Our Heilite off road trailer
- Thread starter cobound
- Start date
cobound
Adventurer
Thanks, I'll look into that stuff.
Trailer is going to remain black and aluminum, so it goes w/ any vehicle I use to tow it. Or it'll sell easier should it come to that some day.
Not sure what lift springs these are...but it rides beautifully. The shackle reversal is what does it wonders.
Chomping at the bit to get out and use them both!
B
Trailer is going to remain black and aluminum, so it goes w/ any vehicle I use to tow it. Or it'll sell easier should it come to that some day.
Not sure what lift springs these are...but it rides beautifully. The shackle reversal is what does it wonders.
Chomping at the bit to get out and use them both!
B
cobound
Adventurer
Ah, I know what unistrut is, similar to what was used to make the canoe rack. That won't work for this app. I'm thinking square tube w/ a bend just above the black cover and mounted to the rack. The original TJ roof rack nearly works but making it more specific for this is necessary.
I'm thinking the front will have a boxed end for the tube to rest in and a pin to keep it in place. The back will have a shackle on the trailer w/ a small bushing on the leg end and pinned. When I unpin the front then I'll be able to fold it back over the trailer and rest it on the ground as I unpin the rear...pick it up and make a table/stand out of it. Something I can do myself, since I like to go out w/ my kids alone and the wife really isn't strong enough to lift it off when she is with.
I took off the canoe rack and suspended the rack up over the trailer today and looked over some height options. Keeping it about 4-8" above the cover so its not super high to get stuff off when we hit camp, and other reasons.
I really have to draw up some plans and get moving on this!
B
I'm thinking the front will have a boxed end for the tube to rest in and a pin to keep it in place. The back will have a shackle on the trailer w/ a small bushing on the leg end and pinned. When I unpin the front then I'll be able to fold it back over the trailer and rest it on the ground as I unpin the rear...pick it up and make a table/stand out of it. Something I can do myself, since I like to go out w/ my kids alone and the wife really isn't strong enough to lift it off when she is with.
I took off the canoe rack and suspended the rack up over the trailer today and looked over some height options. Keeping it about 4-8" above the cover so its not super high to get stuff off when we hit camp, and other reasons.
I really have to draw up some plans and get moving on this!
B
cobound
Adventurer
Got some progress made on the trailer this weekend...the rear brackets are made and I'm waiting on the front brackets to get bent. Here is what I have so far:
Rear 1" square tubing bent to 90 degree w/ a gusset. Round tube at the bottom that has a solid steel bar through it to allow it to tilt back and come off so I can use it as a table, a place to keep items off the ground, etc. I think the kids can tarp it up and play under it, or I can store other stuff under it (like wood) to keep things dry if it were to rain while we were camping.
I removed the water/gas can carrier up front until I could get the front rail mounts figured out. I'll put it back on when I'm ready, it keeps good tongue weight up front and is great for carrying water/gas. I had originally thought I'd make it a cooler space and put gas cans to the side of the cooler, but I got the rack and I'll put the coolers up there instead.
I was going to do a 45 degree bend for the front bars, use it as a place to attached a spoiler like a Thule bike rack, but they couldn't bend that tight of a radius so I just went w/ a 90 like the rear.
My original thought was to have the rack fold back and remove the bar to let the rack go loose, flip it around and use it as a table or dry storage area...but the bar does not easily slide out (I think one of the mounts is crooked or the bar is a bit bent) so I'm thinking of just putting a 1.25" tube over the bottom portion of the bar, just above the round tube, and putting a pin in it so it slides out and when I take it off I'll just pin the feet back on to use it. It'll still tilt back for removal though, so one person can do it.
I was thinking of a way to make a hard door mount off the back of it too...somewhere to put my doors when I pull them off the Jeep. I could put a cross bar between the two down bars and add a latch so each side to the doors would essentially 'shut' on them just like the Jeep. However, I believe the weight would be too great and it would be a lot of work to accomplish. Sux, cuz now that they are painted I can't just toss them up on the rack like I used to do.
Anyway, I have a lot of ideas, but it feels good to have this particular mod come together, finally.
Has a ways to go before I'm done, but this is the progress to date.
Oh, couple updated shots of the 8 as well...now that I've had it out on some sunny days:
Laytah,
B
Rear 1" square tubing bent to 90 degree w/ a gusset. Round tube at the bottom that has a solid steel bar through it to allow it to tilt back and come off so I can use it as a table, a place to keep items off the ground, etc. I think the kids can tarp it up and play under it, or I can store other stuff under it (like wood) to keep things dry if it were to rain while we were camping.
I removed the water/gas can carrier up front until I could get the front rail mounts figured out. I'll put it back on when I'm ready, it keeps good tongue weight up front and is great for carrying water/gas. I had originally thought I'd make it a cooler space and put gas cans to the side of the cooler, but I got the rack and I'll put the coolers up there instead.
I was going to do a 45 degree bend for the front bars, use it as a place to attached a spoiler like a Thule bike rack, but they couldn't bend that tight of a radius so I just went w/ a 90 like the rear.
My original thought was to have the rack fold back and remove the bar to let the rack go loose, flip it around and use it as a table or dry storage area...but the bar does not easily slide out (I think one of the mounts is crooked or the bar is a bit bent) so I'm thinking of just putting a 1.25" tube over the bottom portion of the bar, just above the round tube, and putting a pin in it so it slides out and when I take it off I'll just pin the feet back on to use it. It'll still tilt back for removal though, so one person can do it.
I was thinking of a way to make a hard door mount off the back of it too...somewhere to put my doors when I pull them off the Jeep. I could put a cross bar between the two down bars and add a latch so each side to the doors would essentially 'shut' on them just like the Jeep. However, I believe the weight would be too great and it would be a lot of work to accomplish. Sux, cuz now that they are painted I can't just toss them up on the rack like I used to do.
Anyway, I have a lot of ideas, but it feels good to have this particular mod come together, finally.
Has a ways to go before I'm done, but this is the progress to date.
Oh, couple updated shots of the 8 as well...now that I've had it out on some sunny days:
Laytah,
B
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
Maybe it was listed and I missed it, but what axle are you using under it?
cobound
Adventurer
Torflex.
Got my front bars...won't work off the front of the box like I had hoped, hits the top when it tilts back and then comes back down. I have an idea to mount them on the side of the rack...take some more fabbing and welding, I'll get some pix up of it tomorrow. Was bummed at first but after having a buddy and I look at it for a bit we figured out what we think will be a better placement and more asthetically pleasing mount.
B
cobound
Adventurer
This just didn't work
Nor did this
Moving them to the outside of the basket, to the sides of the box, I'll weld a tab above the arm onto the basket and mount the rails to the outside where it will allow me to still open my doors and the arm will rest on the edge of the fender...it'll still fold back and likely function better than I had originally envisioned.
I'll probably put a bolt or latch of some kind at the front at the center of the arm...keeping it tight to the body, eliminate some of the bowing that could happen bouncing down the highway behind a Jeep.
I'll have to cross the back to keep it square...some strength in the back braces, maybe some rod along the back rails for strength after bending the 1" tube :dunno:
Anyway, that's where I'm at right now.
B
Nor did this
Moving them to the outside of the basket, to the sides of the box, I'll weld a tab above the arm onto the basket and mount the rails to the outside where it will allow me to still open my doors and the arm will rest on the edge of the fender...it'll still fold back and likely function better than I had originally envisioned.
I'll probably put a bolt or latch of some kind at the front at the center of the arm...keeping it tight to the body, eliminate some of the bowing that could happen bouncing down the highway behind a Jeep.
I'll have to cross the back to keep it square...some strength in the back braces, maybe some rod along the back rails for strength after bending the 1" tube :dunno:
Anyway, that's where I'm at right now.
B
