New Project (Trailer)

Bobby is going to build us a trailer to pull behind the jeep. He bought a 3500lb axle, and is going to use the jeep stock wheels. I think he is building it out of steel, we talked about aluminum (because he sells aluminum) but decided on steel. I'll keep pics coming as it progresses. Hope its ready by Shiloh!!

I will def be wanting updates. I've been looking over trailers for the past 2 weeks. I just wish I had the place and knew how to weld to make one myself.

Well I just bought a mig for this project a few weeks ago and made a stand for the welder and man my welds arent the prettiest things you ever seen but they held , thank god for grinders. You just got to jump in with your eyes closed. well its cheaper than buying one andf I wanted a stronger axle and bigger wheels, so DIY
I will keep ya posted. Bobby

Good work so far! Let me know if you have any questions. And remember- pay special attention and watch that weld puddle. Also, don`t forget to clean the lens often. You having a metal shop fab up the box?

hey crux whats the word on those specs for that rack id like to build one for my 4dr pls.

Oh crap, sorry man. I forgot. I`ll get them to you.

no Adam I am doing the whole thing myself!

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Here are a couple more pics. Bobby first made the frame (outside), squaring it up then put in the support braces, next he added the tongue and side brackets. We were unsure how long to make it (tongue)so the guys hooked it on the jeep and swung the trailer frame to the sides to see what the turn radius was, Bobby took off about 4 inches I think, the tongue was too long. Bobby and Cody are now working on getting the frame on the axle, I think they said the axle is suppose to be placed in the 60/40% position on the frame.

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great work so far...taken orders yet...lol

What is the purpose of this trailer?

It might be benificial to flip the axle under the springs for a 4" or 5" lift so it sits closer to level with the Jeep and doesn't drag so easily. It looks real good so far.

Looks nice . How much clearance between the wheels / tires and the finished frame?

We just needed a trailer to haul, chairs, icechest, etc for our off-roading trips. Bobby put the springs underneath so when he gets the box built it isn't so high and we can reach down into it...I didn't think about the clearance though. I'll let Bobby give you his take on it, and he can tell you how much clearance there is on the rims/frame.

I measured some tires before I decided on a frame width. On a standard radial tire you have about 1" or so from outside wheel to outside of tire. On a wide all terrain you might have 3-4 ", but I knew I didnt want a wide heavy tire to pull on this trailer , I wanted a standard less resistant tread and a lighter tire but taller than a standard trailer tire and to utilize Renees original 16" wheels on the trailer. From the wheel to the frame is 2". I have some tall tires I am sure will fit. I didnt want a 5' wide axle for a wider trailer , I went with a 4' axle ( actuall a longer axle for a 4" wide bed ) The frame is 3'-10" x 5-0" . From the bottom of the axle with tire height I should have 13-14" road clearance and the tongue height to the ball on the jeep should be about 21-22" just right and level height with Renees or Codys jeep to look good. If you go with a wide off road tire you lose width in the frame unless you go to a longer axle. A 3500lb axle with springs and hardware 4' or 5' at southwest trailer on gemble rd will run you $ 210. 2" steel angle so far as been about $ 60 including 2-1/2" steel tubing for tongue. I am really debating with myself on the skin for the trailer. Steel weights 3 x more than aluminum but the cost for 14ga or 1/8 steel sheet and aluminum sheet is about the same. The more weight you pull the more gas you burn. I will let you know what i decide. Also I figure from the floor to top of finished box on trailer ( with 1'-10" deep box should be about 3'-4" + - easy enough to get stuff out. If you mount your springs on top of the axle you gain about another 4"-5".

How about going with expanded steel for the sides? Kinda like what my rack is made of. Pretty cheap, strong, and lighter than solid steel sheet, unless of course you want a totally enclosed trailer. Lookin great Bobby!!!

So it is basically just to haul stuff around and not neccessarily meant to be pulled behind the Jeep on the trail as well?

Sounds great, please keep the pics coming.
I've been thinking about building a small open utility trailer (4' W x 6' L) with decent ground clearance, matching wheels, paint, etc. to haul my ATV and or misc. junk.
Yours looks pretty much like what I had in mind.

welcome aboard JK joe. maybe you can go on the intro thread and tell us a little about yourself

I will have to put these on one at a time, everytime I try more than one pic it loads them sideways.

Duke- Yea we are just going to use it to get our junk to where ever we are going.