Build for Off Road S02E03

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Transcript

00:00Today on Build for Off-Road we're gonna take this Gladiator bed that I've had laying out

00:08here behind the shop for a few years and turn it into something cool.

00:11Today in the shop we've got my two-door Jeep Gladiator. Now this project has been around for

00:19a while and if you remember it started life as a four-door Jeep JK, cut it in half, built the

00:25custom two-door Gladiator and then it has been back here for a bunch of work. Now it has the LS

00:30underneath the hood it's got all new suspension and steering and it's pretty much a throw-down

00:34rock crawler with a Jeep body wrapped around the outside. But you cannot say that overlanding

00:40isn't popular because really it is. You see overlanding rigs everywhere you go and I love

00:46them I think they're cool but I don't want to drive a vehicle every single day with a big rack on the

00:52back and a rooftop tent and a whole bunch of stuff bolted to the outside of it. I think that's a

00:56little silly but I'd like to have all that stuff ready to go at a moment's notice in case I get

01:01invited on an impromptu camping trip. So what's the best solution if you want all that overlanding gear

01:07but you don't want it on your daily driver? The answer to that is a trailer. That's what we're

01:12going to build today. We're going to build a custom trailer and the reason that this Jeep is in here

01:17is because it's going to match this Jeep when it's all done. It starts over here. Way over here.

01:23Probably the hardest part about building your own adventure trailer or overlanding trailer is finding

01:28a place to start. Now you could go out and just buy an old trailer and modify it. You could build a

01:34trailer from scratch and sort of hope that it all works or you can get something like this. This is

01:39actually a complete trailer kit. Now this is a bolt together trailer kit. You also have the option of

01:46welding it. So my plan is to basically fully assemble this chassis and then we will weld it

01:51together. I'll basically bolt it together just to hold it in place. But the way that this trailer

01:55kit works that makes it really cool is the fact that we have a lot of storage at the front but the

02:01entire package is designed to work with a factory gladiator bed mounted onto the back. That's why it's

02:09going to match my truck because we're going to have a gladiator bed on the back, a bunch of storage on

02:13the front and then we'll have the exact same tires and wheels that I already have on my Jeep. I have

02:18no idea how this goes together.

02:25Bam! It's a trailer. Now this trailer kit is exactly that. It's a kit. It's designed just to

02:32sort of get you started on your trailer project. Although a lot of the geometry is kind of figured

02:38out because the bed that we're putting on this being the gladiator bed if we have just it the

02:44problem is is the tongue distance from the hitch to the center of the rear axle is not good because

02:49the gladiator bed is really long on the back and short on the front. So this trailer is designed like

02:55I said before I allow that storage up front but it is designed to work with readily available off the

03:00shelf suspension components. This is what's often referred to as a torsion axle. So we don't have an axle

03:06shaft that goes across this particular trailer. We have two independent suspension pieces. They got

03:12these little rubber bushings in the bottom and that is actually the spring in the system. The spindle

03:17simply bolts onto this and then the tire and wheel and drum and axle assembly all go onto that.

03:23They also have an integrated wheel adapter so we'll be able to run those JK wheels so it matches our

03:30Jeep JK that we're running. So the cool thing is this all simply bolts together as I said but we're

03:35going to weld it. So I think what we'll do right now is we'll probably take this frame, get it up on

03:40the fab table, make sure it's good and square and then we'll bolt it all together and then I'm going

03:45to weld it because there's a few items on here that I want to beef up just a little bit.

03:56Boop, boop, boop. I have our trailer frame up on the fab table and when you're going to weld

04:01something like this honestly the best welder to go for is just a good old-fashioned MIG welder. The

04:07MIG welder is so nice. I like to refer to these as basically an electric glue gun because once you

04:13have the settings set right and you have your pattern down it is super easy to create good

04:18consistent welds over a large frame like this. Now if you're doing a lot of MIG welding a great

04:23option is to go ahead and get one of these what are often referred to as full frame MIG welders like

04:28this Aesop Rustler. The nice thing about the full frame MIG welder is the fact that you have a longer

04:33stinger or longer cord so you can move around to more items. It carries the larger spool of wire,

04:39the big 33 pounder so you don't have to worry about running out of wire and they usually carry

04:43the large tank of shielding gas like this one does. So just if you're doing a lot of production welding

04:49a heavy duty MIG welder like this is great to have in your shop. But there's some other things that

04:54will ensure that you have a good quality finished MIG weld and this is where you got to make that

05:00bridge between okay I'm done doing fab work and now I'm going to get ready to do some actual welding.

05:05You see me wear these gloves all the time these are often called fab gloves these are great for

05:09working in the shop and then also a little bit of tack welding but when it comes time to actually

05:13break out the MIG welder you want to get a set of these heavy duty MIG welding gloves. There's a lot of

05:19heat and a lot of spatter that comes out of the MIG welder so having a good set of heavy duty

05:23MIG welding gloves is great. Some type of FR which stands for flame resistant shirt or welding jacket

05:29because just a work shirt like this you're going to get spatter all over your arms it's going to

05:33burn through it so having an FR shirt or welding sleeves or jacket makes it a lot better. Good

05:37quality welding hood and this hood from ESAB this is my A50 I've used it for years. The nice thing

05:43about this helmet is you can swap out the front shield that's just a protective cover so you can

05:48easily swap out to a fresh one. If you're about to tackle a big welding job like this it's a good idea

05:53to put on a new shielding lens for the front of that thing and if you want to play around you can

05:57play around the two different colors there's clear and yellow. I like to run the yellow one when I'm

06:00doing MIG welding. Another great item to have if you're doing a bunch of MIG welding is some type of

06:06anti-spatter spray. Now this is CRC WeldAid HD2. Now this is an anti-spatter spray that provides a

06:14protective coating over not only the area that you are welding but all the areas around it and what it will do is it will

06:21prevent the spatter from basically coming off the weld and embedding itself on either the finished

06:27piece that you're welding or the tooling and the fixtures around it. It makes clean up a lot easier

06:32and it just prevents damage to the tools that you're using it. It also doesn't have any silicone

06:37in it and that's a huge deal if you plan to coat the item with some type of paint or powder coat

06:41later. They also have a similar product that's designed to work in the nozzle of the MIG gun to

06:47prevent spatter buildup on your nozzles if that's an issue for your machine.

07:00Man I love this welder! Now that all the welding is done on our frame we'll basically drop the

07:06suspension in place, flip this thing over and then we can put it on some tires and wheels and then

07:10put the bed on.

07:17Okay, and out!

07:43Okay, now we can go up.

08:01So you can see the benefit to the torsion suspension now that it's all put back together.

08:06Because essentially, unlike a regular axle that would be traveling across the underside of this trailer,

08:12we have independent suspension.

08:14So this tire is going to move independent of the other tire.

08:18That allows it to drive over rocks, obviously, a little bit better.

08:21Now, this whole rear suspension package is definitely overkill for the weight of this trailer.

08:27But when it comes to a trailer, it's always nice to be overbuilt than underbuilt.

08:32Because, yes, we really just have a frame and we're putting a gladiator bed on the back.

08:35But when it comes to overlanding, quite often what we're really doing is overpacking

08:40and putting a whole bunch of stuff in the bed of the truck, on the bed of the truck.

08:45So in this case, I want to make sure the trailer was good and strong.

08:48Our hubs are the standard six-bolt hub that you see on most trailers.

08:53But we want to run the matching wheels on our trailer with our Jeep JK.

08:57So our hub manufacturer offers these wheel adapters.

08:59Now, they are a two-piece wheel adapter.

09:01So one thing you want to pay attention to is you're going to want to put some blue Loctite on both the lug nuts

09:06and on the studs that are going to bolt this outer wheel adapter into place.

09:11And another thing that you want to pay attention to whenever you're looking for any type of wheel spacer or adapter

09:16is making sure that it's hub-centric.

09:19That means that this ring on the inside is machined to key into the brake drum.

09:24And then it's got this little lip right here, which will key into the outer adapter.

09:29And then this will key into the wheels.

09:32That way, the lug nuts aren't centering the tire and wheel on the hub.

09:36The actual wheel is basically being located by this hub-centric ring.

09:40Makes it a lot stronger and run a lot truer.

09:43Once these are bolted on, we can install our tires and wheels.

09:46And our trailer is in our rolling chassis.

09:54Boom. Tire.

09:55In case it's not obvious, I've had this Gladiator bed out here behind the shop for quite some time.

10:04I really didn't know what I was going to do with it when I bought it.

10:06I thought maybe in the future I'd build another two-door Jeep Gladiator.

10:09But now, this is going to be the perfect base for our adventure trailer.

10:15We just got to get it out from behind all the weeds.

10:17Okay, boom.

10:36Here we go.

10:37Down's a daisy.

10:38Installed.

10:42So at this point, you can see how this trailer frame works with the Gladiator bed

10:47and the problem that you have with just using the Gladiator bed.

10:50The Gladiator bed is short at the front and has a little bit of an overhang.

10:53So if you were to just put the tongue of the trailer right here,

10:56then obviously the, basically, math from the pivot point of the tongue

11:00back to the center line of the axle is not going to work out,

11:03which is why you have this huge area up here to work with.

11:06Now, you can get a bunch of extra things for this trailer

11:10or you can just do what we're going to do

11:11and that's just going to be build our own items on here.

11:14I think what I want to have up here is a spare tire.

11:17Right now, I carry it in the back of my Jeep.

11:19I think I'll put it up here in the front.

11:21I'm going to put a tongue box on there.

11:23I got a trailer jack that I can add.

11:24And then I've got a giant cooler that I'm going to put right in the middle

11:29to carry all the food that I'm going to need when I'm out on my adventures.

11:32And then, well, once that fab work's done, then we might paint it.

11:36But right now, spare tire mount.

11:38Tape measure!

11:48I'm mounting the spare tire vertically like this near the front of the trailer

11:53and I'm actually going to anchor it with a ratchet strap

11:55that's going to go all the way around and then anchor into these wheel chalk plates.

11:59Now, these wheel chalk plates are part of a wheel chalk tie-down kit from Strapino.

12:05These are designed to work with a flatbed trailer.

12:07You basically mount them to the bed of the trailer

12:10and then the ratchet straps go around the tire and lock into this e-track.

12:14But Strapino has a bunch of different styles of ratchet straps

12:17and when you're building a trailer, it's just a good idea to get a good collection of ratchet straps

12:22to keep in that trailer because you never know what you're going to need

12:25to tie down in the back.

12:27The cool thing about these straps is they have a bunch of different weight ratings.

12:30So there's a 2-inch that can hold up to 10,000 pounds.

12:33They have 1.5-inch, 6,000 pounds.

12:35For large cargo, they have straps that are over 20 feet long

12:38with a pretty standard double J hook at either end.

12:41They have the locking hook with the axle loop that we use a lot in automotive applications.

12:45And they even have the fixed hook hooked right up to the ratchet strap.

12:50The ratcheting mechanism inside has a patented deacceleration spring in there.

12:55And what that does is sometimes with these retractable straps,

12:59when you unhook them, they come flying back like a seatbelt.

13:02But these ones, when you unhook them, they actually slow down as they come back in.

13:06You don't have to worry about them flying back in, maybe flying over your shoulder,

13:10hitting your car, damaging it, or possibly hitting you.

13:13They're nice and safe.

13:14They're available in a bunch of different colors and a bunch of different styles.

13:17They are a great option to have in the trailer or in your tow rig for when you're out on the trail.

13:32Boom.

13:33Strapino.

13:44Wouldn't it be funny if it didn't reach?

13:53Don't want to get splat on the jacks.

14:00Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah.

14:14Oh, yeah.

14:14Okay.

14:14Today, we are putting together a custom overlanding trailer.

14:18Now, so far, I've got this gladiator bed mounted on the back, all the suspensions in place,

14:22storage box up front, spare tire mount, as well as my jack.

14:26And now we can deal with some of the cool features about using a gladiator bed because

14:31you can use a bunch of gladiator accessories.

14:33Now, one thing that I noticed on the back of this bed, specifically because it's been

14:37stored outside, is the fact that you spend a lot of money on the accessories that you put

14:43into these things, especially if you're really into overlanding.

14:46And quite often, they'll come with some great stainless steel fasteners, but then in other

14:51places, they do not.

14:53And the problem is, is those fasteners, when they're out in the elements over long periods

14:57of time, they're going to start to rust and corrode.

14:59And not only do they not look good, it actually makes them less strong.

15:03Now, we have known about ARP fasteners forever.

15:07We use them in a bunch of engine builds and axle builds because of the high quality, made

15:11in the USA steel, and the strength of the fasteners that are designed to use.

15:16But you can also get a full line of stainless steel fasteners from ARP.

15:21It has all the same benefits as their engine fasteners, and the fact that it is high quality

15:26steel, it is made in the USA, it is tested, it's available in a bunch of different lengths

15:32and well, sizes, but it's full stainless steel.

15:35So that prevents any type of corrosion in the future, and it'll basically keep all of your

15:40accessories looking good and secure.

15:42So we're swapping these bolts out.

15:46I think much better that looks, huh?

15:49We can also take advantage of a bunch of accessories built specifically for the Gladiator bed.

15:53That's kind of what this trailer is all designed around.

15:56Like this impact liner from WeatherTech, even though this bed already has a bed liner sprayed

16:02into it, by putting that in place, it'll just make it a lot easier for when you're crawling

16:05around in the back of the bed, adjusting all your gear that you're going to take on your trip.

16:09And to make it easier to get in and out of the bed, I'm going to be using one of these

16:14Bump Step XLs.

16:16It's a 24-inch wide step.

16:17It can hold up to 300 pounds.

16:20And to make it work, I'm just going to add one of these universal receiver hitches onto

16:24the back of the truck.

16:25And because I've added this, I'll also be able to take advantage of things like this WeatherTech

16:30recovery point.

16:30It's a billet aluminum recovery point.

16:32Slides into the receiver hitch, gives you a large opening to put a soft shackle or a

16:37kinetic rope through, and it can hold up to 50,000 pounds.

16:41All this stuff, made in America.

16:49Boom.

16:49Step.

16:59Oh, there we go.

17:00Perfect.

17:02Oh, yeah.

17:11I added four tabs to the trailer frame for our refrigerator because it'll basically bolt

17:17into place from the bottom.

17:19But I get nervous with just using those attachment points for these large fridge-freezer combos

17:25if we're out on the trail.

17:26So just like I used the wheelchop kit up here for the spare, I modified a little bit of the

17:31E-track, and now I have the matching strap that I'll just use to secure this fridge when

17:35we're off-road.

17:36At this point, all of our fab work is essentially done.

17:40It's time to deal with the fact that this trailer frame is raw steel.

17:44Now, there's lots of ways that you could coat it.

17:46I am a huge fan of spray painting off-road vehicles because that way, when you get a scratch or a

17:53ding on it, you can just simply touch it up yourself.

17:55You don't have to tear it all apart and take it out to a powder coater.

17:58I am going to be spraying this with Seymour Stainless Blast Black Stainless Steel Finish

18:03Paint.

18:04Now, this may look just like a regular old flat black paint, but it's much more than that.

18:08This is part of their blast lineup of paint.

18:11You've probably seen the Stainless Blast, Cast Blast, and Alumablast.

18:15Especially the Stainless Blast gets used a lot in the off-road world because it has actual

18:19stainless steel embedded in the paint.

18:21Well, this is flat black that has the exact same chemical makeup as the Stainless Blast.

18:27So, it does have that stainless steel inside of it.

18:29That helps with corrosion protection.

18:31It also means that it is oil and gas resistant.

18:34And most important, we can apply it directly over the steel without having to apply any primer.

18:40Now, I have used this paint in the past, and I can tell you that if you damage your trailer

18:45or damage whatever you're painting with and you need to weld over it, you can weld directly

18:49over this Stainless Blast paint, and it will not contaminate your weld.

18:55I guess I should take things off before I paint it.

18:57So, even though I've started painting this frame, obviously we need to disassemble the

19:14entire chassis for the trailer in order to paint it.

19:18Plus, if you remember from the very beginning, I said the goal here was to have a finished

19:21adventure trailer that matches my two-door Jeep Gladiator, and this bed is the wrong color.

19:28So, at this point, what I need to do is basically pull this bed off, repaint this, strip the

19:33frame down, completely coat it, then we're going to put it all back together, and then we can

19:38tow it with the Gladiator.

19:39That's next.

20:09So, with the trailer done and now hooked up to the Gladiator, you can see how this whole

20:20thing works together as one package.

20:22Here's the best part about it.

20:24Now, if I want to go overlanding, I just hook up my adventure trailer and I go on a trip,

20:29and then when I get to a place where I actually want to do some real off-roading, I just unhook

20:34the hitch, put the jack down on the front, and all my overlanding stuff stays at the bottom

20:38of the trail, and I can still tackle hardcore trails with my Jeep, which has always been

20:43my beef with a well-built overlanding ring, because normally all that junk is sitting on

20:47the back of your pickup truck, so now I can still hit hardcore trails with my Jeep and

20:52have a comfortable place to stay at night.

20:54Let's go for an adventure.

20:56Let's pack this thing up.

21:04Let's pack this thing up.

21:34Let's pack this thing up.

21:41Hello.

21:42Ciao.

21:43Hi.

21:45We'll see you next time.

21:46Bye.

21:48Bye.

21:49Bye.

21:50Bye.

21:51Bye.

21:52Bye.

21:53Bye.

21:55Bye.

21:56Bye.

21:58Bye.

21:59Bye.

22:00Bye.

22:01Bye.

22:03Bye.

22:04Bye.

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