Mokey Wrench
New member
Thanks to this forum I had the courage to find and begin building a trailer for exploring the western US. The main goal was to have a small trailer that could follow my modestly built 2008 4Runner.
I found an early Bantam T3-C trailer in Utah and brought it home to Colorado
It was rebuilt about 20 years ago and had light use before sitting in the back of a garage for the past 10 years. The trailer is missing it’s ID plate and I couldn’t find any serial numbers. The axle has the center weld seam, so it’s probably an early Bantam that used surplus Willy’s axles.
The trailer was in excellent shape when I bought it with minimal rust. The original floor is intact (just a little wavy) with marine grade plywood over it, with a healthy coating of bedliner on the inside of the tub. I scraped and sanded all the rust before treating it with rust converter and a fresh coat of spray paint- that should slow the rust till I learn how to weld, replace the floor with steel, and powder coat the frame and tub.
I begrudgingly did a spring over axle to fit 215/85r16 Cooper STT Pro tires. I wanted to keep the center of gravity as low as possible, but needed to tire clearance. The tires would rub the fender’s outer lip due to the offset of the Crager soft 8 wheels. It was hard to find a reasonably priced wheel to fit over the 4.28” hub bore size in the 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern. At least the wheels wider stance might add some stability.
I originally wanted matching wheels with the 4Runner, but decided against it and bought 3 wheel/tires combos for the trailer. The tall skinny tires fit the trailer perfectly with the SOA and just look “right” to me. Nothing against having 33”+ tires on these trailers, but 30” tires and SOA make for a plenty capable trailer. Time will tell if the ball hitch will be sufficient or it will be replaced with a multi access hitch.
Took the trailer to Dinosaur National Monument for its maiden voyage.
This little trailer pulls great and didn’t feel tippy. Granted the terrain wasn’t burly, but so far the handling is confidence inspiring. It’s time to add a transmission cooler since temps rose up to 230 degrees going up mountain passes.
Future plans include wood stake sides and a custom canvas cover. I recently learned how to sew and I have dreams of making a mini covered wagon. Also, the shock mounts need to be relocated after flipping the axle since the shocks are now too long. Moving the shock mounts would give the shocks a more vertical angle vs the 45 degree angle they would be now if I just went with shorter shocks.
I found an early Bantam T3-C trailer in Utah and brought it home to Colorado
It was rebuilt about 20 years ago and had light use before sitting in the back of a garage for the past 10 years. The trailer is missing it’s ID plate and I couldn’t find any serial numbers. The axle has the center weld seam, so it’s probably an early Bantam that used surplus Willy’s axles.
The trailer was in excellent shape when I bought it with minimal rust. The original floor is intact (just a little wavy) with marine grade plywood over it, with a healthy coating of bedliner on the inside of the tub. I scraped and sanded all the rust before treating it with rust converter and a fresh coat of spray paint- that should slow the rust till I learn how to weld, replace the floor with steel, and powder coat the frame and tub.
I begrudgingly did a spring over axle to fit 215/85r16 Cooper STT Pro tires. I wanted to keep the center of gravity as low as possible, but needed to tire clearance. The tires would rub the fender’s outer lip due to the offset of the Crager soft 8 wheels. It was hard to find a reasonably priced wheel to fit over the 4.28” hub bore size in the 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern. At least the wheels wider stance might add some stability.
I originally wanted matching wheels with the 4Runner, but decided against it and bought 3 wheel/tires combos for the trailer. The tall skinny tires fit the trailer perfectly with the SOA and just look “right” to me. Nothing against having 33”+ tires on these trailers, but 30” tires and SOA make for a plenty capable trailer. Time will tell if the ball hitch will be sufficient or it will be replaced with a multi access hitch.
Took the trailer to Dinosaur National Monument for its maiden voyage.
This little trailer pulls great and didn’t feel tippy. Granted the terrain wasn’t burly, but so far the handling is confidence inspiring. It’s time to add a transmission cooler since temps rose up to 230 degrees going up mountain passes.
Future plans include wood stake sides and a custom canvas cover. I recently learned how to sew and I have dreams of making a mini covered wagon. Also, the shock mounts need to be relocated after flipping the axle since the shocks are now too long. Moving the shock mounts would give the shocks a more vertical angle vs the 45 degree angle they would be now if I just went with shorter shocks.
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