Owning a 90 doesn’t leave much room for the camping gear, and I wanted to keep the good off road setup I've installed. The answer was to build a trailer. Now I didn’t have any thoughts towards buying a ready built trailer that I would have to modify to suit my needs anyway. So after finding a few pictures on the web of people using 130 HCPU tubs there was no other way to go!

The first step was easier than I thought, after seeing several sell off in other states on eBay I came across one via a friend who knew of one at one of Sydney’s wrecking yards.

To their surprise they thought they’d never sell it!

Once at work the tub was pressure cleaned and countless thoughts ensued on how and what to run under it.

After working out a suitable length of draw bar the blueprint for the frame was marked out on the workshop floor. The steel, cost, size and weight was considered and 50x50x5 SHS was chosen. 14.29meters @ 6.39/kg total 91.31kgs.

After welding up the frame my thoughts then turned to what axle and suspension should I run? My plan was to use the same components as the rear of any defender, discovery or range rover that way parts could be acquired and inter changed at will.

BUT!

As the cookie crumbles I came across a rubber IRS alko axle assembly on eBay. Its load bearing cap was 1500kg, perfect, no shocks, links bushes to leave you stranded on the side of the road in the middle of whoop whoop.

Modifications to the axle were quite simple. As the unit had commodore disc hubs and callipers fitted, which wont fit my stud pattern, they had to go. I ordered a set of blank 10’’ brake SLM bearing hubs as the off the shelf stuff didn’t have the correct size and pitch studs. I bought some carbon hollow bar that was bolted to the stud face of the hubs to allow fitment and location of any alloy land rover wheel.

The hollow bar was machined to suit the dimensions of the LR wheels.

While in the lathe a PCD or pitch circle diameter was scribed into the stud face of the hubs to allow correct fitment of the LR studs. Machining done, bearings and seals fitted, completed hubs were installed back on the axle.

Correct trailer/axle height took a few short measurements transferred from the 90.

Spacers were cut and fitted to the frame for the axle pads to sit on.

All bolted on the tub and frame was flipped onto its wheels for the first right way up look, DAM that suckers big! Nothing like a trailer on 33’s J

Next I got cracking on the preparation of the tub. Nothing to special, just a sand some paint and some anti chip coating. No I didn’t stop there, the inside of the tub was coated in a two part urethane bed liner then top coated with a litre of anit chip coating.

With the inside done my attention turned to the gaping hole where the fuel filler used to be. Easy, I cant weld alloy as to not owning a TIG so it was covered with alloy chequer plate as to match what was on the 90.

With the body work sorted and prepped for painting the next challenge was to get some paint mixed up as per the 90’s factory paint. Well sorry not that simple! Land rover AU have my colour as bonatti grey, when infact its plated and painted titanium grey! (code PD7-347)

This is a ford colour painted only in south Africa! So a sample was supplied and the paint was matched to it, well sorta, nearly close, abit dark but it’ll do!

Now, what else to do? How about sliders? Why not? They will keep trees off the body, they give you somewhere to stand and to tie ropes to, quite useful.

While I was at it the original useless tie downs were drilled off and a set of coping rails were made up for both sides and the tailgate.

The wiring was done and run in stainless steel tube from front to back, alloy plates were cut out to hold the tail lights and installed.

So now it’s a trailer! All painted and complete with a number plate. All up in road going form empty she tips the scales at 420kg with a ball weight of 40kg.

I had a large alloy storage box made up for the ‘A’ frame, this will hold the spare and some small light gear while giving the trailer a more even look.

Did I mention I like alloy plate?

That’s it for the trailer for now, I just have to buy/get or make a proper kitchen for it and also think about getting a custom camper top made. But for now I'm happy with the tent or the swag.