He Turned An Old Jeep Cherokee XJ Into One Helluva DIY Trailer Concept

When you have an extra Jeep Cherokee, what’s one thing you could do instead of sell it? Chop it up and turn it into a camper trailer!

User DownhomeMoto from Naxja crafted a small camper shell from an old 1992 Jeep Cherokee XJ.

He said,

Well I have started to build my very first, one of a kind, hope it works out in the end, Jeep into a Camper. I started with a 92 XJ, the body was rough and it was wheeled hard but I think it will work great. I’ll completly gut it, cut the front clip off at the firewall. Then I’ll put the tounge on it. It will have a subfloor for in floor storage that will also double as our sleeping area, as well as a kitchen out the rear hatch.

About the size of a DIY teardrop, the concept called for removal of the engine compartment and front and rear seats. He plans to add a kitchen to the rear, just like the chuck wagon kitchens featured on many teardrop models.

Plans for the Jeep camper trailer called the Jeper.

To get things rolling, he had to remove the engine and drive train.

On went an A-frame tongue for support and stability.

Close up of the tongue hitch.

How the trailer looked once the engine compartment had been removed, the front seats taken out, and the A-frame tongue added.

Several commenters were concerned that the weight would be too far to the rear, putting too much force on the tongue and hitch.

He estimated that the tongue weight would be about 150 pounds when all was said and done.

Hitch testing.

Getting ready to tow the camper around the block!

Overland tryout.

View of the interior before finishing.

As far as we can tell, he isn’t finished with the trailer yet…but what a start!

I’m thinking it should be just under 2000 lbs… I hope…As for size… well it’s like a teardrop trailer….I hope to able to tow it just about anywhere I want to camp. Only time will tell….

I’m thinking the biggest drawback to a trailer based off a Jeep Cherokee would be the hitch weight issue. Having the axle so far to the rear presents a lot of problems for lightening up the tongue weight.

And moving the axle…ahhh that sounds like a lot more work!