Adventure '4x6 Lowes' Trailer Build

[AggieOE]

Finally lowered the tent and roof rack and strengthened it's connections to the trailer, added fenders and moved the spare to a rear mount.
It towed great from Houston to Ouray and back and handled the trail to Animas Forks great!
It was our first trip with a 1-yr old so we brought a large ground tent with a pack-n-play just in case and actually ended up using that when we camped and not the rooftop tent. Oh well. The extra storage of the trailer was well worth it!!

In the bins were: (1) Cooking, (2) Misc. Camp goods, (3) Sleeping bags & towels, (4) Boots, Jackets, and Bags.
In the rear bag which is one of those kinds you put on a hitch-mounted rack were our camping chairs, pack-n-play, pop-up play pin (bigger than a pack-n-play), EZ-up Coleman tent, and play-mat.

There is no way we could have fit all of this gear in or on the Jeep and we used all of it!

 

[AggieOE]

As of this point, I'm very much so vested in this trailer but somewhat burnt out on it too.
I used to enjoy being handy, tinkering, and playing in the garage all weekend but with a toddler, I don't have the time for it. This trailer involved a LOT of man hours, primarily around drilling holes for all the mounts. I think I counted well over 200 holes drilled since I had to lower the rack. What's not included in this snapshot of the general costs are the extra dill bits and misc bolts to make it all fit together.

Looking back, If I were to do this again, I'd buy the trailer new as the new bearings and labor in grinding off rust and repainting ended up bringing me within dollars of a new trailer. Also, I'd pay to have someone weld up the rack WHILE also adding in the front frame strengthening and cutting of the tailgate. ALSO, I'd have them weld fenders. Truth be told, if you consider your time and stress in terms of money, I spent WAY more in personal labor and time away from family.

I haven't even unpacked from this trip (1-mo ago) but will eventually to prep for the Texas Overland Expo at the end of September.

This trailer would be great for just me and my wife and once our daughter is able to sleep in the tent more comfortably. I'm looking forward to using it again but AirBnBs are becoming invaluable with a roaming 1-yr old that goes to bed at 6:30.

 

[OcoeeG]

You got a sweet trailer there.

I did a similar build this winter, and yes, I think I should have spent the extra $300 and gotten a newer trailer. Mine was an absolute piece of shit! Completely disassembled, did an axle flip, reconfigured a thing or 2, grind/sanded, primed and painted. LOTS of work! But I also learned a lot and increased my confidence at fabrication. And the trailer works EXACTLY how I intended it, so that is a serious plus.

 

[AggieOE]

You got a sweet trailer there.

I did a similar build this winter, and yes, I think I should have spent the extra $300 and gotten a newer trailer. Mine was an absolute piece of shit! Completely disassembled, did an axle flip, reconfigured a thing or 2, grind/sanded, primed and painted. LOTS of work! But I also learned a lot and increased my confidence at fabrication. And the trailer works EXACTLY how I intended it, so that is a serious plus.

There is definitely satisfaction in doing a lot of it yourself! Its been a good conversation starter as well at the gas pump.

Next thing I'm doing is mounting my portable hot water heater and finding a new water tank solution.

 

[AggieOE]

great job!

have you looked at US Plastics for a tank? i've bought a good bit of stuff from them over the years and the quality is really good

26 Gallon Heavy Duty Polyethylene Tank with Internal Flange & Spigot - 18" L x 18" W x 18" Hgt. | U.S. Plastic Corp.

Available in a wide range of sizes, Tamco® tanks can be used for many different processing applications. Smaller sizes are excellent for ...

www.usplastic.com

That’s not bad! I’ve had my eyes on a FrontRunner one that’s just a hair more expensive than that one.

 

[OcoeeG]

I got a water tank from Ironman 4x4. They have all shapes and sizes, good prices too. I need to get it installed soon.

 

[AggieOE]

I got a water tank from Ironman 4x4. They have all shapes and sizes, good prices too. I need to get it installed soon.

I messed up, It's been a couple of months since I looked but, yes! Ironman is the one I was planning on getting and mounting to the trailer. Back and forth between the 13-gal and 15-gal ones.
Which did you go with and where are you planning on mounting?

 

[OcoeeG]

I got the one that is only like 3" high but like 2'x3.5' wide. I was planning on putting it underneath, but for some reason I deemed that to not be ideal I can't remember why, its been a while. Probably something to do with fitting it maybe axle clearance. Now thinking about putting on the bed of the trailer towards the front. Put a piece of plywood over it so that space can still be used for storage.

 

[KonzaLander]

@AggieOE the trailer looks well sorted and right at home behind the Jeep in that pic near Animas Forks. These trailer builds sure can consume a lot of $$ even when you are doing all the work yourself. Once you have built one, the price tag on a new/prebuilt unit is a bit more palatable.

What did you do to mount the spare on the back? I didn't see that move posted in the build.

 

[AggieOE]

@AggieOE the trailer looks well sorted and right at home behind the Jeep in that pic near Animas Forks. These trailer builds sure can consume a lot of $$ even when you are doing all the work yourself. Once you have built one, the price tag on a new/prebuilt unit is a bit more palatable.

What did you do to mount the spare on the back? I didn't see that move posted in the build.

Great question. I found a spare mount from Carry-On, the trailer manufacturer, through Amazon that looked pretty beefy and able to hold the spare tire.

I then bolted it on the tailgate at the cross-section of the top bar and one of the vertical strength risers. It made for a very rigid mounting point.

 

[AggieOE]

Finally mounted my Hot Water Heater for the shower.

 

[AggieOE]

I’ll be getting to this point in my build here soon! I’ve seen a few people have issues with trailer bounce, let us know if you end up with any issues. Looks great so far, appreciate you sharing!

I guess its been enough time to comment on this topic. Trailer bounce is definitely noticeable when empty. However, when we have it fully loaded, it's fairly planted.
Low tire pressure is quite helpful too. I run them in the high 20s usually which absorbs a lot of the bumps.
I do want to revise the suspension and axle though. I'd like to swap to a straight axle with less capacity leaf springs and add some simple shocks. That ought to make it ride much smooth.

 

[MOAK]

I guess its been enough time to comment on this topic. Trailer bounce is definitely noticeable when empty. However, when we have it fully loaded, it's fairly planted.
Low tire pressure is quite helpful too. I run them in the high 20s usually which absorbs a lot of the bumps.
I do want to revise the suspension and axle though. I'd like to swap to a straight axle with less capacity leaf springs and add some simple shocks. That ought to make it ride much smooth.

I'm not sure if I have commented on this, however, I am running 285/75/16s, matching my tow vehicle size, with about 22 psi. Trailer is never empty only +/- 250lbs of H20. You are thinking less capacity leaf springs. I think the stock slipper springs are rated at 2,000 lbs . I went up to 3500 lb double eye springs to match the swapped in axle rating. One of those snapped in half, ( see below ). so I went up to a 5 leaf giving me a 5800 lb capacity. The stock shackles shattered, so I stepped up to a 7,500 lb shackle. Just a thought

 

[AggieOE]

I'm not sure if I have commented on this, however, I am running 285/75/16s, matching my tow vehicle size, with about 22 psi. Trailer is never empty only +/- 250lbs of H20. You are thinking less capacity leaf springs. I think the stock slipper springs are rated at 2,000 lbs . I went up to 3500 lb double eye springs to match the swapped in axle rating. One of those snapped in half, ( see below ). so I went up to a 5 leaf giving me a 5800 lb capacity. The stock shackles shattered, so I stepped up to a 7,500 lb shackle. Just a thought

I think your experience makes sense here but I wonder if there is more going on regarding the spring breaking in half. From my understanding, it is one of, if not, 'the' weak point of the spring. I remember you saying you heavily use your trailer off road. I wonder how much fatigue the spring took before failure and if any corrosion or manufacturing defects played a role.

I'm merely wanting to decrease the overall stiffness of the spring and allow it to do a little more flexing. I do know this will decrease its life since It'd be more fatigue stress but I think for most highway and very mild off road adventures, it should suffice. That being said, you have a good point about going even lower on the tire pressure to dampen the system. I like that free solution!

 

[socal geek guy]

i'm contemplating something like this for my little enclosed trailer.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Leaf-Spring-Suspension/Lippert/LC281281.html

 

[MOAK]

I think your experience makes sense here but I wonder if there is more going on regarding the spring breaking in half. From my understanding, it is one of, if not, 'the' weak point of the spring. I remember you saying you heavily use your trailer off road. I wonder how much fatigue the spring took before failure and if any corrosion or manufacturing defects played a role.

I'm merely wanting to decrease the overall stiffness of the spring and allow it to do a little more flexing. I do know this will decrease its life since It'd be more fatigue stress but I think for most highway and very mild off road adventures, it should suffice. That being said, you have a good point about going even lower on the tire pressure to dampen the system. I like that free solution!

I think it is simple physics, if a spring is rated at, we’ll round it for simplification, 1,000 lbs and the trailer weighs 1200 lbs, in theory, two springs should have no problem and on regular maintained roads it isn’t a problem. But unmaintained roads? At any given time all the weight can be smashing down on one side or the other. Suddenly we’re asking a 1,000 lb spring to not only support 1200 lbs, but we’re asking it to support that weight as it comes smashing down. It could easily be double the 1200 lbs. Way back when, interstate highway budgets were slashed. As a result during the late 80s and early 90s interstate highways in the east were abysmal. Breaking leaf springs on the trailers of big trucks happened all the time. In short, the springs were fine and barely broken in. I was asking them to do something they were not designed to do.

 

[AggieOE]

I think it is simple physics, if a spring is rated at, we’ll round it for simplification, 1,000 lbs and the trailer weighs 1200 lbs, in theory, two springs should have no problem and on regular maintained roads it isn’t a problem. But unmaintained roads? At any given time all the weight can be smashing down on one side or the other. Suddenly we’re asking a 1,000 lb spring to not only support 1200 lbs, but we’re asking it to support that weight as it comes smashing down. It could easily be double the 1200 lbs. Way back when, interstate highway budgets were slashed. As a result during the late 80s and early 90s interstate highways in the east were abysmal. Breaking leaf springs on the trailers of big trucks happened all the time. In short, the springs were fine and barely broken in. I was asking them to do something they were not designed to do.

I apologize for not responding to this sooner.
Added mass is definitely a large force. Much of my work is in rigging design and analyses of subsea structure installation. So, like you, I'm a big believer in shock loading and dynamic forces. That being said I imagine the weight ratings of leaf springs are for static loads and not dynamic. I'm not a steel design engineer but from what I've gathered, a 2.5+ FOS is used on leaf springs to account for dynamics.
All that aside, I think you're right that the design intent is for highway use with little fatigue and stress. I've only done one short trail with my trailer and I can attest that the springs have to respond to much more load variation in 10-ft of trail than they do in many miles of highway.

@socal geek guy, I'm curious how much adding dampeners will extend the spring life.

 

[socal geek guy]

good question, i'm not sure how much it would prolong the life, but i imagine slowing down the spring fluctuations between compression and rebound would be kinder on the springs. my main intention with the shocks would be to smooth out the ride on the trailer. i notice my trailer rides decently when i have a little bit of weight over the axles and a a little on the forward end of the trailer. it still bounces, but is not as bad. with only a little weight or no weight, it gets really bouncy. for the price and the ease of install, i think its a worthy addition to a basic leaf spring set up.

 

[MOAK]

good question, i'm not sure how much it would prolong the life, but i imagine slowing down the spring fluctuations between compression and rebound would be kinder on the springs. my main intention with the shocks would be to smooth out the ride on the trailer. i notice my trailer rides decently when i have a little bit of weight over the axles and a a little on the forward end of the trailer. it still bounces, but is not as bad. with only a little weight or no weight, it gets really bouncy. for the price and the ease of install, i think its a worthy addition to a basic leaf spring set up.

Agree on the shocks, I’ll install a pair on our trailer before our Arctic/Yukon run next summer. Interestingly our trailer doesn’t bounce much at all on highway, but even at a crawl it is constanty finding air underneath one tire or the other, at 20Ppsi.

 

[socal geek guy]

here in southern california, we're mostly on concrete for the freeways around the cities. If i'm using the trailer for utility purposes and the trailer doesn't have any weight, it bounces a decent amount when going over the joints between slabs or spots where they seal up cracks. put some weight in it, and its not bad. when i was going through utah a couple summers ago, i was cruising at about 80 mph and it was smooth, but then again it was asphalt that wasn't beaten up. i will probably be getting that shock kit soon since i will start putting my motorcycle in the trailer when going camping, so smoothing out the suspension as much as possible would be a good thing with as big of a bike that i have (klr 650).