[Snakeii]

Any trailer builders in the group? Comments, suggestions welcomed.

I'm wondering what the best approach would be to create a trailer that uses the long bed of a Tacoma.

Find a wrecked Tacoma and hack the frame apart and keep the suspension, etc intact? Or have a frame custom built with the suspension and mount the bed to it?

Keep the axle or trash it and set up independent suspension?

Trash the plastic bed and go with metal?

I like Tacodocs camper setup, but I think it would be too top heavy for a trailer. Plus I like the idea of a hard top camper so that bikes, kayaks or whatever can be mounted on top, regardless if the camper is extended or not.

This is something I always wanted to do with the MR2 but never got around to it.

The truck is a picture of tacogrl's, just slightly modified, it was a good parallel side shot of the truck. Just a quick edit to get the general idea.

 

[Phi Kai]

Any trailer builders in the group? Comments, suggestions welcomed.

I'm wondering what the best approach would be to create a trailer that uses the long bed of a Tacoma.

Find a wrecked Tacoma and hack the frame apart and keep the suspension, etc intact? Or have a frame custom built with the suspension and mount the bed to it?

Keep the axle or trash it and set up independent suspension?

Trash the plastic bed and go with metal?

I like Tacodocs camper setup, but I think it would be too top heavy for a trailer. Plus I like the idea of a hard top camper so that bikes, kayaks or whatever can be mounted on top, regardless if the camper is extended or not.

This is something I always wanted to do with the MR2 but never got around to it.

The truck is a picture of tacogrl's, just slightly modified, it was a good parallel side shot of the truck. Just a quick edit to get the general idea.

your picture amuses me

 

[Snakeii]

your picture amuses me

It was a quick hack and I'm far from being a Photoshop guru. I do wish I had put more space between the "trailer" and truck, but I didnt want to spend too much more time on it to correct it.

 

[Corban_White]

when you use a truck bed to make a trailer, you use the frame too. it is made by removing the cab, engine, front axle, etc., chopping the front of the frame off to achieve the correct length and then bending the rails to the middle and attaching the coupler. basically requiring an entire donor truck to make a trailer. now, if you want a trailer that looks like your taco, I would suggest building a regular steel frame trailer complete with a trailer axle, etc. and then bolting the taco bed to it. this would, of course, require measuring the taco bed before you build the trailer to make sure everything lines up and looks good.

 

[Snakeii]

when you use a truck bed to make a trailer, you use the frame too. it is made by removing the cab, engine, front axle, etc., chopping the front of the frame off to achieve the correct length and then bending the rails to the middle and attaching the coupler. basically requiring an entire donor truck to make a trailer. now, if you want a trailer that looks like your taco, I would suggest building a regular steel frame trailer complete with a trailer axle, etc. and then bolting the taco bed to it. this would, of course, require measuring the taco bed before you build the trailer to make sure everything lines up and looks good.

I've seen a lot of trailers from hacked trucks. I guess they can be made fairly inexpensive compared to other alternatives. The one advantage is the frame is already in place, so you just need to weld a drawbar/a-frame to it.

Either way I think Id want the ability to open up both ends of it. For carrying extra fuel and other things I would want all of that inside it, because thieves suck and I dont want to deal with removing or locking the stuff up. If I did have a frame built for it, it would probably be easier to modify it on the drawing board to accomodate some extras then to modify the Toyota frame. I think a metal bed is in order too. So I guess it would be just a matter of getting the panels, measuring where all the mounts are, and build the frame.

I'm not sure if this would be a worthy project, or if I should just settle on a Adventure Trailer. The retail on those is $4000, but its a done deal for a trailer that can go off-road, smaller more manueverable. The advantage of the long bed trailer would be more room for stuff, could use it for just about anything other then just off-roading fun like picking up sheets of wood and sheet rock, long enough to sleep in, and I think it would look more custom/nicer then a square box.

 

[Bullroarer Took]

What kind of popup camper is that? (Can't read it.)

 

[Snakeii]

What kind of popup camper is that? (Can't read it.)

Lofty Shelters - Pages

I like them because when stored they are aerodynamic. They pop up rather then having to unfold one built like a tent, which means less time out in the elements when its raining, and you can install a rack on top of it.

One thing I dont get is they state 35 lbs on the rack. Most kayaks weigh more then that, and more then 1 bike exceeds it as well. I dont know if thats a misprint or what.