# Our Prepper Trailer



## gadget99

Hi All,

Just back from the short camping trip.

Here are a few pictures of the Trailer.

Trailer on the Beast









Getting ready to set-up









Starting the unload









Unloaded what we were going to use and the kitchen being set-up









Sink and Draining board with storage under the sink









Double oven with firebox, as I was unloading the ovens. 









Getting ready to start cooking.


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## Enchant18

Great set up!


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## Grimm

I like it. Very functional.


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## northstarprepper

Count me as a fan as well. Great job!


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## gadget99

Thank you for the kind remarks.

The majority of the trailer was made from things people were throwing away.


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## Tirediron

That trailer is great, but the missing dust covers on the hubs is kind of making me nervous, dirt and grease mixed aren't the best media for wheel bearings to run in.


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## hiwall

Good eye, Tirediron!


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## tsrwivey

Awesome! Great job!


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## weedygarden

Gadget, I like it a lot! I like how it is set up with the various components. But now some nitty gritty questions.

The trailer looks very similar to a trailer I acquired for cheap last year, a Harbor Freight 4 ft x 4 ft. ? I have wondered about the possibilities of using mine to bug out, or even just to go camping. This gives me great ideas. 

The wheels are smaller, similar to my trailer. Do you keep a spare? 

What were your steps in getting your trailer set up? I would think it would start with the basic framing. I have the horizontal trailer bed. You have vertical framing on yours. Did you add that or did it come that way? The vertical parts look welded on.

Your stove appears to be a butane? How effective do you find it to be for a cook stove?

It looks like you have a single kitchen sink with a drain hose? I always thought of using a 5 gallon bucket, but in certain settings, this would be much more convenient.

More questions later! Thanks for sharing!


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## CapnJack

Love it! Very cool.


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## gadget99

weedygarden said:


> Gadget, I like it a lot! I like how it is set up with the various components. But now some nitty gritty questions.
> 
> The trailer looks very similar to a trailer I acquired for cheap last year, a Harbor Freight 4 ft x 4 ft. ? I have wondered about the possibilities of using mine to bug out, or even just to go camping. This gives me great ideas.
> 
> The wheels are smaller, similar to my trailer. Do you keep a spare?
> 
> What were your steps in getting your trailer set up? I would think it would start with the basic framing. I have the horizontal trailer bed. You have vertical framing on yours. Did you add that or did it come that way? The vertical parts look welded on.
> 
> Your stove appears to be a butane? How effective do you find it to be for a cook stove?
> 
> It looks like you have a single kitchen sink with a drain hose? I always thought of using a 5 gallon bucket, but in certain settings, this would be much more convenient.
> 
> More questions later! Thanks for sharing!


Hiya,

I just built it from scratch.

The stove is butane, I didnt bring the wood fired stove or the petrol stoves on this trip.

The kitchen sink drains to a 5 gal container.

I am putting in the water filtration set-up in the next roud of mods.


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## weedygarden

Thanks! 

I think I need to start looking at my little $20 trailer and begin designing it for camping. I got it from a friend and they used it for camping for years, but just with some bins on the top to put in sleeping bags, etc. It has been changed up since then, but I believe it has much more ability than it has been used for.

The small tires concern me on mine. Didn't we have a thread where someone said these are only good for about a 100 mile trip? It made me re-think using this. I have driven mine 300 miles and if needed, I could drive almost 500 miles to family. For me to have a spare tire, or two, is a better preparation.


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## goshengirl

gadget99 said:


> I am putting in the water filtration set-up in the next roud of mods.


I would love to see your water filtration set-up. :2thumb:


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## GrinnanBarrett

Curious where you stow your spare tire? Did you build it yourself? Nice job if you did.


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## sewserious

weedygarden said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I think I need to start looking at my little $20 trailer and begin designing it for camping. I got it from a friend and they used it for camping for years, but just with some bins on the top to put in sleeping bags, etc. It has been changed up since then, but I believe it has much more ability than it has been used for.
> 
> The small tires concern me on mine. Didn't we have a thread where someone said these are only good for about a 100 mile trip? It made me re-think using this. I have driven mine 300 miles and if needed, I could drive almost 500 miles to family. For me to have a spare tire, or two, is a better preparation.


What size tires are you talking about? We have an older pop-up with 8" trailer tires, rated for 65 MPH (as most are, even larger ones), and they last just fine. Not sure how many miles but I would guess around 2,000 miles or so (or around 5 years whichever comes first, as they will dry rot when just sitting and not being used). As long as you keep them properly inflated, they are just fine. I worry more about the wheel bearings than I do the tires


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## gadget99

GrinnanBarrett said:


> Curious where you stow your spare tire? Did you build it yourself? Nice job if you did.


Hiya,

the spare is in the back of my truck at the moment.

Yes I built it from scratch.


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## tc556guy

I'm kicking around the idea of getting a trailer to pre-load and have ready to hook up and go in a time of need
How do you guys with soft-sided trailers handle the security of your gear if you leave the trailer anywhere?
I'd want a lockable unit but it seems like there isn't much on the market that ahs a decent amount of storage capacity, ground clearance, etc. You're at the extremes of a low volume expedition trailer or a high capacity cargo trailer that's only good for road use


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## Balls004

Good idea and nice implementation! Now you've got me thinking about a new project just for the fun of it!


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## gadget99

The trailer was a first try at making what I wanted. I am reworking it now. 

I have 20mm Ammo Cans Welded into it that are lockable, along with a large steel tool chest about the size of a foot locker. That is where I keep stuff that I don't want stolen.

The size of the trailer is not as big as I would like, yet I wanted something that could pull in light offroad conditions.


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## Tirediron

tc556guy said:


> I'm kicking around the idea of getting a trailer to pre-load and have ready to hook up and go in a time of need
> How do you guys with soft-sided trailers handle the security of your gear if you leave the trailer anywhere?
> I'd want a lockable unit but it seems like there isn't much on the market that ahs a decent amount of storage capacity, ground clearance, etc. You're at the extremes of a low volume expedition trailer or a high capacity cargo trailer that's only good for road use


A single or even a tandem axle cargo trailer can be made somewhat offroad friendly by installing larger tires, some times the fenders will have to be moved for additional clearance. and a set of skid pads added to keep it from getting bumper hung. the other solution is a pickup box trailer made from a similar model to you tow rig with same size tires.


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## oldasrocks

weedygarden said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I think I need to start looking at my little $20 trailer and begin designing it for camping. I got it from a friend and they used it for camping for years, but just with some bins on the top to put in sleeping bags, etc. It has been changed up since then, but I believe it has much more ability than it has been used for.
> 
> The small tires concern me on mine. Didn't we have a thread where someone said these are only good for about a 100 mile trip? It made me re-think using this. I have driven mine 300 miles and if needed, I could drive almost 500 miles to family. For me to have a spare tire, or two, is a better preparation.


What should be more of a concern that very few think about is the bearings. Little trailers are rated at like 500 lbs. In my shop I've repaired several of these for people. Repair means a stronger axle put on.

Remember load rate is NOT the total weight of the cargo. It includes the trailer and then deduct 30% for shock load.-bouncing down a rough road-- Shock load= set a brick on your foot then drop the brick from 3 ft high on your foot. The resulting pain is shock load. Trailer hits bump, axle breaks= shock load.


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## Tirediron

Just a little heads up, If you buy a small trailer to build a Prep trailer out of make sure that you can get bearings for the axle and make sure that the existing bearings are well packed with grease and properly adjusted ( a tiny bit of preload) 
As oldasrocks mentioned don't skimp on axle size when looking for a trailer.


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## gadget99

*Prep Trailer*

The axle on this trailer is the rear axle from a Reliant Robin.

So easy to get parts.


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## Tirediron

gadget99 said:


> The axle on this trailer is the rear axle from a Reliant Robin.
> 
> So easy to get parts.


An auto motive axle is a great choice, because of the stated parts availability and there being designed to last a long time/ mileage.


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