Ute Trailer Build
THE UTE
Ute Trailer Build
THE UTE
Building the Second Generation Trailer
Welcome! The story of building the “Ute” overland trailer has been a long, personal tale. There have been many setbacks along the journey, but it has resulted in a truly unique camp trailer that is exactly what is needed. Follow along as I try to be as transparent as possible about this extensive project.
The "UTE" is the second overland trailer build from scratch that I have undertaken. The first trailer project, the "Pioneer" was an experiment with mostly on-hand components. That build and thousands of overland miles taught me volumes on what to do, not do, and what I wanted in my next trailer. I was extremely happy with how the Pioneer turned out, and has served better than expected for many years. However, since building that small cargo trailer, many overland adventures taught me that I needed something more. More of what, exactly? Easy. EVERYTHING.
"More" meant stepping up to the next level in camping comfort and convenience while not sacrificing technical trail capability and making longer dwell times in the backcountry possible. The plan to achieve this is with increased secure cargo capacity, ability to mount a rooftop style tent, covered living areas, a water system, field kitchen, and a sustainable electrical system for operating base camp and potentially, radios. This needed to be accomplished in roughly the same footprint as the tow Jeep, maintain a low dry weight, have a long operational life, and perform in technical terrain at least as well as the Pioneer. This is a very tall order considering the operational success of the simple Pioneer, and my high expectations. I knew that using some form of Wrangler/CJ tub would be an easy design element to use, and match the desired overall footprint. Importantly, a Jeep tub of some kind would allow for an undeniable "Jeep" OEM look and provide necessary capacity with some modifications.
This dream trailer turned into a long-term build that seems to be taking forever. The design process started when I was in Afghanistan in 2012 and the practical build is finally nearing its completion. I'm not terribly bothered about this since it has allowed for the design and concept to evolve a bit over the years. Much of that has to do with me developing some expectation management, a tow rig change, and the input of some experienced individuals. The final execution of the design has incorporated many adjustments, but it fits current projected use much better. My projects often have gotten extended far beyond original expectations, because I get caught up in details. My ultimate goal for any modification or build is for it to look reasonably like it could be a factory option.
The name? Well, I wanted to try and follow the Jeep brand's naming conventions, but still have something unique. The original code name for this build was “Lakota” in honor of the dominant Sioux tribe in northern plains. Since moving to the “West Slope” of Colorado, the project name is now “Ute” after the most significant tribe in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. Fortuitously, I found a custom “UTE” vehicle emblem from Australia online. There, the moniker refers to a modified trayback pickup used for bush camping and exploration. But, it’s a perfect fit for finishing off this project. It's all in the details, you know.
Ute Design
Ute Design
Designing the Ute
Original concept sketch of what would become the “UTE”
That escalated quickly…
As mentioned, I determined that I would be using a Jeep tub style of construction on a frame with a rooftop tent. Since I would be relying on some outsourced major components, some key pieces had to be acquired for the design to fully evolve. The process to where I got with the production phase escalated quickly. There were three major considerations in the overall design. First, it had to be within a similar overall footprint to the tow rig. Second, it had to utilize a rooftop style tent. Third, it had to accommodate my custom field kitchen.
After coming up with a set of design requirements and what all I learned from using the Pioneer for a few years, it was time to start making it all a reality. The Ute is in many ways going to be at the opposite end of the spectrum of an overland trailer build for me. The reason being that the Pioneer was an experiment on using an overland trailer with a Jeep for long distances over technical terrain; therefore the design and build was rather minimal and economical. The Ute is to be much more complex, use high quality materials throughout, and be fitted with much more equipment. In order to finalize the design enough to begin purchasing components, I needed to settle on the body dimensions. In effect, I had to figure out what body I was going to utilize, or go completely from scratch.
The research I did was extensive. I looked into doing a custom cut and fabrication of junkyard Wrangler body tubs, purchasing replacement tub corners and panels to build a custom tub, fiberglass tubs and kits, completely hand fabricated bed body, an AEV Brute bed, and custom aluminum tubs. After much notebook scribbling and cost analysis, I decided to go with a custom Jeep style aluminum pickup bed manufactured by Aqualu Industries, Inc. in British Columbia. They produce replacement bodies for several short wheelbase 4x4s out of marine grade aluminum. They also do some custom bodies and these pickup beds for people wanting to do some amazing Jeep conversions. They were more than happy to make some custom design changes and get the bed built and shipped for me. I was very pleased with how accommodating the people at Aqualu were. Especially since I was in Afghanistan and was doing everything very long distance.
The next design consideration and major investment would be the rooftop tent. Since I began this project, there have been many more options become available in the roof tent industry. I definitely wanted something with a legacy of quality and field use. That severely narrowed the options. I settled in on a tent specifically designed to be mounted on a trailer that came with multiple awnings and options. This was the Howling Moon Trailer Tent (2012) from South Africa. At the time, there was a distributor in the USA that treated me very well, but this has since become a perennial issue with Howling Moon despite the high quality of their product. This is a remarkable tent setup with a queen size equivalent mattress.
Ute Chassis and Body
Ute Chassis and Body
Ute Chassis and Body
All Aluminum. That’s right!
All aluminum… Really?
I originally considered getting some junkyard Jeep bodies and doing some welding to modify them as needed. I’ve seen some of these home builds in the past and liked them. Jeep tubs in good condition were hard to find in practice and the eventual cost coupled with the time required to do all the necessary metal work guided me away from that option. Next option was looking at using an AEV bed from a TJ or JK “Brute”. These stamped steel bodies would have worked just fine and looked the part, but were difficult to acquire and quite expensive. I eventually settled on a custom made aluminum pickup box intended for Jeep CJ and Wrangler conversions. The bed was produced by Aqualu out of British Columbia. They produce custom high quality aluminum bodies for several kinds of off road vehicles to include Samurai, Toyota FJ40 and variants, and many Jeep configurations.
Aqualu ended up producing what they call the #5072 Jeep CJ Custom Box for me. They were kind enough to add an extra 9" to to the top of the box. This extra height will allow for fully enclosing the bed with my field kitchen, "The KBOXXX", inside. Obviously, the increased interior size allows for more gear to be kept out of the weather. I also estimated that this would put me into the overall target height zone for the trailer tent (more on that later). Aqualu uses 5/32" thick marine grade aluminum alloy for fabricating these beds and bodies. The result is both lightweight and quite strong. The #5072 body is only 176 lbs.! There are several styles of these beds that Aqualu produces. I believed that the #5072 would be the best fit for my project due to the length and fender placement for the axle and pivot wheelbase. See the gallery below for Aqualu's photos of the original #5072 bed.
Originally, the plan was to build a steel frame with traditional body mounts and bolt the Aqualu tub onto the custom built steel frame. Derek convinced me to build the frame out of aluminum as well, welding it into a sort of monoque structure. Constructing the entire trailer out of aluminum was not a decision taken lightly due to the inherent cost and added difficulty in fabrication. I remained skeptical of this approach, but the result is amazing and significantly reduced the curb weight of the trailer. Heavy duty brackets were fabricated for all of the suspension mounts, and the trailer took shape. Derek also convinced me to de-rate the Jeep YJ springs we were using and add Firestone airbags. The YJ springs would mostly be structural while the airbags would take most of the load carrying duty. This added complexity, but definitely allows for versatility in load carrying and chassis dynamics. More on the air system in the Subsystems section of this article.
Ute Main Buildout
Ute Main Buildout
Primary Buildout
So…much…work…
The main buildout would bring together all the project requirements in a single execution. This took much more work than anticipated. This phase of construction was in two parts, but this is where the trailer got fleshed out. Figuring out locations for systems, access for wire harnesses, fridge storage and slide, equipment mounts, structural body components, even getting some professional engineering assistance with the gas spring to lift the trailer lid were a challenge. Much of the actual placement and dimensions of the build were determined on the fly during this phase. It was no surprise that some great ideas I thought I had on how to put everything together— simply didn’t work in the real world.
Ute Subsystems
Ute Subsystems
Subsystems
Now it gets complicated…
The Ute is clearly a more sophisticated build than the simple Pioneer utility trailer. There are several systems integrated into this trailer that required their own design process. For simplicity, they are broken down into sections below. The most complicated is the electrical system with dual batteries and a hybrid charging setup. The Ute also sports an onboard water system and a compressed air system for the suspension air bags. There is also onboard propane storage for the cook stoves instead of using disposable 1 lbs. tanks as in the past. Many of these components will be hidden from view in the finish work.
Electrical Power
The goal with the electrical system on the Ute is to provide sustainable backcountry power for charging electronics, operating radios, and powering various subsystems. These will include lighting, electric water pump, a 12 volt refrigerator/freezer, and the air compressor. To accomplish this, dual Group 34 marine grade AGM batteries are fitted. To manage the batteries, a combination of a RedArc charge controller and National Luna monitor are used to sync tow vehicle power and 120 possible watts of solar. A trickle charger connection will also be available for when the trailer is in storage.
A RedArc BCDC1225D is the brains of the system. This charge controller has the ability to automatically prioritize charging of the house batteries between solar and 12V provided by the tow vehicle. Heavy gauge wiring will be installed from the Trail Wolf WK2 to connect to this unit in order to minimize voltage drop over the wiring. A weather pass through port was installed in the electrical bay door to allow wiring from the deployed solar panels to plug into the main panel without exposing the compartment to weather. The National Luna charge monitor provides information about the state of the house batteries and vehicle charge while also allowing disconnect from the tow vehicle. Ideally, it will be possible to deploy and secure solar panels on the trailer while it is being towed to cut down on power draw from the Jeep in certain conditions.
Flexible 60 Watt solar panels from xxxxx were chosen for their durability in the backcountry and minimal storage volume when not in use. These are expensive panels that were state of the art when purchased, and the design has not been significantly changed in the intervening years. The design and portability of these panels allows for amazing flexibility in real world use. Additional charge controllers are not necessary since the RedArc internally handles these duties automatically.
Charging ports for small electronic accessories are provided throughout the trailer with several inside the electrical compartment for convenience. Anderson Powerpole receptacles are also inside the electrical compartment for attaching 2-way radios to house power for field operations. Other 12 volt and USB are located in the rear of the trailer for powering convenience lighting or charging. Ports will also be available inside the rooftop tent for charging and lighting duties. An additional power supply is mounted in the refrigerator compartment to power that appliance. More detailed information on the electrical systems and components are below in the Wiring and Electrical section.
Water System
Ute Electrical
Ute Electrical
Wiring and Electrical
It all started when…
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Ute Finish
Ute Finish
Finishing Up Ute
Are we there yet?…
The final phase of the build is assembly of all the subsystems and installation of every component. Nearly every component of the trailer was fitted prior to painting so the finish would be disturbed the least amount possible during final assembly. Many holes had to be cut and drilled during the main construction phase. Building out the electrical harnesses is also in the final phase to allow for necessary changes. All of the last details are also going in from the emblems to the mudflaps. For finishing touches, some detail changes are also being made to the field kitchen kit and other equipment to be carried on future adventures. These are done to assist in supporting a little larger group of people when necessary.
Ute Life
Ute Life
Living the Ute Life
It all started when…
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