camping trailer build...

  • read about POR15 on bare metal. It likes rust...if it's bare you might need to sandblast it to give it something to bite into, or it will peel back off if not prepped right.


    i have a friend who used it on new skid plates. he sanded them with 180, used metal prep, and POR15... once the first scratch broke the surface, it started to peel off

  • There's a metal prep for POR you can use on new metal. Sandblasting is the best thing though.

    Member since 2000

    Jeeps Owned'79 CJ5:

    Specs-

    - 258 I6

    - '93 Cherokee fuel injection and HO head,

    - bored 30 over

    - with 4x4 cam

    T18 tranny with granny low / Dana 18 t-case

    Dana 44 front and back from late '70s Wagoneer, both locked and loaded with 4.88 gears

    SOA on modified YJ springs with shackle reversa

    Fiberglass tub with 6 point cage mounted to the frame


    2015 Grand Cherokee Limited
    Spec-

    Quadratec Floor mats

  • They use a standard type spindle threading, works with common hubs. :) Besides the rubber springs, the rest of the components are the same as their 3500lb kits. I can pick up the hubs and brakes from Eastern Marine.



    If I was only going to use the trailer here on the East Coast, brakes wouldn't be a big deal... but for crossing extremely high (11,000ft+) highway passes in Colorado and many steep trails, I don't think it's an option but a requirement. The views are amazing, but you'll smell smoking brakes from somebody on all of the steeper passes. I don't want mine to be one of them.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • If anybody has a cool idea for a tent/trailer accessory, post up! Include links if possible. ;) I'm already wanting to put a battery in a tongue box and charge it off the 7pin accessory wire. But, also wanting to get a solar panel to trickle charge it at home or when set up at camp. That'll supply power to various LED lights and a USB outlet. One day I think I'll grab an Eccotemp water heater to go along with a water tank that'll likely be mounted under the frame.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • I'm looking forward to your build. I went a lighter route but not nearly as nice as yours will be. I also have a 1946 Knox 4x6 trailer but it weights about 750lbs unloaded (pictured behind the carry-on trailer) but I wanted the lightest trailer I could find. Its not done yet (needs lockable top, surfboard racks, tongue box, paint) but its functional and only weighs about 250 lbs. couple pics for anyone interested. cant wait to see how your turns out. And yes I'm well aware that I could've easily built a trailer like this but I got a new trailer with a clear title and it saved me some time. cheers
    [img width=1200 height=900]http://i.imgur.com/z8L3Xq7.jpg[/img]
    [img width=1200 height=900]http://i.imgur.com/kI2B3rx.jpg[/img]
    [img width=1200 height=900]http://i.imgur.com/eAXHYGa.jpg[/img]

  • On my spreadsheet I've got a column for weight. currently at 330lbs not counting the tongue, but including a battery (no tongue box, haven't decided on one yet). I figure once it's all together it'll be around 375lbs not counting the wheels/tires, somewhere in the 530-550 range with wheels/tires. The frame is currently adding up to be 116lbs using 20ft of 2x3-1/8 @ 3.9lb/ft (box) and 12ft of 2x2-1/8 @ 3lb/ft (crossmembers). Maybe I can use channel for the 2x2 crossmembers to save weight, I dunno. I'm not sure if I can downgrade the box steel from 2x3 to 2x2, I can't tell if 2" is enough height to mount the Timbren suspension.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.


  • I'm looking forward to your build. I went a lighter route but not nearly as nice as yours will be. I also have a 1946 Knox 4x6 trailer but it weights about 750lbs unloaded (pictured behind the carry-on trailer) but I wanted the lightest trailer I could find. Its not done yet (needs lockable top, surfboard racks, tongue box, paint) but its functional and only weighs about 250 lbs. couple pics for anyone interested. cant wait to see how your turns out. And yes I'm well aware that I could've easily built a trailer like this but I got a new trailer with a clear title and it saved me some time. cheers


    what did you have to do to fit the larger wheels/tires?

  • Looks like a cool project and I really like that timbren suspension setup. Always wanted to do one of these....that was the plan for the trailer I sold to Jason but with four of us and Jen not being keen on the whole camping thing it wasn't practical for us. :laughing:


    Couple suggestions:


    -Since you're using a 7-pin w/ brakes and the charge lead also consider backup/rock lights.
    -Having rewired a few trailers and done a fair share of troubleshooting POS electricals on the road I'd also suggest a weatherproof junction box in or next to your battery setup to make all connections.
    -Put a 2" receiver and 4-pin connector in the rear....good to have as a recovery point but also allows for a cargo rack w/ aux lighting.
    -Jacks on all four corners...can easily extend them with tubing, flat plate, and a hitch pin. It will make the trailer much more useable/stable when not hooked to your rig and allow you to level things when setting up on not-so-level terrain.
    -Don't forget the space underneath. Things like your corner jacks, extensions, hoses, etc that don't necessarily need to be out of the elements can easily be bolted to the frame rails, etc for out of the way storage. Consider capped lengths of PVC running the length of the frame rails.
    -Tongue weight and length. Weight's pretty self explanatory but having taken my old trailer to RC and the beach make sure to setup the trailer so that it can be jack-knifed pretty good w/o contacting your JK....will help greatly in maneuverability.


    --Ian

  • I used wheel spacers so i could run jeep aluminum wheels, otherwise they wont fit over the hubs. Steel wheels will fit without spacers. BTW my trailer wheels were complimets of Jerry a couple years ago. Thx Again & sorry for the highjack.

  • Saw this on buzzfeed...
    https://refashionista.wordpres…illbilly-washing-machine/

    If you put the hitch on the back of the trailer you can use this... would be a nice creature comfort, especially for the ladies! I've seen it much cheaper but this was the 1st Google match.
    http://www.bumperdumper.com/
    IF you double or triple bag it when it's a toilet, you could use the 5g bucket as both toilet and washing machine.

    What about a small water tank for potable water storage? PVC pipe with a small faucet/valve? If you want to mount a tank under the trailer, say in front of the axle, or to a sidewall you could get a small RV waste water tank. They're usually heavier gauge plastic so it should stand up to the elements a lot better than a regular tank. Only thing I could think of is that the plastic might not be the same as say a food grade container.
    http://www.sportsmansguide.com…on-holding-tank?a=1592991

    I'm pretty sure you've already thought of exterior lighting.... what about a power inverter and/or an electrical outlet built into the trailer? 12v ports?

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

  • Thanks for the ideas, guys... Except Jeremy. "you could use the 5g bucket as both toilet and washing machine." :doh: I'll take a day off in the middle to do laundry. There are several more refined products for trail "facilities" lol, most use a special bag with decomp powder in it. I forget the name, but they're ready to find. I've got one saved on my amazon wishlist.


    Ian, I wasn't going to run reverse lights since I have the bright floods on the back of my JK, but I guess it couldn't hurt. I did plan on doing low amp rock lights for around the camp... Was planning on a junction box plus Bluesea fuse box in a tongue box with the battery. Was originally planning on two rear corner jacks plus the front wheel, but I guess all 4 corners has merit. :) I'm still considering a rear hitch... 2.5x2.5 1/4 wall tube is expensive and heavy though. I can use regular steel and file off the weld flash, but it's still a heavy piece of 10' tube. I think the tongue overall length will end up around 5ft. Figure 3ft room to jackknife and a tongue box in the way...


    Jeremy, I'm doing 12v only right now, a couple waterproof outlets and likely one with a quick connect that can go up into the tent for fan/lights/phone charger. I have a portable inverter I keep in the Jeep with alligator clamps if I need it for anything. I can't think of anything right now that I'll need 110v for, besides my camera battery charger and that can plug into the Jeep factory console inverter when it's running. Water tanks need to be potable grade, the others aren't stable enough... There are several rectangular options that'll fit nicely under the frame but they'll raise my budget too much. I'll just go with 2.5gal jugs for the time being.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • I finally got a Bantam to borrow and pull every dimension of of it...



    Now to start making some of these from scratch. Going to go with stock replacement cj3a leaf pack and up the tub gauge a couple thicknesses.


    Jerry, what kind of hitch are you going to use?




    -Brad

    Straight six or nuthin!
    1993 Jeep Wrangler Sport w/ splash graphics!
    1993 Dodge W-350 Cummins
    2006 BMW 325xi wagon.

  • The Max-Coupler. Seems to be the strongest design. The Lock-N-Roll is the other option but even after the design was upgraded people still complain about it bending with weird oblique angles on offroad trails. The prices are similar, so I'm going with the one I don't have to worry about. http://shop.knightoffroadtrail…er-0031-mulaxco-D2000.htm

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

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