What should I do with this cool little trailer?

[vtsoundman]

I purchased this off craigslist a few years ago and have used it quite a bit for camping runs. Mods to date: paint (industrial 2 part epoxy), new coupler, 600# springs, lights, seals & bearing...and that's it. We use it for dispersed camping and go on mild trails with it...no rock crawling.

Main question:
(1) leave as is b/c it is cool. (2) do small mods (3) go whole hog??

Dimensions:
Box : 40.5" wide x 60 long x 38 internal height
Tongue : 40" Long

Wheel arch. 29"
Inner arch 32"
Width 9"
Ground clearance 19"
Existing tire 225 75 R15 - no name passenger car tire that needs to go.
Tub depth (blue green portion) 17.5"

Here is what I was thinking:
Single large drawer : ~15" deep that matches the dimensions of the tub. Use internal dividers to make compartments.
Single large sllde the sits on the drawer - equip with rails/tie downs to allow cargo/ropes to secure items on top.

Here are my questions:
1. Where should I install a water tank...or should I bother? I have been using several 5.5 gallon water containers secured inside. These are a bit of pain to tie down/impossible access to when the trailer is full as they are loaded at the front for weight distro.
2. Upsize the tires to match jeep or leave as is? The current wheel arch will support a 29-30" narrow tire.
3. Where to mount a spare if I don't upsize the tire to match jeep. Current Jeep tire is a ~33". It is too wide & tall to mount w/o modifying the arch.
4. Should I upsize/reinforce the tongue? It is 2" tubing that I think is 1/8 or 3/16" wall. There is a slight bend in the tongue now - based on the slight dents in it, the PO may have been carrying rocks in it. I can't imagine carrying enough weight in this thing to make it bend it like is...
5. I'm thinking about a RTT - but given the dimensions, not sure I can find one small enough (or would be worth it).
6. How to haul bikes? Empty, the tongue weight is only ~30#, so I need to be careful with weight distribution.

 

[M35A2]

Needs dog dish hub caps. Otherwise, leave it be.

Anything you add reduces payload and space.

Make a small flat tire repair kit: tools, plugs, a valve stem, bottle of slime, can of flat fix, a small 12v compressor. Or buy a trailer spare tire mounting bracket from Amazon.

Keep the tires no larger than they are now.

It is practical and well-integrated with itself. It is versatile to do whatever you need. Don't go all camper bro on it.

 

[vtsoundman]

Needs dog dish hub caps. Otherwise, leave it be.

Anything you add reduces payload and space.

Make a small flat tire repair kit: tools, plugs, a valve stem, bottle of slime, can of flat fix, a small 12v compressor. Or buy a trailer spare tire mounting bracket from Amazon.

Keep the tires no larger than they are now.

It is practical and well-integrated with itself. It is versatile to do whatever you need. Don't go all camper bro on it.

GVWR on sticker on tongue was ~2500# (it was sand blasted off) - way over what I would would contemplate putting in it. (I have a single axle dump for when I get stupid). Empty weight is somewhere around 400#...although I'd wouldn't be surprised if it were closer to 300-350# It was built in the late 70's - but may have been built prior to that. The springs that were on it were 4 leaves per side...and way over sprung so it pogo'd all over the place. Was thinking the if I do any suspension mods, it would be to convert the slipper style to hanger/shackle style leaf spring and install some small shocks OR go timbren. If I mod the springs, i will have some plates installed and put on trailer brakes. I do have a tire patch kit and know how to use it... Jeep is equipped with portable compressor.


Dog Dish...The Rusty pup would like it.


Pic of it just after sand blasting...



Pic of it minutes after I bought it...

 

[gdlals]

You need to change your jeep to match the cool trailer.

Put some steelies on the jeep!

 

[M35A2]

That little trailer looks good and has a perfect stance behind your Jeep.

Leave it be.

If you really need a bespoke camping trailer, build or buy another.

Swapping the handle and the axe head from George Washington's original hatchet gets you -- less than you started with.

 

[vtsoundman]

You need to change your jeep to match the cool trailer.

Put some steelies on the jeep!

Thx...wife picked the new color. The blue was pretty hideous...and all beat up. The jeep is still pretty stock looking since that pic. I tend to like things a more on the understated - I like things that have function over form and would prefer to see 'witness/use marks' over wax ... Only external mods are a Mopar Suspension Lift, AEV front bumper, Titan Trekker Fuel Tank to be mounted on a TBD rear bumper, a couple HAM antennas, and some hella 4000s...and some trail pin stripping.


The interior was complete surface rust.



Here is a pic of wife help paint (8 months pregnant wearing full respirator w/chem filter)...We sprayed 2 part primer followed by 2 part urethane epoxy...All Imron Industrial Paint.

 

[vtsoundman]

That little trailer looks good and has a perfect stance behind your Jeep.

Leave it be.

If you really need a bespoke camping trailer, build or buy another.

Swapping the handle and the axe head from George Washington's original hatchet gets you -- less than you started with.

Great expression BTW.

Honestly that is how we are thinking...Wife fell in love with it as is and so have I.

Agreed on the dog dish caps.

Been having a hard time trying to figure out what to do, if anything - since it functions so well now. (The one thing I think I will do is some sort of internal drawer/slide so I can access the stuff in the back easier (I have a bad back -> L5/S1 slip, bulging discs, fracture a facet, blah blah blah - bending over is not fun).

Original tires were bias ply 6.50-16 - ~29" x ~7" wide with ~5" tread. What size tires should I put on it now? These are 15" rims.

 

[vtsoundman]

Here is a pic of wife help paint (8 months pregnant wearing full respirator w/chem filter)...We sprayed 2 part primer followed by 2 part urethane epoxy...All Imron Industrial Paint.
View attachment 402004

For those with eagle eyes, the filters in this pic are P100 particulate matter filters - not P100 chem absorbant filters. I saw that right after this pic was taken (and 2 minutes after she started helping) and gave her the right respirator with the proper P100 organic vapor cartridges. Imron is nasty nasty paint.

 

[highlandercj-7]

Nice and clean I'd put a set of matching JKU wheels on it and call it good.

 

[indiedog]

Cool trailer. The underbody shot shows there's not a lot of structure going on so without serious introduction of chassis bits it's likely not good for bouncing around too much or loading a lot into it. 2500# sounds way too much for that thing. Another vote for leave it be and enjoy the character of it.

 

[SGNellett]

You should also be thinking about some jack stands of some kind for the rear when that slide goes in, otherwise the first time you slide it open loaded and not attached to the jeep....

 

[vtsoundman]

You should also be thinking about some jack stands of some kind for the rear when that slide goes in, otherwise the first time you slide it open loaded and not attached to the jeep....

Am trying to figure out how to incorporate them without having them stand out/being really ugly. painting the same color as the tub will help, but there isn't a ton of space to rotate/flip up. These stabilizer jacks could sit underneath, but that would mean a loss of clearance at the back/create a place to get caught.

Might be able to do this - perhaps a quick drop version. ...

 

[gixxerphil]

I vote for................get a CJ5 to pull it with

 

[M35A2]

For tires, if what you have are not cracked and have tread, keep them. Bias ply does not matter for this little thang.

If you are going to replace tires, select a size with the same overall diameter as you have now, and narrow enough to mount on the rims. Because they look just perfectly right.

For jackstands, buy a pair of the least expensive HF sheet metal jack stands sold and call it good. They do not have to be permanently attached to the trailer and provide more flexibility in terms of being able to be used for other things, if they are not.

For the internal slide, I would favor a sliding platform over a drawer. Again, more flexibility. Maybe you can score one of those EMS stretchers and cut it down to size. The wheels and undercarriage folds out of the way as the item is loaded - again, keeps the trailer more versatile, and a rolling table is incredibly useful at a camp site. So one idea serves two purposes (I like things like that).

I am not a fan of installing huge wheels and tires on tiny trailers. So I will never recommend using the same wheel and tire combo as on your JK. IMHO, that just looks dumb and there is no reason to be accelerating and braking all that extra rotating mass. You can probably mount a spare on the tongue if you really think you need it. A flat tire SOS kit, as we have discussed and that you already have, is really enough for your use case.

I realize that my ideas and preferences are out of the mainstream here. Folks seem to favor tiny trailers with huge wheels and tires. Whatever.

 

[vtsoundman]

For tires, if what you have are not cracked and have tread, keep them. Bias ply does not matter for this little thang.

If you are going to replace tires, select a size with the same overall diameter as you have now, and narrow enough to mount on the rims. Because they look just perfectly right.

For jackstands, buy a pair of the least expensive HF sheet metal jack stands sold and call it good. They do not have to be permanently attached to the trailer and provide more flexibility in terms of being able to be used for other things, if they are not.

For the internal slide, I would favor a sliding platform over a drawer. Again, more flexibility. Maybe you can score one of those EMS stretchers and cut it down to size. The wheels and undercarriage folds out of the way as the item is loaded - again, keeps the trailer more versatile, and a rolling table is incredibly useful at a camp site. So one idea serves two purposes (I like things like that).

I am not a fan of installing huge wheels and tires on tiny trailers. So I will never recommend using the same wheel and tire combo as on your JK. IMHO, that just looks dumb and there is no reason to be accelerating and braking all that extra rotating mass. You can probably mount a spare on the tongue if you really think you need it. A flat tire SOS kit, as we have discussed and that you already have, is really enough for your use case.

I realize that my ideas and preferences are out of the mainstream here. Folks seem to favor tiny trailers with huge wheels and tires. Whatever.

I've been looking at a 30x9.50r15 for a radial - 29" or so actual ...or a 29 - 28 actual. The 225 75 r 15 is 28" and about 8 wide. I run about 12-15psi in the tire now to keep the ride 'smooth'

The stock tire for this little Lighter-Bilt trailer was a 6 50x 15 or 16. I think that means a 29" tire or so and around 7" wide. Haven't found a 225 or narrower mud/AT tire yet.

I've also been looking for an old school looking tire bias ply from cooker or a cheapy radial mud/all terrain tire. The tires on there now is a car tire with a few good sized slashes in the sidewall. They look cosmetic, but they are pushing 8yrs old. The other mod I am going to do is a set of monroe trailer shocks. It tracks really well now and is quite stable (sway) with a little bit of weight...just a bit too bouncy for my taste.

Wife wants to be able to take mtn bikes on our camping trips (and bike trailer for the kiddo), so I'm going to look into a Thule style roof rack. The HF jack sounds like something I'll check out - will have to take a look to see if there tongue jack work. Opening the tail gate with trailer connected is a must.

Found out today I may be dragging this thing across country (3k miles) for an extended stay with wife's sick father. The seals are 6 months old and are weeping. 2nd set...so may just a whole get a new axle with comparable oversized bearings (same size as 5000# bearings)...so mods just got accelerated and I need to figure how to lock the rear and seal the gate. Wish I knew how to weld.

sent via the cone of silence