Little Guy Teardrop Rough Rider Build

[Mushin_Noshin]

I think it's great that you built the trailer the way you want it and for its intended purpose. Go get it dirty! Nice FJ and thank you for your service!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[TriadExpedition]

Line-X of Troy has completed

The Honey Badger is one major step closer to being completed, thanks to Line X of Troy. Keith Cooper and team, put forth a professional effort, to Line-X, "The Honey Badger" , Silver color keyed to FJ Cruiser, and the chassis in black. Folks, this was not a easy or routine job. This is a testament to the knowledge and skills these guys possess. Simply Awesome! #linexoftroy #thehoneybadger #triadexpeditions #rcenterprises #odysseybatteries #cvttents #nittotires #methodracewheels #gearheadfest2016 #timbrenaxlelesssuspension #linex

 

[patl]

Nice work on your modifications. I really like the way the fenders turned out- big improvement over factory.

Do you have any plans for mods in the galley area? Would like to make a lid on mine to access area where battery currently resides for storage of kitchen gear. Plan to move the house battery to the tongue for easier service. Need to figure exactly how much space can be gained. So far, not a lot of info or pictures on Little Guy's site.

 

[ljrunner05]

Man that is nice!! You have built my dream trailer...

 

[Jeffrey_A]

Really impressed with this. Question, in hindsight would it have been easier / cheaper to build a custom trailer, lop off the little guy at the rails and weld rails to rails? Seems like retro fitting the supplied trailer is a bit more time consuming than just new trailer? Does that make sense? Do the guys that did it have any desire to do another one?

 

[TriadExpedition]

We are looking to do more of these trailers

Hello,
We are definitely interested in doing more of these trailers. To answer your question about starting from scratch, that is a possibility some day, but for the first trailer, this was a great option. The modifications were easy to do, and it all just came together. Unique design, really sets it apart from other trailers being offered commercially.

 

[TriadExpedition]

CVT Awning going on.

Dual Cascadia Vehicle Tents Awning are being installed. The large one will have screen nettting and the other will have walled panels.

 

[TriadExpedition]

Rear Galley area Storage and Battery Setup

The rear galley are was converted into a power area and also storage. The reason we did this was, to use the space better. Also the rear end is difficult to use in all weather situations and especially if you are combating bugs. The rear of the FJ has a awning out the back and screen walls were purchased. That is where the majority of cooking will occur. It is also where the fridge is. Some additions to the rear will be a dual battery solar controller.

 

[TriadExpedition]

A few more Photos, Nearing completion

I am including a few more photos of the trailer. The trailer is nearly complete. A video will produced here soon, to give a detailed overview of the process building the trailer, and the equipment and materials used.

 

[SamM]

This has been an awesome build. I like what you have done with it. What is the track width of the trailer compared to the FJ Cruiser? If it is wider, are you at all concerned that it will not fit trails where the Cruiser will go?

Again, awesome build!

SamM

 

[TriadExpedition]

Track Width

Sam,
at 92", your statement is a valid point. And yes it is a concern of mine. I would have liked to be a little less, even 90", but the huge benefit of the design, is the tires are extremely well protected. The width, is just inches , 4" wider than most trail rated or purpose built overland teardrops. The extra protection will give me some confidence, to squeeze the trailer in tighter spots, without worry of permanent damage. That was one of my major concerns when shopping for a trailer, then deciding to design, and have built my own. I seen that most of the trailers if not all, had very little side protection. Fenders are exposed to damage, body is exposed to damage, and corners of trailer exposed. Tongue was most likely going to come into contact with tow vehicle, when going over drop offs or climbing shelves. I think the extra width, will give me more confidence. I could not imagine ripping the fender off of a $30,000 Moby 1 XTR.

 

[SamM]

You've done some great work on this trailer. My trailer was around 80", the width concerned me a great deal. And my plans are nothing like your's. The frame was 56" wide but was cutdown to 51" to match my Jeep. The primary concern with my build is weight. The frame is aluminum and I'd like to use aluminum honeycomb or some space age thermal plastic to skin the box. The heavy Dexter TorFlex was replaced with Timbrens. Which I think is a great system.

Your trailer looks great and I hope it works for you as well as it looks. I'm sure it will. Dragging a trailer over a serious trail without damage is a Herculean task. I think you've done well.

EDIT: Do you have plans to bring it to the Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival this year. We'd all love to see it!

SamM

 

[Muddzy]

I have to try to revive this thread since it was so valuable. Almost 3yrs old and no additional updates or on-trail review? I feel like I just read a great action novel only to find the last chapter missing. This was an awesome thread and many non-posters like myself are extremely grateful to TrailExpedition and others that take the time to document their builds. Your builds inspire us to dream and brainstorm. I hope that the silence in this thread was because of family, business and/or trail time sucking up the limited free time we all have, and not due to unfortunate circumstances. If anyone can provide an update or 20/20 changes that they would want or did to this trailer, or similar, it would really add to the already incredible info in this thread. I'm looking at my first 5 wide or SS style trailer and I also want to be able to increase it's off-road capability. Thanks!!

 

[TriadExpedition]

Hello,
Muddzy thank you for taking the time to make me aware that I have been neglecting to update this thread. Many things have changed since the last post in this thread. I would recommend anyone that has found this thread and read the 5 pages of posts, to go to YouTube and subscribe to our channel as we will be doing a detailed overview of our 2019 setup of the trailer and FJ Cruiser, many more modifications are being performed this year. Here a a sample of the videos we do.

 

[Muddzy]

Thanks for the quick reply and great camp setup with your trailer and FJ! I did subscribe. I have a fishing kayak and mountain bikes, too, but I tow with a 4dr Rubicon and Gobi roof rack on it. I started with looking into the RTTs and towing an off-road utility trailer but have since leaned toward a TD that is off-road capable. Any advice you (or anyone) could provide will be greatly appreciated.

I'm inexperienced with these small TDs and plan on taking my first trip west to Colorado around the end of June. I will be traveling from the East Coast with my 2 teenage kids so this trip's needs are a little different than my long term needs/wants will be since they will be off on their own soon. I am curious what these TDs can handle. I have the ability to rent a '15 T@G Max, '16 T@G Max XL or an '18 T@G XL Boondock to try it or I can buy a '06 5wide for $4200 and upgrade it or a '15 SS 5x10 for $8k and upgrade it.

Here is a 2017 video example of the most technical conditions I would want to know if a TD could handle this June: skip to 13:00 on this video until 13:25 (he is filming from an ATV and we never could go that fast) You will see at 13:20 there is a washout that has since gotten worse but still nothing close to what you are doing with yours. Even so, I can only guess that towing a trailer adds difficulty to an obstacle that isn't too difficult for a stock base model jeep. So in your opinion can a stock Boondock (or similar) handle something like that without damage? I'm just asking for your educated guess since anything more would obviously be impossible for you since you don't know the driver's skill or actual site conditions. I assume the other stock T@Gs couldn't do that without risking damage so that's why at a minimum I'm considering renting a Boondock version for this trip or having to upgrade one of the other ones. THANKS! [BTW, I just replied inline here but I can delete and start a new thread if you prefer]