[split]off road towing

[Cammalu]

High Desert Ranger’s gold camp taken yesterday. Sadly my hubby is twisted in a knot from the cold and a terrible back. We are going to head out sometime today when it gets warm and head back to Quartzsite.

We were up rock hunting in Burro Creek near Wikieup, AZ right before we came here and I jackknifed the crap outta my rig and trailer going down a dirt road without a great place to turn around. Have a repair appt in Yuma the middle of February but don’t know yet if my trailer is covered.

I’m sick every time I look out the window here as I look right at it.

I was alone when it happened so had no spotter to get me turned. I can’t back up worth a hoot. I didn’t hear or feel anything at all and didn’t even know I had done it until I got back to my camp.

 

[66788]

Sorry to see that damage.  You just convinced me to have a full time rear camera when towing.

Ehrenberg was warm today.  76 degrees in the afternoon.

Looking forward to seeing you and John again.

 

[highdesertranger]

yep Cammalu and John bugged out this morning. safe journey guys. highdesertranger

 

[Cammalu]

We landed south of Havasu for the night. Back to YARC Camp tomorrow and to do laundry, check mail, etc. Masterplumber is down from CO Springs and at La Posa North so we will also swing by there tomorrow. Back to cutting up rocks to see what we have found at Burro Creek.

 

[crofter]

Ouch! That is more than a ding. Will take some body work to get fixed up. This is where full coverage pays for itself.  -crofter

 

[Cammalu]

I just don’t know if the trailer is covered by my rv insurance yet.


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[Oberneldon]

Cam ,

Dang - hope all works out ok

 

[maki2]

There was a really good sequence on Panda Monium youtube channel recently. She had bought a new ATV and a cargo trailer to pull it in. In this video she was being given a tutorial on how to pull the trailer and how to back up in it. Including how to learn not to hit it with the tow vehicle when doing a sharp backup. There are all kinds of great tips from the friend who was teaching her. It is a good video to bookmark for practice sessions. Here is a link to the video.

 

[highdesertranger]

I wish people would ask questions before they buy trailers. I feel it is essential on a trailer taken off the highway to have an extra long tongue. you MUST be able to jackknife the trailer when turning around in some situations. of course the long tongue is no guaranty of no damage and you still need to know what you are doing, but it's a huge advantage. buying a standard trailer off the lot is a recipe for disaster. there are other things to consider but the tongue is number one or two. LOL highdesertranger

 

[Zephyr]

HDR, what are the things an offroad trailer needs? I'm one of the city people who has no clue. I can think of a few things besides the extra long tongue, maybe larger diameter, 10 ply tires, more ground clearance, brakes, spare tire, shock absorbers, well battened down interior, ground clearance, weight distributing hitch?... Your experience will be invaluable.

 

[bullfrog]

When you go through a dip, start or come off of a step grade or even a hole with a tall towing vehicle pulling a tall trailer the two come closer together than they would on level ground. Making the tongue longer increases the clearance. Having a tongue long enough that enables the trailer to be 90 degrees or more without hitting the box is something that should be considered before buying. Having a tow vehicle that the bumper is most likely to hit the tongue rather than the box at full turn is a tremendous advantage when trying to turn around on narrow roads. . Most often this happens when people with trucks that buy a cargo trailer then install a truck camper on the truck and have to turn sharply into an uphill driveway in my experience.

 

[LowTech]

I'll weigh in on this one, I don't think High Dez will mind. [emoji6]

I've been hauling trailers around for most of my 40 years living this way. (and no, I'm not old [emoji12])

Longer tongues help and can hurt. They help when backing up by making "jackknifing" less likely (or sometimes just less damaging) but when traveling forward they will cut inside your turn a bit more. Just something to be aware of.

Ground clearance is probably the next, if not first, thing of importance. The easiest way to get an instant jump in that is to make sure you have a straight axle w/ springs on top and not the drop-axle on most cargo trailers. That alone can give you a 4"-6" lift.

Ground clearance alone won't help if you have a low "departure angle". You can find that by imaging a line from the bottom of your tire to the lowest point at the rear of the trailer. If the front of the trailer goes up farther than that you will drag the rear and possibly get hung-up. The longer the distance from the axle to the rear end, the lower your DA. So in this case having a shorter distance will help a lot.

Better tires help keep them all w/ air in them. That means tougher sidewalls and maybe better tread to keep it from sliding sideways on off camber roads.
Most of you will never have to worry about this.

The last thing I would recommend for any one doing more than just a graded dirt road, is tandom axles. They make the ride way smoother for the trailer and keep your house from getting twisted back and forth on rough tracks.

I could get into custom hitches, which reminds me, if the ball on your hitch does not stand out at least 6" from the back of your rig it will be hard to make tight turns when backing.

So anyways, custom hitches, alternative suspension, etc. Will almost never be needed by the average person.

That seems like a good start. [emoji3]

 

[tx2sturgis]

Serious trailer-toting off-roaders look at, or SHOULD look at, a pintle hook trailer tongue and drawbar. 

Not for everyone of course, but the military forces around the world can't be all wrong about this, plus they are used on almost all class 8 trucks in the USA that pull doubles. 

They are strong, yet they can articulate quite a bit when needed. 

Oh...wait.....the topic is sunsets...yep...another nice one here!

:angel:

 

[LowTech]

Lol, maybe High Dez , or some other moderator, can cut these post out and into their own thread?
I think there may be interest and it could be a good collection of info for those thinking about buying a trailer that leaves pavement often.

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks LowTech for the extra work, but you are right so I split it.

lots of good suggestions so far, one more is over rate your axles. in other words go with heavier duty axles. if you go off road with a 6,500 pound trailer and two 3,500 pound axles, sooner or later you will bend one or both of your axles, guaranteed.

highdesertranger

 

[Cammalu]

I wish people would ask questions before they buy trailers. I feel it is essential on a trailer taken off the highway to have an extra long tongue. you MUST be able to jackknife the trailer when turning around in some situations. of course the long tongue is no guaranty of no damage and you still need to know what you are doing, but it's a huge advantage. buying a standard trailer off the lot is a recipe for disaster. there are other things to consider but the tongue is number one or two. LOL highdesertranger

Now you tell me. Thanks friend!!! [emoji12]. I’ve towed horse trailers forever and was fine. With this rig, even with mirrors it looks like it’s so far back there it’s hard to see. A ton of dust on the camera and I guess I was doomed. I just could not see and I heard NOTHING. I really dented the crap outta my new trailer and it’s not covered by insurance. Boo hoo hoo hoo wahhhhhhhh. I guess when I get it fixed I need to think about a longer tongue. Just how long??

 

[LowTech]

Just long enough that the rear corner of the tow vehicle misses the front of the trailer at full jackknife. Then it would just be the rear of the tow rig (hopefully the bumper) meeting the trailer tongue.