My built from scratch offroad trailer

tkt0912

New member
Thanks for sharing

This build is AMAZING!!!!! Strong work. I am about to start my own build and this is excellent inspiration!!! Thanks for sharing.
 

tae73

Observer
Very nice, what kind price did all the doors run you? Also how did you attach the plywood to the structure and curious about the epoxy and skin of the unit.
 
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jjmoss99

Observer
I love the grey color. That was the color that I wanted to paint my trailer but wasn't able to find it and settled a lighter grey. That looks VERY professional.

Justin
 

tlin

Adventurer
Great work and thanks for sharing. If you can:

  1. How long did this take once you began (not counting research, CAD, etc.) - just the build itself.
  2. How do you plan to get the adjustable rack to raise/lower via one person?
  3. Now that it's done, would you change anything?
Nicely done!
 

OnBeechRoad

Observer
Hello friends! I'm so sorry for the late replies to to your questions but for some reason I never received any notifications. I'll run through it and try to answer all of your questions. The tent is raised and lowered using the stabilizer jacks, it's a one man operation. Once the tent is raised to the desired height the knobs on the racks are turned to lock the height and the jacks are removed and the reused to stabilize the trailer so it doesn't wiggle around when your trying to sleep.
 

OnBeechRoad

Observer
I attached the plywood skin to the aluminum skeleton using stainless steel self tapping pan-head screws. I then rolled on multiple coats of 2-part epoxy and sanded it, sanded it, and sand it some more until it was smooth. Primed it, painted it.
 

OnBeechRoad

Observer
Lets build another one!!!

So, after 2 years of use I've been taking notes and making a list of the things I like about this trailer, what I used, what I didn't use as well as the things I generally just don't like. I started a new one this weekend. I'm hoping it'll be lighter, quicker to build and cost less to construct therefore making it more affordable for the regular guy if I ever decide to sell them.
 

OnBeechRoad

Observer
So the first improvement to work on is the basic construction. Working with aluminum tubing was both time consuming and costly. Although aluminum tubing was about half the weight of steel tubing I wanted a lighter trailer because I pack heavy. For this project I'm still using 1/2" marine grade plywood for the floor and roof and 1/4" marine grade plywood for the sides overlaid with 2-part epoxy. The big difference is the framing of the "body". This time I'm going to try using 20ga 2.5" steel studs. Normally you would screw the studs together but for this project I'm using 3/8" pop rivets. The reason for the rivets is that they lay flatter to the framing verses the screw heads which would protrude out from the framing, this is beneficial when you're wanting the "skin" to lay flat. I screwed some pressure treated wood blocking in some areas that need reinforcing like door jambs and where accessories will be need to be mounted. An additional benefit of the studs is that they allow you to completely hide your wires and recess your switches just like a stud wall in your home.
 

Factoid

Three criminal heroes
Neil, really well done! Your hours and hours of block sanding really paid off. I was sorry to see it was for sale until I turned the page and saw you were building another, incorporating lessons learned from the first one. Great execution!
 

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