The Jeep Expeditions Home Built Trailer

Ok, I've been bad and didn't keep up on the build here. Call it a bit of forgetfulness and a lot of other things on my plate.

Several questions to answer it looks like, I'll try to get to them all. rnArmy commented a few posts back what the cost of the trailer they had build (by the same company as mine BTW). That trailer is a bit smaller than mine and a bit less to build. Still, the basic box in my build without the two doors on either side up front is around $1200 plus shipping if I recall and the front doors added around $200 each.

Someone noticed I placed the axles pretty far back and commented on a heavy tongue weight. One thing that I suffered terribly on my 1/4 ton Canadian M101 build was the tendency for it to wiggle terribly above 45mph unless I went back and repacked it to put more weight up front. This problem was ongoing despite having my heavy fridge/freezer mounted in the front and having propane tank, Jerry can and marine battery mounted on the tongue. I decided to mount this axle in the back third of the frame with the ability to move it forward several inches depending on the tongue weight when the "final" product was done. It's not done yet, I have a roof top tent to build a elevating platform for then the tent and I have a custom built, swing out spare tire carrier being done by Detours USA which is going to add another 100+ lbs on the very back with the spare tire mounted. Right now, the tongue weight is more than I want it but towing with my Grand Cherokee has posed no problems, on sagging on the ZJ suspension due to the heavy tongue weight and its road manners are excellent. So once I have everything finished this summer I will make the decision to keep the axle where it is or to move it about 4 inches forward.

I'll get updates and pictures posted later tonight or tomorrow.
 
Good start!

Depending on the jeep specific wheels, the 1.5 inch spacer may not be enough to clear the Dexter hub without some modification to the dust cap.

Have fun!

Just a note here. I got my 1.5" spacers and installed them along with stock 2014 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon wheels and LT285x75x17 tires. They fit perfect but the factory "Jeep" dust cap on the rim has to be on the rim before you install it. If not you can't get it on afterwards. So in my case 1.5" spacers worked fine. I still have to change my fenders as the ones I was able to source locally just don't make it with the tires. The current fenders are not wide enough (10" wide), ordered a set of half round fenders that are 13" wide and they should work perfectly.
 
How much is that trailer going to weigh when complete? I'm in PA and would need an enhanced inspection to title it.

I lived in PA most of my life and titling anything seems to be more difficult than other states. Here in AZ it was a simple as taking the Certificate of Origin from Harbor Freight to the DMV and getting a title and registration on the spot. Since I don't have the spare tire carrier and tire mounted yet or the roof top tent I don't have a final weight yet but I anticipate it being around 1500 to 1600 lbs. Right now empty I am estimating it at around 1100.

15 years ago when I still lived in Pa, I found a military trailer frame in a farmers field in and bought it for $25. For another $100 I found a 3/4 ton M101 trailer box at a surplus dealer in central PA. Put the two together and getting a "home built" title really wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I registered it as 3000 GVW if I remember correctly and had to take a few pictures and detail how it was build using what materials. Sent that up to DMV in Harrisburg and I got a title back without an inspection (at least I don't think I got one) in about 6 weeks.

Oh, and DMV here in AZ asked me what GVW I wanted to register it at (even though the COA clearly stated 1980 lbs) and because of my upgraded suspension and axle I made it 3500 lbs which if I am correct is where you need to be so that electric brakes are not required (I put electric brakes on this one anyway). Still, AZ has no vehicle inspection of any type other than emissions in the Phoenix and Tucson area which gives us a lot of leeway and discretion. Sometimes I wonder how many vehicles in AZ would be instantly taken off the road if an annual inspection like PA has was ever put into effect.
 
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Ok, here we go with more of the build and where we are as of the end of May.

Installing the new 3500# axle and finishing up phase one of the trailer build:

The axle comes pretty much "bare". You will need to have spring perches welded on for either spring over or spring under. I will have perches welded top and bottom so I could easily change from spring under to spring over in the future, but I doubt I will. In any case it's easier to do now than later.

The spring center to spring center for welding perches on a new axle is 46 1/2". WMS to WMS on a JK is just a hair over 65 1/3", I've found that standard WMS to WMS on off the shelf axles seems to be 65" which will more than work.

Today we do the axle swap. I listed the kit axle, tires, wheels, springs, spring mounts and coupler that came with the kit on Craigslist last night and sold it in less than 24 hours for $150. That was half what the kit cost so how could I be more pleased. Now the net cost of the trailer kit was about $130 before taxes.

Installing the 3500# Axle:












After the axle we add the fenders then the tires and wheels. We started off with a set of free white wagon wheels with some used 33" tires. Then replaced them right away when I realized I had some nice rims I had in my garage and two new Goodyear Kevar MTRs. Since they were already in my parts "inventory" why not use them and they didn't add to the cost either! I'll replace the wheels soon with JK Rubicon rims to match my Jeep.

The trailer frame is essentially done and it's ready for the box.

Here we are on Thursday, I get a call from the trucking company that my box is in and ready to pick up. I hitch up the trailer and head out to pick up the box at the trucking terminal, along the way I stop to take a few pictures of the "finished" product.











You'll notice the fenders here just don't work with the wheels and tires. Well be making a few changes which you will see later.

I get to the trucking company and they help me remove the protective wrap and cardboard from the pallet and use a fork lift to place it on my trailer frame. I drill holes at all four corners to install some 7/16" grade 8 bolts to hold the box to the trailer until I get back home where I will probably put another eight or so bolts thru the box into the frame.







On the way home I stop at the same "Kodak Moment" spot and take some pictures of the now finished product. I like it !



















So lets talk about the box some as up to now we've been all trailer frame. The box from Diamond Deluxe/Jackson Creek Mfg. is really nice. The quality and pride of the workmanship are evident. The price you will find is very reasonable. The design is based on what I wanted from an off-road trailer. It can be adapted in different ways to meet what you might want such as one big lid instead of the two separate ones like I chose and one side door or none.

I wanted to have the box built to closely resemble the dimensions of my M101/M416 1/4 ton Military Trailer whose box size is 4ft X 6ft. My custom box is the same dimensions. The Military trailers cargo area is about 24" high, my main cargo area is 26" high. I added 6" of upper cargo space which makes the total height of the custom box 32" high, or about the same height as my Military trailer with the lid I had custom made for it. The ground clearance with the spring under axle set up is 24" with the 33" tires or the same amount of clearance as my military trailer with similar sized tires. My hitch coupler slides into the front 2" receiver and can be adjusted up to 18" longer to make up for different weight distributions in the trailer.

All in all, I am very pleased with how Phase 1 of our trailer turned out. It is much more versitle in my opinion than my Military trailer, actually weighs about 100 lbs less due to the all aluminum box and gives me much greater access to cargo. I am thinking that a commercially built trailer similar to this one would run you around $7500 so the approximate cost of $2500 for our project trailer is about 1/3 of the cost of something close to it.

Here is how it breaks down in cost for the basic trailer:

Basic Custom Aluminum Box: $1500
Trailer Kit (net cost after sale of parts not used) $130
Steel for frame rails and center hitch stock: $
3500# axle with hubs, bearings, perches: $180
Fenders: $42
Complete Spring Mounting Kit from OmixADA: $241
Grade 8 Hardware : $105
CJ7, YJ or other similar sized springs: Used take offs if you can find them $ ? New ones: $149 ea.
Wheels and tires: Depends on if you have access to some at no or little cost. Used tires and rims can be bought for $50 to $100 each. I already had so no cost to me.
Options: All depends on what options you want to or need to add.

Here's what we've done to finish up Part #1 of our build. I finally got the GoodYear MTRs on factory rims to match my JK's rims. Here you will run into a bit of a problem. The "hub hole" in the center of the rim is too small to fit over the trailer axle hub. Simple fix is a pair of Rugged Ridge 1.5" wheel spacers. The rim will fit perfect and will give you a little more track width when you put that roof top tent on in the future and will still fit under the new 13" wide fenders that I've got on the way.

Took the rig into the backcountry and got some mud on it, here are some pics of my dirty wheels and tires now that I added the Rugged Ridge 1.5" spacers.





PIC 51 ( new fenders) TO BE ADDED SOON>>>>>>>>>>


The whole idea behind this project was to build an affordable trailer that would give you good long term service for moderate off-roading. Since most if not all of the trips and trails that Jeep Expeditions plans are stock Wrangler friendly, this trailer build will be perfect for our guys from Mohave to Moab, Canyon De Chelly to Death Valley and everywhere in between. Keep in mind that this trailer can be built in your driveway in just a few days with tools you already have. No welding is necessary or needed. But if you want to really stiffen things up, a few strategic weld beads will make things really solid. Remember when you bolt the box to the frame you are essentially going to make the box a part of the frame which will stiffen it all the more.

Using a kit is the perfect option for the driveway mechanic who doesn't have or want to spend $5000 on a trailer.

So what do others think about our new trailer ?

We took the trailer out to display at the Jeep Expeditions booth at the 8th annual Overland Expo held in Flagstaff, AZ - May 15-17, 2015. Despite the bad weather our trailer was a big hit with attendees. We even had a few vendors make very positive comments about it. One trailer dealer said "you guys aren't going to be selling these are you". He said that it was a product that he could not compete with at that price level. Lots of people looking at it and lots asking questions and taking pictures. After all, entry level trailers were on display and being sold starting around $5000 before options and not nearly as nice as ours, in our opinion of course.

Isn't building something from scratch fun? The more I build the more ideas I get on how to improve on it. You'll see what I mean once you start building yours.

What's in store for our trailer going forward?

I plan on adding some options to the trailer. Since options end up costing more money, these can be done over a period of time as you find that you want or need some of these options and as your budget allows. After all, when members of Jeep Expeditions bought 36 surplus Canadian M101 trailers about 8 years ago, they were just simple trailers. Some of the guys still use them as they were stock with a tarp over the top to protect what's inside from dust and the elements. Most have spent a few hundred and added a hinged lid. Some have mounted roof top tents and most have changed the bolt pattern of the hubs to match their Jeep along with tires to match their Jeep. All of those trailers started basic and the owners optioned them out over time.

In the next part of this trailer build, I'll be adding a number of options based on my preferences, needs and tastes. One of these options will be a roof top tent and just wait to see how we do that. I think we also need a swing out spare tire carrier which Detours USA will be building for us.

Supplier Listing:

Industrial Metal Supply (steel) - https://www.industrialmetalsupply.com/
Auto Safety House (axle, hubs, brakes, fenders) - http://www.autosafetyhouse.com/
Rugged Ridge (springs & suspension mounts) - http://www.ruggedridge.com/
ARK Corporation (trailer jack & articulating coupler) - http://www.arkportablepower.com/
Harbor Freight Tools (trailer frame kit) - http://www.harborfreight.com/
Jackson Creek Manufacturing (custom aluminum box) - http://www.jacksoncreekmfg.com/


You can see Part #2 of this build showing lots of options for gas water, fridge/freezer and more in Post #43 on page #5 of this thread.
 
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highlandercj-7

Explorer
Nice work on the trailer. The box is sweet.

As for the PA titling it's easy, if you are using the harbor freight trailer kit. It should come with a certificate of origin, take that to an online messenger service and they will be able to get you a title. There are no special inspections as it's a "factory built" trailer. It doesn't matter if you are modifying it. If you build a trailer from scratch it's more of a PIA in PA. Then you need receipts for everything, drawings of it's construction, and the inspection etc.
 

AdventureHare

Outfitting for Adv
This is an impressive build. I looked at using OTS diamond-plate truck boxes but they are incredibly expensive for what they are. Plus they have reliefs that are designed to accommodate pick-up beds. Thanks for proving this could be done.
 

jwiereng

Active member
" The ground clearance with the spring under axle set up is 24" with the 33" tires or the same amount of clearance as my military trailer with similar sized tires."

With a solid axle over spring I calculate that the ground clearance would be about the same as the tire outer radius minus a bit for the thickness of the axle.
 
This is an impressive build. I looked at using OTS diamond-plate truck boxes but they are incredibly expensive for what they are. Plus they have reliefs that are designed to accommodate pick-up beds. Thanks for proving this could be done.

The nice thing about Jackson Creek is that they can make a custom box to your specs. I emailed them a crude drawing I did on my laptop and they sent me back a professional drawing showing what I wanted. I made a few changes but considering the price, most people who've seen it in person feel like me that the cost for the trailer box was more than reasonable and very affordable.
 
" The ground clearance with the spring under axle set up is 24" with the 33" tires or the same amount of clearance as my military trailer with similar sized tires."

With a solid axle over spring I calculate that the ground clearance would be about the same as the tire outer radius minus a bit for the thickness of the axle.

You're pretty much right on with that. Had I made it spring over (and I had an extra set of perches welded to the top of the axle in case I wanted to do that in the future) my ground clearance at the bottom of the frame would have been right around 29-30 inches. I've decided to keep it spring under for the additional stability it will offer once I get the roof top tent mounted to it (looking to do this sometime later this month or early Aug).
 

AdventureHare

Outfitting for Adv
Have you installed the fridge yet? I'm wondering about the balance and tongue weight. Have you run any numbers? Of course, moving the axle forward wouldn't be difficult, although the side doors do limit the range.
 
Yes, I have installed the fridge. The tongue weight is on the heavy side but I am not going to do anything about it until I have the roof top tent and the rear swing out spare tire carrier. As I said in a past post, my M101 with a centered axle had severe driving problems unless it was perfectly loaded and that was with a fridge in front of the axle due to a light tongue weight. You know, that violent wiggle from side to side above 40mph and gets worse the faster you go.

One thing I noticed on a number of commercially built trailers I looked at for ideas was that the axle was mounted behind the center line of the trailer box. While I haven't done the measurements, I could easily move the axle to very close to the centerline despite the front doors. I already have the holes drilled to move it forward about 6 inches but again, all that has to wait until I have the rest of the options installed.

Sitting the way it is and without putting it on a scale to check the tongue weight, I know it is well over 100lbs and probably closer to 200. Still, its given me no problems with my Grand Cherokee with a 7" lift. No sag, no handling problems. It tows like a charm. The roof top tent will be centered on the top so it won't affect balance that much but I am thinking that when I add the rear swing out tire carrier that Detours USA is making for me along with the weight of the spare tire and wheel, my tongue weight will change significantly due to the extra 50-75 lbs at the very rear.
 

hurc85

Member
Any idea of how much the box by itself weighs? I'm also really interested in the ark corp products you're using. I surfed on over to their site and their stuff looks top notch. What US company is going to be importing Ark Corps products? I'm really stoked on the coupler and the "jockey wheel" (actually kinda like the aussie name for it!). Having an aluminum box built is an awesome and surprisingly affordable option, thanks for putting in the time to do a thorough write up. I was considering ordering a dinoot fiberglass tub kit, but you may have swayed me towards some diamond plate awesomeness.
 
Ark is selling thru their US warehouse at: http://www.arkportablepower.com/ They currently have the "jockey wheels" in stock but I don't know for how long, they seem to be going fast. They should soon have the coupler available as it passed it's U.S. certifications back in May. The one I have is the one sold everywhere else in the world (50mm metric with 50mm ball) and the first one in this country. They'll start importing the 2" U.S. version soon.

Ok, trailer with tub attached is right around 800lbs or about the same weight, give or take 50lbs, as an M101/m416 1/4 ton military trailer. Loaded with roof top tent and everything else I plan on putting on it along with gear is probably going to come in around `1500lbs. I'll go out and get it weighed when it's all done and loaded for a trip.
 

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