Off Road Trailer Build

[UZJ40]

Just finished by fridge slider yesterday. I used 36" Accuride lock in/lock out sliders. The are extremely heavy duty (500 lbs each!).

I was originally going to go with an ARB slider, but as you can see in the photos, I needed the fridge to extend it's own length (33"), plus an additional 3" to clear the top frame of the trailer. The ARB slider does not slide out far enough for this setup.

 

[TYM4FUN]

Thank you for the reply! Will you be adding some sort of door seals to keep water and such from creeping in?

 

[NMBruce]

since you have made the tongue removable, I would suggest to make it a slide tongue, I did that for different pulling needs or like if I get on a ferry and they charge by the foot.

 

[Helipilot]

Great build. Not to hijack the thread but...Who makes the rear tire carrier/basket do you have on your 40? Looks good and thinking that is the way I want to go on my'77.

 

[UZJ40]

Got my fold down table finished up!

Testing out awning and tent placement-

Front doors are finished-

 

[UZJ40]

I knew I wanted the back of the trailer to be the kitchen area, with no access for cargo. The fridge takes up about 1/3 of the rear door area. After a couple years of camping using Rubbermaid storage bins for dry food and utensils, I wanted to find some way of organizing our gear. I was also looking for a nice storage solution for our stove. I knew I could build drawers, but I really didn't want to go through the hassle of that.

There is a local hardware store that sells Durham brand bins/drawers/dividers. Our of curiosity, I took my camp stove down and tried placing it in one of their drawers, and it was a perfect fit! It seemed as if they were made for eachother! It was snug on all 4 sides, with about 1/2" to spare on the top! I couldn't believe it!

I purchased the setup with 5 sliders, as well as 4 different layouts of boxes. This is what the end product looks like! The best part is, the storage compartments just lift out of the drawers when extended, so you can use them around the camp! It's also very easy to take the stove out and cook elsewhere!

Fridge out, table down, stove extended!

 

[UZJ40]

My goal for the trailer was take it to Overland Expo West. I had a huge list of things to finish on it before it was ready, including getting it registered. With only 5 evenings to finish it, some of those bigger items were-

Wire the lights
Wire the brakes
Wire the FJ40 for the trailer and brake controller
Mount the drawers
Mount the tent
Make interior dividers
Weld on safety chains
Mount Rotopax
Mount, plumb, and wire freshwater tank
Mount and wire area lights

I had an appointment at the DMV at 9am on Thursday morning for inspection/registration. I stayed up till midnight the night before wiring the trailer, and woke up at 6am the morning of to wire the FJ40. Left my house at 8:40 to arrive just in time! It passed inspection without issue, but more importantly, it towed fantastic!

Inspection station at Henderson DMV

Getting its VIN etched!

Hurry back home, load everything up, and leave town by noon to get to Flagstaff by 4!!!

 

[UZJ40]

We arrived in Flagstaff right at 4PM without any issues! I was so relieved after the long week, and I was extremely excited to park and set everything up!

We had a great time at OEW! Met some awesome people, saw awesome vehicles and products, and of course spent some $$$ on new gear! It was a great weekend and the hard work on the trailer paid off! Out of all the extremely expensive and nice trailers I saw there, I didn't see any I'd rather have. I like the size, look, and functionality of mine, and so far, I wouldn't change anything about it.

Back at home after an awesome weekend-

 

[Overlandeffex]

I saw your trailer and camping site during the expo. Was going to come over and talk to you Sunday morning before we left but you were gone!!! The two looked real nice.

 

[UZJ40]

I saw your trailer and camping site during the expo. Was going to come over and talk to you Sunday morning before we left but you were gone!!! The two looked real nice.

Thanks!! I had to work Sunday, so I wanted to leave early Sat morning before it got windy.

Maybe we'll be back next year!

 

[Couse44]

I am right in the middle of rebuilding my 40, But I am sick of putting RTT on top of the 4Runner.... I think I may put the 40 to the side and copy your trailer build. You made it look easy lol. I'm kind of hoping that I could do this within 2 weeks..... anyways! Great job on the build and thank you for the full on write-up!

 

[Neil Fiedler]

Great looking trailer!
Do you happen to have the info on the axle and hubs? I'm looking to buy the exact thing.

 

[UZJ40]

I am right in the middle of rebuilding my 40, But I am sick of putting RTT on top of the 4Runner.... I think I may put the 40 to the side and copy your trailer build. You made it look easy lol. I'm kind of hoping that I could do this within 2 weeks..... anyways! Great job on the build and thank you for the full on write-up!

Thanks! You'll be happy you built a trailer! We got tired of putting the tent on our 4Runner as well.

Great looking trailer!
Do you happen to have the info on the axle and hubs? I'm looking to buy the exact thing.

I got everything from Croft Trailer Supply. They have the 6x5.5 hubs. Check out their website!

 

[UZJ40]

Stripped the trailer back down to paint, wrap, and line it.

As always, wonderful wife helping out with the POR15

Waited 24 hrs for POR to cure, then scuffed the bottom and fenders to apply Raptorliner

Raptorliner finished and curing!

 

[fjdemon]

Trailer looks awesome! Are you going to paint on top of the POR15? I only ask because I have heard it is sensitive to UV light and will break down.

POR-15® is sensitive to UV light (sun) and must be topcoated for prolonged exposure to sunlight. Failure to do this may result in long-term damage to the POR-15® coating. Topcoating is not required for areas not exposed to sunlight.

Just an FYI in case

 

[UZJ40]

Never too much table space, so I made a detachable table/bar that stores upright in the longer storage area.

Found a wood table top at Ikea that was well built. A little big, so I trimmed it down to 19"x54"

Attached one half of the railing onto the trailer

The other half to the table top

And now we have double the table surface area as before!

 

[UZJ40]

Finally got the trailer painted, sealed, lined, and reassembled.

Put a faucet on the side of the trailer. There is a small velcro strap to keep it secured to the trailer when not in use.

Sink installed in wood table.

 

[erse]

The side table detaches when not in use?

 

[UZJ40]

The side table detaches when not in use?

Indeed. It stores inside the trailer when not in use, and secures in the track when it is in use.

Here it is stored and latched into place. The 'bottom' of the table is in a channel to keep it in place.

The finished kitchen area

And the switches/usb charger/Blue Sea voltmeter

 

[axolotl81]

@jetranger, Great build. One question, what are the dimensions for that little drawer system you have mounted? TIA.