Offroad designe useing a harbor freight trailer,yes it works

[High Desert-TNT]

hey I think thats great. One tough looking tear you've built there too. Did you upgrade the springs also or are they the stock HF ones?

And you're pulling it through some of the most magnificent country in the world

 

[High Desert-TNT]

thanks for the details. Sounds like it works well. Did you make any mods to the tounge assembly or is it still stock other than the bulldog hitch? (which I think is a great addition)

 

[mezmo]

Hi Slowcowboy,

Congrats on your build, it's nice when time and effort
finally produce great results.

Even though I haven't posted a lot due to being relatively
new to T&TTT, I have a hint regarding spelling and posting.

I'm a mediocre speller myself but my even bigger problem is
that my hands are too big for me to type easily on my keyboard,
this results in a lot of typos, and I mean a lot of typos!. The little
box used to post replies and new topics in makes easy posting
hard for me.

What I do is open a file on my word processing program,
like Word, or Open Office etc. Just use whatever word processing
is on your computer. I then type in my posting text there. Just
be sure there is a spell check feature in the word processing
program and run it on what you've written for your post. It can
be a little tedious at first but it helps immensely and after awhile
it helps one make fewer mistakes.

I then just highlight all the copy I want to post, copy it usually
using the <Ctrl C> function and then go to the little posting
box on the T&TTT site and use the <Ctrl V> function to paste
it in the box. You can then clean up what you don't like about the
posting's appearance in the little box. It seems there are always
stray spaces when you copy and paste but this has really helped
me make my posts easier to do.

'Hope this helps some.

 

[mezmo]

Oops, it posted twice somehow so I removed the second one (I hope!).

 

[Moosemt]

Slowcowboy,

Your build looks good I am in Billings starting on mine. Might pick your brain of some problems that come up while building.

 

[urban5]

I would love to know where you added the angle iron, I don't see it in your pics but it sounds like a good mod.

 

[Moosemt]

Can you post some pictures of your offroad shock suspension for me to look at. thanks.

 

[Toyotero]

SlowCowboy,

That's a great looking trailer.

FYI, be sure to separate the links or else they all run together. Separating them them on different lines works well.

Regards,

Toyotero.

 

[boxcar-TNT]

I will start by saying i am a worse speller than you.... and I love your T/D
Very nice traditional tear. I don't want to seem contrary but I heartily disagree with your assumption that a harbor freight trailer is a good foundation for an off road trailer. Your mods do look like they will help but over the long haul it will fail.....The steel used in the stock trailer frame is much to thin for this use it will develop fatigue cracks and the tongue is way to light for off road trailing.If one is converting an existing tear to off road use and it was built using an H-B trailer your mods make allot of sense, But if you are building ground up Fab your own trailer using sized structural tubing. Wile heavier the strength gains are well worth it
Not to mention that the total cost of the trailer will be cheaper. By the time you are through modifying an H-B Trailer $300-$400 add an Axel $250-$350 (new) for one with brakes ( a must for off road T/Ds) Steel to stiffen the trailer say $100, New perches for the springs $32 Paint $10.
You end up with a $700- $900 Trailer. One can be scratch built for substanchaly less money with greater results....Boxcar... Ps: I love your rig

 

[boxcar-TNT]

If you check what I was saying I was quoting all new parts from catalog pricing -Not used parts . You are right though if one shops and scavenges one can usually build anything on the cheap. What I am saying is that if you are going to build an off road trailer you are much better of building from scratch. As to breaks if you have ever towed a 1000 lb load down a steep grade on wet muddy or dry loos terrain with a short wheel base rig like say a cj5 or wrangler YOU NEED BRAKES Or it may decide to pass you at a bad time.Low gears can compound the problem Trust me my cj is very low geard. But what keeps the trailer behind me is the brakes...I have towed all over the west
Yes even in Wyoming ( You guys have the worst clay I have ever seen)and I will never tow without brakes.
Your gas shocks are a great idea (we use air bags) but have experimented with gas shocks and they do work well..... we are running rs-5000 nds and airbags just so we can adjust for the loads... I do tow my trailers just about everywhere my jeeps go (just about).
The rig in the pic is going to moab in June and will do some miner crawling. Like I said before "If your trailer is already siting on an H/B trailer your Idea of reinforcing it makes sense" In fact I Recommend It. But if you are going to build an off road trailer you can do mutch better Building a trailer designed from the get go for the application and the conditions....Boxcar...PS: Love your rig.....and I don't intend to sound arrogant or argumentative, That is not my intention. I have just bin doing this for a long time. I hate like heck to se anyone get hurt due to failure on the trail.Sorry for the poor spelling. old dog syndrome!!!!!
Tow Rigs: Jeeps, Lot's a Jeeps... :

 

[boxcar-TNT]

Dude get ahold of your self. I never slammed your trailer or your idea .Read my posts >I agreed with you. I said if you already heave a H/F trailer and you want to try to go off road your mods make sense. Gees whats it gonna take to make you understand. And by the way I have towed OFFROAD for about 30 years. I have no clue how many miles. In The USA Canada and Mexico. I've broke just about everything that can be broke. Usually a thousand miles from home. So when I plan a new trailer (For off road use) or on road use for that matter. The FRAME IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE TRAILER. Everything else is attached to it. All I recommend is that if you are starting a new build with off roading in mind you will be far better off building a trailer frame designed for that use. And if you are planning to use brakes . The H/F trailer is then not a cost effective option..Boxcar... PS: I hope this puts this issue to rest....

 

[deepmud]

You are both right - you both can't spell worth a hoot But spelling and working in the real-world don't always go together.

I was able to interpret what you are saying - let me restate.

Slowcowboy - you had a Harbor Freight trailer, and made it work well. You re-enforced the frame, swapped out the axle, upgraded the hitch......all on a "rancher's budget".

Boxcar applauds your work but points out that for someone looking to start from scratch a Harbor Freight trailer is not likely
make sense.

Slowcowboy, you should not take that as a "put-down" on your thread or your work - just a word of caution to someone reading this who might be tempted to buy a Harbor Freight trailer and put it to use without your modifications.

Erik

 

[parnold]

Deepmud:

I think your talents might be needed in the Middle East!

Well put!

 

[deepmud]

Slowcowboy, please read all of this before you reply - then tell me what you think.



This is you.

Hello folks ever conserdered what a heavly modified harbor freight trailer can offer up to the world of off road teardrops. My new build can demostrate a off road tear. I am not rock crawling but I do back road trailes in the windriver moutains in wyoming and would love to show what is possible with a gas shock and a pop up camper 3500 lb axle replacement on a harbor freight frame. beef it up with some heavy gauge angle iron some retired welder, fabercator dad know how and a decent bulldog hitch and some common sense size light truck mud and snow tires 215/75/r 15 all terrain bf good rich tires and it is possible to get a harbor freight trailer frame to be made into a off road trailer.

You added angle iron.

You swapped the tires.

You swapped the axle.

You replaced the hitch.

You state it's heavily modified yourself - so if someone says perhaps it's better to start from the heavier steel, and get a good axle - what's wrong with that? It's another point of view. It doesn't mean you are wrong, or your thread is ruined. It's all good information. You can defend your points without feeling like you are being attacked personally.

Discussing different ideas is what this is all about. It is about ALL that a forum is good for - otherwise we'd just go to the library, get a book and treat it like gospel.

Or worse - make mistakes and not share the learning experience.

THIS IS BETTER -you are "outside the box" - that is a GOOD THING. Nobody is calling you "WRONG". Just stating their own point of view. Not claiming to be "experts" - just saying what they think. Like you.

Try it like this ......... "well I made it work, and it's a good trailer, so I am proof it works" .....no one can argue that. It's true - your trailer looks great, you are right to be proud of it. I LIKE IT! Boxcar likes it. It's cool. I like that you plan to show it being used - more proof that it works. Again, no one can argue with that. No one is trying to.

I would like to ask for pictures of where you added the extra angle iron - I promise not to pick at it - I threw away a Harbor Freight (actually Fred Meyer, same critter) once due to failed bearings - maybe I would have used it with some upgrades like you made. As for building with "struggling to get by", my own trailer was built 15 years ago when I made 11 bucks an hour and had to pay someone else to do the welding - I KNOW how good things can be if you "make do" with what you have - I applaud you doing that and sharing your story.

 

[deepmud]

I see you added it at the spring hangers - I sort of expected it up at the tongue as well.

My folding trailer had a single tongue, not an A-Frame design like yours. It looks better than what I had, certainly.

Is that tongue stock or did you make it? The stickers I see make it seem stock - that is the most vulnerable to cracking, I think, so it's a good place to have a little more steel.

Your springs look brand new there - would you say they are softer riding than the stock springs on the HF?

I also agree shocks are GREAT idea on a trailer - but I think unless you run a soft spring (especially on initial compression, the first couple inches) then they don't help as much as they could.


Glad to see you are still on board. Remember, "It's just the Internet" -


I'm in agreement that there are MANY HF trailers out there, doing fine. You are right that they can be made to work, no doubt.

 

[ArkansasDon]

some will bash Harbor Freights trailers for a build platform. I built my 1st offroad trailer from the harbor Freight Super Duty trailer. I scrap the tongue & fabricated my own tongue w\2" back bone. I chopped the frame down to 40 1\2" wide x 6ft long, bolted the frame together (squared it up) then welded up "all" the joints. The reason why I chopped the frame down to the size is the tub kit required a chassis that was 40 1\2" x 72". The tub kit I used was Dinoot M Series w\ CJ tailgate. I scrapped the original slipper spring type suspension & went with Scott Chaney's Smooth Ride Kit & order shocks & shock mounts.
After all the fabrication & welding done I sand blasted the original red enamel paint off & primed with PPG's Automotive Epoxy Primer, followed by 3 coats of PPG's Omni Blasé pant in Cerakotes Coyote Tan, & 3 coats of PPG Automotive Gloss Clear w\ Flattner added to Satin Finish. Done right with some welding the Harbor Freight or Northern Tool trailers can make for a great offroad build plateform. The wife & I put a lot of miles of offroad trails & roads on this trailer with several years of use & memories made w\o any structural issues. When I sold the trailer last year it's still running trails & dirt roads strong in NW Arkansas in the Ozarks.