Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame

[Will]

Thought I would share my experience with converting a utility trailer into an off-road camper/adventure trailer as those are becoming quite popular and EXPENSIVE!

Here is the current condition:

This thing started its life as a used, folding utility trailer from Harbor Freight. We love camping but it would take an entire day to pack all of my wife's glamping "necessities" into the Jeep. So the plan was to leave all of our stuff in bins on the trailer, then just hook up and ride out whenever we felt like camping.

This is essentially what I got, used from a friend: Harbor Freight Folding Utility Trailer

Once I got it home I realized that it was going to need a lot of work. There was some decent rust on parts of the frame so I spent an afternoon grinding that off and hitting it with Rustoleum.

The next part I blame @thrasher for because he hooked me up with a lightly used spare from his JLUR as well as his rooftop tent. I got to thinking that 33s and a RTT would fit this little thing nicely. Then I started convincing my wife that our family NEEDED this little trailer to be capable enough to follow the Jeep and to sleep the two of us, our three small kids, and a dog, and still be small enough to fit in the garage and act as a storage box for all of our camping gear. And that's how it started.

These Quick Strip discs for an angle grinder are where it's at for removing rust or old coatings. They won't damage the substrate or get gummed up as easily as a flap disc or griding stone. But they don't last very long either.

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[Will]

Next, I added 2"x2"x3/16" square steel tubing down the center as a backbone. This little frame was very flimsy but the square tube tied everything together and provided rigidity and strength. I also added receiver tubes to the front and rear.

 

[rcadden]

Oh man I am definitely bookmarking this thread.

 

[Will]

The tires are 33" BFG KO2s take offs from JL Rubicons. The wheels are black steelies from a buddy's JT Gladiator Sport. I liked the wheels for three reasons: 1.) they are black, 2.) They were cheap (free), and 3.) The center bore is bigger than all of the aluminum wheels that come on most Jeeps so they would fit over the spindle of the trailer axle hubs. From my research, I couldn't see fitting any other Jeep wheels unless I got crazy with wheel spacers. Talking 2.5" - 3" wheel spacers to clear the dust cap on the hub and I wasn't interested in going that route.

I swapped out the factory axle that came with the trailer for a 2,200 LB rated boat trailer axle by Dexter. It is galvanized silver and the hubs are galvanized as well. The bolt pattern was the standard trailer 5 on 4.5. I added a 1.25” thick wheel adapter to run the JT wheels which are 5 X 5. They are still 1/2" thread so I used JK lug nuts. This was to match the spare tire mount which is from a JK.

I went with the Max Coupler hitch and, so far, I am very impressed with it. It does not make a sound and never binds. Very easy to use. Really happy that I went this route. Though it was the largest ticket item in the whole build.

I went back and forth on how to build the box. It needed to be light and small enough to fit in the garage with the rooftop tent still mounted. I thought about welding angle steel for the wall framing. Then I looked at heavy-gauge steel stud walls. Right as I started building this wood prices started getting crazy, and metal started doing the same shortly after. I found a Facebook Marketplace find on 3/4" plywood so I jumped on 5 sheets of that and then decided to do the wall and ceiling framing in 2X3s. It didn't turn out as heavy as I thought so I am happy with that decision.

I bolted the bottom tracks through the 3/4" plywood deck and then through the steel frame.

I applied a waterproofing membrane to the exterior of the box that we use in shower construction. Mapei AquaDefense

 

[WhereRU_A-A-Ron]

Very nice so far! Definitely following this!

 

[Will]

Next up was cladding the exterior. I purchased 4 painted 4x8 aluminum sheets for the top and sides and used spray adhesive to adhere it to the plywood box.

Next was a TEARDROP CAMPER DOORS

I looked for a JL Rubicon spare tire carrier for a week or so (ya know, like the one I threw in the trash a couple of years ago). But folks are pretty proud of those things these days. So I ended up just getting a JK tire carrier from a friend. I used butyl tape everywhere screws penetrate the aluminum sheeting as a waterproofing measure.

Now to give the interior some lovin'! I used cheap, peel-n-stick vinyl flooring and 1/4" sanded plywood for the walls.

 

[Moto_21]

Very awesome!

 

[Will]

For the corners, I wrapped them in butyl tape and then capped them with 1/16" aluminum angle. In hindsight, I should have used thicker/sturdier angle material or gone with a thinner tape. I expected the butyl tape to compress some when torquing down the screws on the aluminum but it bent it in a few places before it would compress the butyl. That is dense stuff! So it ended up being higher off of the roof than i expected so I went back and used silicone caulking to seal all the roof joints where the aluminum angle meets the roof. This thing should not leak. If she leaks, I'll try something different.

For the rear door, I knew we needed as much access as possible to throw in all the camping gear, fishing poles, and a couple of kids' kayaks. I started looking at hinges then remembered I saved the factory tailgate hinges from when I did a tire carrier swap. "We can make this work!"

The door was made from the piece of 3/4" plywood that I cut from the rear wall. I added stops to the framing behind it to keep it from swinging too far inward. Next, I added 2" aluminum plate around the edges and put weather stripping behind it. A 36" cam bar provides compression for the weather stripping and keeps the barn door secure. Very happy with how the rear door turned out and that I was able to incorporate some of the Jeep (Loretta's) original parts into her trail companion. I think those little details help tie the two together.

The lights are a cheap, LED utility trailer kit that I got from the guy who sold me the frame originally. I ended up just doing the 4-wire plug but maybe down the road we will get crazy with some additional electrical, but for now, we are keeping it simple in that arena.

 

[Will]

MAIDEN VOYAGE! We hooked her up and drug her down the road for the first time this past weekend. She rides well. It was a little bouncy at first but I chalked that up to tire pressure and no load. I am guessing that right now the whole thing weighs 700-800 lbs. I'll need to find some scales once I get all the accessories on here. I dropped the tire pressure from 30 to 15 and that did not change the tire shape at all. It did remove a little bit of the bounce. And when I say "bounce" I mean that I could tell there was a slight up and down motion that I could see in the rearview. My wife could not pick it up at all. So maybe I have high expectations for this little thing that still has Harbor Freight leaf springs with bushings only in the front eyes. I may end up having to replace the springs but at the moment I think the light-duty spring rate is going to be just fine as long as she doesn't get too heavy. This was an exciting day. It's been a lot of work! I started the build in February 2021 so it took about 3 months to get to this point working on it when I could.

 

[FLjeeper]

That is FANTASTIC! Excellent build!

 

[BroncoHound]

Terrific craftsmanship and problem solving! I, for one, really appreciate the little Jeep nods you managed to work in where you could. Have you kept a running tally of how much money you have in the project? I sure hope this inspires others to try the DIY route; I bet you have more pride in ownership of this trailer than the folks with the $30k+ models. I certainly would, at least.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Great job and I'm looking at doing something similar. One question though, does everybody fit? If so, how is everybody laying? I'm looking at 2 adults, 2 kids, and a dog. I think it would be a really tight fit in there for 4 people.

 

[Will]

Great job and I'm looking at doing something similar. One question though, does everybody fit? If so, how is everybody laying? I'm looking at 2 adults, 2 kids, and a dog. I think it would be a really tight fit in there for 4 people.

They don’t all fit in the trailer. The plan is for me, my wife and the dog to sleep in the trailer. The kids will be in a rooftop tent on top. I’m hoping to have the roof rack and tent mounted this weekend and I’ll post some pics.

 

[alksion]

Just curious, I know you’re lugging around items in this trailer. Will you all be sleeping in there as well? Mattress to sleep on? Kitchen / cooking area? Thanks in advanced.

 

[Will]

Here’s a better shot of the inside. I’m 5’ 10”.
I guess I should have noted that this is a 4x8 trailer. The interior ceiling height is 34”. If my wife and I feel tight in there we might swap the kids for the rooftop tent. We haven’t gotten that far yet. Once we have a chance to take it camping we will check it all out. Neither one of us has been in this rooftop tent before either so we are looking forward to getting that mounting and testing it out.

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