New to me Trailer (1 Viewer)

[Blue Phoenix]

Hello all

I usually frequent the 100 forum and recently acquired a nicely built expedition trailer from a local mudder @barefoot .

The trailer itself is very stout and well-built, but as with any hobby there's always a to-do list.

I've now gotten into the trailer anatomy and there are some modifications I'll be making and many more I am sure I'll be asking about.

So far I have a short list of items that need attention:

• Trailer came on Jeep 5x4.5 hubs with what look like 2in spacers. I don't like spacers and I would prefer Toyota stock hubs which are apparently hard to find, so I'll be getting into this.
• There is some pretty obvious negative camber to the back wheels attributable to what appears to be a bent/ curved axle. Is this normal? Axle is a #3500 axle so should be more than ample for the weight. May end up going with a new leaf/ axle setup or go on the other end of the spectrum to a Timbren Axleless variety.
• That brings me to the springs. They came off an old 80's model Toyota truck and they are not up to the task. The trailer leans with any amt of weight put in it and are just plain old and worn out.
• The last immediate thing is the charging system. I'll need to get with the PO, but as it currently sits the battery will only charge on shore power. The 7-pin which I was under the impression SHOULD charge the battery is not doing so.

The thread will hopefully be heavier on pics in time to come, but as for brief intros this is what I got. Hoping for some sage advice in the coming months to see the direction I take this.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Basic pics.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

AXLE and SUSPENSION

The first time I went to look at the trailer I noticed the axle seemed curved/ bent. Not glaringly by enough to make me notice the negative camber resulting in the wheels. It doesn't appear damaged and PO and I spoke about it.

Upon purchase I got a new set of wheels/ tires and after our first trip of a couple hundred miles I noticed the outer tread blocks of the tires appear completely untouched by the road.

Is this normal? I've pulled quite a few trailers but have noticed this before, but admittedly I wasn't ever looking.

On top of this the PO also spoke extensively about the suspension. Leafs came from an old Toyota truck but clearly are showing their age now. We spoke about options to replace with either new leafs or going as far as an axle-less variety from Timbren.

Pics for reference. FWIW this is not a fisheye.


1. I know it's a bad angle but it's not hard to imagine that wheel leaning inward.
2. straight on from the back showing slight curve
3. I tried getting straight behind the wheel

 

[Blue Phoenix]

More suspension:

I've been perusing eTrailer.com and looking into Timbren axle-less.

Leaf pros
- easy retrofit assuming I get lengths correct
- tried and true simplicity
- can easily add a leaf if needed
- ease of maintenance

Timbren Pros
- ground clearance
- well-made from what I hear

Biggest drawback I see with Timbrens is cost as it looks like I can get a set of leafs and an axle for still cheaper.
Additionally it would involve some cutting/ welding which I would have to farm out.

Pic of current setup.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Timbrens are great, but keep in mind if they fail, they will be much harder to source and fix. Especially on a trail.
A new axle and leaf springs seems like the cheapest solution.

 

[e9999]

yup, looks bent the wrong way. A lot at that. Have you looked to see if you could rotate it easily? That would depend on the pin / recess arrangement and would likely require a new spring shoe welded in . Easiest short term fix (sorta) if you can. At least you could even out the tires . But if you have to hire a welder for that plust the parts, it may be cheaper to buy a new axle. That would also allow you to choose the width and change the bolt pattern.

Very nice trailer!


added: never mind on the flip, you'd also have to change the shock mounts. Too complicated.

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

I think the axle is upside down.

My work had a trailer axle replaced by a "pro" welding shop once that was oriented toe-out. Chewed through a new set of tires in under 500 miles

Butt

 

[cruiserpilot]

What tire pressure are you running? I run mine pretty low.

 

[Brimley]

I think the axle is upside down.

My work had a trailer axle replaced by a "pro" welding shop once that was oriented toe-out. Chewed through a new set of tires in under 500 miles

Butt

This^

 

[Exiled]

Many years ago I replaced the stock axle on an M416 with a custom axle with the exact width and hubs to match my FJ62, which made it a lot easier to tow on trails and eliminated the need for carrying different spares. I got this done at a trailer shop in Phoenix and it was around $200 or so. Ad another $100 for inflation, perhaps?!

 

[e9999]

Well, it would bother me to look at it from an OCD perspective, but realistically, it looks totally usable. I'd check to see if there is any toe in cuz that will scrub the tires on asphalt and could lead to fast wear, but otherwise, you could certainly live with it. It's not like decent tires on a light offroad trailer will wear out fast. Worst case, if you end up seeing some objectionable wear on the inside in a few years, you flip the tires around. I have had quite a few single axle trailers and have never worn out tires on one, they usually dry crack from age first.

Trailer looks fantastic, you got shocks and brakes which puts you in the top 5% in terms of performance. Just enjoy the great outdoors and don't worry about it until you are bored and have extra time and money!

One thing I would do before going too far, though, is get a spare if there isn't one. And/or contemplate changing the hubs to match the truck.

 

[Drake2]

AXLE and SUSPENSION

The first time I went to look at the trailer I noticed the axle seemed curved/ bent. Not glaringly by enough to make me notice the negative camber resulting in the wheels. It doesn't appear damaged and PO and I spoke about it.

Upon purchase I got a new set of wheels/ tires and after our first trip of a couple hundred miles I noticed the outer tread blocks of the tires appear completely untouched by the road.

Is this normal? I've pulled quite a few trailers but have noticed this before, but admittedly I wasn't ever looking.

On top of this the PO also spoke extensively about the suspension. Leafs came from an old Toyota truck but clearly are showing their age now. We spoke about options to replace with either new leafs or going as far as an axle-less variety from Timbren.

Pics for reference. FWIW this is not a fisheye.


1. I know it's a bad angle but it's not hard to imagine that wheel leaning inward.
2. straight on from the back showing slight curve
3. I tried getting straight behind the wheel

View attachment 2463209

View attachment 2463210

View attachment 2463211

LOL, the picture with the kiddo enjoying the tent is great.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

The axle is upside down. All straight axle trailer axles have a slight bend in them to accomodate the weight and to help with wheel alignment. An axle supplier should be able to weld spring perches for you and get you sorted.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

@Stuckinthe80s thanks for the input. I actually stumbled across this fact while looking into which direction I'll be going with the suspension.

As it currently stands it looks like I can pick up a set of Timbrens for just under $800 and do all the work myself which is also nice.

Anybody have any input for or against this style of setup?

 

[e9999]

Those pivoting arm kits are very enticing indeed. But it will be a lot more expensive than a rigid axle, even with new springs.
Can you put brakes on those Timbrens?

 

[Blue Phoenix]

New year and time to get into this project.

Trailer was a lot of fun on our first outing with no issues, but as mentioned above in the first post I am running into an issue charging the onboard battery.

The trailer when I picked it up was equipped as follows:

- 7 pin trailer hookup with now what looks like custom wiring done so now I have to verify which wires are powering what, although nothing seems confusing or out of place so far.
- Marinco Guest 36082-12 8 Amp 12 V Dual Output Marine On-Board Battery Charger and Alternator Module
- Battery relay with switches for 4 accessories on the trailer
- Dual batteries (one has since been removed but plan to add another shortly in parallel)
- 2 outlets which tie into the battery charger which can charge the batteries on shore power.

Issue I am having is charging the battery from the vehicle while hooked up to the trailer. It charges fine when hooked up to shore power.
- I have counted the wires and tracked them as best as I can and I cant see there would be an issue.
- I can charge the battery THROUGH the battery charger if I plug into shore power (or the outlet from the back of the cruiser). The lights on the Guest charger illuminate fine.

Short of stripping apart the system (especially since I believe it was charging from the vehicle before).

I am just getting my feet wet in this arena as far as wiring and power goes so I'm open to resources that may help as well.

Lastly I need to get a Multimeter (ordered a Fluke today). I noticed from my ARB fridge BT meter that I was experiencing significant voltage drop to the fridge and it just wasn't cooling. I now have it routed directly to the battery which has helped.

This is all fun and interesting but realizing how little I know about electricity (I'm in medicine) is frustrating to say the least.

 

[e9999]

well, you can't do any serious troubleshooting without a multimeter, although you can use a light bulb to check for basic voltage. So I'd say wait till you get the meter and then go to town. Start by checking all the voltages on the plug with and without the key and engine on.
Aside from a mixup in wiring, a couple of things come to mind, although admittedly long shots:
- there are some issues with some 100s when it come to trailers with batteries and having backcurrent. That could possibly be related if some work was done on your truck to avoid the problem, perhaps incorrectly?
- some newer alternators are "smart" and do weird things that may affect charging and
- some auxiliary chargers need to have a minimum overvoltage in order to start the job. Is that maybe the case?

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Haven't posted on this in a while, had the trailer up for sale and due to some unforeseen events will be keeping for the next year or so.

I decided as long as I'm keeping it I'll go on with the next phases of projects I wanted to address.

1. Rust is starting to show up on the outside body. I knew about some surface rust on the inside when I bought it, now as the paint is sort of aging I guess it's very slowly showing through the paint along seams. I decided to open up the can of worms and starting chipping away at the worst side (passenger) this morning.
- First thing I noticed is that some sort of "metal caulk" I'm calling it was used along all the seams. I don't think it's a JB Weld type of epoxy (although I could be wrong). Anyone with more experience know of something typically used to fill these gaps? It chipped off in chunks, was quite brittle and was almost like a ceramic of some kind.
- I don't see any pitting and the rust itself still seems fairly superficial.
- I'd like to address the rust without going all out which I understand doesn't make sense, but hear me out. The trailer is 10+ years old now, and short of popping all the welds and taking each individual panel off, I'd like to keep it as simple as possible. I initially thought I could apply some POR15 on it, fill the gaps again, and overspray. If my memory serves me correctly though you can't over spray POR15? Is that right? I'm just looking for the most cost/time-effective solution.