From scratch off road trailer (aka..a reason to buy a welder)

dwilliamsceg · 11-18-2009, 07:10 PM

Wifey and I like to do backcountry 4 wheeling and camping. Here is my thread on our honeymoon trip. It shows some of the places we like to go.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f176/trip-report-va-utah-marriage-867517/

Anyways....I grew doing some fab work and using a stick welder. I really need a welder for garage tasks and with our move to CO we could also use extra off road capacity for camping supplies. So, custom building an off road trailer makes sense..right? Our TJ just does not have the room with us and our doggies in it. So, I started searching around for off road trailers and there are some companies that sell them but they are pricey and I really have been itching to build my own. After looking at designs on the web, I decided to make the plunge and build my own.

I ordered up a nice Hobar Flux Core welder. It should be here by this weekend. I also ordered some associated gear: mask, etc.

Last night at dinner I started sketching out the trailer plans. Here is the first sketch (sorry this was only done in Visio). This is from the bottom.

dwilliamsceg · 11-18-2009, 07:14 PM

Below are some specs/features of the trailer.

-33" tires and same bolt patters as my Jeep
-built in charcoal grill/ash tray
-two jerry can holders built in
-insulated side mounted cooler built in.
-Cover with cylinder lifts

I will sketch up side shots and start working on more details of the design and post them up. Let me know if you guys have any ideas/comments, etc.

This thread will probably take several months :-)

**Jim1611** · 11-18-2009, 08:10 PM

You going to put some kind of racks on the lid so you could haul a canoe, deer stand, or something like that? Also I saw one that had an extendable tongue.

Roadymi · 11-18-2009, 09:53 PM

I know you said you are going with charcoal.....I'm a gas passer (propane delivery driver) so I had to throw out another idea. If you mounted a 20 or 30 lb cylinder you could run a gas grill and also a propane lantern. Just a thought.

WahooCreek · 11-18-2009, 10:31 PM

Spare? I see where you plan on using hubs with same pattern as your tow vehicle, something I regularly see folks are doing. The question that always comes up in my mind is what to do if have tire issues on the trailer when you are towing the trailer with a different vehicle which has different bolt pattern.

Tongue length: 2' seems short to me. Also, several of the trailer builds I have followed mention triangular bracing for strength. Also, a tongue box seems to be common addition on a lot of trailers, so you might leave room for one.

Jerry Cans: saw a post on another forum yesterday about Jerry Cans no longer on the market except for military use due to new regs. Author of the post ultimately purchased from AT.

Tailgate: if you go the tailgate route, I've got a few ideas on a design to help keep weather out (if you plan to add a top later). I've got no idea how to use those programs from drawing things though.

I was intending to do the same as you but had a M416 just fall in my lap.

Lots of pics please.

Good luck.

**mcneil** · 11-18-2009, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WahooCreek

Spare? I see where you plan on using hubs with same pattern as your tow vehicle, something I regularly see folks are doing. The question that always comes up in my mind is what to do if have tire issues on the trailer when you are towing the trailer with a different vehicle which has different bolt pattern.

Yeah, definitely match the trailer wheels & tires to the tow vehicle. So much simpler. If you get a flat on either, use the jeep spare. If you get a second flat, continue jeep only. If you get a third flat, crawl under a rock and hide because something obviously isn't pleased with you.

**timatoe** · 11-18-2009, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WahooCreek

Jerry Cans: saw a post on another forum yesterday about Jerry Cans no longer on the market except for military use due to new regs. Author of the post ultimately purchased from AT.

This is somewhat true, you can't get the old school steel cans with the screw in nozzles. You can get steel jerry cans still but now they all have the CARB compliant spills gas everytime you use it nozzle. Apparently Scepter no longer produces the military style plastic jerry cans do to CARB rules and such.

OP, if you haven't already sourced your axle, I would HIGHLY suggest talking to the guys at ABC Trailer Parts, even after shipping to CA, they were still able to beat everyone elses prices. Plus custom sizes at no extra charge.

AllXJ96 · 11-19-2009, 08:01 AM

For a second spare you can mount it on the front of the trailer on the tongue

**Jim1611** · 11-19-2009, 08:10 AM

Something else that might work for you. A way to level the trailer when you decide to use the grille. Won't matter much if you just grille but if you want to use a skillet and have grease in it for frying it would work better if the tralier were sitting somewhat level.

What about an airtank built in somewhere?

dwilliamsceg · 11-19-2009, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim1611

You going to put some kind of racks on the lid so you could haul a canoe, deer stand, or something like that? Also I saw one that had an extendable tongue.

Yes, the lid will have a rack system so that items can be tied down. I need to think about the design of it. At first I was going to make the lid out of plywood that was fiberglassed and painted but that would not be as strong as a basic steel frame with sheet metal. Let me do some thinking and I will mock up some designs and post. Thanks for the comment.

dwilliamsceg · 11-19-2009, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WahooCreek

Spare? I see where you plan on using hubs with same pattern as your tow vehicle, something I regularly see folks are doing. The question that always comes up in my mind is what to do if have tire issues on the trailer when you are towing the trailer with a different vehicle which has different bolt pattern.

Tongue length: 2' seems short to me. Also, several of the trailer builds I have followed mention triangular bracing for strength. Also, a tongue box seems to be common addition on a lot of trailers, so you might leave room for one.

Jerry Cans: saw a post on another forum yesterday about Jerry Cans no longer on the market except for military use due to new regs. Author of the post ultimately purchased from AT.

Tailgate: if you go the tailgate route, I've got a few ideas on a design to help keep weather out (if you plan to add a top later). I've got no idea how to use those programs from drawing things though.

I was intending to do the same as you but had a M416 just fall in my lap.

Lots of pics please.

Good luck.

Great comments.....

I think 2' may be a bit short. I will make the tongue long enough to allow a fill 90degree jackknife turn without hitting the body of the Jeep with the body of the trailer. I will need to do some calcs and measurements, so it may be closer to 3' or more.

I like the idea of a tongue box for tools. I will add this and triangulatio for the tongue.

Re: spare - I will take my chances on not running a spare as it would be very unlikely that another vehicle will pull this. Plus, I always carry a compressor and plugs and if I cannot plug it, I can unhitch and get my flat bed. I figure one spare on the Jeep will be enough and like another guy said, if I have to I can salvage a tire off teh trailer if I blow two tires out.

You can still get Jerry cans (I just bought one) but they have these lame California no leak valves on them. You can chop them off and use them as normal.

Here is an updated sketch with the toolbox and triangulation

dwilliamsceg · 11-19-2009, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadymi

I know you said you are going with charcoal.....I'm a gas passer (propane delivery driver) so I had to throw out another idea. If you mounted a 20 or 30 lb cylinder you could run a gas grill and also a propane lantern. Just a thought.

I was thinking about this but we really like charcoal for flavor. Gas would be cleaner and would allow some flexibility for other items. Let me think. Good comment.

dwilliamsceg · 11-19-2009, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timatoe

This is somewhat true, you can't get the old school steel cans with the screw in nozzles. You can get steel jerry cans still but now they all have the CARB compliant spills gas everytime you use it nozzle. Apparently Scepter no longer produces the military style plastic jerry cans do to CARB rules and such.

OP, if you haven't already sourced your axle, I would HIGHLY suggest talking to the guys at ABC Trailer Parts, even after shipping to CA, they were still able to beat everyone elses prices. Plus custom sizes at no extra charge.

Thanks. I will check out ABC parts. I have been using Trailer Parts Depot for other project and their customer service is awesome. But I will compare prices.

FYI - here is the axle I plan on using
The Trailer Parts Depot - Axle Only 2000# Track 46" Oal 51"

dwilliamsceg · 11-19-2009, 08:54 AM

I want to run 33" tires but not 12.5 inches wide. BFG makes a 33X10.5 that I am going to use -

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO

I am going to steel Cragar rims 15x8. This is the correct size for 10.5 " wide tires. right?
CRAGAR Wheels 3975712 - CRAGAR Series 397 Soft 8 Black Wheel for Jeep® Vehicles with 5x4.5 Bolt Pattern - Quadratec

Pics of tires and rims

**grogie** · 11-19-2009, 08:58 AM

A trailer is also on my list for the same reasons as my TJ is stuffed when I go camping and now my wife and I have two dachshunds.

Have you thought about a battery box? Here is a 7-way Trailer Tow Wire Harness Kit. It is for an LJ, however I have read here on JF that someone used it on SWB TJ and it works fine (the wiring is just longer). I plan on putting this on my TJ as I'd like a battery box and to keep the battery charged. I think having power while in the backwoods would be nice.

I am subscripting to this thread so do keep us updated with your progress!

P.S. I'd also put your gas cans on the opposite corner from your grill.