Advocate III
Is there anyone building their OT from scratch? I’m wanting to build me one for my Jeep TJ. And I was wondering if anyone would have any good pointers and ideas for one.
Trailer Builds
- Thread starter Ctblackmon
- Start date
If you can't find enough on here in this section head to Expedition Portal. There are hundreds of different DIY trailers there.
Advocate III
Member III
The question is, how big?
Ive pulled my M-100 all over. Small, light, easy maneuvering. Bed dimensions are 4X6. My new build is enclosed. Box dimensions 5X9.
The M-100 weighed about 600 lbs loaded before I modded it with the RTT, fridge, ect. Now its 1400 lbs loaded. That was about the limit on my TJ and still keep maneuverability. My new build should come in under 2k loaded and i'm pulling it with a larger vehicle.
I rebuilt the M-100, reusing the frame and body. There was quite a bit of rust on it and I spent way too much time cleaning it. Looking back, I should have built a new frame. It would have been faster and I wouldn't worry about fatigue from the old metal.
Once my hard side trailer is done, i'm building a new frame for it.
One thing i've learned about off road trailer building is, people tend to build trailers based on hauling heavy weight and driving on pavement. Their frames are way too heavy, the suspension is way too stiff and they tend to put the weight way too forward.
In a nut shell they have a nice off road looking trailer that can hold way more weight then they will ever hold with way too much tongue weight with suspension that doesn't work properly.
Then there's brakes. I put electric brakes on everything. All it took was 600 lbs of small trailer to jackknife my toyota pu on the freeway or my M100 push my TJ sideways on a soft steep downhill to learn this. When you stop, the trailer push's the back of your rig up shifting the weight off the rear tires. People will argue two points on this. 1. the laws says I don't need them for this weight and/or I've never had a problem. Well, I did, twice and one almost killed me.
You asked for a few pointers, these are what I have discovered. I have a little more info on my current build thread but due to the whole "virus" thing, its on hold for now. Here's a link to it Trailer Build
Ive pulled my M-100 all over. Small, light, easy maneuvering. Bed dimensions are 4X6. My new build is enclosed. Box dimensions 5X9.
The M-100 weighed about 600 lbs loaded before I modded it with the RTT, fridge, ect. Now its 1400 lbs loaded. That was about the limit on my TJ and still keep maneuverability. My new build should come in under 2k loaded and i'm pulling it with a larger vehicle.
I rebuilt the M-100, reusing the frame and body. There was quite a bit of rust on it and I spent way too much time cleaning it. Looking back, I should have built a new frame. It would have been faster and I wouldn't worry about fatigue from the old metal.
Once my hard side trailer is done, i'm building a new frame for it.
One thing i've learned about off road trailer building is, people tend to build trailers based on hauling heavy weight and driving on pavement. Their frames are way too heavy, the suspension is way too stiff and they tend to put the weight way too forward.
In a nut shell they have a nice off road looking trailer that can hold way more weight then they will ever hold with way too much tongue weight with suspension that doesn't work properly.
Then there's brakes. I put electric brakes on everything. All it took was 600 lbs of small trailer to jackknife my toyota pu on the freeway or my M100 push my TJ sideways on a soft steep downhill to learn this. When you stop, the trailer push's the back of your rig up shifting the weight off the rear tires. People will argue two points on this. 1. the laws says I don't need them for this weight and/or I've never had a problem. Well, I did, twice and one almost killed me.
You asked for a few pointers, these are what I have discovered. I have a little more info on my current build thread but due to the whole "virus" thing, its on hold for now. Here's a link to it Trailer Build
Enthusiast III
I am in the process of building one to go behind my TJ. I am torn on whether I am over doing though. The outer dimensions of the box are 48"x80"x35". The footprint is the same as my RTT and the height overall is about an inch lower than the top of my Jeep. Everything behind the water tank is on a slide to make it easier to access. I hope to have it usable in 4 weeks.
Member III
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- First Name
- Tom
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8300
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Advocate III
Im probably going to build one 5x8 or so. I don’t want one to big.
Advocate III
This is a awesome build. I also have a tj and that’s what I’m building it for. I have a camper shell for a truck I was thinking of using as the main covered portion and possibly making a bed in that. It’s only me right now so it should work pretty good I’m hoping
Contributor III
I like how you padded the front box and left some room for flex and vibration...and didn't weld it, nice touch
Enthusiast III
Thanks, I wish sometimes I would have kept it simple. I hope it it is worth it in the end.
If you were replying to my trailer, the box is a 21 gallon water tank. It is at about the front of the tires so it won't vary tongue weight much full or empty.
Enthusiast III
