DIY Expedition trailer

[Grim Reaper]

I'm all about the cheap. I am shooting to build a trailer for around $1500 complete. It should have a dry weight around 600lb. Main box about 40-44 x 60x 30. It will have 4 storage compartments 30x20x32 on the front.

I have been collecting items for a Expedition style trailer to pull with my 4Runner for about 10 months. I collected some decommissioned equipment cabinets that I bought from the Scrap company we use.

The boxes are made out of 5053 1/8 inch thick aluminum and powder coated white. Need to do some modifications including stripping some ventilation fans and hoods but otherwise pretty well ideal for my needs. The rear boxes I was going to seal but I may have found something better. I had two boxes may have showed up last week. They are 44x32x30 and have a bulb style gasket. Need to see if I can buy these boxes Monday and I will be ready to build.

The over all size will be about the same as the Chaser including the area the water tank sits on. Just a bit taller. I will use an off the shelf 20lb backyard grill LP tank instead of the small LP tank on the chaser. You can pick those up just about every other gas station so they will ease finding propane. Brackets are readily available as well. I will have a line plumbed up to where I will have my camp stove and a second line routed to the rear for a lantern.

The frame will be 2x3 box, Its just a good easy to deal with size that makes gasket mount tail lights easy to do. It has good rigidity to handle the rigors of off road. Easy to fish wiring through for lighting. Grab handle integrated at all 4 corner as well as clevis mounts for extraction if it gets stuck. I have a spare M8000 warn I had originally intended to mount permanently to the rear of the 4Runner. I think I will put on a receiver mount now. That will allow for it to be attached to the trailer as well as the rear of the truck. It can power off the trailer battery if needed to be separated from the truck.

Axle will be a 6 lug set up to match the Toyota it will be pulled with. For the short term it will run a 235x75x15 (that are currently on my 4Runner. Rims in the picture with new tires will replace them) but eventually run the same size 32-33's the truck will be on. That will allow the spares from truck and trailer to be interchangeable. I have thought about using a spare rear Toyota axle and run an alternator off the pinion to charge the on-board battery. Problem is to make it have trailer brakes. Yeah I could go surge but that has issues as well when backing in trail situations. Lot of extra weight as well. So sporting for a 3500lb loaded trailer axle is starting to make more sense.

Shooting for a 20 gallon water tank and use a portable show unit like a Zodi and plumb it to make hot water out of the main tank. Possibly a small pull out basin in one of the cabinets.

I will build a frame to support a roof top style tent that I plan to make. The idea is to have enough room to get the top hatches on the main box open. The frame should also serve as a exocage to help protect the trailer in the event it is layed over. It will have out rigors to support one end of a inexpensive 11x11 canopy. There will be a shelf built off the exo frame for prep areas and serve as the top of the fender. It will end up about 13 inches deep.

I am torn on fuel tanks. I have a 15 gallon tank with a 12v fuel pump and digital fuel level gage off a jet ski available. A NATO can may make more sense since the truck will already have a rack mounted.

It would be nice to have a pump out reserve tank but I also may be coming into possession of a 4500 Onan. Too much weight (it makes a full size van its presently on list badly) to go on this trailer but it may get mounted to the trailer I pull with my Suburban or it might get sold in favor of something like a EU3000 Honda that should fit in one of the forward storage boxes. Not sure if I will come up with a better tank for the Onan generator then the Jet ski tank if I do keep the Onan.


Here is a couple mock up pictures of the trailer including my stellar Paint skills!
Hopefully I can started on this soon. Just have to see how time goes.

[paulj]

While your design is different, you may still get some useful ideas from web sites and forums about teardrop trailers.

paulj

[ChuckB]

I wish that I had your skillz

[Grim Reaper]

While your design is different, you may still get some useful ideas from web sites and forums about teardrop trailers.

paulj

If I didn't come up with these boxes I may have built an offroad teardrop. They just tickle me to death. I probably have every teardrop site on the web book marked. I really hate tent camping and the teardrop would fix that.

The problem is the teardrop is it is a camper only if you build in the galley. This set up will let me get some cargo use out of it as well. Cant get much cargo through the side hatches of a teardrop and the shape makes a halo rack difficult.

The rack on this set up will handle plywood and long objects. Lids taken off the main box will let me haul other messy stuff I don't want to put in the back of my Sub or 4Runner and be able to clean out with the yard blower or hose.

It will haul the overburden of junk that comes when the family travels if we re not using the Airstream we are restoring. Some how with my family a 454 suburban can't haul enough crap for a week at the beach houses we rent. We end up pulling my other cargo trailer to haul bikes, beach chairs, grills, kitchen sinks and 20 gallons of water because wife hates the sulfur taste of FL water.

[Grim Reaper]

ROCK THIS!

While looking through Craigslist I came on a little gem that for the bargain basement price of $200 I just couldn't pass on. The box 4x6ft. Just 6 inches shorter then I would have built but I can make it work. Its rough but I couldn't buy the materials for $200. Its missing the top but no biggie. Just makes it easier to make a Flip Pac style top for it.

Its been tagged and will need a paint job. It at one time belonged to a band and they were a little rough on it.

The best side I don't even have a picture of. Its painted GOLD. Has a little rust I need to repair but most of it is in places that I will modify so not a big deal. Main frame is 2x2inch 10gage. The sides are 1x1 steel with some formed pieces at the top and skinned with 22gage steel. It is remarkably sturdy. A little bracing and suspension upgrade and it should work out.

I guess it weights somewhere around 400lb maybe a tad less. I couldn't even feel it behind the Suburban. Haven't hooked it to the 4runner yet but I think it will be fine. Need to swap out the hubs for 6 luggers and it will be set.

My last revision of the trailer included some new boxes 44x32x30 that I planned on attaching so the doors would open up on the side and make a shelter area on the side a the box would form the roof and side and I would build a floor. Now I will just put the door on the side of this trailer. A lot less fabrication involved. The smaller boxes will be mounted through the side in the nose. I will make a new A frame like the front of the adventure trailer with the receiver allowing me to use one of their supper flexible hitch set ups and mount LP tank and other gear. Eventually scrap the leaf springs for independent suspension.

Tomorrow a quick coat of white house paint just to make it look a little better for the neighbors till I can make some time to work on it. Get it tagged as well.

The pictures are from the add.
Heck here is the add till its removed http://atlanta.craigslist.org/tls/302787559.html

[Rezarf <><]

Nice score, should be a fun project.

Keep us posted.

Rezarf <><

[Grim Reaper]

Thought you would like that score.

Just got back from the tag office so now its even legal. I have a few hours work to do on the 4Runner and then out of money for it till next paycheck.

Will probably start tinkering on it late today or tomorrow since I have plenty of parts on hand that I have been collecting. Quick look and I think I can get it roofed with what I have here. The Flip top will be on the back burner for a while.

Flipping the axle looks like it will net about 4-5 inches of lift. That should clear the 235x75x15's I have been holding for it. I think I will have to swap the axle. Not enough space to get the 4Runner rims on it with the back set they have. Lacks about 2 inches.

OHHHHHH MAN is it lite! I rolled it UP my drive way by hand without a problem. I think its maybe 300-350lb as it sits. I figure 400-450lb with the roof and side doors on it before it gets a Battery and other doodads added.

[Rezarf <><]

Very cool. How does the frame appear to be? Is it rugged enough for light duty, medium duty?

I bet with several corner braces you could make that thing as stiff as a drum.

Take lots of pics, we'd love to see 'em

Drew

[Grim Reaper]

The frame is 2x2 .120 wall. It is surprisingly sturdy. I'm 230lb and the floor feels very solid. It has a 1500lb pay load. What give I feel is suspension and tires like it should be.

The way it is built I can add a couple diagonal braces and turn the bottom 12 -16 inches into a truss and make it even stronger with only about 15-25 extra lb. Something like this: IXIXI Or I/I\I Add in some blue foam board and a interior skin for insulation and clean it up visually.

When I make a new tongue, like the A-Frame tongue on the Adventure trailer it will add a lot of strength to the front half.

The part that is weak is the axle and it is gone anyway once I find a axle to work with 6x5.5 so I can run the same pattern as the toy that pulls it. Eventually I hope to have it up on 33x9.5's so if I loose tires on the truck I can steal a tire off the trailer.

What really sold me was the back door. I just couldn't build anything that nice for less then $150 after I priced out the parts.

It will get a fold up shelf for a Galley area. I even have the perfect table. A aluminum door off a service cabinet. Nice white powder coat finish and already has a full length piano hinge. Couple cable supports or fold out support and its good to go.

Thought I would have some time to work on it today but got shot down. Seems with all my precautions when making my e-locker control circuit that worked perfect on the bench, I managed to cross up a couple wires when I installed it in the truck. Ended up having to pull everything loose and trace it down to find where I screwed up and it took a couple hours. Works now though. Neighbors looked really impressed with the 33's squealing when I locked to a full spool.

[Rezarf <><]

Everything sounds good.

I would brace the floor like you mentioned, either would work but the IXIXI would be stronger. Lighter gauge tubing would work with all the triangulation you'd have going on.

I would insulate the floor as well. It makes great sense. You are wanting to sleep inside this thing right?

The galley idea is SWEET! I thought about doing that as well, but the additional pounds to brace the sides like that would add lots of #'s. So I am going to do a slide out kitchen like the drifta.

Keep it up, nice score for sure!

Rezarf <><