off road trailer "build"

westtexasjku · Jul 20, 2013

i recently picked up a little utility trailer from lowes
its 3.5'x5' and had TINY tires, but will be perfect as a base for my build
it was very budget friendly as far as the price goes
here's what it looked like when i bought it

its currently sitting on 35's and now has a 3500# dexter axle
theres still a lot left to do, but its getting there
it will be used for hauling gear for off road, camping and hunting trips
eventually ill get a tent for it. lots of big plans...
instead of retyping everything heres a link to the build thread:
link
hope i dont get in trouble for providing a link to the jk forum:drunkbuds: were all jeepers anyway so i doubt i will

please check it out and let me know what yall think
any suggestions would be great

thanks guys!:beer:

here are a few photos of it uncompleted but sitting on 35's behind the jeep
currently in the process of finishing it up (bigger fenders, deck and walls, lights, storage box, jack stand, etc)
check out the build thread via the link above
and yes, i know the tires are backwards, need to flip them around...

catahoula · Jul 20, 2013

westtexasjku said:
i recently picked up a little utility trailer from lowes
its 3.5'x5' and had TINY tires
its currently sitting on 35's and now has a 3500# dexter axle
theres still a lot left to do, but its getting there
it will be used for hauling gear for off road, camping and hunting trips
eventually ill get a tent for it. lots of big plans...
instead of retyping everything heres a link to the build thread:
link
hope i dont get in trouble for providing a link to the jk forum:drunkbuds: were all jeepers anyway so i doubt i will

please check it out and let me know what yall think
any suggestions would be great

thanks guys!:beer:

Looks good. Welcome to a Wayalife!:rock:

Canvas JK · Jul 20, 2013

Welcome to the WAYALIFE.

westtexasjku · Jul 20, 2013

thanks, ive been lurking for awhile and have read the write ups on project jk extensively. i also thoroughly enjoy the videos. especilly the jk experience ones.

Robar · Jul 20, 2013

Did you get the 3500# axle locally? Does the axle have 5x5 lug pattern?

Webe · Jul 20, 2013

I am planning on building one from scatch. Here's the tent company I plan on using. http://www.tepuitents.com/

westtexasjku · Jul 21, 2013

Robar said:
Did you get the 3500# axle locally? Does the axle have 5x5 lug pattern?

yes
tmp in midland ordered it for me, ask for matt
very reasonable price
yes its 5x5
fits my 16" factory steel wheels
not sure if it would fit 17" alloy wheels bc the trailer bearing is larger than the jeeps
can only vouch for it working with my wheels

btw kenneth laabs mentioned you before
you should check out west texas crawlers robar

heres a photo of the label on the dexter axle and one showing my 16" wheel on it for you

westtexasjku · Jul 21, 2013

Webe said:
I am planning on building one from scatch. Here's the tent company I plan on using. http://www.tepuitents.com/

thats the same tent company im buying on from too
im eyeing the ayer (i believe thats what it was called)
its the little one, which btw now comes in tan too
before it was just blue

westtexasjku · Jul 22, 2013

got the deck and front wall put on
still need to put on the side walls and build the gate
im pretty happy with the colors of the wood
the black accents really set of the stain in my opinion
the bolts holding the boards to the trailer will be trimmed down and painted black

westtexasjku · Jul 22, 2013

afternoon bump
has anyone ever used shocks on a little trailer like this?
it will really jump up in the air when being towed empty and hitting a good bump on a paved road
its suspension is rated for a big load but the trailer weighs just a few hundred pounds, even with the wood deck
im going to air down the tires a bunch and see if that will help smooth it out any:thinking:
any suggestions or thoughts?

westtexasjku · Jul 23, 2013

got the side walls bolted on
working on the gate now
im very happy with the way its turning out:rock:
i put the storage box in it and drove it to the grocery store to grab some dog food and man was it turning heads
i had 4 people walk up to me and ask me where i bought it and 2 other people said cool/nice trailer as i drove by
my phone died before i could get a shot of it with the box mounted in it
i will post some more tomorrow
here are a few photos
everytime i add a little more weight to it the trailer pulls better down the road (less bouncy)
the short 2x6's near the front are for the box to sit on so that i have storage underneath
still need to cut off the bolts sticking out on the outside of the trailer
considering painting them black

catahoula · Jul 23, 2013

Dude that thing is SUHWEEEEEET! More pics please!:rock:

catahoula · Jul 23, 2013

westtexasjku said:
afternoon bump
has anyone ever used shocks on a little trailer like this?
it will really jump up in the air when being towed empty and hitting a good bump on a paved road
its suspension is rated for a big load but the trailer weighs just a few hundred pounds, even with the wood deck
im going to air down the tires a bunch and see if that will help smooth it out any:thinking:
any suggestions or thoughts?

I wonder if you could fabricate something with shock extension mounts. I've seen some by AEV. I hope you are going to provide a build sheet with this thread. That thing looks awesome.

westtexasjku · Jul 23, 2013

catahoula said:
Dude that thing is SUHWEEEEEET! More pics please!:rock:

thanks catahoula
usually when i mod something related to the jeep it takes a few days or weeks for it to grow on me bc im so picky
not at all the trailer, i LOVE the way its turning out!
im about to go outside and take a photo of it with the storage box in it

westtexasjku · Jul 23, 2013

almost done!
so i just went outside to take some photos of the trailer to post on here and figured i would see how my ice chest, two 5 gallon fuel jugs and two 6 gallon water jugs would fit in the trailer when the storage chest is in the front of the trailer.
everything fit PERFECTLY, couldnt be happier with the size of the trailer
i have some shackle mounts that im going to install on the deck so that i can ratchet strap stuff down
got the measurements for those
im going to work on the gate tomorrow and install those shackles
after that (other than fenders which are going to wait) all i have left to do before our club's trip this weekend is to mount the license plate and load up the storage box (it will hold tools, vehicle fluids, tow straps, misc trail gear, etc)
i love the way it pulls, anywhere i point the jeep it follows exactly
i could weave btwn cones and wouldn't have to worry for a second where the trailer was

westtexasjku · Jul 23, 2013

Here are the shackles I'll be mounting to the deck...
I'm going to drill small pilot holes to keep the boards from splitting and then am going to attach them to the deck with 3/8''x1'' lag bolts
Theyre rated WAY over anything I'll ever put in the trailer (1,200# per shackle) and should last for a while.
Getting closer to being finished!
My (7th) tire should be arriving at Discount today so I'll have them switch the trailer tires around for me real quick when I get my new spare mounted on a wheel.

Check out "West Texas Crawlers" on Facebook

westtexasjku · Jul 24, 2013

Got the d rings mounted and the trailer tires flipped around so the trading going the right way and got the new spare mounted on the jeep

Check out "West Texas Crawlers" on Facebook

westtexasjku · Jul 24, 2013

now all thats left is to build the gate, mount the license plate, install some led clearance lights on the fronts of the fenders so i can back it up at night and some flat black touch up paint here and there. i might air the tires down some too.
after this weekends trip to Big Bend National Park with it i will re-evaluate things like adding shocks, the necessary fender width, optimal tire pressure, type of hitch, etc. itll be a great test run for it and itll be nice to have some extra supplies on hand (and not stuffed into the jeep):thumb:

westtexasjku · Jul 24, 2013

oh yeah, also need to cut of those ugly bolts and paint whats left flat black
them sticking out like that is driving me INSANE
:doh:

Chairokey · Jul 24, 2013

That's a damn nice little trailer you got there. Really wish I had the patience to put something like this together. What's your total investment if you don't mind me asking

off road trailer "build"

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