Multipurpose trailer build

[Xbcasey]

I have a very nice camp trailer that I pull behind my '06 Rubicon, but it's not quite what I want so I decided to build another one from scratch. The plan is to have one base trailer that can be quickly converted to serve multiple purposes. The base trailer will have a 4x6' flat bed and could be used just as that, I do a lot of welding work and could use it to haul materials and equipment for those jobs. The second part will be a cargo box that sits on top of it to be used for off road camping trips and other general hauling. The last part is going to be a long term, no deadline project. I want to build a teardrop-ish camper that will sit on top for longer road trips and extended base camp type setups. I have quite a bit of fabrication experience and am plenty confident in metal work, but I am completely clueless when it comes to wood work. The camper build will be a major learning experience to teach myself some woodworking skills and end up with a fun product at the end. I expect this part to take quite a while and be a slow process. So in the meantime, it's a good thing I have a nice tent!!

For starters, here's the current trailer that, my wife and I have been using. This trailer and tent are tentatively sold at the moment, but I haven't heard from the guy in almost a week so it may be back on the market soon. It is a 4x6 with a removable top so that it can be used as an open box trailer and it's really well built, but with the bottom half being built to the frame it won't work for my convertible idea. The Napier SUV tent works perfectly with it and is a very comfortable setup. We use the trailer as the sleeping bed and the tent as the living area, it's a really convenient combo.

The new trailer got started a couple months ago and the goal was to have it done with the cargo box in time for one last camping trip before grape harvest started. I work for a winery and vineyard company and my personal life is pretty much over for three months once that happens. Unfortunately work got extremely busy earlier than normal this year, couple that with my health taking a nose dive and me being in and out of the hospital and never ending doctor appointments has made for extremely slow progress. I don't think I've worked on it for longer than 45 minutes or so at a time, I would be thrilled to get a full hour on it. If I had a complete day of full energy and no distractions, I could easily get to the point it's at in one day from scratch.

Here's what I've got so far, the frame that got put together a couple months ago

Then over the next couple weeks, the leaf springs and axle got mounted and I started working on the fenders little by little. They are wide and squared off to the ends of the trailer to serve as mounting platforms for Jerry cans and a propane tank. My other trailer has them 45'ed at the front, it looks much better but isn't as functional.

Once that was all tacked together a put a light coat of spray paint on it so it wouldn't rust and towed it home to finish welding it up.

Next up was to build the cargo box, I used 3/4" .065 wall tubing for the frame and used 18 gauge to sheet it, I probably could have gone thinner on the sheet metal and added a few more braces with the tubing and ended up with a lighter box that was just as strong

Then in my spare time at work I built one of my 3-axis hitches. I've probably built 10 or so of these now, I've kept two for myself and sold the rest to some happy customers.

Then it was time to skin the fenders and install the floor

Finally I got to throw some paint at the two parts and test fit them

So that's where I'm at today. I need to build the mounts for the box, then pull it back apart to build the fuel can, propane tank and ice chest mounts, then add the lights and run some wires. The lid will have to wait, I want to at least get it usable before we go into full harvest mode. I'll keep this thread updated as I go along

 

[ranger1sg]

Great looking build so far. You have great fabrication skills and your multi-use design sounds very practical. Looking forward to watching this as you progress


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[RagnarD]

Original trailer was pretty nice. Off to a good start with the new one. Very nice fab skills. Why did you attached the coupler to the draw bar the way you did?

Would look cleaner if it slipped inside the draw bar (if it fit).

 

[Xbcasey]

It's simple and it makes it easy to change to something else. In all reality this trailer is probably going to get sold at some point. I can undo those three bolts and have a blank slate to put whatever kind of hitch someone wants on there. I could have done a receiver style setup on the front, but there really just wasn't any need. This way also lower the hitch height down enough that it matches up perfect to my Jeep. I've done it on a couple other trailers that I've built and it's worked out just fine.

 

[Xbcasey]

I got a couple hours of free time this afternoon so I towed the trailer out to my shop at work and got a couple things done on it. I started off by making some mounts to bolt the box to the frame, then I pulled everything apart and added the light mounts and hooks for the wiring. After that I welded on the jack mount and safety chains. I'll try to get the wiring done and lights mounted sometime this week, then I just need to put the box back on to have it at a point where it's usable. Then I can finish up all the little detail stuff as time allows.

I wanted to get a little more done on it today, but ADD kicked in and I started welding up a new rear storage box for my Willys

 

[banjotx]

Wow, that's some super nice welding and fab work. This is my first post on E.P and have been thinking about a capable off road small trailer. Recently ended up with a old military trailer M-116A2 that has a listed weight of 740 lbs.
Has the pintle hitch and surge brakes. Not sure yet what I want to end up with but towing it with a jeep 2 door and keep it pretty simple. Able to sleep in and also carry tent and accessories. Heat here in Texas has been Hot as normal for this time of year and would like AC as in a small window unit with a quiet generator. Like the idea of a cargo water resistant tarp and would want to make the tarp custom fitted to this trailer. Saw some nice Tarps from Tarp Supply. Anyhow, I like your thread and pics and see how it ends up.

 

[AdventureHare]

You've got some great welding skills. My grandfather was a welder for Bethlehem Steel so I know welds. You're an artist.

Your first trailer was pretty versatile in it's own right. What advantage does the flatbed give you, given the wheels/wells stick up significantly?
What's the weight of the "top half" of the original trailer and of the box of the new one?

I really like this idea. My wife is a professional gardener and it would make the trailer more feasible if it could have multiple purposes but I don't have anyway to cherry-pick the box off/on the base trailer. I wonder if I could make it weather-tite with separate sides.

 

[Xbcasey]

Thank you! I do a lot of welding work on the side and regularly make runs to the steel yard in town for supplies, I figure the flat bed will be handy for picking up loads of steel, most of my orders are in 10' lengths so it should fit just fine. The main reason though, and the reason my current trailer won't work, is that I want to build a camper box that goes on it. The camper box will box will be 8' long and hang over by one foot on each end. My current trailer is also 4x6, but with the bottom half of the box being part of the trailer, my camper idea won't work. I'm not sure on the weights of each part yet, but the original trailer weighs 1100 pounds empty, the new one should be quite a bit lighter than that

 

[Mushin_Noshin]

Really great idea with the multiple purposes, and those welds are fantastic. Watching this on for sure!

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[Xbcasey]

I got the wires ran, the lights mounted and the box put back on. I still have quite a few little things to do, but at this point, the trailer is usable. I was hoping to take it camping this weekend, but we start picking grapes on Friday so any plans I had are up in the air for the next few months.

 

[Xbcasey]

Also, I weighed it and it came out to 700 pounds exactly.

 

[Xbcasey]

I got the tailgate cables on and some weather stripping put on the tailgate so it doesn't rattle against the tub on rough roads. I'm going to try to throw together an ice chest for the tongue in the morning, then as soon as I get off work we are heading to the woods for a few days of camping!

https://vimeo.com/136273828

 

[Xbcasey]

I added a front rack for the ice chest, it was sized to fit four Jerry cans across the front if I decide to put them there instead. The top of it is also flush with the floor of the trailer so that the camper box/pod that I eventually build will sit right on top of it. I also threw on some quick tie down points for a couple jerry cans on the fender. I'm a big believer in simpler is better, and this is about as simple as it gets.

 

[Xbcasey]

I just got back from a weekend of camping with the trailer and it did really well. I beat the living hell out of it on the way to my campsite, if this trailer was going to have a weak link, I wanted to find it right away. From the time you hit the dirt, the fastest I've ever made it to the campsite without a trailer is 3 hours. On Friday, with a full load in the trailer, I made it in 2.5! I tossed everything in the trailer around pretty good, but I would say a few eggs and a couple coronas was worth proving the trailer. On the way out I drove like a sane person and everything was just fine. On the freeways and county roads the trailer handles just fine, and other than the extra drag going up hills you can hardly tell it's there. I've also decided not to build a lid for it, instead I'm going to get a good canvas tarp that fits the top. I figure it would be a lot easier and more convenient to not have to remove and reinstall a lid every time I want to use it as a utility trailer for dump runs and things like that. Other than finding a tarp, the only things I need to do are add a propane tank mount behind the right fender, and move the ice chest rack forward 2" so that I can open the lid all the way without hitting the front wall of the trailer. I'm sure I will always be tinkering with it and refining little things, but for now, I'm really happy with it!

 

[Xbcasey]

After using the trailer for a dump run, I swapped out the wheels and tires for the ones on my Willys. The chrome rims just killed the olive drab look for me, the black fits it much better. I also moved the front rack forward 2" so that the ice chest lid can open all the way.