Frame question

[Uncle Chan]

I'm going to build a TD. I bought one made and I love it, but now I have the bug and I want to build one. So, a question for you off road officianados:

Since I don't seriously off road, but go off road mainly for hunting, OR go on roads I'm not comfortable taking the Mobi TD on, I want to build a TD on a 2 x 2 x 1/8 square tubing frame. Will this be strong enough? I will order a 3500lb axel and put 1750lb springs on each side. I will also be using my Bronco and F150 as tow vehicles and will use some spare wheels and tires I have for them. They are on the 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern. Lastly, the TD will not have a galley. It will be for sleeping only. I will have some cabinets in it for storage, but I want to keep this simple enough and light enough that if needed, I could also tow it with my PT Cruiser. Lastly, it will be only a 4 x 8 TD.

So, will 2 x 2 x 1/8 square steel be strong enough for my needs?

Gracias!

[Uncle Chan]

Thanks powderburn for you feedback. I have a torsion axle in my current TD and I'm not impressed with it. I'm actually considering removing it and adding a standard axle.

And, I'm not to impressed with the whole galley concept. Mine will definitely not have a galley.

U.C.

[wlivesey]

Yes the 2 x 2 x 1/8 square tubing frame will be plenty strong, of course it depends upon how you build it. I would look at these builds for reference.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=24959

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=15620

I don't think you really need 1750 lbs spings on each side. Your tear should weigh under 1000 lbs. You want the 3500lbs axle for strength but the springs need to be appropriate for the weight of your trailer. If they are too stiff it won't handle well. just my two cents...

On my own build, I used 2x3 but it's a much larger trailer. I'm building it for mild off road use. I also put a locknroll hitch on it to handle uneven roads more easily.

[Uncle Chan]

Yes the 2 x 2 x 1/8 square tubing frame will be plenty strong, of course it depends upon how you build it. I would look at these builds for reference.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=24959

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=15620

I don't think you really need 1750 lbs spings on each side. Your tear should weigh under 1000 lbs. You want the 3500lbs axle for strength but the springs need to be appropriate for the weight of your trailer. If they are too stiff it won't handle well. just my two cents...

On my own build, I used 2x3 but it's a much larger trailer. I'm building it for mild off road use. I also put a locknroll hitch on it to handle uneven roads more easily.

Hi wlivesy,

Yeah, 1750 is a bit much for a simple sleeper. What would you recommend then? 1000?

[wlivesey]

Hi wlivesy,

Yeah, 1750 is a bit much for a simple sleeper. What would you recommend then? 1000?

Well I'm no expert on these things - I think there are others that could give you a more accurate answer. That being said, here's what I think: I would go with 2K or less. Probably more like 1500 lbs (750 for each spring). This will give you plenty of stiffness to handle big impacts off road without being too stiff. I would also recommend adding shocks with a Monroe retrofit kit and electric brakes if you really plan to do much off roading.

I've got 2000lbs springs with electric brakes on mine and I may need to go a little heavier. Again, I'm building a rather large trailer... I'll be adding shocks before my build is complete.

You might check out this thread for what others have done with off road setups.

[eamarquardt]

I vote for 2X3. Much stiffer.

Cheers,

Gus

[wlivesey]

I vote for 2X3. Much stiffer.

Cheers,

Gus

It would be stiffer. I can't argue that...

[A_J]

Might want to think about using non-trailer leaf springs. The short/stiff design of standard trailer springs can really beat up a camper on rough roads.

Lots of guys building expedition type trailers seem to like Suzuki Samurai rear leafs. The ubiquitous army "Jeep" trailers actually use MB/early CJ front leaf springs and they work really well too. Those can be had for cheap brand new and you can remove individual leafs to "tune" the springs if necessary.

[Bikerman]

Mine is 4x7 with a 3x4' ramp, 2x3 box, steel plate floor with 1750 springs and 2K axel (I think). It takes some weight to keep it from bouncing since it is very stiff, It rides fine with 300 lbs on it. I built it for my Deer or bike and has worked well but I'm wanting now to convert it. Seems it will be much like yours. I]d suggest you pay attention to the tounge length too. Mine has a detachable head so I can slide different adapters in for any hitch, even pulled with the lawn tractor. Do you have pics yet of what you have in mind?

[KenC]

I'm going to build a TD. I bought one made and I love it, but now I have the bug and I want to build one. So, a question for you off road officianados:


Since I don't seriously off road, but go off road mainly for hunting, OR go on roads I'm not comfortable taking the Mobi TD on, I want to build a TD on a 2 x 2 x 1/8 square tubing frame. Will this be strong enough? I will order a 3500lb axel and put 1750lb springs on each side. I will also be using my Bronco and F150 as tow vehicles and will use some spare wheels and tires I have for them. They are on the 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern. Lastly, the TD will not have a galley. It will be for sleeping only. I will have some cabinets in it for storage, but I want to keep this simple enough and light enough that if needed, I could also tow it with my PT Cruiser. Lastly, it will be only a 4 x 8 TD.

So, will 2 x 2 x 1/8 square steel be strong enough for my needs?

Gracias!

Hi Chan

My frame is 2 x 2 with a 3 x 3 tongue. When I took the steel to the fabricator he says most of his off road trailer buld are with 2 x 3 as it will flex less, if i would of known ahead of time that is what I would of used, but since I already had the steel, I wasn't going to speend another 3 bills on the 2 x 3. My build will be for mild off road, I went with a 3500 lb with derated springs and Monroe shocks. Another good option so I'm told is using Suzuki Samuri springs as recommended from other poster. Below is a link to my build blog if you want to check it out, it has been a lot of fun, I'm sure you will enjoy your build as well.

[hugh]

I used 2x2 tubing for mine and wound up upgrading to a 6 foot wide axle with electric brakes. It is currently running 32" tires and like many here for a first timer it,s a bit overbuilt. The springs are the usual trailer type leafs, fairly short and stiff, if memory serves they are around 1250 lb each side and I found adding the munroe trailer shock really helped. I made the cabin frame from 2x 2 pine and the outside skin is 1/4" and the inside is 3/8 rough plywood covered by a grey indoor/ outdoor carpet. Also no galley for me. It came out a bit heavy and if I was to do it again I would use the same frame material but go a lot thinner on the inner and outer skin. plus I think instead of using the 1 1/2 hard foam for insulation I would try that closed cell foam they sell for camping sleeping mats. Plus my trailer is built for extreme off roading and it would be nice to ease up on that aspect and also make it just a little larger, say 10 feet long and a bit wider than the current 5 1/2 feet wide. One thing that would not change would be the interior height, it,s nice having a inside height of a little over 5 Feet 2" when getting up in the morning. Also a 6' wide would allow sleeping across the back. As it is now the trailer will take a 4 foot vertical drop without scraping, just for clarification that,s not a 90 deg straight up and down ledge, more like a50 or so degree angle.

[hugh]

I used 2x2 tubing for mine and wound up upgrading to a 6 foot wide axle with electric brakes. It is currently running 32" tires and like many here for a first timer it,s a bit overbuilt. The springs are the usual trailer type leafs, fairly short and stiff, if memory serves they are around 1250 lb each side and I found adding the munroe trailer shock really helped. I made the cabin frame from 2x 2 pine and the outside skin is 1/4" and the inside is 3/8 rough plywood covered by a grey indoor/ outdoor carpet. Also no galley for me. It came out a bit heavy and if I was to do it again I would use the same frame material but go a lot thinner on the inner and outer skin. plus I think instead of using the 1 1/2 hard foam for insulation I would try that closed cell foam they sell for camping sleeping mats. Plus my trailer is built for extreme off roading and it would be nice to ease up on that aspect and also make it just a little larger, say 10 feet long and a bit wider than the current 5 1/2 feet wide. One thing that would not change would be the interior height, it,s nice having a inside height of a little over 5 Feet 2" when getting up in the morning. Also a 6' wide would allow sleeping across the back. As it is now the trailer will take a 4 foot vertical drop without scraping, just for clarification that,s not a 90 deg straight up and down ledge, more like a50 or so degree angle.

[hugh]

Sorry for the double post, not really sure how to delete one of them.

[Bikerman]

Just a thought on the track of the trailer....it should be very close or the same as the towing vehicle for off road use as it will follow your tire track avoiding obsticles. It's harder when you drive to avoid a drop off only to have your trailer drop into ruts your avoided.