My "Mil Spec Offroad" Trailer Resto

rk_az

Adventurer
I had a request for more photos of my trailer, so I thought I would do a short "build" thread in case anyone else is interested. First, a little background on the trailer. I purchased it used from the former owner of the now-defunct "Mil Spec Offroad". He was building these trailers in Lake Elsinore, CA, but apparently couldn't sell them for what he put into them, so he went out of business and moved to Oklahoma. The one I bought was the last of his "show trailers", and while it was several years old, it was hardly used and had been sitting at a friend's house in San Diego.

He had a web site, and last I checked it was still out there (milspecoffroad.com), but was infected with some sort of trojan so I wouldn't advise trying to go to the site if it still exists, unless you really trust your anti-virus software. But as I said, he is no longer in business, the web site has been abandoned, and the phone number listed on the site is no longer his. I originally found his site a couple of years ago when I started looking for an offroad trailer. I thought the trailers looked totally bad-***, so when I found the used one for sale I couldn't pass it up.

Here is a photo from the online ad he placed to sell it:

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So once I decided I was going to take the offroad trailer plunge, there were a few things I needed to do to my truck ('04 dcab Tacoma). First came a lift and new tires:

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Then I decided I needed to figure out a way to get the hitch up as high as possible to improve the departure angle. I had a U-Haul hitch on the truck, just a standard one that sits right under the stock bumper. One day it occurred to me that I could remove the stock bumper and flip the hitch upside-down. It put the hitch in a perfect position just under the tailgate:

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So I made a prototype bumper out of cardboard, and took it and the hitch to a fab shop, and had a custom bumper fabricated to incorporate the hitch. It actually turned out better than I first thought it would:

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So the day finally came to head to San Diego to make the purchase. Here are a few "before" photos of the trailer as it was when I acquired it:

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Here are a few "action" photos from its first trip to the desert:

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The first order of business was to swap out the brake drums in order to switch from the 5-bolt Jeep pattern to a 6-bolt pattern to match the Tacoma. I also picked up a few steel rims from Tacoma spares. In the process of pulling things apart to replace the drums, I decided to tear the whole trailer down, give it a good cleaning, and a new paint job. Here are a few "in-process" photos that also show some of the design details, like all the D-rings and hi-lift jack points:

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The next step was to get a RTT on it. It was already drilled for brackets to hold "stuff" (like the hi-lift jack seen in the first photo above), so I decided to make use of those existing holes to attach the rack to mount the tent. I searched in vain for a suitable rack, and ended up having one fabricated. Here is the trailer as it is today:

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I don't really plan to do much more to it. I like the flexibility to load it and tie stuff down in whatever configuration I want. The bed and front deck have lots of holes for attaching cargo tie-downs (the style used to strap the spare down in the first photo) in whatever arrangement I want, but so far I have not found the need to use any.

Cheers,
Roger
 
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Titanpat57

Expedition Leader
I really like it too, nice TV also

but the trailer's so beefy it's really screamin' for just a few more mods.


:ylsmoke:
 

nat

Adventurer
That is a really cool trailer, I like all the tie down points.

Nice job on your rear bumper by the way.
 

greentruck

Adventurer
Yeah, that's a massive trailer, although it'd be even better if the box was a little larger. I like it nonetheless.

The RTT set-up is similar what I have in mind for our M101 CDN. I thought I wanted a lid at first, but having used the trailer for the first time recently I found that having a lid in the way every time I reach into the bed just seems like a bad idea. We'll either be with the trailer or so far back in the bush security is less of an issue than I originally thought, too.

A tarp works well for cover and the open top is blessing not to be surrendered lightly. If you've already weeded out excess baggage, keeping easy access to gear is important to avoid constant frustration on the road.
 

rk_az

Adventurer
Thanks all.

Yes, the box is a bit small, but I tend to travel somewhat light, and there is plenty of room to strap stuff down up front. I, too, like not having a lid on the box. Dust is the only issue I have found with that, and it has not been a big issue so far. I can lock the tailgate, which prevents theft of at least the larger items when stopping in public places on the road.

Getting into remote areas was a big factor for me, so this trailer really seems ideal for that.
 
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Sabre07

Observer
Was the guy building completely custom units or was he making them off of an M762 or M716? These are the flatbed generator trailers that had a frame in common with the much pursued M416:(...

What are the dimensions of the tub?

Nice job all the way around, hitch switch too.
 

Robert Bills

Explorer
Jeeps R Us in Laguna Beach CA had one of the Mil-Spec trailers on their lot for awhile. They are custom built (not a converted military trailer), very well made, and appear nearly indestructable.

Unfortunately, the price of the materials and the workmanship involved required a price greater than the market would bear.

You are fortunate to have one of the few that exist.
 

rk_az

Adventurer
Yes, each one was built from scratch, but using the same basic frame design. I believe it was his own design - even though they have a definite military look to them, they are not like any military trailer I have ever seen. You can see in the top photo that there are variations of the trailer on either side of this one (an offroad boat trailer, and another one similar to mine with a cargo rack over the box).

And Robert is correct - the guy told me when I bought this one that the price was below material cost. Some people might think I paid too much ($2500), but I knew what I was getting and to me it was a bargain. I believe he was trying to sell them for $6000+ new.

I forget what the dimensions of the box are, something like 40" x 50", maybe a little less.
 
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Box Rocket

Well-known member
I've always liked those trailer even if the box is a bit small. Looks great.

One other question, can you share what suspension setup and tire size you've got on your Tacoma?
 

rk_az

Adventurer
One other question, can you share what suspension setup and tire size you've got on your Tacoma?

Certainly, the suspension is the Old Man Emu complete kit from Wheelers Offroad. I got the "heavy duty" option on the springs and shocks, and am very pleased. The only down side to this setup, which I assume would be true for any lift on an IFS Tacoma, is that the CV boots wear much faster due to the increased angle (need to get a diff drop). I installed it myself, with a little help from my daughter's boyfriend jockeying things around under the rear end, and I also had a shop reassemble the front strut assemblies. I also regeared to 4.88 to regain lost torque (and then some) from the larger tires.

For tires, I am running 255/85R16 (roughly 33") Interco TrxUs MT's on stock wheels. Same tires on the trailer, but with steel wheels from Tacoma spares. I really liked these tires initially, but they have gotten a lot noisier on the highway with age. I will probably not switch tires though, since there are so few choices in that size (and I really like the size).
 
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Box Rocket

Well-known member
Certainly, the suspension is the Old Man Emu complete kit from Wheelers Offroad. I got the "heavy duty" option on the springs and shocks, and am very pleased. The only down side to this setup, which I assume would be true for any lift on an IFS Tacoma, is that the CV boots wear much faster due to the increased angle (need to get a diff drop). I installed it myself, with a little help from my daughter's boyfriend jockeying things around under the rear end, and I also had a shop reassemble the front strut assemblies. I also regeared to 4.88 to regain lost torque (and then some) from the larger tires.

For tires, I am running 255/85R16 (roughly 33") Interco TrxUs MT's on stock wheels. Same tires on the trailer, but with steel wheels from Tacoma spares. I really liked these tires initially, but they have gotten a lot noisier on the highway with age. I will probably not switch tires though, since there are so few choices in that size (and I really like the size).

Perfect! That's the same suspension I've got in my Tacoma. I picked up a diff-drop from Cornfed Suspensions for ~$15. Not sure if it really helps or not. I'm running 15" rims so I've been looking at 33x10.50's for tires to replace my 32x11.50's. I'd like to run some 33x12.50's but I think they'll be too wide and cause too much rubbing. The narrow 33's would be very close to what you have. Thank you for sharing your setup. Good looking truck.
 

rk_az

Adventurer
Yeah, I orderered the Cornfed diff drop kit yesterday after reading your truck build thread. :) For $15, I figure its worth a try.
 

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