so guys who pull around a small ubuilt trailer or something similar, lets hear about your setup. I am going to build a trailer using my 85 pickup box and canopy, something to haul bulky gear, firewood, aluminum boat, mountain bikes, or utility work. Its the best of both worlds, drive a 4runner, tow a toyota pickup longbox trailer, makes alot of sense to me!
debating using the rear of the frame, toyota axle and springs, and box just how it is, and welding a draw bar and bolting a boat trailer tongue onto it. I would overbuild it for its purpose, gusset all areas of stress or fabricated areas, make it really beefy. The draw bar would probably be a triangle shape, built from 2x4 gusseted of course, put a diamond plate deck or a basket down to carry a cooler, propane tank, battery, whatever. Before you ask, I am able to take care of the welding and fabricating. Seems alot easier than trying to graft a box onto an already built utility trailer frame, and cheaper. I would be able to build it all from leftovers from the shop. Can anyone guess how much something like this would weigh? 7'6 toyota box with canopy on the rear of a toyota frame, with toyota axle and springs, 235.75r15 tires. I cant see it being much heavier than 500 pounds, but that is just a total guess, I have no idea how much a toyota box weighs.
what would you use as a hitch? if i build a beefy rear bumper out of 2x4 and weld a piece of reciever tube into it, gussets, build some 3/8 frame brackets, and bolt it onto the frame with 4 1/2" gr 8 bolts per side, and gussets it would definately be overbuilt for the low ammount of weight i would be towing. ive looked at various manuctured hitches, and this thing would be monstrous compared to those as its double purpose is a beefy offroad bumper. If its strong enough for tugging stuck trucks(because toyota diesels never get stuck, right?) then its strong enough for towing less than 1000lb.
can anyone see trouble in the future with the law doing something like this? I can legally register it, have it inspected or whatever insurance requires, but will the police be bothing me about not having a brand name hitch? I know we've all seen some really ******* ubuilt trailers from old truck boxes, you know the kind where its super rusty and falling apart, lights dont work, tires are bald, but this one will not be a piece of ****! it will be well built and the welds will look and be of professional quality, so I dont see what they could really hassle me with.
debating using the rear of the frame, toyota axle and springs, and box just how it is, and welding a draw bar and bolting a boat trailer tongue onto it. I would overbuild it for its purpose, gusset all areas of stress or fabricated areas, make it really beefy. The draw bar would probably be a triangle shape, built from 2x4 gusseted of course, put a diamond plate deck or a basket down to carry a cooler, propane tank, battery, whatever. Before you ask, I am able to take care of the welding and fabricating. Seems alot easier than trying to graft a box onto an already built utility trailer frame, and cheaper. I would be able to build it all from leftovers from the shop. Can anyone guess how much something like this would weigh? 7'6 toyota box with canopy on the rear of a toyota frame, with toyota axle and springs, 235.75r15 tires. I cant see it being much heavier than 500 pounds, but that is just a total guess, I have no idea how much a toyota box weighs.
what would you use as a hitch? if i build a beefy rear bumper out of 2x4 and weld a piece of reciever tube into it, gussets, build some 3/8 frame brackets, and bolt it onto the frame with 4 1/2" gr 8 bolts per side, and gussets it would definately be overbuilt for the low ammount of weight i would be towing. ive looked at various manuctured hitches, and this thing would be monstrous compared to those as its double purpose is a beefy offroad bumper. If its strong enough for tugging stuck trucks(because toyota diesels never get stuck, right?) then its strong enough for towing less than 1000lb.
can anyone see trouble in the future with the law doing something like this? I can legally register it, have it inspected or whatever insurance requires, but will the police be bothing me about not having a brand name hitch? I know we've all seen some really ******* ubuilt trailers from old truck boxes, you know the kind where its super rusty and falling apart, lights dont work, tires are bald, but this one will not be a piece of ****! it will be well built and the welds will look and be of professional quality, so I dont see what they could really hassle me with.