Off Road Cargo trailer worth the cost?

[Malamute]

Thank you.

 I didnt know if I could get a trailer made with heavier frame (dual axle frame?) and single heavy axle and keep the weight down any.

 

[highdesertranger]

you might be able to get it built that way but.........highdesertranger

 

[Malamute]

But?

Would it actually save much weight over a dual axle?

 

[highdesertranger]

but I am thinking you will be over 3500 pounds and that much weight on a single axle you will get the teeter totter effect. in other words it's going to be real hard to load properly. what's the maximum tongue weight your vehicle can handle? highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

TC2Sturges got it straightened out in the other thread he posted in. His motorcycle wont fit in a 6 by x trailer, not wide enough. It gets worse.

 

[Malamute]

but I am thinking you will be over 3500 pounds and that much weight on a single axle you will get the teeter totter effect.  in other words it's going to be real hard to load properly.  what's the maximum tongue weight your vehicle can handle?  highdesertranger

 

 Good points to consider. Ive not had any experience with box type trailers. Flatbeds and pickup beds, yes, but not box trailers.
 
 Not sure what ratings are on the 4runner, I looked them up before but dont recall. Ill need to get that info again before I can proceed with further trailer planning.

 As regards the width of the bike with  sidecar, I dont have it all together yet, and I may have some leeway, as Im doing the connecting and having parts fabricated. Id like to keep it as narrow as is practical. The Urals are [font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]63.6 inches wide by their info. Mine is a similar car, actually largely a improved copy of the ural car (DMC M72), the bike is unknown as compares to the attachment of car etc, my handbars are about 31.5 inches wide I believe (stock drag bars extended 3/4 " on each side), My bike is the lean stripped down version, not the land yacht/garbage barge/huge wide style as seems common currently. Ill know more about the overall width in a few weeks when i get it finished.[/font]



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[highdesertranger]

nice bike. highdesertranger

 

[LargeMarge]

Essentially what it says on the tin. Is a 4x4 or off-road cargo trailer worth the huge expense? I would be primarily boondocking with it, but do I really need 4x4? What are everyones thoughts on this?

I have a hard time imagining a use for such a tiny trailer.
For comparison, the rumble-rack atop our cab is 4x6.

2003, we converted a 1997 Ford CF8000 commercial truck to our concept of an ExpeditionVehicle.
2010, we converted a 7x16 tandem commercial gooseneck trailer to our concept of an expedition toy-hauler.

4x4 seems like it would get lost behind my bumper.
I doubt I could back it without crunching it.

 

[JDub]

If it were me, I'd buy one of these surplus M416 trailers we used to pull behind our jeeps. They'll go anywhere with heavy springs and tires. We built wooden "doghouses" on them that essentially converted them to tiny TT's. Spent many a comfy night in mine. The Army was VERY jealous...

https://www.surpluscity.com/trailers.htm - Surplus site. The trailer hitch is a ring type for a hook and pintle as is and the lights hookup can be adapted as well.

You could drag one of these to the Himalayas' no problem!

Cheers!

 

[Pleasant Travels]

This has been my solution.

I too wanted to be able to go down very moderate dirt roads to get away from the typically crowded and populated camping spots where all the 5th wheel and Airstreams set up. But I also knew I would need a trailer that would be too big for any kind of off-roading, and I only have a diesel 2wd Chevy Express, so there's no way I'm gonna be hauling through muck or sand anyway. But cargo trailers usually have such low ground clearance. They aren't good for much more than paved roads.

Then I came across this snow mobile toy hauler. They sit higher so as to be able to roll over heavy snow pack and not collect snow on the nose like a plow. They come already insulated with an inch of Styrofoam in the walls just like a beverage cooler. The rear ramp lets me roll my Polaris ATV up inside the garage area, and the front ramp (originally there to allow snowmobiles to simply drive through rather than back out), serves as a nice little patio when I deploy somewhere, using some custom legs to make it a level deck. I now have the ground clearance to roll through deep dips and ruts in dirt roads that a regular cargo trailer would bottom out and and scrape. Which is really all I was trying to avoid.

 

[bullfrog]

Nice looking set up! What do you use for steps?

 

[Pleasant Travels]

Nice looking set up! What do you use for steps?

At first, I started out using a heavy duty 2-step aluminum 18-inch step stool from Harbor Freight. I would just pull that out and set it up below the door. But it was too tempting to get stolen if I left it out, so I invested in a set of Lippert stairs I ordered via Amazon.