Base camp, Overland, Backcountry 4x6 trailer build

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36degreesNorth

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,250
Knoxville, TN, USA
First Name
Drew
Last Name
Sabens
Building a base camp from a Home Depot work sport 4x6 utility trailer.

A little history on the trailer first. My wife's late father was a long time landscaper and towards the end of his working career (in is early 80s) he bought this little trailer so he could move his landscaping supplies around. He was still doing irrigation service work for long time customers. Unfortunately he had a stroke in 2013 and could not longer work. The trailer then went to my mother in laws house where it was used about once a year to haul tree limbs and brush to the town dump. The past few years it has been sitting unused in the corner of her driveway.

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This past March my wife and I welcomed our first child, though a bit on the early side as he was originally due in June. Mom and baby are both doing awesome. My wifes family hosted our baby shower in April in CT. With everything that we were given I made the call to drive from TN with a small enclosed trailer to bring it all back down. In talking with her mom we decided to also take the trailer. Fitting a 4x6 trailer in a 5x10 enclosed was interesting and some working words were used but it fit. Along with all of the other baby gear.

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I hauled it down to TN and cleaned it up a bit. Current plans are to rewire it as I don't trust the lights after sitting for so long. Do a spring over conversion and upgrade to 15inch wheels. The tall tailgate and rusted wire deck will be removed. Not 100% sure on what to do for a floor yet.

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Long term plans are to get use it as a family base camp style trailer either hauled by my Ram or wife's Forester giving us some more room inside the vehicles.
 

tjZ06

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate I

2,268
Las Vegas/Palo Alto
First Name
mynameisntallowed
Last Name
Adams
Member #

20043

Should be a cool project, looking forward to seeing how it comes along. And congrats on the baby!

-TJ
 

36degreesNorth

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,250
Knoxville, TN, USA
First Name
Drew
Last Name
Sabens
Picked up a set of rims and tires off a Ford ranger this afternoon. Hoping to get the axle flipped this weekend and replacing the mesh deck so the trailer is useable.

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36degreesNorth

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,250
Knoxville, TN, USA
First Name
Drew
Last Name
Sabens
Power washes the years of grime and junk off the trailer and rolled it into the shop. Also gave the new Ford wheels a quick coat of paint as one of the wheels has some nasty scuff marks on it. Waiting on a set of wheel spacers to come in then it's time to let the sparks fly. Need to cut the fenders off redo the tailgate so it's a good bit lower, get the old expanded metal deck removed start cleaning up the surface rust and re doing the lights before welding on new spring perches and mounting the wheels.

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Sparksalot

Rank VI
Launch Member

Influencer III

4,312
Bastrop County, TX, USA
First Name
Rex
Last Name
Drake
Member #

19540

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KI5GH
Service Branch
Air Force
Building a base camp from a Home Depot work sport 4x6 utility trailer.

A little history on the trailer first. My wife's late father was a long time landscaper and towards the end of his working career (in is early 80s) he bought this little trailer so he could move his landscaping supplies around. He was still doing irrigation service work for long time customers. Unfortunately he had a stroke in 2013 and could not longer work. The trailer then went to my mother in laws house where it was used about once a year to haul tree limbs and brush to the town dump. The past few years it has been sitting unused in the corner of her driveway.

View attachment 258265

This past March my wife and I welcomed our first child, though a bit on the early side as he was originally due in June. Mom and baby are both doing awesome. My wifes family hosted our baby shower in April in CT. With everything that we were given I made the call to drive from TN with a small enclosed trailer to bring it all back down. In talking with her mom we decided to also take the trailer. Fitting a 4x6 trailer in a 5x10 enclosed was interesting and some working words were used but it fit. Along with all of the other baby gear.

View attachment 258262
View attachment 258266
View attachment 258267

I hauled it down to TN and cleaned it up a bit. Current plans are to rewire it as I don't trust the lights after sitting for so long. Do a spring over conversion and upgrade to 15inch wheels. The tall tailgate and rusted wire deck will be removed. Not 100% sure on what to do for a floor yet.

View attachment 258261

Long term plans are to get use it as a family base camp style trailer either hauled by my Ram or wife's Forester giving us some more room inside the vehicles.
IMG_7598.jpeg
 

Sparksalot

Rank VI
Launch Member

Influencer III

4,312
Bastrop County, TX, USA
First Name
Rex
Last Name
Drake
Member #

19540

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KI5GH
Service Branch
Air Force
Power washes the years of grime and junk off the trailer and rolled it into the shop. Also gave the new Ford wheels a quick coat of paint as one of the wheels has some nasty scuff marks on it. Waiting on a set of wheel spacers to come in then it's time to let the sparks fly. Need to cut the fenders off redo the tailgate so it's a good bit lower, get the old expanded metal deck removed start cleaning up the surface rust and re doing the lights before welding on new spring perches and mounting the wheels.

View attachment 260208View attachment 260210View attachment 260211
You might consider swapping in a 3,500# axle to get larger wheel bearings. Larger bearings and non-trailer tires will let you travel a bit faster getting to the trails.
 

36degreesNorth

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,250
Knoxville, TN, USA
First Name
Drew
Last Name
Sabens
Got a little time to work on the trailer today. Finished up getting the Ranger wheels mounted and the fenders removed. Test fit it behind my ram and measured for a lift hitch on my wife's Forester. Still need to rewire and replace the lights and replace the deck.

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36degreesNorth

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,250
Knoxville, TN, USA
First Name
Drew
Last Name
Sabens
Thank you. It's been a little bit on the back burner for the summer with the baby coming home and few other projects taking shop space but hoping to pull it back in shortly and get a new deck on it and get the lights working.
 

36degreesNorth

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,250
Knoxville, TN, USA
First Name
Drew
Last Name
Sabens
Little work on the trailer today. Was trying to figure out why the lights don't work and found that my father in law had "fixed" some frayed wires with Teflon tape. Fixed that with silicone wire nuts but still have no power to the lights will probably just end up doing a full rewire and LED swap to it.

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