Small Off-Road Trailer from Hi-Standard Outfitters

teotwaki

Excelsior!
This morning a friend texted me some photos and then called me up because he was at the shop where these trailers are fabricated in Long Beach, California. The trailers are geared towards the UTV/ATV folks but the trailers seem to be light enough to be easily towed behind Subarus and other small AWD cars. One of these days I'll drive over to take a look but for now all I know is what is on the web site. In my travels I have seen a lot of folks out exploring in their UTVs so a nice but small trailer seems like a good fit for that market.

(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the company in any way but thought this was a really cool product to share)

https://hi-standard-outfitters.myshopify.com/



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Designed for UTV/ ATV off-road use
Large 60” x 80” enclosed sleeping area
UVW: 404 lbs.
GVWR: 1200 lbs.
Payload Capacity: 796 lbs.
Axel: Lippert Heavy Duty Spring Axel 2200 lbs.
Hub Bolt Pattern: 4 on 4
Axel Clearance: 10.5”

Frame: 112” back to center of coupler ball x 40” wide
Body (collapsed): 112” x 59.5” x 40”
Body (opened): 112” x 92.5” x 94”
Inside Storage (when collapsed): 2.19 cubic feet
Tongue Storage capacity: 6.42 cubic feet
Track Width: 59.5”
Bed Size: 80” x 42” (Fits Twin or Twin XL air mattress)
Bed with Extension: 80” x 60” (Fits Full, Full XL, or Queen air mattress)
Ground Clearance:
Aluminum Tub: 60” x 40” x 17.5” (floor to seat)
Floor to Max Height inside: 72.5”
Door Opening: 18” x 18”
Front of tub to Center of Coupler ball: 52”

Tires
Size: 25/ 8R-12
Ply Rating: 6
Overall Diameter: 25.0"
Tread Depth: 1.125"
Max Load @ 18 PSI: 600 LBS. (Each)
Tire Weight: 22.7 Lbs.
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
Start at $5k and go up. Too much in my opinion just for an ATV trailer.

I understand your reaction and building something ourselves is always nice but not achievable by everyone. A Polaris Ranger UTV is around $16K which seems spendy to me but the popularity of UTV/ATVs seems to disagree with us.

Purchasing a $500 trailer with an aluminum tub, 2000 pound axle, stainless steel hardware, fold out stabilizers, tent, cushions, table, etc. is not really possible.

If you want a cheaper, poorly built Chinese trailer of roughly that size from Harbor Freight or Ebay, okay. How much to upgrade and outfit it?

$240 Harbor Freight
https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...y-40-12-in-x-48-in-utility-trailer-62645.html
haul-master-870-lb-capacity-utility-trailer-40-x-49-americanlisted_33392725.jpg


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Titan-60-x-...-lb-Capacity-Pin-Hitch-18-Tires-/301947307680
$320 gets us no axle springs, no tent, etc.
$_1.JPG


I understand having an opinion about the cost but I'd like to see someone say that they can produce one for less and sell it at a reasonable profit.
 

rnArmy

Adventurer
Cover.2.jpgZJ and trailer.2.jpghttp://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f27/...ype-trailer-ultimate-build-up-thread-1180456/ (Trailer build - mine's 40 x 50")
Build your own little adventure trailer.
4x8' HF trailer $380 (and cut it down to 40" x 60"): https://www.harborfreight.com/1720-lb-capacity-48-in-x-96-in-super-duty-folding-trailer-62671.html
This HD HF trailer essentially comes with a 2000lb axle; narrow the frame and you're essentially widening the axle - may not need to get an axle. However....
3500lb axle $250: https://www.southwestwheel.com/show...me=3500-lb-brake-standard-spring-trailer-axle (this has electric brakes; is cheaper without)
Spring mounts, springs, etc (about $100 - 125; see ultimate build up thread above) factory slipper springs are too stiff an basically suck.
Wheels and tires of your choice (New - used - price range can vary greatly) trailer shown has 235/75/15" tires on 15x7" rims.
Add a couple hundred dollars for misc. stuff (cooler tray, frame reinforcements, leg stands, etc.)
Diamond plate aluminum tub from Diamond Deluxe (they built mine for about $900 with a locking lid): http://www.diamonddeluxe.com/
"RTT" is a Cabella's double tent-cot bolted to the lid with a custom cover made.
Rack on the trailer is a Surco 40x50" aluminum rack that I later moved to the roof of the TJ after I put the tent cot on the trailer's lid.
Hardtop.25.jpgHardtop.26.jpg Yukon Dempster.1.JPGYukon Dempster Eagle Pass Copy.2.JPG
These last two pictures of the trailer with it muddy were taken along the Dempster Highway in Canada. It gets used.
 
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calicamper

Expedition Leader
Specs look slightly lighter than my 4x6 lifetime trailer which we pull with the Subaru. I think it's too narrow and too lightly built for on road towing behind a Subaru. I'm finding the 2000lb axle and size of the 4x6 box to be near ideal for the light compact trailer yet still able to carry gear weight in a stable manner on the highway. But!!!! Those crazy side by side people spend nuts O money on toyhauler 5thwheels to haul their atvs this trailer idea then gives them ability to drag more stuff into remote camps. Interesting idea. Is their enough money out there for this stuff? The new subprime toys and auto loan failure next?
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
Build your own little adventure trailer.
4x8' HF trailer $380
Spring mounts, springs, etc about $100 - 125;
Wheels and tires of your choice (New - used - price range can vary greatly) trailer shown has 235/75/15" tires on 15x7" rims.
Add a couple hundred dollars for misc. stuff (cooler tray, frame reinforcements, leg stands, etc.)
Diamond plate aluminum tub from Diamond Deluxe for about $900 with a locking lid
"RTT" is a Cabella's double tent-cot bolted to the lid with a custom cover made.
View attachment 405547

I bought my trailer's rims for $50 each and cheap tires might be $75 each so $250-ish. A Cabelas double cot costs $380

Nice build! Thanks for the numbers too as they lead towards a basic cost of materials as being a tad north of $2,000, maybe half of what the vendor wants. That makes sense as the vendor has to pay himself for labor and a markup on the total if he wants to make a profit. That sinks the "It's Overpriced" boat. Your build shows what a talented person can do to save money. Any of the trailer vendors on Expo are offering a product and need to earn a profit. What they offer may be expensive for some folks but that does not prove that something is overpriced.
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
Specs look slightly lighter than my 4x6 lifetime trailer which we pull with the Subaru. I think it's too narrow and too lightly built for on road towing behind a Subaru. I'm finding the 2000lb axle and size of the 4x6 box to be near ideal for the light compact trailer yet still able to carry gear weight in a stable manner on the highway. But!!!! Those crazy side by side people spend nuts O money on toyhauler 5thwheels to haul their atvs this trailer idea then gives them ability to drag more stuff into remote camps. Interesting idea. Is their enough money out there for this stuff? The new subprime toys and auto loan failure next?

I'd like to see if there is money out there because a lot of the trailer vendors here on Expo will jump on the idea and compete for the ATV/UTV customers.
 

rnArmy

Adventurer
Trailer ladder.3.jpgtent cot.22.jpg

I bought my trailer's rims for $50 each and cheap tires might be $75 each so $250-ish. A Cabelas double cot costs $380

Nice build! Thanks for the numbers too as they lead towards a basic cost of materials as being a tad north of $2,000, maybe half of what the vendor wants. That makes sense as the vendor has to pay himself for labor and a markup on the total if he wants to make a profit. That sinks the "It's Overpriced" boat. Your build shows what a talented person can do to save money. Any of the trailer vendors on Expo are offering a product and need to earn a profit. What they offer may be expensive for some folks but that does not prove that something is overpriced.

Yes; I should probably replace "overpriced" with "expensive compared to if you built it yourself", or "I can't afford to spend that much money". I fully expect a company to pay their employees making the product, and to turn a profit if they're a one-man shop. And operating costs include bringing your wares to things like Expo. The market is out there because lots of companies are making and seem to be selling little trailers (which is a good thing). So half-materiel and half-labor is probably a good rule-of-thumb when looking at one of these little adventure-WWII-type trailers. When I built mine, I gave myself a big discount on the labor (free labor). There were a couple things on my trailer I had to farm-out because I didn't have the skills to do so (like minor welding and making the tub). But with me shopping for materials and doing the bulk of the labor/construction, I arrived at my current trailer well under what the companies are selling. And it seems to do just fine behind my Jeep.

And that's about what I paid for my rims and tires; maybe a little more. Plus I bought three (gotta have a spare).

Thank you for calling me "talented". There's very limited welding involved in mine (all farmed-out - I don't know how to weld). If you can cut metal and drill holes and bolt stuff together (and use a tape measure) you can easily replicate what I did (or use it as a guideline to custom build one to your specifications). You just need to be willing to jump in there and go for it. Moderately mechanically-inclined is all you need to be, and if you can do vehicle modifications, you can build one of these little trailers.

The fabric cover I had made for the tent-cot on the trailer's lid: $400 (an "ouch" moment - I swallowed hard on that one). It was custom made by a local reupholster shop (and he did an outstanding job). Over half of the cost was for labor (by a skilled materiel fabricator). It was expensive for sure. Overpriced? In my local and surrounding area it was the best deal I could find (not necessarily the cheapest - I didn't want cheap). Between the cost of the tent-cot, buying a collapsible ladder, and having the cover made one could have bought a nice entry-level RTT with at least more headroom and a mattress. Fortunately the tent-cot was given to me, so I didn't feel too bad about spending the money for the custom cover. It is a nice place to sleep off the ground, and weighs half what a real RTT weighs. It also has a rain cover not shown in the pictures. Shortly after those pictures were taken I installed an extendable front folding tongue leg that matched the rear two.
 
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Ozarker

Pontoon Admiral
Check out motorcycle camping trailers, toss larger wheels on one, done. They can be found used for less than the cost of building one. :)
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
Thank you for calling me "talented". There's very limited welding involved in mine (all farmed-out - I don't know how to weld). If you can cut metal and drill holes
and bolt stuff together (and use a tape measure) you can easily replicate what I did (or use it as a guideline to custom build one to your specifications). You just
need to be willing to jump in there and go for it. Moderately mechanically-inclined is all you need to be, and if you can do vehicle modifications, you can build one
of these little trailers.

Cut-drill-bolt! Me too! A lot of times I re-purpose hardware meant for other things.The electrical panel for my trailer is based on a standard aluminum 19" panel
meant for electronics racks. Lots of drilling and tapping so that there were no nuts & washer hardware on the back side. With the terminal strips it was easy to splice
it into the existing wiring which had absolutely no fuses or breakers to protect the two deep cycle batteries and wiring :Wow1: I also added in a Guest shore power
battery charger, solar controller and a switch & relay circuit that allows me to turn on the backup lights as flood lamps when parked.

trailer%2B160.jpg
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
Check out motorcycle camping trailers, toss larger wheels on one, done. They can be found used for less than the cost of building one. :)

That is a great idea. My local Craigslist had two listings. I used "Pull Behind Motorcycle Trailer" as a search phrase.

$999
00q0q_ak9HfG9hzgd_600x450.jpg


Coleman $300
00g0g_2V5khtvzU1Z_600x450.jpg
 

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