Considering a camper trailer

Are you thinking of being able to lift your tent up high, like the trailer E.J. built??

https://offroadsubarus.com/showthread.php?t=1370&page=11

I thought this was a great idea, being able to use the annex space underneath.

I am having the same thoughts on trailers, except I need to carry more in the trailer as I have two Labradors that take up the boot space, along with the two little ones in the back seats.
 
Thats almost exactly what i was thinking, although i hadn't decided on how the posts would raise and lower. My tent is so light i could lift it up without a jack but i would need someone to disable the locking mechanism to pull it down.

I wonder if i could utilise the recovery winch for a second purpose?
 
Stilson, I reckon E.J's setup is pretty awesome. I also think that it's worthwhile factoring in if you have lots of overnight/weekend trips or if you mostly travel to a destination and for the want of a better term "dig in" for a week or more. Travelling with kids over long distances and short stopovers can get tiring on everybody if there's too much involved. Our favourite combination is our Shack & a 3 second popup tent ... when kids get older they don't much like bunking down in the same "room" as everybody else - they like their own space.

Good advice also to have a look at what's available secondhand. It also gives you lots of ideas for what might work well for you.

This looks awesome:

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/woo...froad-caravan-camper-trailer-jayco/1066437242

Best regards,
 
That looks like it weighs 4 times as much as my goal, and costs 4 times as much as I have to spend.

As for how long I factor we can dig in for?
Well my wifes a nester. She cant go more than a day without setting up a camp. I on the otherhand cant go much more than a day having my car pegged to the ground.

If it allows us to go camping for 3 sleeps we are ahead.
 
Methinks that your question is really more about a trailer to go under your existing RTT,than anything else?

If I'm right, then you really need to get one built. This is both easy and hard ... ;).

The hard part is getting the specs right at the beginning. Involves lots of brain work.

Start with the size.

What size is the base board of your RTT?
6x4 is cheap and readily available.
500-550 mm sides are pretty much ideal.

Springs and suspension have been discussed already.
Sling 40x40 axle under springs for better clearance

Perimeter frame should be 50x50x3 mm structural box, with 50x25x3 mm ladder frame.
Make provision for a standard size under-slung water tank behind the axle.

Rear stands.

Drawbar should be 75x50x3 structural box. Neither too long nor too short. Room for a toolbox and gas bottle. Spare on rear gate.

Use LED lights. Use SCA split corrugated wiring loom protection. Standard large 7 pin round electrical connector. Use separate Anderson plug for 12V supply from car. The plug end of the trailer wiring loom ought to be a foot too long (i. e. the right length) rather than "the right length".

Axle to suit Subie hubs and wheels. Ditto the mudguards. It's important that the mudguards are properly welded to the tub/frame, and are strong enough. 16 ga galvanised is strong enough for the tub. My guards are double thickness. They haven't bent a millimetre in over 30 years ... :biggrin:.

IME checker plate looks better than it works for trailer tubs/guards ...

McHitch hitch.

Get a good jockey wheel! 8", solid tyre, ball bearings.

More to come, but that'll do for now. My head hurts, and it's 34° and humid here. UGH!!
 
RB I agree with everything you just said.

I might look at 1/4 plastic 44 gallon drums for mudguards
 
^ I replaced a round axle (35 mm, IIRC) with a 40x40 solid.

The new axle needed to be longer for the much bigger rims/ tyres (replaced 165/75 13" with 215/60 16" ... ), with different stud pattern and offset. The 40x40 is strong enough for a GVM of 1,600-2,500 kg on-road trailer. No point in skimping with such an important component.

MTC reckoned that even a 30 x 30 would probably be adequate, until I told them my intended use ...

Same logic with the drawbar and the frame. All these bits need to be a bit stronger/heavier rather than weaker/lighter.

In many ways a s/h military trailer is ideal. Problem with this approach is that one still needs a new axle, hubs, wheels and rims.

It peaked at 39.4° here today. No wonder I feel even more R/S than usual. Finished off a bit of the shed sealing that I had forgotten before it got really hot, but that was more than enough to put me out of action for the rest of the day. Thank the Gods for airconditioners and swimming pools ... :poke: :biggrin:
 
Also get a jockey wheel with a handle/ratchet drive system. Allows you to move it by yourself if you don't have a winch or group of guys to park it in a tight space
 
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Gidday ST

stilson said:
RB I agree with everything you just said.
Click to expand...

Glad some of my rambling on is of some help, now and again ... :iconwink:

I might look at 1/4 plastic 44 gallon drums for mudguards
Click to expand...

Just as long as they are strong enough for you to stand on.
They are very handy "step ladders" for all sorts of reasons!
 
BTW, a 39 mm round axle is approximately 75% of the cross-sectional area of a 40x40 square axle, making it roughly 56% as strong, all other things being equal.
 
39mm axle is fine, it's a standard size most trailer builders have hubs etc for.
 
Didn't even think of the extra duties of mudguards - better make 'em flat topped so they can double as tables too.

39mm round look like they are rated to 750kg
40mm square is good for 1000kg

My trailer will only be 350kg and 60kg of that will be the axle (and wheels etc) itself.
I figured a 100% safety margin for offroad use would be enough.

The 40mm sq is only 3kg heavier per metre though so its a reasonable trade off.

I will see what prices are like and that might sway me one way or another.
 
^ Gidday ST

Both axle sizes need to be de-rated by 250 Kgs when used with 16" wheels/tyres. See here:

https://www.alltrailerspares.com.au/Assets/Documents/Information Sheets.pdf

bottom of page 4.

This makes their respective safe load capacities 500 Kgs for the 39 mm round axle and 750 Kgs for the 40x40 square axle used with 16" wheels - i.e. ADR compliant ... .

Not sure where they get the respective load ratings of 750 Kgs and 1,000 Kgs with 14" wheels from (and the ratio seems wrong to me, as I would have thought it would be directly proportional to the cross-sectional area), but that's what they work on, and one would imagine that they have some sort of foundation for those figures.
 
How an axle needs to be de-rated from a 14" to a 15" yet there is no sliding scale of ratings for any other wheel size is beyond me.
 
RB, how is your trailer so light?

I just calculated the steel weights of a few components and:

4m Draw bar - 75x50x3 - 22kg
floor and sides - 2200x1800x1.6 - 50kg
6m chassis outer - 50x50x3 - 26kg

add the 60kg of wheels and axle and i have already passed my 150kg goal and thats not including any framework, hubs, jockey, springs, spare tyre, front and tail gates, electrical or hitch!
 
^ ^ Heuristic perhaps? Bigger wheels attached to the same size taper and bearings will exert more force at right angles to the centre line of the axle.

^ I really don't know. The weighbridge is automatic and printed the docket direct to the operator - 140 Kgs. It is certified by VicRoads.

Trailer was weighed separately from the car. Can't recall if I had to detach it or not. Even if not, unladen ball weight wouldn't have been more than 20-25 Kgs.

That weight included the lid.
 
^ Just remembered. I had to put the jockey wheel down, so must have been detached from the ball hitch. I didn't have to detach the chains. That's why I'm confused.

BTW, that weight is before fitting the McHitch, and about 15-30 Kgs of mods to the lid and gas bottle holder on the P/S.
 
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