2fpower's going to build a camping trailer (1 Viewer)

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2fpower

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lenexa, ks
Been thinking about this for some time and getting lots of advice from local members. Thanks goes out to @cjmoon @kc_chevota for your help.

I have been inspired by recent trip to Rendevous in the Ozarks where I scoured over more trailers than you can imagine, and the many threads I have looked at many times like:

@UZJ40
Off Road Trailer Build

or on expidition portal,
Collection of Trailer Builds

Toby the Turtleback Trailer Build Thread

M116A3 Trailer Build Takeover

My plan it to make one about the size of the Turtleback or the Smittybuilt. Steel frame with full aluminum box, extendable front hitch for highway vs trails. pintle hook hitch. Pull out kitchen on the side (full width of trailer) under an awning. Big front storage for propane, future batteries and the like. Rear will be storage mostly; however, depending on what rig I take, would be frig too. Tires will be 6 x5.5 35" so I can share one spare for rig and trailer. Parking brake feature, with handle inside of locked box for added security. 3 adjustable jacks to level it...two on each corner of rear bumper.

Axles, I was going back and forth on trying to decide on. Really like the Smittybuilt / Turtleback independant, but not commercially available. Was then looking at Timbren axles.
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Timbren Heavy-Duty Axle-Less Trailer Suspension - 4" Lift Spindle - Off-Road Tires - 3,500 lbs

Axle-Less Off-Road Trailer Suspension

Have not ordered anythign yet, but current plan is to keep it simple and do a standard straight axle with jeep yj springs to give it more flex.



I really want the RTT to be lower during transporation and above 6"6" (I am 6"2") when camping to be out of the way, so need some method of raising and lowering.

First saw this video. Go to about :40



but those are really pricey... about 1K. so thought about this one....



Finally,But was more impressed with this one. Simple sometimes is best.

Overland trailer lift strut test


Here is basically what I want it to look like...

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Here are some examples of what I want to accomplish with the pull out kitchen on the side.
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First step was steel order. So this is going to happen......

Bought 2x3x3/16 for full frame and 3" square 1/4 wall and 2.5" square 1/4 wall for extending hitch setup.

Other pics....
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So, i went to Croft trailer to get an idea of how to order an axle a specific width and they just cut them to size in their shop and splice them back together with a sleeve. Their price for axle /hub/brakes was over $1k.

So, went back to etrailer and this is the list. Am I forgetting anything? dust caps, misc little junk? Do I need some axle hanger to mount to springs?

Not sure on the parking brake cable system. Crazy as this sounds, dexter makes and sells the brake system with the parking brake lever, but not the handle and cable system.

Titan sells the parking brake cables and system, but not any 10" brake systems for the 3500 lb axle. Word from dexter is that titan cables are not direct fit to dexter.

Orsheln sells brake cable systems too, that seem to work with Dexter, but I can't get any exact word on fitment.



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Rockwell American in Grandview off Duck Rd will sell trailer parts to retail customers cheap. Not sure if they have anything you need but they’ve treated me well over the years. Many other brands of products available as well.
 
Was researching to find out how Turtleback trailer frames are made and found it on their site.

We start with a .120” wall 2”x3” perimeter frame coupled with a .188” wall “Backbone” running tip to tail. On the ends of the backbone are standard sized receiver hitch tubes to allow a standard hitch on the front or a fully pivoting coupler. At the rear the receiver will accommodate your bike rack, cooler rack, lightweight motorcycle, or? We found that using this backbone solved a number of potential issues in the extreme use arena.The rest of the cross members and box frame are made with 16 gauge 1”x1” or 1”x2” tubing. Our floors and ‘outriggers’ are made of 14 gauge CNC Laser cut and formed steel and supported by .120” wall 2”x3” tube. The computer controlled fabrication process insures consistency of construction and design. We built the prototypes with chop saws and tape measures, it works but leaves too much up for chance.

Each frame is built in-house to insure the quality we will deliver with every Turtleback Trailer. After the welding is completed we send it off to be completely primed and coated with a bedliner. We went with bedliner because of durability and longevity. Bedliner seals every joint, nook and cranny. It holds up to gravel roads and looks great. We started with powercoating but found it wasn’t going to give us real long term performance.
 
Went back and forth on the suspension, straight tube or springs.... finally saw lots of manufactured trailers using timbren axle less, and figured out that end of the day it was going to be under $500 to do Timbren, no shocks, thus less brackets and welding, so pulled the trigger.

Here is my order. Will have to figure out the parking brake lines and mounting separate.

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I love Etrailer.com.

Ordered this morning standard UPS FREE shipping and got this email a few minutes ago.....


Thanks for shopping with us again! I wanted to let you know that your order has shipped.


It is scheduled for delivery on Tuesday, November 20, 2018 by 8:00 PM.



Yeah, one day shipping. How you like them apples Amazon?
 
Oh, and got word the metal is ready to pick up too!!!

Time to build me a trailer.
 
White on time, got the metal and parts
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need to order some stuff from tractor supply. @kc_chevota have you ordered stuff yet?
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i did that set up and was unhappy with the slop of that ball. I ended up using a longer bolt and 1.5" OD 1"ID with about 3" of length. used the same tube with poly bushings and this 2.5" .25" wall tubing as the coupler portion. swivels in the vehicle side
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i did that set up and was unhappy with the slop of that ball. I ended up using a longer bolt and 1.5" OD 1"ID with about 3" of length. used the same tube with poly bushings and this 2.5" .25" wall tubing as the coupler portion. swivels in the vehicle sideView attachment 1837109
very, very cool. Can I borrow the parts that come off and copy them on my work table?
 
Ya I’ll be in your area tomorrow night for hockey. A little after 7 or 8:30ish after.
 
Started cutting steel night!!

First I brought over from my woodshop a torsion box, which is a pretty exactly straight 4x 6 base. Knowing that I need to weld on it, I put some 3/16 plate steel on it. Then started cutting and fitting pieces. The rearmost piece is quarter-inch wall 2 x3 steel, while the rest is 3/16 wall.

Decide to make the box 4’ wide by 6‘4“ long. Based on the parts I have, that should make the wheel track about the same as the Land Cruiser 80 series.
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Called it a night when I Needed to figure out the angle to cut the 2 x 3 and decided to go inside and let my high schoolers figure it out. 59.6 degrees, so about 30 degree cuts.
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More done. I hate having wires loose under the trailer, so decided to put some conduit inside of the 2 x 3 frame. Found a strange piece of steel that worked perfect for it. After getting everything in position and clamped down, i used my digital angle finder and I was within .1° across all the parts. Got everything tacked in and started welding it together.
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Whole bunch of welding. Here is the frame up side down to start lining up where the suspension will go
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Here is where I ended last night, 90% done
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Here is the mounts for the suspension, fully sleeved through the Box frame
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