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Any threads on a Harbor Freight Trailer build out? On the fence between a 4x8 (or bigger from another brand) teardrop style vs a 4x4 (or 4x8) overlanding style with a rooftop tent.
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Aug 27, 2022 15:21
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There are a few good trailer build threads over at expedition portal.
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Aug 27, 2022 19:35
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I'm not really a fan of them. I have one and while it was abused, they're not very good quality. The powdercoat/paint is coming off in big sheets and the metal is low quality and rusting off in big sheets as well. The hubs are cheap crappy stamped sheet metal and use metric bearings you can't get locally, though they're close enough to standard that you'll think you just measured wrong with your tape measure and buy them only to find out that they don't fit. And the axle is 25mm with metric seal surfaces as well so you can't just swap standard 1" bearings and hubs on, it won't center right and it won't seal right either. IMO you are better off building one yourself to fit the exact dimensions you want it to be, using quality materials. For a utility trailer you'll beat the crap out of without customizing it? Use it, recycle it, sure. But I wouldn't build an entire custom trailer I wanted to keep long term on top of such a low quality base. kastein fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Aug 27, 2022 |
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Aug 27, 2022 21:13
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Seconding what Ken says. I've had probably no less than 6 or 10 of them. They were once so cheap enough that they were more cost effective than renting a trailer. So I'd buy one, put it together, do the task that required it, and give the fucker away afterwards. The axles are poo poo. The frames are poo poo. Load it near its gvr and it's a wet floppy noodle that'll eventually start cracking. A long time ago I pulled one cross country. Never doing that again.
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Aug 27, 2022 22:52
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Also if you do what I did and buy a $500 utility trailer that's already built, make sure it's not sitting on split ring mobile home wheels. I haven't done poo poo with my trailer because I need to replace the axle so I can have normal rear end, non death trap wheels. The rest of the thing is rad though. Gonna fab up a new rack for it instead of the perforated tube steel it has currently. Then stick my buddy's Tepui on it.
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Aug 27, 2022 23:08
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highme posted:Also if you do what I did and buy a $500 utility trailer that's already built, make sure it's not sitting on split ring mobile home wheels. I haven't done poo poo with my trailer because I need to replace the axle so I can have normal rear end, non death trap wheels. The rest of the thing is rad though. Gonna fab up a new rack for it instead of the perforated tube steel it has currently. Then stick my buddy's Tepui on it. Sounds like it's time for an upgrade to timbren axle-less suspension setup. That's my dream for my as of yet unbuilt trailer that may be a teardrop or utility trailer or built off an old stepside pickup bed. I have to many ideas floating around in my head.
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Aug 27, 2022 23:14
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Dirt Lifestyle just mostly-finished a video series on his Harbor Freight trailer build. The only HF left on it is a portion of the frame and the VIN plate.
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Aug 27, 2022 23:17
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Yeah I figured you would have to reinforce the frame and get a better axle. I don't know how much that saves versus buying a nicer trailer to begin with. Travel trailer prices of all types are way up in space right now. I'm really not sold on putting a rooftop tent on my truck, and even if I got a camper shell, I am too tall to sleep in the short bed. Maybe I'll rent something before I make a decision. I'm really just looking for a project, lol.
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Aug 28, 2022 00:36
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FogHelmut posted:I'm really just looking for a project, lol. There's nothing wrong with that. Plus side is a fridge, rtt, batteries, etc will all transfer to a new trailer or to the vehicle if it doesn't work out.
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Aug 28, 2022 01:41
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FogHelmut posted:Yeah I figured you would have to reinforce the frame and get a better axle. I don't know how much that saves versus buying a nicer trailer to begin with. Travel trailer prices of all types are way up in space right now. I'm really not sold on putting a rooftop tent on my truck, and even if I got a camper shell, I am too tall to sleep in the short bed. Maybe I'll rent something before I make a decision. I'm really just looking for a project, lol. This sounds like the perfect candidate for a GoFastCamper setup. People that have them seem to be extremely about them. I’ve seen quite a lot of them here in Utah. Trolling Facebook marketplace you can probably find someone else’s homebrew utility converted trailer; or army surplus trailer build for a reasonable amount. Buying an off the shelf system will be spendy right now. I’m a year and a half into the ownership of my off-road teardrop and I’ve been totally satisfied with the purchase. It was exactly what we wanted as far as ‘needs’ and wants. We’ve been out ten times so far this year.
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Aug 28, 2022 05:50
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Here's my trailer. I definitely scrounged to find some of the materials and parts over the years but I have less than $700 into this, as shown, registered. It even has a 23 gallon fuel tank under it, I'll be putting a fuel sending unit in it and a pump handle eventually so I can refill myself or other vehicles from it in the middle of nowhere. Might add a solar panel on top of the job box and a battery and compressor, too. I will probably be hanging my hammock from it instead of sleeping in hotels cross country shortly. Between the continued coronavirus pandemic and now monkeypox and polio, I'm pretty alright with staying the gently caress away from people, thanks. Back half of a Comanche: $100 in 2012 Tailgate: $35 at the junkyard Rear bumper: I don't think I even paid for this, pretty sure I horse traded some unneeded parts for it in like fall 2012 Tires: $50 Craigslist find Wheels: off my old MJ, they're too beat to be worth anything but scrap money About $100 worth of box tubing to build the tongue Trailer jack $50 Job box was free, friend's work was getting rid of it so he called me up Ladder rack was a $135 marketplace find, for a superduty, I cut some out of it width and length wise to make it fit Nuts and bolts, new padding foam for the underside of the rack rails $20 Chains and hitch $50 New bumpstops $20 Registration $75 Mismatched new shocks $30 It's funny how many people are drawn to it, too. Last summer I took it up to Maine to pick some stuff up from Slow is Fast and caused quite the furor on 495 and 95, at least for a $500 truck towing a $650ish hillbilly trailer. 
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Aug 28, 2022 08:39
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I ran across this in a local FB group. Seller wants 1500€, also get, spare door, rusty bed, a hydraulic plow!?   What's this thing? 
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Aug 29, 2022 11:58
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Looks like an accumulator and distribution for the hydraulic system for the plow?
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Aug 29, 2022 12:27
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E: now with some lovely pictures!! I don't have any pictures because I'm lazy. My brother might have some though, but I finally did some "real" offroading!! I'm up at a rental cottage with two of my brothers and my dad, and my one brother and I went for a trip up to a remote lake thats not accessible by road I was hoping to do a bit of fishing and scope out some hunting spots. I probably should have aired down right away, but I didn't until I got a little ways in. I went from 32 to 25 psi, I probably could have/should have gone lower, but it was my first rodeo, and 25 psi seemed to be fine. The first while on the trail was high, dry and I figured 2wd was fine, but then things got a bit rougher so I did 4 hi, and kept that up for a while. Didn't spin much and traction didn't seem to be a problem. A ways up the trail we came upon a guy in a front end loader doing some trail maintenance. He's got a hunting camp on the lake that we were headed to. Talked to him for a bit and then backed my rear end up a bit and shoved it in the bush so he could get by. I guess thats where the fresh gravel** that I saw came from. anyway, we kept going for a little while longer and there was one spot where I put it in 4 lo and locked my axles. Someone with more experience might have been all like "gently caress that poo poo, I'll do it in 2wd with an open diff" but I ain't that guy. I got out and walked the stretch and it was pretty fuckin soft. Locked, in 4 lo with some momentum I got through it pretty easily. A little bit past that there was a huge puddle that we scoped out and decided to not go any further, It was pretty deep and what seemed to have a fairly hard bottom but just past there was a big uphill followed by a poo poo load of deep puddles and ruts. Like at least a few hundred metres of that poo poo and a bunch of those spots looked like they might not have been even wide enough for my truck as the trail is mostly used by ATVs and Skidoos in the winter. I have some recovery gear, but I didn't want to break it out for something dumb. The spot where we stopped at was also a decent turn around spot and thats what front end loader dude was using to turn around after dumping buckets of gravel. We waited for front end loader dude to get back to where we were so that we didn't get in his way and talked for a bit. When I told him I wasn't bold enough to go much further he was all like "yeah, probably a good idea, I don't even take my truck up there I use an ATV". So yeah, I chickened out and turned around which is lame but gently caress it. I didn't get stuck which I gotta admit was pretty fuckin sweet. After that we went around to another road a bit up in the next county and holy poo poo the difference. At the point I turned around it was still like a gravel fuckin driveway. Except for a couple spots, I could have done it in my Corolla probably. I had to take a poo poo though and needed gas. I don't like making GBS threads in the bush if theres an alternative. I think I could have gotten all the way to the end of that road and to the lake thats up there. Also would have been able to check out some hunting spots as there was some crown land just up there a bit further, but alas I had to poo poo. **Dude was filling in washouts and the like, not turning this thing in to a parking lot or some poo poo. Fake edit: My brother has a few pics of the first trail we were on, I'll post them when he sends them my way. Real edit: adding pics now First three pics are the pretty much the same poo poo. It hard to tell from the inside of the truck but it was narrow, muddy soft and lovely,    Next one is someone's shooting seat. This was along the second road we went down, which was way easier than the first. Like I said I could have done most of it with my Corolla. There was tons of poo poo in this one spot. A couple shootin' seats, a shootin' boat, a shootin' microwave, a shootin' toilet, or whats left of one anyway and a bunch of other shootin' stuff.  An old gravel pit with some targets in the distance. Found tons of old shotgun shells, and some rifle brass. Also some busted clay targets. 
wesleywillis fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Aug 30, 2022 |
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Aug 30, 2022 01:13
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Ambassadorofsodomy posted:So yeah, I chickened out and turned around which is lame but gently caress it. No it is not, at all. There is absolutely no shame in turning around if the trail conditions ahead are something you are not comfortable addressing with your vehicle, your skillset, the vehicle/skills/tools of those traveling with you, or any other loving reason at all. Insisting you can't possibly turn around is how a lot of stories about "what not to do in the wilderness" start. While traveling solo, I've turned around on trails that I've completed when traveling in a group. I'm much more willing to attempt a questionable-looking path if there's already vehicles with recovery gear in front and behind me, and someone who knows how to spot, and loads of experience across the whole group in how to recover if things go wrong. When it's just me driving with my brother riding shotgun, and he's never driven or spotted offroad in his life, I'll turn around if I'm not 100% confident I can get through unaided.
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Aug 30, 2022 01:39
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Yeah that sounds pretty reasonable hey. When you're more experienced you'll get a better sense of what you can get through but when you're still learning what your vehicle can do and when to use things like diff locks and 4L it's better to turn around than just go bugger it I'm the only vehicle within miles time to find out if I can get through this super boggy trail my vehicle may or may not physically fit in.
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Aug 30, 2022 01:54
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Yeah, hey its all good, just breaking my own balls cause gently caress it. I'd much rather not get stuck. If there was someone else there I might have taken the plunge. I guess I could have bribed front end loader dude, but I'm cool with not potentially loving up my truck also.
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Aug 30, 2022 03:04
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My favorite is when I decide to turn around before getting stuck, then get stuck trying to turn around.
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Sep 11, 2022 04:18
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Getting some Death Valley Germans vibes there. Managed to finally go out on a day when there wasn't much wildfire smoke. 
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Sep 14, 2022 19:44
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Took the ol' sami back out to Uwharrie Nat'l Forest for a long weekend with my brother and our buddy with a sweet 1st generation 4runner. The zuk did all the things and continues to be the most fun per dollar vehicle ever.     
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Sep 20, 2022 18:38
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Anyone know of something similar to https://www.911motorsports.net/2-Ton-Big-Wheel-Conversion--Pittsburgh-Floor-Jack_p_80.html that doesn't cost as much as the jack itself just for 4 wheels and 2 axles?
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Sep 20, 2022 20:27
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With some trial and error or semi-careful work with a set of calipers, you could get some threaded rod and wheels from McMaster that would do the trick.
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Sep 20, 2022 20:30
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I don't know if this is the right place, but Im looking for some advice on buying a 4x4 suv as I have moved and don't have a commute very often. I need to be able to tow small things, like a 2k lb trailer, have 4 people and a dog inside, and want to go on logging roads. Currently have a hybrid Pacifica minivan, which I have been using to tow things even though its not supposed to. I have a Leaf that I used to drive to work, but now barely moves. I am cleaning up the Leaf to sell, and will have say $15k to spend. I was thinking a 4 runner, but those are expensive. Then I was thinking of a Sequoia, but only the first gen look OK to me, and they all have 300k km on them. - I may end up with one of these, as they seem ok I had a Nissan Pathfinder, but that was a 2014 so it was just an Altima Station wagon. I don't think a pickup is right as you immediately put a cover on the box and make it inconvenient to load. I have the trailer for that. I am located in Victoria, BC, so getting to far away places is a little harder to go look at cars. Im not sure what else to look at, I think an old Land Cruiser would be best, but those are probably more work than I want to spend. Im old now, and have less time to spend on broken old cars, but I am still too cheap to pay $80k on a new car. What should I be looking for? Any glaring issues with the sequoia? blindjoe fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Sep 21, 2022 |
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Sep 21, 2022 00:15
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I don't know how old you want to go with Land Cruisers, but a lot of "old" ones are quite expensive too.
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Sep 21, 2022 01:21
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blindjoe posted:I don't know if this is the right place, but Im looking for some advice on buying a 4x4 suv as I have moved and don't have a commute very often. There are tons of low mileage well maintained vehicles in Victoria compared to Vancouver. I have heard good things about the Xterra and have seen lots in your price range (not so sure after price spike tho). It's a real body on frame truck.
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Sep 21, 2022 01:38
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Mantle posted:There are tons of low mileage well maintained vehicles in Victoria compared to Vancouver. I have heard good things about the Xterra and have seen lots in your price range (not so sure after price spike tho). It's a real body on frame truck. Good idea, I will keep my eye out, only reason I was not looking at them was have heard they are worse on fuel, but since I don't commute, it doesn't matter much. Also the old body on frame pathfinders probably are fine, the armada's are too ugly though.
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Sep 21, 2022 18:47
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I spent a bunch of time looking at other options when I was shopping for my GX but eventually just bought the truck I'd been wanting anyway. So with that said, I'd include Lexus GX 470s (it's a Toyota Prado) to your list OP. Also, as long as the timing belt was done on schedule a 300k Sequoia is just fine. The 4.7 V8 in that (and in GX 470s) is as reliable a V8 as you'll find. You're not gonna get great gas mileage, but won't have to fix much if you keep up with regular maintenance. I agree that Armadas are ugly, but the Infiniti version of that truck is a great bang for buck value right now. They have one of the higher tow ratings in class and are huge on the inside. Xterra's are rad and you can get them with a 6 speed manual transmission and a locker (if you can find those). and there are currently no cheap Landcruisers.
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Sep 21, 2022 20:08
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Oh one other thing I would consider is JDM vehicles, especially if they share parts with USDM vehicles, like the Prado or Hilux (probably) does. RHD really isn't that bad in a high seating position and the condition of the vehicles is excellent for the price.
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Sep 21, 2022 20:13
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Was gonna add that too, the JDM market in Canada is way better than the US. You can get the good diesel poo poo,
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Sep 21, 2022 20:23
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Decided I liked the idea of an excursion camping rig that could tow a good sized trailer. Then I saw the prices on old excursions and changed my mind. I know diesels hold value but that's nuts.
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Sep 21, 2022 21:59
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blindjoe posted:I don't know if this is the right place, but Im looking for some advice on buying a 4x4 suv as I have moved and don't have a commute very often. Have you considered Subaru Outback?
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Sep 21, 2022 22:12
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I looked at a bunch of pictures of $10k Pathfinders and have veto'ed them as the interiors are too depressing. Same with the Xterra. GX470 would be good but again $$$. Maybe the infinity versions of the nissans would be better, but we have a 2012 titan in the family and while its perfectly fine, i don't want to own one. A neighbour has a 2009 tundra, and though he would sell it, I think he could get more money for it than I would pay him for it so I won't go that route. Good to know on the timing belt, it could be that the cheaper ones are coming up on the service and they want to get out of them before they have to do it.
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Sep 21, 2022 22:40
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TB & water pump should be done every 90k on those. Sequoias are definitely the "cheap" option for Toyota SUVs in this part of the planet (PNW) where the Toyota tax is real. I ended up flying to Sacramento to buy mine because everything in OR/WA was > $15k.
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Sep 21, 2022 22:52
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highme posted:Was gonna add that too, the JDM market in Canada is way better than the US. You can get the good diesel poo poo, There's another thing about the JDM market in Canada-- vehicles are eligible for import after 15 years, whereas it's 25 years for the USA. That means there is a 10 year window for Canadians to take advantage of low prices before sellers have access to the US market. The sweet spot of JDM vehicles you should be looking for are around 1997-2007.
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Sep 21, 2022 23:03
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Mantle posted:There's another thing about the JDM market in Canada-- vehicles are eligible for import after 15 years, whereas it's 25 years for the USA. That means there is a 10 year window for Canadians to take advantage of low prices before sellers have access to the US market. The sweet spot of JDM vehicles you should be looking for are around 1997-2007. I agree, unfortunately I am old now and don't have much time to get a JDM and get it registered for the road. Maybe when the kids are oldr.
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Sep 22, 2022 19:56
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blindjoe posted:I agree, unfortunately I am old now and don't have much time to get a JDM and get it registered for the road. I worked with a dealer that did the import and registration. It was a BC registered vehicle when I bought it. There are lots of dealers that do that (in Vancouver at least).
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Sep 22, 2022 20:21
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blindjoe posted:I looked at a bunch of pictures of $10k Pathfinders and have veto'ed them as the interiors are too depressing. Same with the Xterra. 470s have seemingly been coming down in price recently. Just saw an '03 with 227k on 33s that looks to be in good shape posted in Portland, OR for $13k, which would be in your budget (unless you were talking $15k Canadian).
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Sep 22, 2022 23:02
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RE: Trailers, I'd look at ritchie bros / govplanet.com auctions and see if you can snag something for around $500-1000 like an M1101/1102 series. [Built for HMMWV's, has 37" tires standard, pintle hookup, surge brakes] Throw dodge ram 8 lug wheels to get out of the 16.5" tire's and start moddin'. The flatbed models used for generators [with the generators removed] tend to go for really cheap. I keep eyeballin' one to throw a popup camper on.
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Sep 26, 2022 00:20
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Big K of Justice posted:I keep eyeballin' one to throw a popup camper on. If this wasn't so far away I would pick it up for a project. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci5O8Jgrj19/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Sep 26, 2022 00:58
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Haven't posted in a while, got this thing March of last year because we got tired of sitting at home and been having a poo poo ton of fun in it. So far have done a lot of the Sierra's, 395 area, and did the Plumas backcountry trail in its entirety among other things on the back side of CA and around the coast. My next endeavor will be looking into a winch to go in further.
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Sep 26, 2022 03:34
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