Ring And Pinion Delete! Harbor Freight Off Road Trailer build Episode 7

Hey folks!
Today on the Harbor Freight Off Road trailer we are converting the rear axle from my Land Rover Discovery 2 into a trailer axle! We are going to delete the ring and pinion, axle shafts and modify the suspension brackets to work with our new trailer suspension. After we add a Panhard bar (thank you Barnes 4WD), some shocks (thanks Mrs. Dirt Lifestyle) and some paint (thank you Seymour Paint) this axle will be 100% ready for the trail! Now to finish everything else... I hope you enjoy the episode!
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Due to factors out of the control of Dirt Lifestyle, we cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Dirt Lifestyle assumes no liability or responsibility for property damages or injury incurred as a result of any information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Dirt Lifestyle recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and/or with tools seen in this video. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Dirt Lifestyle. Be safe!
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#overland #4x4 #offroad

[@cogboy302]

The empty pumpkin of the rear axle looks like a good storage space. - Spare keys, fuses, relays, spark plugs, some wire and fittings for the tow rig, survival kit, etc. Just the thoughts that popped into my head.

[@AndoLife]

YESSSSS. SO stoked it’s a trailer episode today!

[@DirtLifestyle]

Me too! I love working on this thing.

[@MrMrsregor]

Love the dirt lifestyle technical whiteboard educational class room lesson !

[@willhikearizona]

I like that you have rigs from several manufacturers not just Jeep or Toyota or Land Rover. Your breadth of skills is apparent and non-specific. Well done!

[@jackiejoe8930]

Love the soap stone idea for transferring the bolt pattern. I will be adding that idea to my mental to box.

[@TimRoyalPastortim]

Been subscribed for awhile, but the trailer build is THE BOMB!

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thank you!

[@jesseblanchard9609]

Your point behind "just build something" is a good one. A lot of times we get hung up on making "the best" or "the ultimate" when really, its easier to change/upgrade something as we go than it is to wait forever to be able to "afford" the project or whatever.

[@DumbCarGuy]

In version 3.0. You need to find a steering straight axle and install an electric steer motor back there so you can steer your trailer.

[@SmlyWenr]

This

[@om603denis]

I thought you were going to leave KZbin for like half a year. Glad you didn't. I learn alot from your videos. Speeds up my projects with your tips and tricks! Thanks

[@snicklefritzd3612]

Dirt Church Sunday!!! It is awesome to see the progress. I bumped into Nate and his family yesterday at a local outdoor store. The guy is just as awesome in person as you would think he is from his videos.

[@DirtLifestyle]

Good to meet you brother 👊 thanks for the positive comment 🙏

[@nothingtoseaheardammit]

One thing that I like about how the military spec'd out the M1101/2 trailers for the humvees is that the tires/wheels are swappable between the trailer and truck. Likewise for the shocks. You have a blown shock on your 'vee, you can take one off the trailer and use it. I think having that kind of parts redundancy is nice to have with a trailer - that way you know you're carrying a spare parts truck behind you the whole way. Any plans for trailer brakes?

[@DirtLifestyle]

No plans for trailer brakes but this is only version 1.0 of this trailer. If the drum brakes on my Tacoma can't keep up with a 2k pound trailer then I would start considering adding a braking system to the trailer. But right now I think stop this trailer will be easy with any modern 4x4 👍

[@mikewhitman745]

@@DirtLifestyle agree on road but offroad it can be nice to have brakes on a controller. Especially going downhill, you can manually use a brake controller and have the trailer be kind of an anchor or drag to keep the rear end from pushing sideways. Not always needed but useful. Great job as always, keep teaching and I'll keep learning from you bud!!

[@sonnicman]

You make a very valid point. What I've learned over the years is to try to have the same lug pattern as the people you travel the most with. That way if all goes to hell, you can borrow your friend's spare and it will mount up to your vehicle, etc, and get you through until it can be patched or repaired.

[@jeffdoak8444]

@@sonnicman that's why I wheel with mostly toyotas. When I build my new truck I am going to try to use as many components as I can that will cross over with my wife's fj... except mine will be a diesel

[@jimh_vta]

Idk what it is exactly but this trailer build is super fun and exciting. Thanks for the Sunday morning treat!

[@JustinTBraun]

Thing is turning out awesome man!

[@mikewhitman745]

Old school trick for making paper templates or gaskets is hold the paper up the the part and then tap the edge with a ball pein hammer. Make a perfect template or a new gasket. Really enjoying the cheap trailer build! I'm collecting ideas for my military trailer build and appreciate watching yours come together now.

[@Skitter302]

Always enjoy the Sunday Morning upload.

[@ferrelx]

Wow..I came up with a trailing arm suspension for a off road trailer when I was in the oil patches of West Texas 30 years ago (got the idea from the 63-73 Chevy C10/C20 rear suspension)..glad to see someone thinking outside the box and actually building one WELL DONE SIR !!!! Edit: if you ever decide you want to do a tandem trailer hit me up..maybe my concept might be helpful 👍

[@gavindavis8936]

I watched the whole series and it looks so satisfying to watch

[@BlackHawk295]

This trailer is looking like it's gonna be badass! Perfect way to relax after a stressful day is to watch your build videos

[@Spack005]

Love the trailer build and all your other vids! While not “budget”, when I built my trailer two years ago, I splurged on the Timbren suspension with 4” lift and long spindles. It goes over everything with amazing ground clearance. That is if you don’t build your own trailing arm suspension.

[@Burnit53]

A bit sad you aren't on YT as much, but happy to support you on Patreon to keep the content flowing my way! If you don't support Nate on Patreon, you are missing out on all the bits and pieces that make his builds.. Do it. Do it.

[@matt72991]

I do the same thing with front unit bearings on my Dodge 2500. Pull the wheel speed sensor, and pump grease in while someone else rotates the hub. Works great. Last one I did, you could tell the added grease made it roll smoother

[@MacsSpecialitiesMotorsports]

I love the thought process on the whole trailer built with the mindset of a budget and making the build work with what you have while being creative! As always well done Nate!

[@jason.hartson]

Great job on this trailer Nate! Looking forward to seeing this one put to use to see how everything works out.

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thanks! Me too!

[@billybike57]

Back a lot of years, my pops made a utility trailer from a fairly good shape from Model A truck bed. I remember he make a very heavy duty suspension system taken the idea from a twin I beam ford set up, it tracked beautifully when it was done. Just an idea I’m throwing out. Great video thanks for sharing!

[@juanarocho2810]

I love the idea from a simple HarborFreight trailer you made that nice overland trailer. I what to see the finish results and the weight fully loaded. Keeping forward Nate 💪🏼

[@Relder642]

Wow that soapstone worked amazing for the template!

[@DirtLifestyle]

I was very happy and suprised to see it work this well!

[@William-McCueRC]

pulled the rear differential out of my truck yesterday to replace some spider gears and was able to do it thanks to some knowledge i picked up from your videos! keep up the great work!

[@Str8sixfan]

Learning and loving this playlist

[@billbrown6402]

Nice lil off road trailer man..👍✌🇨🇦

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thank you!

[@Natakue]

Dear god, this trailer is awesome! I want one like this so bad.

[@scottspropertyservices6877]

Absolutely love this trailer & this series! Such good content & it makes me even happier to hear you plan on building more trailers💪🏼 Love ya work

[@ratfarmers]

What I really think you should do is turn the axle pinion side up and add a clear plexi dome and turn it into a Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Corn Popper! But seriously pulling the guts from the axle was a great idea freeing up some weight that can be used for equipment! Nice work man!

[@scottcates]

Thank you for explaining the decision to go with the Panhard bar. While I am a big fan of the Watts link, I can see how it just wasn't ideal for this build.

[@erikschutzman2402]

Super cool, I like seeing all your creative solutions and I like axle work. looks cool

[@PunisherDMT]

You did the Panhard bar right; long and flat. If you were to actually measure side-to-side movement during articulation, you will find much less movement than you think with that setup. It's simple, and it works. The benefits of the Watts link over a proper Panhard bar are often blown way out of proportion...

[@shanehelbling]

Found your channel a month ago and I’ve been binge watching. Great content!

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thank you! Welcome aboard 👊

[@mrfixit____3651]

Im all about doing it all over again. Especially when you have a bunch of “free to me” stuff laying around to try out.

[@jandyke9995]

Another great video Nate, looking forward to more trailer build

[@sludged08]

Been waiting for another trailer build video!

[@MrAndeev8]

eventually I plan to build my trailer and an idea i’ve had is to build a steel toilet seat and have it pop out/slide out or drop down some how off the side rear and build a C channel (2 different sizes so they can slide into each other and lay flatter) swing outs to hang some home made privacy curtains to use as a bathroom and not have to take a spare privacy tent, then you can either dig a hole or place a bucket with some earth friendly decomposing bags under it to burry afterward

[@cjleon1104]

Any sore of plans for a skid etc for the front of the links? Seems they may grab and get hung up on some rocks. Glad to see more progress on the trailer, can't wait for the next video

[@mattpendley8057]

Great episode. Love the fab videos. You’ve been a great inspiration to many.

[@Ryan_Tidwell]

Nate glad to see you back in the shop building some stuff. I have a crap HF trailer just like this. I'd like to make mine a bit more like a teardrop as I don't have a rooftop tent and I'd like a nice place to sleep. Thoughts?

[@evancashman7614]

That empty diff would make a very good hiding place

[@aidanmcdonald2695]

I’ve thought about hooking an alternator up to the pinion to charge the batteries in the trailer. I’ve never done the math on rpm and I don’t think it’s worth the headache. But it’s fun to think about

[@dylanwilcox2772]

This woulda been a cool sponsored series for harbor freight. Using their trailer, winch, coulda even used the solar panels, and other things.

[@baronclime6423]

It's probably just me, but I would add a brace of some sort to the fuel/spare tire carrier. That's a lot of weight that will be going up and down on the end of that thing. Loving the build either way. Pretty neat.

[@BigWheelFab]

Great episode, I was thinking it would be cool to mount an alternator to the pinion on the axle.

[@jasonhowe1697]

if you plane to leave the diff housing on the trailer i would consider a pto shaft on the rear diff might come in handy having an extra drive wheel

[@ctrl_agent_86]

He hem... I think you hope the shocks apply damping to your axle, not dampening. I've had a dampening damper before, and it got my axle all oily. It turns out that damp dampers will still damp motion, but self dampening damp dampers tend to damp less after stop dampening ;) Like your stuff, thanks for the vids!

[@Thesilverrat]

never mind I found you have subtitles. I can live with that.

[@robertmorris5987]

I loved ur comment in the beginning of this vid, just grab some stuff and throw it together, then look at it and see what you could have done. I often laugh and tell people I need to build everything twice because the first build is to do everything wrong!!

[@NathanNostaw]

I recall the reason for starting with the HF trailer, but bloody hell, there isn't much of it left. :)

[@bwofficial1776]

It's like building a custom hot rod almost from scratch and putting the VIN plate off some rusty junkyard car so it can be registered.

[@mattbarrett41]

It’s a beautiful trailer. With that said, I have a pretty good metal shop. Where I lack is a good pipe bender. My question is: materials cost vs a similar trailer bought and paid for. How much of a difference is there? Is it worth buying the bender, which will be used (once I have it) on other projects. Or just bite the bullet and buy the finished camper/trailer?

[@jaredhenderson1137]

Awesome work. I think I would leave the differential in place for 2 main reasons. 1, I’ve always wanted to mount an alternator to the diff of my (someday build) trailer and have it power/charge trailer house batteries while driving. For me, another power source is always good to build in. 2 is spare parts. Have it geared the same as your vehicle diff, now you have a spare diff in your trailer. And bonus points if you use the same alternator for my #1, then you have a spare alternator too. Just how I think I would do it. Wish I had your shop and skill tho. Someday.

[@tainoblood4680]

🛠 dang it man “freakin awesome”

[@calvinkatelynnhardage8576]

I can’t wait for the day you start working on the j truck again!

[@brianehly1954]

I thought when you went with the Land Rover axel, you were going to put an alternator on it to charge your batteries while driving down trails. Put a pulley on the housing and mount an alternator to the axel. Now that I see the direction you have gone I say COOL! Now my question is how "airtight" is the asel? Could you turn it into an airtank since it is empty? hought liquids but then no / contamination from gear oil etc.

[@woodcrafter76]

I was thinking put an alternator inside the pumpkin and leave one axle to drive it.

[@DirtLifestyle]

We are thinking in parallel in many ways! I've always wanted to play with a alternator on a axle but this isn't realistic in my opinion. If it was belt driven it would burn through belts like crazy and if I adapted an alternator to the pinion I think it would have a short life from mud and water. AND solar is so reliable now! The plan is to make this trailer charge from the a solar panel and trickle charge from the trailer plug. As far as the axle is concerned I want to make sure it stays clean then try to use it as a place to keep spare parts for the axle itself. Spare lugnuts, wheel adapters, a spare unit bearing would all be sweet to store in the housing! I need to get this trailer in the dirt and put some miles on it before I decide how to utilize this space to it's full potential.

[@rcmike09]

Came to mention a air tank also.

[@thepaddockengineer]

I would've thought use it to carry a spare diff centre (and keep axles in a box on the trailer), then i realised there'd be no point as that's probably the only one of those diffs you've got

[@mlehman1991]

Build is looking great. Loving the fab work gives inspiration for future ideas. On a side note dude I know having comfortable gloves are great and all but I think it is time to retire the pair you were wearing, you have gotten a lot of miles out of them it looks like. Keep up the great content.

[@phillippearce9680]

Looks great! Good music too.👍

[@gwood69]

So I’ve been thinking about your whole cable idea for the table. I was thinking you could buy a mini coxreel and just throw cable in it instead of air hose? Or something similar to that anyways or like an old seat belt reel?

[@cespool]

I'm surprised that you didn't rotate the axle housing by relocating the suspension components to gain more clearance. I know it's a lot of extra work but you seem to always be up for a challenge.

[@PaydayGabeBCNV]

That was my thinking also 💯👍.

[@insaynbcr]

Me too!

[@nicholassmerk]

I agree. There is absolutely no reason for him just not to use a trailer axle. I probably would have build a 2" drop axle to tell you the truth.

[@njrx7t2]

8:21 C'mon brother, that word "Simplicity" kinda went out the window the moment you made your first bend. Or at least for us folks who can't even spell the word "Fabrication".! 😁 Love your videos! Keep 'em coming!

[@regbale]

By using an axle with a ring gear and pinon, it would have been cool to add a high torque starter motor as a driveline for those occasions when a little assist over an obstacle or a steep hill can make it an easier maneuver. Looking forward to the final build.

[@jeremyprior1186]

Dude great work. Love the videos. I am totally working out my trailer. Most important where did you get that hat? I for reals want one.

[@Flitzer514]

Cool! You should have made a small door for the axle, so you could have more storage space! I’m kidding, keep up the good work.

[@metaldog7128]

Love you’re fabrication videos 😀👍

[@grubbypaws3566]

Hi, on your last blog you some linkage for the side table, for my 2 cents worth, what about a small gas strut.? Probably too late by now, but anyway nice blog this time.😄👍🇬🇧

[@PlanItSendIt]

Nate, that differential came out looking great! 👌 Did you use any special paint to endure rocks, rust, etc? Can't wait to see the rest painted.

[@rkendsley7561]

First up, love the trailer build and the channel. I respect your decision on the Panhard Bar. However, you knew it was coming, you're an expert fabricator, and with your skill set, and the fact you were adding the flat plate to the diff housing anyway, I'm surprised you didn't fab up a Watt's Link. I looked at some drawings and it doesn't look that complicated, but with my skill set, basically none, I'm sure I missed something or a lot in my 1 minute research. LOL

[@erichughes9098]

Thank you for sharing 😎👍

[@davidyoung30]

Cool. Been thinking about doing this with my spare rear axle if it doesn’t sell.

[@jordangamesvlogs9892]

Nice! Been lookin forward to this!

[@georgeeads8689]

Love the video. Why not use the original diff cover??

[@shadowlm315]

You need to add an angled slider to the cover so it can slide up and over a rock if needed.

[@insaynbcr]

Nate, while you had the axle out and did all that trimming, could you have clocked the center section to run flat, rather than leaving it hanging low?

[@frankieoffroad]

Have you thought about shaving the bottom of the axle so you do have the diff housing hanging below?

[@SivartCustomRCs]

Not sure if it has been mentioned or thought of, but what about using the driveshaft yoke as a generator/charger for your batteries.

[@AtlasLathe]

My only question about cutting off the axle is was the bearing designed for torsional stress? The axle kept it centered with the diff.

[@jonjalbert1922]

Love your build series awesome keep up the good work :)

[@oldretireddude]

Did you consider rotating the axle so that the bolted cover faced downward, giving better trail clearance?

[@sirstevo]

Another great vid. Thanks! Just curious, why not go a triangular four-link? Sure it's a bit more work but you've got not exhaust or drive shaft to deal with so I would have thought your trailer would be an ideal candidate for a four-link. Go Nate go! :)

[@FourWheelingJeeps]

Nate will you be getting anymore of those dirt lifestyle with the mountain background shirts?

[@Kiwigd]

As I was watching, and you mentioned possibly modifying the axle to get rid of the downwards diff bulge. How about rolling the axle over so that what was the rearward face is now facing downwards, then cap off the old diff access with a flat plate.. obviously your spring hangers will need to be removed and reoriented.

[@crawlcommander2652]

You could always tap around the edges with a hammer to cut through the tape for a template. Like making a garlock gasket the old fashioned way

[@mattketner7597]

Thank you! Just what I needed to watch ahaha

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thanks for watching and for the comment brother 👊

[@denvernow7294]

I think Nate missed his true calling as a military contractor building tanks.

[@DirtLifestyle]

Lol sounds fun 😁

[@jessealexander3968]

I’m completely late to this build, and watching the whole series at once. My though is about putting some type of weight in the chuck just to help keep some weight low

[@fearofchicke]

I like your CAD model.

[@esimler]

It would be really cool for you to finish the TDI J10, and do a very detailed swap like what Austin niemila does with his TDI swapped Toyotas

[@LasagnaLover9]

So you don’t need the 3rd member or ring and pinion for the trailer to be sturdy? She’ll work as a trailer just fine?

[@MitchellPetersonJr]

Block off the axle tubes, and make a storage hole in the differential housing. You could put your weed in there.

[@MS-kh2je]

Just wondering if it would have been worth the time to rotate the axle so the diff housing was flat and less hanging down?

[@parkerboggess2963]

hey nate, just watching through your tj stretch series and notice you have your atlas clocked pretty much flat. just wondering if it really is? if so did you end up putting more fluid in it than what advanced adapters recommended?

[@Defender110SLO]

Maby if you would put difrent trailing arms that are atached on one bolt insted of two like its original on Discovery 2. You should do it like on Disco 1 and Defender. Cheers. 🍻

[@summitdave8782]

Awesome. Fun times

[@veronicacars483]

I would have liked to see you go to Harbor Freight, grab a predator motor, and hook it up to that axle to give you an extra 2 wheels pushing. LOL

[@8520653]

Curious to know if you'll plan to add in limiting straps or not, noticed how much it wobbled when you pulled the tires. Food for thought.

[@1stuart1]

Seems like you could have rotated the axle so the block off plate would lay flat and you wouldn't have any clearance issues. I imagine that would have added a bunch of fab time cutting all the mounts off just to move them all 90 degrees to weld back on though.

[@DirtLifestyle]

I considered this as well but it's alot of extra work and the axle would be in a weaker position. I think if the center section becomes an issue It would be a fun challenge to cut the center out completely and build our own independent suspension with the landrover tubes and coils lol. I can't help but plan huge changes to what I'm building without finishing it first! 🤦‍♂️

[@Anthony.M.86]

Just curious, would you beable to turn the trailers pumpkin into an airtank for onboard air so its not a waste of space?