High mileage trailer trash.

[JohnKolander]

Hello, ranger 5g.

I figured starting a "build" thread would be a good place to organize some of my thoughts and maybe meet some like-minded truck people.

My vehicular circumstances changed abruptly last year as my pride and joy Xj Cherokee started giving me mechanical trouble that I was no longer in a position to continue to maintain, it started as a second play rig then turned into an only vehicle daily driver and was not up to the task of miles to be traveled or things to tow. I had owned a Mazda b4000 long ago and was waiting on the next Gen ranger forever.. gave up on that idea, but when the 2019's came back stateside I figured that was the truck for me and one day hoped to buy a Ranger Raptor whenever that came out... Well, no Ranger Raptor release and no budget for it anyway. Ran into the last straw moment with the Jeep and jumped online to look at new trucks... found a ranger last year in Sept; an iconic silver 4 door 4x4 sport with a tow package and locking rear diff (something that was a must after the jeep) there were rebates and stuff and the deal made sense so I jumped on it... Srry TLDNR

day 1:

day2:
I think the owner's book said to make sure and tow for the first 1k miles for proper badassness.

3/4ton

then I bought my first trailer ? .....and promptly sold it as it was a pile.

First snow for me of the year in MT..

then tuned and added a turbo smart BOV with the vent to atmosphere chu chu.

Sand Hallow UT

Waiting for the tunnel to open at Zion NP...

Glam shot with a real camera somewhere in NV

because aliens...

2nd trailer ? 5x8 cargo from interstate.

removed stickers..

More driving.. lots of driving..

tired of driving..

5X8 Trailer conversion begins...

folding bed 32"

curved joint to maximize bed and bench..

dirty hippy vodo power..

Tow's super nice like

Also at this point added some Bilstine 4600 to the ranger rear, which helped a lot with towing stability. (oh and it's now tinted up 5% rear and like 20 i think front and low pro tuxedo tonoue cover thing). I have since added the 4600 to the front along with a super lift 2-inch spacer and it is trash, really not happy with the ride or the bilstine's at all. Ordered Eibach 2.0 coils.

Present status, 265/17/70? General Graber ATx, 2 inch superlift level spacer, and bilstine 4600's.. ride is like hot garbage, crashes over potholes, and no fun offroad. This is probably the spacers fault but I have other gripes about the 4600s. will be replaced soon with Eibach 2.0 front coils, not sure about the rear probly add the Eibach ones later on.

At 37xxx miles one year and three months into ownership.. it has been fun.

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[9zero1790]

awesome bull dog! looks like you are having a lot of fun with the ranger. i like the cargo conversion plan. its looking great! you have better build skills than i. im hoping to do the same kinda thing with maybe 6x8 cargo. i want mine super simple. i need a bed, ac and heat (they can run 110) most camps have power and i can plan around it other times. I need a bath room and shower, workable is all dont need it fancy. then storage spots for totes. i dont need tv radio and so on in the trailer. one thing i really want to do to the trailer is get hubs to make it the same wheel and tire combo as the truck. one size for all makes since. maybe flip the axle on the trailer for a touch more clearance. keep us updated on the build up!

 

[JohnKolander]

awesome bull dog! looks like you are having a lot of fun with the ranger. i like the cargo conversion plan. its looking great! you have better build skills than i. im hoping to do the same kinda thing with maybe 6x8 cargo. i want mine super simple. i need a bed, ac and heat (they can run 110) most camps have power and i can plan around it other times. I need a bath room and shower, workable is all dont need it fancy. then storage spots for totes. i dont need tv radio and so on in the trailer. one thing i really want to do to the trailer is get hubs to make it the same wheel and tire combo as the truck. one size for all makes since. maybe flip the axle on the trailer for a touch more clearance. keep us updated on the build up!

Thank you! That sounds like a good plan you have for the 6x8 trailer. I did some other finishing touches to mine not pictured but it's now waiting until spring to finish some other upgrades, fridge, sink, storage, awning, and maybe a wood stove.. so much to do in those little trailers but it is worth it in the end.

 

[Cmar]

That looks great glad to see you out and about in the Ranger, I wanted one for a long time (they've been available here since 2011) partly based on a Bronco I owed for many years which served me well and literally wore out. Finally bought one in 2019, absolutely love it .

 

[Joeiconic]

Great pics. Yeah, the 4600’s aren’t designed for a lifted application. Bilstein 5100’s , or the Eibachs, are a much better option for you.

 

[Chris M]

Those WERE excellent pictures, weren't they?

 

[a33maxi]

That trailer looks sweet, nice work. I have a 5x10 that I've started converting, and your post has given me some great ideas. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Chris M]

Not that I'd ever attempt such a thing, but I do admire his patience and his thinking about how things need to "fit" to maximize his limited space. I suspect it'll be quite the treasure when he's done.

 

[FunInTheSun]

I love the cargo trailer.

 

[JohnKolander]

Thanks, for the kind response guys! I filmed a lot of video footage of the initial trailer conversion but was self-conscious of how I looked and didn't really know how to organize it into something that was watchable lol... I may work on that and post something as it seems like others might want to try similar things to their builds. The trailer is now at a point where it is livable in a dire situation... I lived out of it for a month with my dog, parked at a friend's property, so it's doable, now just the luxury items to add. The idea for the build was a multi situation tool, as a base camp for traveling work, camping, and at the end of the world shtf survival shelter. It's worked out so far.

One hiccup I had when I first bought the cargo trailer and was using it to move stuff around as I got it stuck in thick swamp mud and had a momentary panic as there was nobody to help recovery me and I was pretty remote, so in a frantic backup maneuver, I jackknifed the trailer into the back of the ranger, not realizing how short the tongue of the trailer was.. i heard a distinctive cracking sound and knew I had made a mistake... Thankfully was only the tail light and not metal damage, unfortunately, omg the price of these LED radar tails is insane.
So somewhat stupidly I just left it broken for the last 8 months and the taillight had water accumulation/condensation almost immediately.

So I decided to try and "repair it" with some UV Resin, I thought about using supper glue but didn't want it to turn yellow.

I really should have addressed this damage sooner...

I think the radar housing is magnesium, (could be aluminum... but I think its mag) as such loves the road filth/salt ? After cleaning up all the buildup and drying out the inside of the light with a space heater, I used the UV resin on the surface liberally, it turned out crystal clear, a bit gloopy but looks much better than water builds up. I have no idea if the resin will stay stuck on the lens surface as it wasn't advertised as such a product... and after the amount of water that came out of the light, fishbowl status... I have doubts about the longevity of the electrical components.

"Fixed"

And as for future proof of the trailer/jackknifing, I added a 7-inch extension to my hitch, not the greatest for heavy loads but i haven't come close to its lb rating at the current setup.

 

[JohnKolander]

Just got some goodies from the UPS man

tire rack has them on "sale" at the moment...

 

[9zero1790]

im officially jealous of the dog and the trailer!

 

[Stringburner]

Beautiful truck. It was exactly what I was looking for and couldn't find, so when an Iconic Silver Tremor popped up within a reasonable distance I grabbed it. I look forward to reading about your future modifications. ?

 

[A Tale Of Two Rangers]

That's a lot of towing.
In late 2013 I purchased my younger brother's 1999 4 x 4 Ranger XLT with tow package. He put 248,000 miles on it in 14 years. He towed an Interstate Cargo Load Runner. 12 foot toy hauler with dual axels. He had the trailer filled with plumbing tools and household stuff. Towed it from California to Colorado to Washington and back to California.
I still have the truck. It now has 270,000 miles on the clock. Everything works. CD, cassette, AM/FM, AC, power windows. The only modification is I put manual hub lockers when the pneumatic/vacuum hub lockers failed.

 

[jpisdamaged]

That's a lot of towing.
In late 2013 I purchased my younger brother's 1999 4 x 4 Ranger XLT with tow package. He put 248,000 miles on it in 14 years. He towed an Interstate Cargo Load Runner. 12 foot toy hauler with dual axels. He had the trailer filled with plumbing tools and household stuff. Towed it from California to Colorado to Washington and back to California.
I still have the truck. It now has 270,000 miles on the clock. Everything works. CD, cassette, AM/FM, AC, power windows. The only modification is I put manual hub lockers when the pneumatic/vacuum hub lockers failed.

Hello, ranger 5g.

I figured starting a "build" thread would be a good place to organize some of my thoughts and maybe meet some like-minded truck people.

My vehicular circumstances changed abruptly last year as my pride and joy Xj Cherokee started giving me mechanical trouble that I was no longer in a position to continue to maintain, it started as a second play rig then turned into an only vehicle daily driver and was not up to the task of miles to be traveled or things to tow. I had owned a Mazda b4000 long ago and was waiting on the next Gen ranger forever.. gave up on that idea, but when the 2019's came back stateside I figured that was the truck for me and one day hoped to buy a Ranger Raptor whenever that came out... Well, no Ranger Raptor release and no budget for it anyway. Ran into the last straw moment with the Jeep and jumped online to look at new trucks... found a ranger last year in Sept; an iconic silver 4 door 4x4 sport with a tow package and locking rear diff (something that was a must after the jeep) there were rebates and stuff and the deal made sense so I jumped on it... Srry TLDNR

day 1:

day2:
I think the owner's book said to make sure and tow for the first 1k miles for proper badassness.

3/4ton

then I bought my first trailer ? .....and promptly sold it as it was a pile.

First snow for me of the year in MT..

then tuned and added a turbo smart BOV with the vent to atmosphere chu chu.

Sand Hallow UT

Waiting for the tunnel to open at Zion NP...

Glam shot with a real camera somewhere in NV

because aliens...

2nd trailer ? 5x8 cargo from interstate.

removed stickers..

More driving.. lots of driving..

tired of driving..

5X8 Trailer conversion begins...

folding bed 32"

curved joint to maximize bed and bench..

dirty hippy vodo power..

Tow's super nice like

Also at this point added some Bilstine 4600 to the ranger rear, which helped a lot with towing stability. (oh and it's now tinted up 5% rear and like 20 i think front and low pro tuxedo tonoue cover thing). I have since added the 4600 to the front along with a super lift 2-inch spacer and it is trash, really not happy with the ride or the bilstine's at all. Ordered Eibach 2.0 coils.

Present status, 265/17/70? General Graber ATx, 2 inch superlift level spacer, and bilstine 4600's.. ride is like hot garbage, crashes over potholes, and no fun offroad. This is probably the

Hello, ranger 5g.

I figured starting a "build" thread would be a good place to organize some of my thoughts and maybe meet some like-minded truck people.


Converting a trailer can be a bit of an addiction. The Ranger tugs them around beautifully. Stock shocks feel like a bouncing tigger, my only complaint. Would like to see your finished trailer when you get done. Been working on mine for two years. Getting close?

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