after reading for years and then really getting serious about building/buying something this is what I am planning.

I purchased a trailer frame today and think it is the perfect starting point for my build



The bed is just over 4 feet wide and almost 7 feet long . Yep it is galvanized and has 4 inch drop Timbren Axless System. I purchased it from a guy who sold his trailer building business (SpaceTrailers) and had this frame that a customer custom ordered but decided not to use. I bought it for 1/3 of actual build cost!

I had previously purchased some 15 inch wheels off another guy and think they will look great.



OK, so I know they are not 17 inch 33’s like the truck but I got three for a song and given my list above, they will work great. The Timbren’s have the 2000 lb tapered axels so I have 10” 6x5.5 drums to mount the new wheels. Oh, did I mention they cam with brakes too?

Remember the trailer company noted above?? Well, just so happens I met the guy who bought the business and he is willing to sell me some parts such as tub sides and tail gate. Only problem is the frame is 5 inches wider than the trailer they sell but I have a plan. He is going to sell me the sides of the tub which fit perfectly. I will purchase some Grey Diamond Plate and fabricate a front. Make some filler/mounts for the rear and get a tailgate too.

Then It just so happens that the width of 53 inches will allow me to purchase a Aluminum roll-up tonneau cover for a Ram with the Ram box (it’s 50 inches wide) and install that as the top of the tub. These have a 500 lb weight limit and will allow me to roll back the cover and access the tub while the RTT is in either the low or high position.

Finally, it will build a rack system that telescopes about 10 inches to raise the RTT a little higher when camping but low during travel to keep it out of the wind.

So it will be to heavy to lift and store on end without assistance, but a wal mounted winch and pulley will take care of that.

So stay tuned and would appreciate any thoughts/comments/criticisms you many all have.

More pics:

 

[Timbren]

This is going to be a solid build. Welcome to the Timbren family!

 

[jmnielsen]

Looks like a solid foundation to build on! There is a custom trailer builder close to me that sells 5x8s like this for $550. Thinking about seeing if I can talk them in to installing timbrens for me instead and then having a solid foundation to build on.

 

[Timbren]

Looks like a solid foundation to build on! There is a custom trailer builder close to me that sells 5x8s like this for $550. Thinking about seeing if I can talk them in to installing timbrens for me instead and then having a solid foundation to build on.

(Imperial March playing in the background) Join us.

 

[MNmtb]

After a couple weeks wait to meet aquire some parts and a long weekend, the trailer is done!

might as well start the post off with the finished product


what started off as just a frame and some connections, i think turned out to be almost exactly what I wanted and envisioned.

i finally met up with the owner of the trailer company, he has been out of town most weeks, delivering trailers. He could not have been nicer.

if you remember from my first post is that the trailer was 1.5 inches wider than their normal frames so they just wanted to off load it and see if some one could use it. What was great is that when he acquired the business he had a few extra side panels, which fit, and he threw in a tail gate, and taillight bar. i offered him some $$ and he said it was too much since he wasn’t going to use the old panels. We agreed on a price and got everything home.

i used 2 - 1/4 inch sheets of HDPE for the floor and also the slide in top. More on that later.

i then attached the sides and some T-slot tracks for tie down options later. They also provided some strength to the floor and sides.

i had to fabricate a front, so Diamond plate seemed like a good option. Only problem is that the tub is 53 inches wide so a 48 inch piece woulndt fit. A little creativity, some trim and I bent around the diamond plate around the side and also the top to provide a little protection from rain. All joints and corners were given a liberal amount of RTV to seal it all in.


I had to be creative with the break light bar and tailgate since they were 1.5 inches too narrow. A spacer and all good!





originally I had thought a retractable hard tonneau cover would be great for the top. However, when I dry fit it, the canister took up so much space, that I gave up on that idea. Back to the drawing board.

if you remember from the first post, I wanted full access to the trailer when the tent was deployed and it needed to be stored upright on the tailgate so I can get my truck in the same garage stall.

what I came up with was more HDPE, rivet some angle aluminum for support and then make my own channel for the 1/4 inch HDPE panels to slide in. I used two aluminum angles to create the channel, taped some Teflon tape to the bottom channel to reduce friction, and riveted the assembly to the sides. Voila! it works great. Weather stripping in the front will limit rain entry at the bulk head, and I still have to put a plate and weather stripping to seal the center seem, where the two panels meet. It won’t be weather proof, but should be pretty good.

here is a picture of just one panel in place

now with the second panel in place



I wanted a rack that would ride just below the cab of the truck and then be able to raise it when at camp so I could stand under it and have a room or a canopy.

i fabricated some brackets, bolted the brackets to the frame, and used some galvanized squares that fit in each other for the uprights, then some Uin-strut cross bars and I have a nice adjustable perch for the tent.

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. I made to temporary fenders when I just had the frame to make it road legal. Well they were 12 inches wide and now I only needed 10 inch wide fenders. Back to the vise, dead low hammer and a few other implements of destruction and I bent the extra 2 inches to make mounting points for the fenders. They tuck between the frame and the tub and bolt on to the sides too. Not strong enough for a step but definitely strong enough to place something on in camp.

well, that was my journey and I got all of this done in a weekend!

 

[TXtriple]

Nicely done! Is the raising and lowering of the RTT a manual affair?

 

[MNmtb]

Right now yes, all manual. However it is set up to accept either hydraulic struts with little mod, or actuators with a little more work. Right now I am leaning towards simple struts. It will be off on its maiden voyage this weekend for a week of travels.

 

[MNmtb]

Against my better judgement, it’s first real test was from Minnesota to Wyoming. Worked perfectly!

Now that it is back home, time to accomplish the last goal, store it in the garage and still get the Taco in there too.

the trailer ended up a little heavier than I wanted so it could be lifted by two people. Not a chance.

So I rigged up a little system and mission accomplished,


Fits against the wall perfectly and the truck fits nicely. All in all, I could not be happier

 

[77TLCFJ40]

Very nicely done.

Could you please provide some more info on the pulley/winch system? Thanks

 

[MNmtb]

The pulley system Was a necessary evil, since the wheels and Timbrens are kinda heavy. The system is probably over kill, but anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

i probably could have gotten away with simple pulleys, but I wanted something with bearings and not bushings, so I bought a couple mid-level snatch blocks. Then I cut 2 - 5 foot sections of Uni strut. The top one is secured with 6 structural lag screws. The rating is about 1000 pounds pull strength per screw.

the lower one is secured with 4 lag screws. Then I mounted two cargo tie down eye bolts to the uni-strut. These are rated at about 1000 pounds too. This way I figured the load when lifting up would be distributed between the two. The trailer is only about 500 lbs so I feel pretty good about the “engineering” of this.

as you can see, one end of the 3/16 cable is mounted to the lower bolt, then down through the first snatch block which attaches to the strap for the trailer tongue . The cable then goes to the upper snatch block and back out. I attach this end to by winch and up she goes!

finally, as one of my criteria was storage as well, I keep, my camp chairs, chuck box, awning, and misc pelican case in the trailer when it is stored. This way I simply lower the trailer, hook it up and I’m ready to go.