Where to start?

[Uniquely Us Adventures]

OK so I want to ask if you guys have any advice, the wife and I are looking to build out a trailer thinking a 6 x 12 to be a bed bathroom and small kitchen. We primarily camp and live out of our Tacoma but when we bring family along, we wanted to have somewhere that our parents could be more comfortable. So my question is starting fresh and buying a used trailer should I go with a single axle or dual axle? My thought was if I buy a cheap I could take it to my fabrication shop that does good work and maybe they could reinforce the frame and put a better suspension on it and do some modifications but I just don’t know what the best base unit would be to start that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated or if there is a build thread that I missed about the dos and don’ts of starting a trailer build I would love to see that as well. As always, thanks advance!

 

[Corrie]

I just love reading about this project. I know a good handful of people here have gone down this path!

@Kent R - Any threads you can recall on this?

 

[MOAK]

I’m pulling a single axle 4x6. I know if I ever decided to build a 6x12 trailer I’d definitely be going with a tandem axle set up. ( not just dual axles ) like this. Tandems will crawl over things.

 

[Foras]

OK so I want to ask if you guys have any advice, the wife and I are looking to build out a trailer thinking a 6 x 12 to be a bed bathroom and small kitchen. We primarily camp and live out of our Tacoma but when we bring family along, we wanted to have somewhere that our parents could be more comfortable. So my question is starting fresh and buying a used trailer should I go with a single axle or dual axle? My thought was if I buy a cheap I could take it to my fabrication shop that does good work and maybe they could reinforce the frame and put a better suspension on it and do some modifications but I just don’t know what the best base unit would be to start that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated or if there is a build thread that I missed about the dos and don’ts of starting a trailer build I would love to see that as well. As always, thanks advance!

I have seen the Bruder trailer pictured above and it is awesome, but it is awesome $$$$ too. Check out the off road trailers from these guys. WeeRoll – Affordable, High-Quality, All-Aluminum Camper Trailers. That's How Wee Roll.

 

[Uniquely Us Adventures]

OK so I want to ask if you guys have any advice, the wife and I are looking to build out a trailer thinking a 6 x 12 to be a bed bathroom and small kitchen. We primarily camp and live out of our Tacoma but when we bring family along, we wanted to have somewhere that our parents could be more comfortable. So my question is starting fresh and buying a used trailer should I go with a single axle or dual axle? My thought was if I buy a cheap I could take it to my fabrication shop that does good work and maybe they could reinforce the frame and put a better suspension on it and do some modifications but I just don’t know what the best base unit would be to start that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated or if there is a build thread that I missed about the dos and don’ts of starting a trailer build I would love to see that as well. As always, thanks advance!

I have seen the Bruder trailer pictured above and it is awesome, but it is awesome $$$$ too. Check out the off road trailers from these guys. WeeRoll – Affordable, High-Quality, All-Aluminum Camper Trailers. That's How Wee Roll.

Those are cool! Thanks..

 

[Uniquely Us Adventures]

I’m pulling a single axle 4x6. I know if I ever decided to build a 6x12 trailer I’d definitely be going with a tandem axle set up. ( not just dual axles ) like this. Tandems will crawl over things.View attachment 244670

Sorry tandem.. ‍♂️ good to know…

 

[tjZ06]

Bedroom, bathroom and a small kitchen is a lot to stuff into 6x12. When the family comes along how difficult are the trails you hit? Something built-out essentially as a travel trailer with a 12' box is going to be ~17' total (5' tongue) and relatively heavy. Heavier-yet if you build it beefy enough not to shake to pieces on a serious trail. My $0.02 is that the used RV market as a whole is about to have the bottom drop out of it. Obviously the economy and inflation were already hitting folks hard, and now it doesn't look like the midterms were the red-wave needed to start turning things around. RVs and other "toys" are the first thing to go when people have to tighten the purse strings. You're probably going to end up money ahead with a more complete unit just buying used *if*, and this is the big IF, you're just looking for something you can use for "soft-roading" vs. hardcore trails. If it's just soft-roading then you have a few options from the traditional RV brands and you probably will be able to get one for a steal in the next 6-12 months. If you're going to do real trails you have to go with the bespoke Overland/Expedition trailer makers and they are $$$$$$$ so building might be better. I suppose a lot of it comes down to your skills, time, space and tools as well.

-TJ

 

[Kent R]

OK so I want to ask if you guys have any advice, the wife and I are looking to build out a trailer thinking a 6 x 12 to be a bed bathroom and small kitchen. We primarily camp and live out of our Tacoma but when we bring family along, we wanted to have somewhere that our parents could be more comfortable. So my question is starting fresh and buying a used trailer should I go with a single axle or dual axle? My thought was if I buy a cheap I could take it to my fabrication shop that does good work and maybe they could reinforce the frame and put a better suspension on it and do some modifications but I just don’t know what the best base unit would be to start that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated or if there is a build thread that I missed about the dos and don’ts of starting a trailer build I would love to see that as well. As always, thanks advance!

@Monte1, Sorry it took so long to get back to you we are on a long trip to the SW off grid.
If you are talking about a 6x12 cargo trailer I have a member who just did one kind of like you are talking about.
Message @KEFA 4427 Kevin Reinig, he did a really great job and he put allot of thought into it.

From our experience look at a cassette toilet, easy to install and when off grid you can still use wag bags. Personal preference is duel axle only because it backs way better than a single, and if possible I prefer torsion axles over any other. (long story)

Good luck with your project!!

 

[Uniquely Us Adventures]

Bedroom, bathroom and a small kitchen is a lot to stuff into 6x12. When the family comes along how difficult are the trails you hit? Something built-out essentially as a travel trailer with a 12' box is going to be ~17' total (5' tongue) and relatively heavy. Heavier-yet if you build it beefy enough not to shake to pieces on a serious trail. My $0.02 is that the used RV market as a whole is about to have the bottom drop out of it. Obviously the economy and inflation were already hitting folks hard, and now it doesn't look like the midterms were the red-wave needed to start turning things around. RVs and other "toys" are the first thing to go when people have to tighten the purse strings. You're probably going to end up money ahead with a more complete unit just buying used *if*, and this is the big IF, you're just looking for something you can use for "soft-roading" vs. hardcore trails. If it's just soft-roading then you have a few options from the traditional RV brands and you probably will be able to get one for a steal in the next 6-12 months. If you're going to do real trails you have to go with the bespoke Overland/Expedition trailer makers and they are $$$$$$$ so building might be better. I suppose a lot of it comes down to your skills, time, space and tools as well.

-TJ

If we pull the trailer, it would be gravel roads and fire roads. Nothing crazy, when it’s just me and the wife and we head out then we want to go everywhere and harder trails we take just the Tacoma and we sleep in that. So it would be pretty light, we’re not looking to make the trailer super heavy and fancy, mattress topper and air mattress with a small kitchen area with a 12v fridge and some water storage. Very minimalistic. Like a broke college kids dorm.. lol

 

[Uniquely Us Adventures]

OK so I want to ask if you guys have any advice, the wife and I are looking to build out a trailer thinking a 6 x 12 to be a bed bathroom and small kitchen. We primarily camp and live out of our Tacoma but when we bring family along, we wanted to have somewhere that our parents could be more comfortable. So my question is starting fresh and buying a used trailer should I go with a single axle or dual axle? My thought was if I buy a cheap I could take it to my fabrication shop that does good work and maybe they could reinforce the frame and put a better suspension on it and do some modifications but I just don’t know what the best base unit would be to start that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated or if there is a build thread that I missed about the dos and don’ts of starting a trailer build I would love to see that as well. As always, thanks advance!

@Monte1, Sorry it took so long to get back to you we are on a long trip to the SW off grid.
If you are talking about a 6x12 cargo trailer I have a member who just did one kind of like you are talking about.
Message @KEFA 4427 Kevin Reinig, he did a really great job and he put allot of thought into it.

From our experience look at a cassette toilet, easy to install and when off grid you can still use wag bags. Personal preference is duel axle only because it backs way better than a single, and if possible I prefer torsion axles over any other. (long story)

Good luck with your project!!

Awesome I messaged him right now. Thank you! See you at this month’s meeting!

 

[Kent R]

Awesome I messaged him right now. Thank you! See you at this month’s meeting!

We wont be back for the meeting, see you in December

 

[Kent R]

Kevin should be messaging you back, he also might be at the meeting Tuesday.

 

[Mountaintrails71]

Factory built trailers are built for weight and size. Meaning a 4x8 trailer will not be produced with a 3500 pound axle under it. It will be rated with a 2k or less axle and small tires. A 6x12 trailer wil usually be built with a angle iron frame with plank decking and could have a single or two axle. Just because a trailer has 1 axle instead of 2 does not mean it can hall less.
With all this being said, start by figuring out what you want or need. I just built a trailer and put a 3500 pound axle under a harbor freight trailer and reinforced the frame. I was able to put 6 hole hubs on it and use wheels and tires off my Toyota.
Buying a trailer and then having it converted at a shop can be pretty expensive. If you can start with a used trailer at a cheap price and swap out the suspension and then build it up. Might be the best price for your needs.
Or It might be best to have a custom shop build it from scratch.

 

[socal geek guy]

If we pull the trailer, it would be gravel roads and fire roads. Nothing crazy, when it’s just me and the wife and we head out then we want to go everywhere and harder trails we take just the Tacoma and we sleep in that. So it would be pretty light, we’re not looking to make the trailer super heavy and fancy, mattress topper and air mattress with a small kitchen area with a 12v fridge and some water storage. Very minimalistic. Like a broke college kids dorm.. lol

one trailer to look for that may fit your bill is the nucamp tab trailer. its a teardrop style and is a little bigger with a sleeping area and small kitchen. the tab model sounds like a lot initially, but you're going to spend around $4-5k on a cargo trailer and you still have to build it out.

Nucamp 320 Teardrop Camper Trailer - rvs - by owner - vehicle...

2013 Nucamp Teardrop camper trailer. 2700 pounds. Perfectly amazing condition. *Compostable portable toilet. Sink Burner QUEEN bed Heat Air conditioning Fan Battery New Tires Can meet you with the...

orangecounty.craigslist.org

there is also the nucamp tag that is a little smaller, but a cool little teardrop trailer.

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2016-Nucamp-T%40G-MAX-5023824976

like mountaintrails71 said, look for the 3500 lb axle or better. after nerding out and researching the hell out of it, i found that people had a decent amount of issues with the 2000 lb axles with any kind of weight loaded on it or leaving paved roads. when i got my 5x8 enclosed trailer, i made sure to get the 3500 lb axle and its been good to me so far with mild to moderate off roading.

another thing to consider is width and height. i will say that i love having the 5 ft wide trailer as its maybe an inch or two wider than my vehicle towing it. i can still go through drive thrus with the trailer. i got the shorter height trailer so i could fit it in my garage, but less height in the trailer makes it a little more difficult to move around in there, so keep that in mind.


i will admit that i wasn't overly impressed with the build quality of my trailer. the frame looked ok, but there was a lot of corners cut. all the exterior lights simply just had holes roughly drilled out and wires passed through with no grommets. some have silicone to seal, but its not great considering it'll be easy for wires to short out after rubbing through on the sheet metal. also they daisy chained the hell out of the wiring in series, so that causes problems in itself. from what i hear, the kind of build quality i got is pretty much what to expect on most trailers, campers, rv's. with covid and employee turnover in factories being high, the build quality is not the greatest, so keep that in mind and don't set your expectations super high. i only say this so you don't get surprises and also its something to put on your pros/cons list when considering buying used/new.

hope that helps give you a few more ideas to consider.