Well, I suppose it's an RBV....

[AllanD]

Spent part of yesterday stripping a frame.

I'm taking a frame from a 1985 Longbed Ranger to make a trailer.

Someone already removed the cab mount brackets and leaf spring brackets
(saving me the effort) as I have new spring mounts anyway.

What amused me most was that the frame when stripped
(it's already cut off 4" forward of the transmission crossmember)
only weighs 140#

I already have a clean 7' bed and a 3500# electric brake trailer axle.
The last part of the package is Explorer Springs rebuilt onto an Explorer
Sport mono-leaf main leaf.

Basically I've wanted a Ranger based utility trailer, because with the simple addition (or removal) of a cap you can have an open or an enclosed trailer.

Open for hauling Coal, firewood, Top soil or manure, enclosed for carrying auto parts, etc....

AD

[rickcdewitt]

i was thinking about doing that with an 88 long bed,but i was told that tongue weight and weight distribution might be screwy.the guy who said that made his from a short bed though and i suppose the distance of the tongue from the bed has an impact.i don't know? it would be cool to pull a rbv trailer behind the ranger with some mudders on it.kind of a matching off road trailer?anyway good luck.

[compleckz]

a local guy did the same thing with an old s10, and he's got one of those TALL caps on it.. cheap little rugged trailer

[AllanD]

Yes tongue length has an effect on tongue weight

But so does WHERE you put the weight in the trainer.

I also have a York Load-Lok bedliner for it and I'm
nearly OCD about adding cargo tiedowns..

In addition I'm mounting a fuel tank TO the tongue
I have a big aluminum Crossbed fuel tank for an F-series
that is almost exactly the same width as the ranger bed
so that's going on a fabricated bracket made of 2-1/2" 3/8"
thick angle iron.

That plus a pair of 40gallon econoline box van tanks that'll be mounted under it
will give me a pretty good ability to shift balance anywhere I want it.

The plan to mount tanks UNDER the trailer wasn't the prime
motivation for using a real trailer axle (to resolve axle Vs tank
clearance issues) but it was a close second....

the fact that I don't have to deal with exhaust or a driveshaft
frees up all that SPACE....

AD

[rickcdewitt]

Yes tongue length has an effect on tongue weight

But so does WHERE you put the weight in the trainer.


ADif i had a personal trainer ^^^ i know where i'de put my weight in her:D.seriously though,did you say that you are using a long bed?it would be a pretty long trailer with enough tongue to not mash that gas tank mounted on it when its jack knifed.sounds like a cool idea for a base camp supply trailer though.

[AllanD]

Somewhere around here I have a carpet covered polyethylene "bed mat"
and that would actually let me use the trailer as a mini-camper

Back in my 'yota days we'd go camping and I'd sleep in the truck bed after
all the gear and tents were offloaded. It was jokingly called "Al's aluminum tent"
Buy my "tent" never blew over, got a flooded floor...etc.

In this case with the trailer on a 7foot bed I have a fiberglass cap for it
for when I intend to sleep in it, fiberglass caps are far less prone to leaking
and I hate sleeping under a leaky roof.

I also have a 1-1/4" receiver hitch I'm putting on the trailer frame.
No, not to tow anything behind the trailer, but to mount a support
in to keep the trailer from tipping over backwards when it's unhitched
and light in the front...

AD

[racsan]

ive seen that done before, the box of the trailer matched the tow vehicle, even had the same style rims.