New Thule Trailer (3 Viewers)

[Sir Velo]

@Sir Velo here are some pictures of the larger fenders from trailer-fenders.com. I like their larger set better than the next size down that I posted previously.


On another topic, I got all the parts orders for the rack this weekend. Once the parts arrive I’ll post some pictures of what it looks like.

Yes, most definitely better than the smaller ones. I'm going to order that size then and toss my original ones in the recycle bin

Looking forward to the rack build!

Update... @perkj I just calculated the cost and shipping info and it looks like getting the fenders and the rim from Germany would be overall cheaper than splitting up the orders, $129 vs $160. Did you pay any duties on the rims?

 

[perkj]

This is a good example of someone upgrading the Thule trailer to be more off road capable:
FS: Off Road Thule Trailer $3800 OBO Olympia, WA - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

Worth a read as it has some good ideas in it

Posting the details of that link here as well in case that link ever goes dead:

Hey guys and gals, thought I would post this here first for members before going on CL, Offerup, etc…. I have for sale a hard to find, near new condition, discontinued 2007 Thule Trailer that has been totally rebuilt. I bought this trailer at the beginning of this year, took the entire trailer apart, literally, replaced ever nut/bolt, and just don’t use it like I thought I would. I took this trailer all the way down to the frame and built it the way it should have been done. This trailer had original galvanized aluminum sides with a particle board floor and ABS plastic lockable lid. Here is a list of things that I did to the trailer during its rebuild:

* All rivets taken out, replaced with zinc nuts and bolts and added 6 tie down anchors on the inside.
* Upgraded the fenders from the original narrow plastic fenders to wider aluminum ones.
* Added a heavy duty trailer jack.
* Installed 2 spring loaded latches to secure tailgate when closed.
* Painted the rims, added 1 inch wheel spacers, and threw on brand new 195/75/14 BFG KOs with matching spare. Tires have less than 500 miles on them, spare tire brand new, never used.
* Replaced the particle board floor with a 1/8th inch thick steel diamond plate floor.
* Added new safety chains for towing, replaced the tail lights with new LED running/turn signal lights, and used bolt style LED license plate lights for a clean look.
* The obvious detail of this trailer is the entire thing has been Line-Xed inside out, top to bottom.

I got this trailer because I traded in my truck and having the 4Runner, I wanted a utility trailer for camping, hardware store runs, landscaping, going to the beach, etc. But since I have had it, I have used it less than a dozen times and hate to see it sit.

Trailer Specs:
*4 X 7
*16 inch high walls
*ABS Lid is lockable, easily removes for larger items to haul, and has 2 actuators for easy lifting and lowering
*Adjustable tailgate
*Weighs less than 500lbs so it can easily be pushed around
*Has a 1600lbs pay load capacity torsion axle

As you can see, a lot of time and effort has gone into this trailer and I wish I had more use for it, but I just don’t. This is a great trailer for a number of uses, trail ready, and never have to worry about scratching it. Current registration is good until March of 2016 and I have a clean Washington State title in hand. I am asking $3800 OBO, no trades, sorry, cash only. Let me know if you have any questions about the trailer. I am willing to travel between the Seattle WA and Portland OR area for serious buyers.

​

 

[perkj]

 

[Sir Velo]

Serious overhaul! I don't have that amount of mechanical fortitude in me at this point lol I wonder if it ever sold?

 

[perkj]

Update... @perkj I just calculated the cost and shipping info and it looks like getting the fenders and the rim from Germany would be overall cheaper than splitting up the orders, $129 vs $160. Did you pay any duties on the rims?

@Sir Velo no duties that I'm aware of.

Serious overhaul! I don't have that amount of mechanical fortitude in me at this point lol I wonder if it ever sold?

I sent him a PM over on that other forum. Doesn't look like he's logged in there since 2016. I am curious as well if it sold and what he got for it. I'll let you know if he responds.

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo Here is another link I found where @theOz here describes his set up on his old 1500 in a bit more detail and then a bit lower in the thread another person shows off his 1500. The interesting thing of that 2nd 1500 is that he utilized some wheel adapters to go from 4x100 bolt pattern to a 5x4.5" bolt pattern and slapped on some 31" tires. Used Thule Adventure Trailer Fix-up and Additional Add-Ons

 

[perkj]

nice DIY trailer parts site: Compact Camping Trailers DIY

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo check these trailers out. Look to be a USA made near copy of the Thule/Brenderup trailers. Check out some of the videos, in particular the lid prop up rod is pretty neat and something I’d like to replicate as it will assist when weight is on the rack:
https://www.spacetrailers.com/

The trailers look nice and reasonably priced. $149 for shipping is a steal!

 

[Sir Velo]

@Sir Velo check these trailers out. Look to be a USA made near copy of the Thule/Brenderup trailers. Check out some of the videos, in particular the lid prop up rod is pretty neat and something I’d like to replicate as it will assist when weight is on the rack:
https://www.spacetrailers.com/

The trailers look nice and reasonably priced. $149 for shipping is a steal!

Wow I've never heard of them! You'd think they'd have a larger presence due in part to having invented Rollerblades.

I find the rack mounting and lid design to accommodate most interesting. Not enough lip space on our trailers to do that I think.

In looking at these, I think I'm going to move the jockey wheel forward and to the outside so I can put the spare on the tongue.

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo I agree that the lid design is very well thought out for accommodating a rack. The lip on ours is definitely not enough as this was my first thought when thinking of how to add a track base to ours. Would love to see one of these trailer in person.

The other option for spare placement is to utilize the Brenderup spare wheel mount: Brenderup spare wheel carrier 4 stud on 100mm. PCD - Trailertek. I ordered one back on Jan 9th (along with some other Brenderup spare parts)....many of the parts were on backorder so it'll be a couple more weeks before they ship per TrailerTek. See picture below for what it'll look like:

Here is another interesting option:

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo Test fit of one side of the rack. Used existing lid to frame holes and upgraded from M5 to M6 bolts. M6 bolts didn’t require any addition drilling, though I’ll likely add 4 more bolts to each side. I have some Thule 60” aeroblade crossbars waiting for the other side to get bolted up. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

 

[Sir Velo]

@perkj I'm jealous... Of the garage!

Nice work, that looks very solid and clean Have you noticed much flex to the side of the lid with the uprights mounted? I recall having some but once everything was buttoned up and tightened down the whole structure was rigid.

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo Yes there is currently a very small bit of flex in the side of the lid frame if I pull one of the uprights towards me. I was figuring once I get the crossbars mounted across the lid that it would tighten it all up....glad to hear once you did that it became very rigid. I probably won't get around to completing the rack until this weekend.

BTW if you ever need more HW or additional extrusion for your 80/20 try tnutz.com instead. They have much better pricing than 8020 and its the exact same stuff. If you need custom lengths cut all you need to do is call or email them and they can do it.

For anyone interested, here is the parts list from tnutz.com for everything I ordered:

Product Total
EX-1515 - 1.5" x 1.5" Smooth Heavy T-Slotted Aluminum Extrusion × 2 $64.92
Length (custom cut): 73"
Machining services ($1.00): 5/16-18 Tap at both ends.

(JP-015-J) 15 Series 5 Hole TEE Joining Plate × 4 $15.80
(CB-015-B) 15 Series 2 Hole Inside Corner Bracket × 16 $24.80
(ET-015-SS) Stainless Steel 5/16-18 Economy T-Nut × 76 $57.00
EX-1515L - 1.5" x 1.5" Smooth Lite T-Slotted Aluminum Extrusion × 4 $31.20
Length: 18"
Machining services ($1.00): 5/16-18 Tap at both ends.
15 SERIES - BLACK PLASTIC END CAP W/PUSH-IN(S) – BLANK × 8 $4.00
Size:
1.5'' x 1.5''
(STAINLESS) Button Head Socket Cap Screw × 76 $16.72
Thread Size: 5/16-18
Length: 5/8''

(STAINLESS) Button Head Socket Cap Screw × 16 $4.00
Thread Size: 5/16-18
Length: 3/4''

Subtotal: $218.44
Shipping: $47.51 via Ground (UPS)
Total: $265.95

Note: I ordered more 5/16 bolts and tnutz than were actually needed as I wanted some spares.

Not on the list above are the M6 T-nuts:
(DB-015) Drop-In T-Nut w/spring-ball - STAINLESS x 16 $18.40
Thread Size: M6 x 1.0

I used existing M6x1.0 Stainless bolts I already had....I believe they were 16mm in length.

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo did you notice today that @theOz old posts in this thread are now gone? I was able to find cached copies from google & yahoo from page 7 & 8 of this thread but previous pages are now lost. He had some good posts. Attached below are PDFs of what was cached by yahoo & Google from page 7 & 8:

 

[Sir Velo]

@perkj excellent BOM! Yeah, their site also seems a bit easier to navigate as well as well as faster. I will say that 8020 does have a more complete catalog of items to makes some wacky stuff though lol But for what we are doing it looks that Tnutz has enough variety to make just about anything. All in all I'm glad I went this route, I'd still be learning how to weld otherwise

I did not! Wow, I wonder what happened?

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo I added those additional corner brackets yesterday. They really firmed up the frame even more so than when I added the upper brackets.

Here are the brackets I used: Everbilt 4 in. Galvanized Corner Brace (4-Pack)-15270 - The Home Depot

Used 10-24 SS 3/4” flat screws and spacers as you’ll see in the photos. Also note on the bracket that I had to drill a new hole on one of the legs due to the way frame is.


I’ve also opted to go with M8 Bumax Stainless Steel bolts for holding the 15-Series extrusion to the lid. The Bumax stainless are the SS equivalent to grade 5 bolts. Just waiting on the M8 roll in SS t-nuts to arrive later today.

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo here it is...it is ROCK solid. Absolutely no flex and I could probably pull the trailer by the rack. I’d see no issue with it even supporting a Roof Top Tent with people in it. I plan to replace the Thule cross bars with 1x3 10-series 60” bars since the rack rack on my tacoma is made with 10-Series crossbars...this way I can use the same attachment between them both.

 

[Sir Velo]

@perkj that sir, is a hoss! Fantastic work man!

Yeah the space due to the length of the front piece of the lid frame I found interesting as well. What, they wanted to save on materials cost or weight? lol

Have you considered the electricals on the trailer? I had no choice but to tear out all the lighting + wiring in mine, it was poorly installed, it looked crappy and as you may have seen a few pages back, the wire to one side light had been smashed and was causing a short. Plus the LEDs draw far less current, last longer and are brighter (thought I left the original license plate lamps).

I think my only additions this year will be a spare, fenders, jackstands and possibly the storage box underneath. I did add all the stickers from last year's trip

I just booked the 3rd leg of this year's trip today, now I have to wait until next month to try and snag a spot in Yosemite. T-minus 181 days and counting

 

[perkj]

@Sir Velo thanks! I too am looking to add jack stands to mine on all 4 corners like @theOz did. I have the jack stand already and just need to source two galvanized steel "L" or "C" support bars to be able to mount the jacks inward. These bars will also tighten up the frame a bit more. See picture below from a previous post from @theOz:

The other item I plan to add is the lid/canopy stay like the one SpaceTrailers offers on theirs so I don't have any issue with the lid coming down when open with things on the rack. I reached out to Todd at SpaceTrailers and he is more than willing to sell the stay rod and both brackets. Here is his response with some pictures:

Hello Jason. Attacached are the parts for the canopy stay.

There are two aluminum brackets that hold and store the canopy stay on the canopy. See separate images and where they are welded on the frame. You would have to screw them on. The "A" looking bracket is mounted on the box to put the stay in when the canopy is open. The canopy stay is 41" long. Cost for the set up $40 plus shipping

Have a great day.
Todd Olson
SPACE Trailers
612-239-3216

I'm hoping to order it up today. I'll keep you posted on whether I'm able to successfully bolt/mount the brackets on....though I'm pretty sure I'll figure some way to make it work.

As for my lighting, all are in good shape so will hold off on any lighting upgrades for the time being. That said I may end up shortening a lot of the wire as they seems to used wire runs that were too long and have it all bunched up in the back.​

 

[Sir Velo]

@perkj I have a stout 2x2 that I use in case I need to heft up the lid with the bikes racked up Maybe I'll just move everyone's bike frame to carbon fiber, that'll lose some weight up top lolol

I think I'm just going to put 2 stands at the rear, I have the jockey wheel that I chock and that seems to work well enough thus far