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View Full Version : Diamond Plate Tonneau Cover for the Tub Trailer and other questions?



LaurelHighTim
04-30-2009, 10:27 AM
OK, the body shop guys are busy getting the TJ Tub Trailer Assembly and Finish taken care of. I should have it back from them around May 15th.

I'm going to call Jay Stulls and take the frame section and the live 4:10D35 down to him and get him to set up a 60" 2500lb trailer axle with control arm brackets and coil bucket/perches.

The 4:10 D35 will be for sale after it is cleaned off so anyone with a YJ XJ or MJ or project that wants an easy rear RE-GEAR let me know. I know that a 4:10 D35 aint the greatest, but it is better than a 3.07 or 3.55 and you can use your other Turdy 5 for spare shafts etc.

Now on to the topic of this post.

I want to cut out an Aluminum Diamond Plate (Tread Bright) Tonneau Deck Cover for this trailer. It will need 2 small aluminum angle pieces tack welded or fusor glued into place for the front and rear tail gates. It will also need 2 inverted angle iron gusset/supports tack welded into place on the under side to give it a rigid mount surface. I'm going to need some one to do this aluminum welding and assist with the clean cutout of the cover. I'll probably put good 3M style foam truck cap tape/weather strip on the underside of the cover to seal against the rail and some of that black plastic edge trim stuff all the way around the outside edge if it is not cut and chamferd real neat and clean. The ultimate would be to have it bent down and an on the sides, and beside the tailgate on the rear, but I dont know how one would make the corners? Some kind of pressed corner piece and then welded together??

I had considerd making this with a hinge on it, approx eight inches back from the front that has the lockable TJ swing gate on it and putting in a verticle sheet bulkhead like an instatrunk to create a lockable storage are between the front swing gate and the hinge. The hinge piece would be to the rear of that verticle bulkhead so if the hinge was a little leaky that would be ok.

However, since i'm intending on having a rack on the top of this, and KAYAKS, YAKIMA BOX or BASKET, ROUND COOLER, CAMP STOVE, and other things on there. The hinge idea might be defeated slightly.

The other thing is that I'm going with a rear CJ Tailgate, that I must have inside access to in order to release it to put it down. I dont know how to accomplish that with out the hinge feature, or if the deck is loaded with junk, how I'm going to lift it up to get to the CJ release latch.

Anyone think that the CJ Tailgate is a bad idea because of this and that I should just pick up another TJ gate with hinges for the rear? I just like the idea of having the fold down gate as a shelf area and the Jeep insignia on it? How am I going to be able to open this though without lifting the bolt on deck?

OK enough for now.

Tim

beat1078
04-30-2009, 10:43 AM
Why not use heavy duty shocks like a lift gate for a trailblazer uses? I put a set on a small dump trailer I have that are rated for 200lbs each (I believe). If I stand on it an someone pulls the pin it lifts me up.

MF Steve!
05-05-2009, 03:20 PM
I don't know why you'd go through the trouble of setting up for coils etc. Why not leaf springs? I don't recall seeing many trailers with coils and control arms...I'm sure theres a reason why. Stability/performance on road.