Sometimes you have to take...
Sometimes you have to take the torch and do things yourself. Building this off-road trailer has been one of those events. We had an idea and we ran with it. What you see here are the results as of yet. Though we watch metal fabrication occur with frequency we often forget to participate, so we relish in the times that we find the welder in our hand with a clean slate of possibilities ahead of us.
Anyone can do it, really. You just need the right tools, the time, the aptitude to determine right angles, and ability to read a measuring tape. There's also the welding skill part but even that can be learned with practice.
What we're talking about is building things out of metal. For this installment of our off-road trailer build, we'll break out the welder, the grinder, the levels, and the squares, and tackle a home fabrication project creating an upper deck atop our Harbor Freight utility trailer.
A few things we were considering altering on the Harbor Freight trailer were the trailer axle width, leaf-spring size, and tire height. We also planned to build the aforementioned upper deck that would support a rooftop tent and occupants while allowing gear to be stowed beneath.
Follow along as we break out the fabrication tools and tackle this project. Next month we'll finalize the modifications to our off-road trailer and get it in the dirt to see how it turned out.
We set the trailer on jack...
We set the trailer on jack stands and leveled it to an acceptable degree. This also made it much more stable to work on. The axle, leaf springs, and spring mounts will be removed, as well.
We ordered the necessary amount...
We ordered the necessary amount of material from Industrial Metal Supply. The main structure would be constructed from 1-inch-by-2-inch-by-11-gauge rectangular tube, but we also got some 1x1-inch square tube and some flat steel bar. We ordered the metal in 5-foot lengths for easier transport. The cut scraps will be used for gussets.
It’s always nice to start...
It’s always nice to start out a new project with a new pair of gloves. This set of Mechanix Wear Fabricator Gloves proved to be very useful and kept our paws well protected through the entire process.
The ARB Simpson III Rooftop...
The ARB Simpson III Rooftop Tent will be a great addition to the trailer and it also offers the versatility to be mounted atop our Jeep if we want to leave the trailer home.
We set the ARB Simpson III...
We set the ARB Simpson III Rooftop Tent on top of the partially-completed upper trailer deck for a test fit.
To give the trailer some more...
To give the trailer some more height we’ll install early Jeep CJ springs, hangers, and shackles from Omix-Ada. The springs are front 10-leaf-spring packs from Omix-Ada and will provide ample load carrying capability and flex for the application. The 1955-to-1975 CJ-5 front leaf springs are 36 by 1.75 inches, which will be a good fit to the trailer frame width and length.
The Omix-Ada CJ shackles are...
The Omix-Ada CJ shackles are greasable.
A set of wheel spacers from...
A set of wheel spacers from Omix-Ada will hopefully provide the necessary spacing to fit a set of 15x8 Rugged Ridge wheels with 3.75 inches backspacing. If not we’ll likely order some new spindles and make a wider tube axle. The trailer uses a 5-on-4.5 wheel bolt pattern, which is the same used on Cherokees, YJs, and TJs. Omix-Ada also provided CJ U-bolt plates with lower shock mounts and upper frame shock mounts.
The SWAG Off-Road Baja Bins...
The SWAG Off-Road Baja Bins are cool. They’re offered in two sizes to fit either the 8- or 24-gallon Rubbermaid Action Packer storage containers. The aluminum cage completely encases one ActionPacker holding it securely wherever you mount it. A second ActionPacker or other gear can be situated atop the Baja Bin and secured using ratchet straps or bungies.