Harbor Freight trailer turned Expo

[Ted_Z]

I thought I'd share some pictures of my latest little trailer build. My build was inspired by and took construction tips from this thread over on Jeepforum.


The trailer started life as the cheapest HF trailer kit then added a 2000 lb axle, 225/75R15 tires/wheels and and a new tongue/backbone. The original tongue was cut in half length-ways and used to make the diagonal braces.


The box was built from 3/8 plywood and reinforced with 1x2 and 1x4 lumber at the joints/corners. The deck is 3/4" OSB and 2x4 lumber. All the wood was painted with deck paint. It has a working tailgate and the front panel is removable to carry longer loads if needed. I still need to sort out the fenders, but I'm running without them for now. The bottom of the box is 48" by 40", the top is 48" by 48". A similarly styled lid is also on the to-do list but for now I just use a tarp.


I just got back from a 500 mile trip and it did great at highway speeds, and the light weight made it easy for my Jeep Patriot to pull at 75 mph. On some of the rougher roads the sort slip springs seems too stiff (even with the 870 pound rated kit). Long term I may look at a longer leaf springs.

[JohnBoulderCO]

Cool! Looks like a fun project too.

[Ken L]

Good work! I've always wanted to build a trailer to pull behind the Jeep, and I've been collecting parts to do it. Then last year I bought a pickup, and the trailer project got back-burnered.

This looks very well thought out and well done.

[BigDaveZJ]

Sweet little setup you've got going there. Have you given any thought to something other than a regular ball hitch? If you're towing it behind the Patriot the ball will do fine, but even a lunette style coupler makes a big improvement in articulation if you were to pull it behind the ZJ through some rougher terrain. If you were to pull it behind the ZJ, I would recommend some sort of adjustable length tongue too. My M416's tongue is pretty short and it's great on the trail, but a longer one would be nice on the highway.

[Ted_Z]

Great idea on the adjustable tongue length.

I plan on using of this trailer for car camping mostly so a lunette or other multi axis coupler might be overkill. I have the raw materials to make my own but have yet to find the time to put it together.