Another New Project Underway

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Did not realize i had been away for so long.  Family matters to deal with and working a ton!  Here is an xpo trailer I'm building to pull behind my Jeep.  This trailer has been fun!  Cut some metal, beat to fit and weld it up!
Reply:Some more pics.  Made my tailgate where it lifted out so I could use it as a table.  The mount that goes in the rear hitch also fits the front.  Also made an adapter that fits on the mount where I can mount my park style charcoal grill.  Still need to set the lights and then it will be ready to take apart for cleaning and paint.
Reply:i dig it!
Reply:Sweet idea.American by birth Southern by the Grace of God
Reply:The trailer looks great.  I like the table and grill idea.  Please post pictures once finished.*************************************Mike AccardiHenderson, [email protected] 250XLincoln Weldpack HDMiller Syncrowave 180 SD*************************************
Reply:Very nice work ...I like itBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:I need one   All it needs is a RTT. I'd like to see more pics too please.
Reply:I have already made the stake pockets that will accept a RTT.  That will come later.  I made them where they can be removed.  Any particular pic?
Reply:Thats sweet. I'd like to see how the tailgate attaches as a table.
Reply:Originally Posted by weekenderThats sweet. I'd like to see how the tailgate attaches as a table.
Reply:Great looking trailer. How/where will you mount the lights? Love the table too. Any ideas for slide outs for chuck equip? Could you share the dimensions of the tubing and where you used it? Is the main frame 2x2? If so are the rectangular pieces 1x2? Where did you source the axle/springs? Really nice job. Love to see more when painted, finished etc.
Reply:Thanks for the compliments guys.  This trailer has been fun.  If you look closely you will see that I made the the tailgate where it "folds" in and is held in place with 1/2 inch hitch pins.  The tailgate is made from 1x2 by 11 gage tubing.  The center rib in the tailgate is drilled and tapped with 1/4-20 bolts.  I simply slide the tube bracket in the tongue on the front of the trailer or the rear.  I simply bolt the tailgate to it.  You'll see the mount in a pic attached where the tailgate is not mounted.  I also made a bracket that fits on it so I can also use my park style charcoal grill.  If you look closely at the back you'll see fold up stabilizers so the trailer will not tip.  The main frame is made from 2x3 by 11 gage tubing.  The verticals are also 2x3 by 11g.  The smaller tubing is 1x2 by 11g.  The tongue is 2.5 by 2.5 square tubing so the 2 inch receivers will slide in.  I made the front coupler where it can be removed for security reasons and I will eventually by a max coupler hitch (this is a articulating hitch).  The sheet metal is 16g and I cut it with an abrasive wheel on an old circular saw.  I made the axle from an older axle I had left over from a boat trailer I repaired for a guy.  The springs are 1750 lb. springs that are 25" eye-to-eye from Tractor Supply.  I bought the fenders from etrailer and then cut about an 1 inch and a half out of them.  I bought my round 4 inch LED lights from SuperBrightLEDs.  You will see a pic of the taillight housings I made.  I'll probably mount them a little on the high side because I'm in the process of making some propane bottle mounts for both sides behind the fenders.  I want to make sure I have them right before I mount the light housings.  I had adapters made to adapt the 2013 Rubicon wheels to the hubs I used.  I put the exact same size tires on the trailer as I have on my Jeep.  I used composite decking boards for the floor as it looks good, is quiet compared to steel and if you notice there are 7 of them.  this matches the 7 slots in the grill of the Jeep.  I'm going to spray the trailer with bedliner.  I hope this helps.  If anyone needs specific pics or have specific questions.  I'll share what I know.
Reply:Here is a pic of the trailer behind the Jeep for a pull test.  I tried to make the trailer rugged.  I mounted the small air tank on the tongue and I put two eye nuts on each corner and some on the inside for tie down points.  I'm trying to figure out what I can store in the open tubing you see on the trailer.  That is why I have not closed them up yet.
Reply:Reminds me a bit of the sweet little trailers pulled with Jeeps when I was in the army in '71. Most trailers were of Korean War vintage but a few were WW2. Just like some of the Jeeps themselves...Really nice clean job, by the way!POVERTY...is the Mother of InventionMillermatic 211Millermatic 140Miller Thunderbolt XLArcOne 100STS inverter w/TIGThermal Dynamics 38XL Victor Oxy/AcetyleneJancy Slugger Holemaker IIJet 5x6 BandsawNever enough time & sleep.
Reply:I wish I could find one of the smaller military trailers like you have pictured that is not rusted out or someone has cut a tailgate into it.
Reply:Can you post some pics of the bottom and the axle set up? Looks great, just would like to see underneath..thanks
Reply:Sleek and levelLooks good.But, if you ever have a blow out, and it f's up the fender, your going to have hell replacing it
Reply:I sure hope you didn't forget to sanitize ANYTHING!Trailer pizas I mean NAZIS aint got sh!t on that trailor.
Reply:thanks for the specs dmc....very nice job. Do you have onboard air (doubt it with the tank mounted but figured I would ask). You might use the tubes for water for a shower....put a quick fill on it and an air valve to pump. Paint it black and let the sun do the work. It would work better if you are out west as opposed to east coast weather but figured I would mention it. You could also use them as storage for poles for tarps etc. Nice idea on the composite boards for the decking....have not seen that before....will keep you from sounding like your dragging a bunch of metal buckets on the trail.
Reply:Thanks for the comments.  The tires and jack from the Jeep will work on the trailer.  That is one reason why folks use the same wheels and tires.  I was thinking of using the open tubes for some sort of tool storage.  We'll see how that goes.  I'll probably get an onboard air compressor.  I had the small tank laying around and said what the hell.  My first idea was to mount my propane bottles on the front of the tongue as I have seen it done but I have read that it is better to mount them on the back to help shield them from projectiles from the road.I was originally going to go with 3/16" thick tubing but man that thing would have been heavy!  I'm trying to keep it light as possible and make everything removable if not being used so I don't kill my gas mileage.  Jeep is averaging about 22mpg and I want to keep that!As far as if I have a blowout and it tears up the fender.  Well, I'll just have to fix it or that will be a good excuse to build another one and pass this one on.  LOL.  I've already got one guy that wants to buy it.  This trailer is a little out of place on the east coast but I'll use it a good bit around the house and when I travel to the coast.  I'm not sure if I understand the comment on the sanitizing.  Somebody help me with that one.  Hot dip galvinizing would be cool and then paint it black.  I may check in on that.  The axle was left over from when I repaired a boat trailer for a guy.  It is 2 inch square tubing.  I basically cut it in half, got it straight, welded it back together and put a collar on it.  The springs are off the shelf 1750 springs from Tractor Supply.  The axle is set back 4 inches from center of the trailer. I'll post some pics of the bottom.  The carriage bolts holding the floor down are extra long right now.  They will be replaced with the correct length for final assembly and lock nuts used.
Reply:Had  couple of requests for pics of the axle/spring setup and a pic of the bottom.  Here are the pics I have.  One pic is of the trailer upside down to show the stabilizers and the others basically show what the bottom looks like.
Reply:Super nice. I really like the matching wheels. It looks like it jumped out of a sears catalog.
Reply:Looks great and sturdy. Nice build. Way to go!PlasmaCam CNC cutterLathe and Band SawClamps
Reply:I used carriage bolts to hold the decking down with nyloc nuts if it should shrink any.
Reply:Got the front mount made for my charcoal grill.  The grill swivels if I want to spin it to one side or the other.  Got the mount for the back that makes the tailgate into a table.  Mounted the gas bottles on the back.  I made mounts that can be removed fairly easily.  I also had two of the aluminum HF 500lb. cargo trays that I'm playing around with.  They look pretty good.  I also have them where I can turn them upside down which makes a type of "cage" that keeps my boxes from being lifted out.  I can also use one of them if I needed to carry something fairly light on the back of the trailer.  This might work until I figure out a top or go with a tent.  Time to take it apart, clean it, and then paint it.Here is the latest on the trailer.  Almost getting warm enough to paint.  Been in a holding pattern long enough!  I did make some door hangers for my Jeep doors to mount on the side or the wall.
Reply:That looks awesome.  Great job!!
Reply:Here it is with the 1st coat of Rustoleum Liner Spray on it. I put about three more coats on it. It turned out pretty good. It has a nice "rough" texture to it. I'm thinking about painting the the insets on the side with a silver color. Should I do it or leave it black? After it is all painted I'll put it together, mount the Rubicon wheels back on and use it!
Reply:Nice stout little trailer. Looks good behind the jeep. I like the galvanized idea too, and it would be close in color to your jeep.Yeah, I know, but it'll be ok!Lincoln Square wave 255Miller Vintage mig30a spoolgunThermal Dynamics Pacmaster 100xl plasmaSmith mc torchEllis 1600 band saw
Reply:f you are leaning toward painting the insets silver, that would be a perfect compliment to the Jeep paint scheme.I guess the air tank is just in case you need some emergency compressed air (as I noticed you also said you may go with an onboard air compressor).I built a trailer way back in the early 90s, and put hydraulic surge brakes on it. Anyone who has ever dealt with surge brakes knows that backing a trailer with surge brakes usually requires a pin to be manually inserted into the surge brake master cylinder roller channel so the brakes don't activate when the towing vehicle pushes back on the trailer.  To make the task of "pinning" the brake an automatic action that happens when reverse is selected, I fabricated an air pressure powered actuator to insert a stop pin into the lock up hole.  The actuator was an air cylinder that had a bore of about 1-14" and a stroke of 2".  I tapped into the back up lights circuit of my pick up truck and used that as a signal to operate a solenoid air valve that in turn fed air to the actuator cylinder whenever the back up lights were on.  (since I was going to so much "trouble" with that, I also included back up lights on my trailer.)  For an air reservoir, I welded up the ends of the box channel members that I built the tongue out of.  Then I drilled and tapped a hole in the side of one box member for 1/8 NPT.  I put a tee fitting in that hole with a Schrader valve on one side and fed my air supply to the solenoid valve off the other side of the tee using NTA air brake tubing (nylon).I tested the set up to see how long a 120 PSI charge would operate the pin actuator before the actuator would no longer overpower the return spring of my pin.  It took more than 100 applications and I deemed that to be adequate.Your musing on what to do with the open channel ends just got me to reminiscing about what I did back then to make use of my box channels as an air reservoir.Last edited by walkerweld; 04-13-2014 at 11:28 AM.
Reply:About time we see something done RIGHT the first time......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:dmc; you are a welding apprentice only on the w.w. heading. that is one high quality piece of workmanship. nice pics and narration as well.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Started putting it back to together and took it for a spin.
Reply:Voila! Attached Images
Reply:looks more better than factory built.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:That is really well built and looks perfect behind the rubicon. Good job.
Reply:Nice job!
Reply:WOW!! That looks really good!! Great Job!!Millermatic 211Dewalt 14" ChopsawDewalt 4 1/2" GrinderCraftsman
Reply:@dmcIf you do decide to paint the insets silver, post a picture or three when finished
Reply:Very nice work.-AaronJet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:wow very very nice !    great work..
Reply:That is a very nice trailer. I may build one similar when I find the steel to haul my four wheeler around with. It can pull double duty as a four wheeler trailer also to haul my camping gear to some favorite spots.
Reply:Nice looking trailer, great work. Did you ever figure out what to put in the frame tubing? I see from the pics that you closed them off. Years ago I built a mud/rock crawler 4X4 and I used a good bit of the framing as an air storage tank with a pressure gauge and several  hose quick disconnects placed in strategic locations for airing up tires. Since it was an open frame rig and I didn't need AC, I used a compressor from a Ford AC unit as my air supply.
Reply:Originally Posted by walkerweld@dmcIf you do decide to paint the insets silver, post a picture or three when finished
Reply:Originally Posted by dman24That is a very nice trailer. I may build one similar when I find the steel to haul my four wheeler around with. It can pull double duty as a four wheeler trailer also to haul my camping gear to some favorite spots.
Reply:Love the build! Beautiful work.I just want to complement you on the idea of putting receivers at BOTH ends. Any rear accessory will fit the front too. LOVE IT! Then pin the correct coupler for the tow vehicle. I saw you have both pintle and ball couplers. Good Deal!Be wary of The Numbers: Figures don't lie,. but liars can figure.Welders:2008 Lincoln 140 GMAW&FCAW2012 HF 165 'toy' GTAW&SMAW1970's Cobbled together O/A
Reply:Originally Posted by guitstikNice looking trailer, great work. Did you ever figure out what to put in the frame tubing? I see from the pics that you closed them off. Years ago I built a mud/rock crawler 4X4 and I used a good bit of the framing as an air storage tank with a pressure gauge and several  hose quick disconnects placed in strategic locations for airing up tires. Since it was an open frame rig and I didn't need AC, I used a compressor from a Ford AC unit as my air supply.
Reply:With no more actual cross section diameter equivalent that size channel affords, I would say it could easily hold 150 PSI and not even notice it.  Somebody probably has an engineering chart that could be used to calculate max pressure for the size channel.