My scratch built expedition style trailer build up thread

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Drew, I'm pretty sure those Yakima towers can be dissassembled a bit and mounted flat to the lid. It would involve drilling holes in the lid for the feet and doing away with the gutter mount stuff, but it should save you a couple inches, and doesn't require any custom fab work.

Just a thought.
 
Well, I finished up the tailgate tonight. It came out pretty nice. This was my first time I made a pretty good mistake and it will affect my overall fit and finish :meh: :D

First off, I needed to figure out a way to get everything square, but with a few clamps and a level we got pretty close. Then it was time to tack and weld everything together. This is where I had my hiccup, I am not too sure where I went wrong but my tailgate and tub sides are about 3/16" off where the angle starts. I measured lots but that is how it came out. :rant:

After welding it up, it takes about a bazillion hours to smooth out the metal work. I am trying to avoid having to use much body filler to get the panels smooth, but we will see how it goes once it is in primer.
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Once the frame was in place and welded tight, I moved onto the sheet metal. However, this piece was a bit different because it had to have a bend in it right across the top of the sheet. I do have a sheet metal brake in my garage for small jobbies (it is a cheap-o HF), but its reach is only 30" and I had to brake about 41".

So, I made a po' man's brake, two pieces of steel with the sheet sandwiched between, add a few clamps and invite a hammer to the party and you have a shabby brake.

The key here is little taps until you get the right bend. I probably used around 1,079,345.094 taps of the hammer to make the bend. It came out pretty good as you can see in the pic, not great but certainly acceptable. :D
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Once that sheet was bent up, it was glued and riveted into place, see my other posts for that process, no sense in repeating it here. I let that dry for a day or so and tonight I went out and welded on the upper sheet metal piece and cut the holes for the latches that I am using.

The latches were an Ebay score for a total of $2 each! :D :eek: :bounce: I bought up 6 at that price. They are sturdy locking latches that are really nice. I was stoked to get them and they came with a gasket too. They were one of the best deals I got since working on this trailer.

The picture is of the latch in the upside down position...
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Here is the final product. It swings down 180* and gets totally out of the way without creating a lip that my drawers will have to slide over. I am pretty jazzed about how it came out. That was the last big piece of the puzzle as far as welding goes. I have a few little items here and there, but now it is fitting all the BOLT ON's! Wooo Hooo... then stripping the bolt on's back off for paint, then bolting them back on for good! :D
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Snook said:
That might be a perfect locking mechanism! Is that the one you can close the tailgate with single hand while you're holding something else?
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Yes.
 
Snook said:
That might be a perfect locking mechanism! Is that the one you can close the tailgate with single hand while you're holding something else?
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Agreed...as long as it has a compression adjustment...
 
spressomon said:
Agreed...as long as it has a compression adjustment...
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That too :D but it is built into the catch/striker instead. You can just slam the door shut and the latches take care of the rest.
 
hey, I just started reading this whole thread today and I totally love that trailer! Going to start my own project too!! I'm glad I found this thread to finally make my decision about buying or building a trailer!! Keep up the good work!! As soon as you have some wheeling pics with it post them!!
Take care.
 
KOWBOY said:
Toss a cooler of beer in 'er and take 'er for a spin. :beer:

Looks nice sir. :cool:

:flamingo:
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Thanks Cowboy... I love your HUGE setup as well.

tiovtec said:
hey, I just started reading this whole thread today and I totally love that trailer! Going to start my own project too!! I'm glad I found this thread to finally make my decision about buying or building a trailer!! Keep up the good work!! As soon as you have some wheeling pics with it post them!!
Take care.
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Thanks man, be sure to start a thread and post up lots of pics! :D

sseaman said:
Hows the tailgate coming along? we need pics
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Did you look at the last page? I just have to add the strikers and I am home free. I have all weekend to work on the trailer, so I hope to put the welder down at the end of this weekend and start prep for paint.

Thanks!
 
Drew, looks awesome. Tried to scan all 20 pages of the thread but didn't find it. What is the height from the ground to the top of the lid?

Great job on the design and execution of your plans. Any thoughts on making a detailed plan available for the for sale section?
 
OlympiaFJ60 said:
Drew, looks awesome. Tried to scan all 20 pages of the thread but didn't find it. What is the height from the ground to the top of the lid?

Great job on the design and execution of your plans. Any thoughts on making a detailed plan available for the for sale section?
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Actually, I have no idea... The box is 24" high, and the frame sits at least that high off the ground. I will measure it today and get back to you. It is getting tall, but I am not too worried about it. Again, I am not going to try to run trails any harder than 3 with it, but I want to use it out here where I live in Colorado on our backcountry excursions and when we jump over into Utah.

Hadn't thought of making plans but it could happen if there was enough interest.. and it actually works on the trail ;)

Thanks man!

Drew
 
This is the most bad ass trailer build I have ever seen! Keep up the great work man! :beer:
 
Drew,

It's great that you are keeping up with your fans. Where is the progress? When does the body work crew scheduled to show up? Jake and I are ready (although he may sleep through most of it).:)

Cheers,

Jeff:cheers:
 
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