JeepAndrew's Jetski Trailer-to-Offroad RTT Hauler Build

Teaser pics





Since camping out of a two door Jeep Wrangler sucks (lack of cargo space) and I'm in the market for a roof top tent, I made the long overdue decision that I needed an offroad/camping trailer. I wanted something Expo-style or similar to Boxrocket's trailer but didn't want to spend thousands of $$$ on a prebuilt trailer. I had a 3/4 ton single jetski/PWC trailer that I didn't use anymore, soo I put my building/fab skills to work!

This is how it looked when I rolled into the garage the night before I got started. The frame measured 46"x33" with a 10 foot total tongue bar length:



The next day, I started by stripping the license plate and trailer lights, pulling the wheels, flipping the trailer over and stripping the old axle assembly.



The original axle assembly wasn't wide enough to mount the 15x10 rims and 33" tires I wanted to run, so it was set aside to have the carrier/hub assemblies removed from the old axle bar. On the good side, I checked the lug pattern with my old stock spare jeep rim, and the hubs just happened to be 5x4.5 bolt pattern, same as my jeeps!



I enlisted the help of CrawlinWJ and his welding skills to help me extend the trailer frame from the stock 33" to 62". This was done with 2"x3"x1/8" box steel. I used 1/8" to match the thickness of the stock C-channel frame. All weld joints were cleaned of paint beforehand of course.

We determined the balance point on the trailer and set the axle centerline 4 inches behind that to give it a good tongue weight, then we set the spring perches in place, double-checked our measurements, and welded them on.



I then measured the hub-to-hub width on the rear axle on my jeep (approx 58"). We cut a piece of 1.25x.250 round tube, 53" long. We then cut the old hub assemblies and spring mounts off of the old C-channel axle bar, cleaned off the round spindle bars with a flap wheel and slid them into the tube, then did 4 rosette welds on each end to secure them. End result was a hub-to-hub of 58". The spring mounts were then welded onto the new axle tube, and bolted to the springs. Next came the sides:



I went with 6-1.5x1.5x1/8", 18" long for the siderail uprights, with a 2x3x1/8 at front-center above the tongue bar to support the spare rim and tire. Here it is with the axle mounted and side uprights done.



At this point I wanted to test it out, so I borrowed two of the 33" MTRs off my wrangler and hooked it up to my Cherokee for a run around the neighborhood. It tracked straight and is very light!





I used the stock 1-7/8 ball hitch for the test but will be getting either a Lock-n-roll or Max Coupler for permanent use. I'll also be reducing the tongue length later on (depending on which hitch I go with).

The build continues!!

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ot...ler-offroad-rtt-hauler-build.html#post8508587

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ot...r-offroad-rtt-hauler-build-2.html#post8526839

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ot...r-offroad-rtt-hauler-build-3.html#post8532844

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ot...r-offroad-rtt-hauler-build-3.html#post8537152

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ot...r-offroad-rtt-hauler-build-3.html#post8544761

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ot...r-offroad-rtt-hauler-build-3.html#post8549156

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ot...r-offroad-rtt-hauler-build-5.html#post8890710

 

sub'd

 

Oh in for this! and cant wait to see this with us on the trail!

 

gonna be a bad ass trailer.

 

subd... even if a heep is town it, I'm sure it'll be an awesome trailer!

 

I'm curious... subbed.

 

Subbed

 

Sub a dub dubbed

 

three men in a tub'd

 

Lookin good Buddy!

 

Its been 3 days since new photos! Get back to work. And text inbound about the "super awesome cooking platform"

 

Is this thing done yet?

 

Hey now fellas, ya can't rush perfection I'll be purchasing the additional needed materials tomorrow afternoon

 

Picked up the steel Friday to resume the trailer build. Today we got on it again, starting with the top rails on the sides. I went with 1'x3''x1/8 thick box for the top rails. The ends were cut to 45 degrees for the corners and welded on.

I'm using the stock trailer wheels right now just for moveablility





Next came the spare tire carrier. For departure angle reasons, I wanted the carrier over the tongue bar. I used a 6" diameter, 3/16" round plate with three lug studs welded into it to mount the tire to. The round spare holder plate is welded to the center upright with a 6.5" piece of 2"x3"x1/8" with two precut 3/16" triangle gussetts for strength.



I used the 33x12.50 spare off my Cherokee for a test fit. The tire just barely sits on the hitch bar, which should keep bouncing forces to a minimum.





Here's the trailer hitch system I went with; the Max Coupler Claimed to be the best offroad hitch system on the market. I ordered it yesterday afternoon so it should be here soon!



I also picked up some 14 gauge sheet for the floor and sides and will be getting on that later today!