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 Having built several other off-road trailers and having some things exposed like fuel and propane I was always worrying about if they would still be there when I get back from a hike. In the design of the trailer I wanted to have all the critical supplies secure and safe. I also wanted easy access to every thing need to set up camp with out having to unpack every thing. I often arrive at the camp location at night being easy to set was also a big factor. I have a Maggiolina Top Line that would be mounted to top of the trailer for a comfortable place to sleep.
  I designed the compartments for a specific purpose. Fuel and propane compartments have expanded metal bottoms to prevent the buildup of fumes. The water compartment holds 3-6 gallon jugs. The battery   compartment holds 2 Optima batteries, a small compressor, an inverter and the fuse panel. The passenger side compartment holds kitchen supplies and a fire extinguisher. The driver side holds non-refrigerated food, first aide and shower. The main compartment holds tools, parts and other camp items that are larger.
 I built from trailer scratch. The frame is steel and the outer skin is aluminum diamond plate. For the core I purchased 1”x1” and 1”x2” .120 wall box tubing. I used receiver tubing down the center to allow the tongue to be stored or used on either end. The tongue is 2”x2” .250” wall tubing reinforced with 2 pieces of tubing inside and has the safety chains welded to it. I made the spring mounts and welded then to the frame. The rest of the compartments and door frames are made from 1”x1” .065 I recycled from old store fixtures. The flat steel used to separate compartments is 16 gage also from old store fixtures. I welded all the frame work then cleaned, primed and painted with a semi gloss black.
 I built the roof rack from 1”x 1.5” .120” wall tubing I purchased. This size of tube is close to the size of a Thule rack to support the Maggiolina. I made a section to hold the redwood floor for our shower so it could be put away wet and allowed to dry without getting other gear wet. The remaining space is for waffle boards and solar panels.
I purchased the aluminum, hinges, latches, locks, jack, water pump, 3500lb electric brake axle, LED tail lights, wiring and lots of rivets. The springs are Jeep YJ with Rancho 1.5” add a-leafs. The shackles are an aftermarket YJ shackles I had laying around. The tires are BFG 35-12.50-15 Mud Terrain on old Mickey Thompson Classic. The hitch is changeable from a standard ball and coupler to a Three Axis hitch.
I ordered the axle in the same width and bolt pattern as the rear axle on the jeep. I mounted the springs and axle with some old wheels and tires to allow easy movement in the shop.
I cut the aluminum diamond plate to cover the outside and put black silicone on all mating surfaces before riveting them in place. I mounted the jack and made rear stabilizer legs so we could sleep in it not connected to the jeep.  I wired all compartments with LED lighting and a 12V outlet. I wired the compressor, inverter and solar panel controller in the battery compartment. I wired the tail lights and brakes to a standard 7 way RV plug.  I installed the Maggiolina Top Line and packed the trailer with gear, parts and tools for some overland trips. |
