Matchy-Matchy – Driven Outside

I have been posting a LOT about our remodel and garage build in the last couple of months, so I thought I would mix it up and post something not remodel related – mostly not related…

Simple and unassailable fact: A grown man needs access to a truck or a trailer. Since our move back to Seattle from France, I haven’t really had either and have been visiting U-haul for my hauling/dumping/moving/logistic needs, but that is getting both tedious and expensive. I finally bit the bullet and had a trailer made to match my CJ7 Jeep. I had it built because there wasn’t one available retail that matched what all I wanted to do with it – remodel work, hauling heavy loads of dirt and lawn debris, moving, climbing base camp set up, camping, SCA events, hauling firewood, etc. I also wanted a shorter and narrower trailer than the standard 5X8 utility trailer that you can find at the roadside truck and trailer dealers. I wanted it to both look good with the Jeep and I plan on hauling it places that a bigger trailer would be a hindrance so I took the opportunity to have a little customization done to get exactly what I want.

The specs for the new trailer are as follows:

4X6 tube steel frame with extended tongue
Wheel base to match the Jeep’s so that it will track in the same ruts off-road
6 lug 225 wheels with grease zerts right on the hub
Steel load-bearing fenders
More ground clearance than the Jeep for dodging stumps and rocks on trails
Long lasting LED brake and running lights
Spare tire mount
Treated wood bed with 6 D-Ring tie downs
3500lb rated axle, so I can load this thing up with dirt or concrete
Black hardened acrylic paint to match the Jeep
Swing rear gate that is also removable
Welded lip for ramp mounts
Swinging front wheel jack
High replaceable wood sides to match the lines on the jeep.
I will be adding:
1. Uni-strut interior rails on the sides and bed.
2. A triangular tongue tool/storage box.
3. Three Jerry can holders for gas and water on the outside.
4. One propane bottle holder for the grill/heater when camping
5. Load-bearing torsion box cover
6. Removable rack for carrying sheet goods and lumber

I used it the first day I owned it to haul some granite and paint for the bathroom and it will be full of doors and windows on Friday.

I am super proud of this door. It is original to our 1928 house and at some point in the last 88 years was removed from a closet or from somewhere in the basement and stuck in the rafters of the garage were it was covered in something near a ¼” layer of dust.

We built a stairwell to the attic and needed a door. I was all ready to source one at Second Use or Earth Wise, but at the last minute, I remembered this beauty and it was the perfect size (28″) I needed. For a jamb, I cut down one we had just pulled out of what is now the dining room. The door knob plate is a perfect match to the others in the house, which is awesome as it would have been impossible to find another one. I did source a vintage lock, brass strike plate, brass screws, and 1920’s glass knob at one of the local vintage building supply shops – both match what we already have all over the house perfectly. The job to install the lock, attach the knob, and mortise in the strike plate took all of 30 minutes and in a year, no one will ever know that the door hasn’t always been there or about its long dormant sleep in the top of the garage.

I am really happy to have this original piece of our home hanging there again. The trim went on to match the other doors and now just needs to be painted. I will do so after painting the walls and with the rest of the trim in the room.

Driven Outside

Tag: Matchy-Matchy

Jeep Trailer

Story Time – A Small Remodeling Success