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OK I have wanted to buy a 4x4 capable trailer but frustration with what you get and the price is high. $16,000 for just a shell is ridiculous so I did the obvious against family advice and won this 2004 Military Penman GS trailer. It is pretty tough and rated to 1.13 tonnes all up weight. The shell body is made of stainless steel so rust is not an issue. Won at Army auction for $910 (all $$ in this build are CDN) so picking up sometime this week.
Has a pintle hook and disc surge brakes which first order is to lengthen the hitch, remove the big heavy surge brake and pintle setup and add a new disc surge controller with mods to it to slide a swivel hitch in.
Media blast the trailer and leave the surface shiny SS with perhaps a decal.
Do a Jenny Craig plan on where to drop other weight just because lighter is better.
Trailer brand is my Aussie/Kiwi nickname Baza then add Bilt - Baza-Bilt
Box is 6ft long x 5ft wide and I will extend or cut away to make it 6' 6" long for my long son then build a wall system of 1x1 steel frame with Carbon Fiber sheet covering 1M above the box then build a 600mm pop top that will lift on struts and clamp down with swing brackets to stabilise while up.
Will have solar power, 12/120V converter-inverter, city and pump water, 120 Liter water tank, shore power, instant propane water heater, modular kitchen with stove, shower, 270 awning with sides, fridge Dometic 75, bunk for granddaughter and last but not least a composting toilet.
I will provide updates as time progresses but the trailer will be ready to use perhaps not complete but good enough by end of July.
Certified welder friend is doing the importand structure changes.
Standby. Sorry for the picture quality but it is from the website. Better ones once I get it.
Yeah it will be fun and quick. Want to get some use out of this thing. Have to borrow a pintle hook hitch to go get it as that is being discarded in favour of a Baza-Bilt swivel hitch c/w surge brake controller.
OK moving on. Hitch is removed for lowering but not sure if I want to use the pintle hitch. One advantage is they swivel and are not noisy if one uses the correct size hole for the ring and are difficult to steal in the bush if the safety chains are removed. My first plan is to get the interior all laid out, painted and final equipment mounted. Built the kitchen cabinet today for the countertop, stove and collapsible sink. Also the unit will slide out 4ft on 500lb drawer slides and have 2 storage doors in the side. Remainder of interior equipment is a slider for the fridge (just can't bend over far enough to pay $500 for a slide so will build my own with exact same function for $150), and mount the 28 gal water tank within the weight and balance zone. The trailer needs virtually nothing done underneath and even has a sway bar which is gone to make it ride a little better. Then the hitch work. Picture of cabinet frame which so far cost $0. It will slide straight out 4ft.
Gosh, I'm sorry I've been MIA lately . I've totally missed this!! Looks like a fun project. I could never swallow paying the prices for those trailers for sale, which is why I built mine. I originally thought about going military like this but ended up just building from the ground up thinking it was going to be easier than modding some existing thing.
IDK why you've looked at, but I went with a Lock N Roll hitch. I've loved it for several years now. Quiet, swivels, and nobody gonna have the other end to ever steal it when it's unhooked. The down side is $$$$$. It was a large chunk of my overall cost to build.
Russ, I can't use a LockNRoll type as ?I have surge disc brakes on this and need to activate. Thought about using the pintle as it is surge type operator and swivels like a Lok N Roll type. Trouble is the pintle if it craps out then I am off the road waiting for parts from England if they are even available.
Russ, I can't use a LockNRoll type as ?I have surge disc brakes on this and need to activate. Thought about using the pintle as it is surge type operator and swivels like a Lok N Roll type. Trouble is the pintle if it craps out then I am off the road waiting for parts from England if they are even available.
Sure you’ve thought of this already. Buy the spare pintle parts now. I’d think a place like Grainger or Chinese EBay would have spare pintle hitch stuff.
06-17-2023, 03:17 PM
My Offgrid Trailer Build
. I've totally missed this!! Looks like a fun project. I could never swallow paying the prices for those trailers for sale, which is why I built mine. I originally thought about going military like this but ended up just building from the ground up thinking it was going to be easier than modding some existing thing.
