Me and the wife are taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon for Spring Break this year. I decided this was a great opportunity to finally build my trailer.
I wanted something that was rugged and could handle some rough terrain in case we wanted to do a little trail exploring.
I started out by sourcing all of the parts. I ordered a customer axle with 6 lug hubs to match my 4Runner. I wanted to use Toyota wheels for the trailer to give it a matching look.
I was able to score a couple of FJ wheels at a junk yard right next to my office for $75.
Thankfully I have an awesome uncle that was willing to do all the welding if I bought him a new blade for the cold saw. So aside from material, I only have about $100 into the labor on the trailer. The other costs so far are as follows:
Axle: $200
Wheels: $150
Tires: $400
Light Kit: $50
Tongue: $20
Spring Mount Kit: $25
Safety Cables: $20
Trailer Jack: $20
Steel: $130 (48' of 2.5" and 60' of 2")
I work for a steel company, so the material was cheap and easy to get.
The base frame and tongue are 2.5" x .120" square tubing. The rest of the trailer will be 2" x .120" tubing.
(2/17/16) The axle I ordered was the perfect width, however the spring perches ended up being a little too close to the tires because of the offset on the wheels. We ground off the welds and moved the perches in a few inches. The box of the trailer will be 45" x 72" x 24" when complete.
The bottom frame (2.5") is completely welded. Tonight we were able to get the upper box frame (2") cut and tacked together. Tomorrow we will cut and weld the body and the top then hopefully get the spring shackles welded and fitted.
(2/18/16) Today was a light work day. We got the cross members and tongue cut along with all the up-rights for the body. Got the upper box frame fully welded and ground flush on one side where the lid will go.
Taking a break tomorrow, then its back to work Saturday.
(2/21/16) Well I was supposed to work on the trailer for a bit Saturday, but I got lazy. Today was my birthday but we ended up going out last night instead so today became the work day. We started by test fitting and aligning the up-rights for the body. After we had them align we started tacking them in place and then attached the upper frame. Once everything was squared up, we moved onto completing the welds. We only worked for a few hours but we got quite a bit done. Tomorrow we will be back at it. Pics below for today's progress.
(2/23/16) Made a little bit of progress today. Got the tail gate cut and fitted and got the bottom cross members welded in. We will be taking a break until Friday. We both work full time so we need to have some kind of break between work and building the trailer. No pictures today since we really didn't do anything worth showing. Friday we should have the hangers/shackles welded and axle mounted which will be nice because this thing is getting heavy to move around the shop.
(2/26/16) Worked from about 5-10:30 tonight. Finish welding the cross member. Got the tail gate and lid framed, welded, and ground. Tomorrow we will mount the axle and weld the hinges for the lid and tail gate.
(2/27/16) ITS ALIVE!
Today we worked on mounting the hangers/shackles. Once we got them in place we bolted up the axle and put the wheels and tires on. Had to do quite a bit of grinding to weld the tongue on. Most of the steel still had a rust inhibitor and I didnt want to take any chances with the welds for the tongue and shackles. Once it was all welded, we drug it outside and mounted the wheels and tires. From there we were able to flip it over and get it rolling. I stopped by tractor supply this morning and picked up some hinges for the lid. I decided that welding these on was the best option. I also picked up some new ubolts, but they ended up being too short so they will be going back.
Now that its rolling and the lid is attached, its really starting to look like a trailer. I still need to get the tail gate welded on, fenders, and skins.
(3/5/16) We have been busy this week. Fenders are on, lights are wired, skins partially welded. I took it to be weighed yesterday so I could get a certificate for the registration. Without the skins it sits at 600#. Ok another note, the 4Runner comes in at 4560#.
Our trip is less than a week away and we still have quite a bit to do. I brought the trailer home today so that I work on some wiring tomorrow. We threw the lights on quick so that I could take it on the road but it just doesn't look good enough for my standards. More pics will follow soon. I hope to have it primed and possibly coated by Wednesday.
UPDATE (3/8/16) The lid is on, tailgate is latched and trailer is registered.
Today we completed the fabrication part of the build. I still have a few finishing touches (blasting and paint) but those can wait. I went to the courthouse this morning and got the plates then finished up the welding this evening. Im going to try to clean it up a little and spray some more primer before the trip, but it looks like the final paint will have to wait until we get back. My Hi Lift mount should be here tomorrow. The mount and the gasket for the lid will probably be the last items before we leave.
Pics on the last page.
I wanted something that was rugged and could handle some rough terrain in case we wanted to do a little trail exploring.
I started out by sourcing all of the parts. I ordered a customer axle with 6 lug hubs to match my 4Runner. I wanted to use Toyota wheels for the trailer to give it a matching look.
I was able to score a couple of FJ wheels at a junk yard right next to my office for $75.
Thankfully I have an awesome uncle that was willing to do all the welding if I bought him a new blade for the cold saw. So aside from material, I only have about $100 into the labor on the trailer. The other costs so far are as follows:
Axle: $200
Wheels: $150
Tires: $400
Light Kit: $50
Tongue: $20
Spring Mount Kit: $25
Safety Cables: $20
Trailer Jack: $20
Steel: $130 (48' of 2.5" and 60' of 2")
I work for a steel company, so the material was cheap and easy to get.
The base frame and tongue are 2.5" x .120" square tubing. The rest of the trailer will be 2" x .120" tubing.
(2/17/16) The axle I ordered was the perfect width, however the spring perches ended up being a little too close to the tires because of the offset on the wheels. We ground off the welds and moved the perches in a few inches. The box of the trailer will be 45" x 72" x 24" when complete.
The bottom frame (2.5") is completely welded. Tonight we were able to get the upper box frame (2") cut and tacked together. Tomorrow we will cut and weld the body and the top then hopefully get the spring shackles welded and fitted.
(2/18/16) Today was a light work day. We got the cross members and tongue cut along with all the up-rights for the body. Got the upper box frame fully welded and ground flush on one side where the lid will go.
Taking a break tomorrow, then its back to work Saturday.
(2/21/16) Well I was supposed to work on the trailer for a bit Saturday, but I got lazy. Today was my birthday but we ended up going out last night instead so today became the work day. We started by test fitting and aligning the up-rights for the body. After we had them align we started tacking them in place and then attached the upper frame. Once everything was squared up, we moved onto completing the welds. We only worked for a few hours but we got quite a bit done. Tomorrow we will be back at it. Pics below for today's progress.
(2/23/16) Made a little bit of progress today. Got the tail gate cut and fitted and got the bottom cross members welded in. We will be taking a break until Friday. We both work full time so we need to have some kind of break between work and building the trailer. No pictures today since we really didn't do anything worth showing. Friday we should have the hangers/shackles welded and axle mounted which will be nice because this thing is getting heavy to move around the shop.
(2/26/16) Worked from about 5-10:30 tonight. Finish welding the cross member. Got the tail gate and lid framed, welded, and ground. Tomorrow we will mount the axle and weld the hinges for the lid and tail gate.
(2/27/16) ITS ALIVE!
Today we worked on mounting the hangers/shackles. Once we got them in place we bolted up the axle and put the wheels and tires on. Had to do quite a bit of grinding to weld the tongue on. Most of the steel still had a rust inhibitor and I didnt want to take any chances with the welds for the tongue and shackles. Once it was all welded, we drug it outside and mounted the wheels and tires. From there we were able to flip it over and get it rolling. I stopped by tractor supply this morning and picked up some hinges for the lid. I decided that welding these on was the best option. I also picked up some new ubolts, but they ended up being too short so they will be going back.
Now that its rolling and the lid is attached, its really starting to look like a trailer. I still need to get the tail gate welded on, fenders, and skins.
(3/5/16) We have been busy this week. Fenders are on, lights are wired, skins partially welded. I took it to be weighed yesterday so I could get a certificate for the registration. Without the skins it sits at 600#. Ok another note, the 4Runner comes in at 4560#.
Our trip is less than a week away and we still have quite a bit to do. I brought the trailer home today so that I work on some wiring tomorrow. We threw the lights on quick so that I could take it on the road but it just doesn't look good enough for my standards. More pics will follow soon. I hope to have it primed and possibly coated by Wednesday.
UPDATE (3/8/16) The lid is on, tailgate is latched and trailer is registered.
Today we completed the fabrication part of the build. I still have a few finishing touches (blasting and paint) but those can wait. I went to the courthouse this morning and got the plates then finished up the welding this evening. Im going to try to clean it up a little and spray some more primer before the trip, but it looks like the final paint will have to wait until we get back. My Hi Lift mount should be here tomorrow. The mount and the gasket for the lid will probably be the last items before we leave.
Pics on the last page.
Last edited:
