Gizzard Stone
Overlander
Greetings,
I have a trailer that has been in the family for 20+ years. It's an Aerotow, which was fairly wide spread back then. We used to see a lot of them in CA. My parents bought it in Bakersfield, CA for towing behind our '83 bronco. We did a lot of camping in that setup and a family of 5. It's seen a lot of use and abuse. 4x4 roads, dirt roads, getting jacknifed, used to haul landscaping rock, loosing a wheel while full of landscaping rock... Still going strong.
Now I want to mod it to run 4Runner wheels and the same tires I run on the 4Runner. (265/75 16) so it can follow us on adventures without having to be super careful about dragging the fenders and the tiny tires.
I need a wider axle. Thinking Torsion for economy Timbren if I feel like going big. Pro/Cons of each? The trailer is 700# dry so I don't think I'd need to go more than a 2000# axle.
Also will have to custom build new fenders and add fuel/water can mounts unless there is a pre-made product that would be suitable.
The only mod I've done so far is welding on a receiver at the rear so I can run a bike rack. It works great, but it is hard to front load it enough for the tongue weight to be right so I'm thinking I'll mount a rack on the lid and move extra gear up there. Though mounting a spare tire + water/fuel fore of the axle might be enough.
Motivation is because the 4Runner isn't big enough for all 4 of us and gear if we bring bikes or more than just camping gear. Plus, it's more efficient to haul a trailer than run any kind of roof rack mileage wise. Also, for the comparitive costs of racks and rooftop accessories, I think I could make this trailer SUPER rad.
Last question, if I build it out for off road use do you think I'd be able to sell it for what I put into it if it ends up not being something we like using?
-M
I have a trailer that has been in the family for 20+ years. It's an Aerotow, which was fairly wide spread back then. We used to see a lot of them in CA. My parents bought it in Bakersfield, CA for towing behind our '83 bronco. We did a lot of camping in that setup and a family of 5. It's seen a lot of use and abuse. 4x4 roads, dirt roads, getting jacknifed, used to haul landscaping rock, loosing a wheel while full of landscaping rock... Still going strong.
Now I want to mod it to run 4Runner wheels and the same tires I run on the 4Runner. (265/75 16) so it can follow us on adventures without having to be super careful about dragging the fenders and the tiny tires.
I need a wider axle. Thinking Torsion for economy Timbren if I feel like going big. Pro/Cons of each? The trailer is 700# dry so I don't think I'd need to go more than a 2000# axle.
Also will have to custom build new fenders and add fuel/water can mounts unless there is a pre-made product that would be suitable.
The only mod I've done so far is welding on a receiver at the rear so I can run a bike rack. It works great, but it is hard to front load it enough for the tongue weight to be right so I'm thinking I'll mount a rack on the lid and move extra gear up there. Though mounting a spare tire + water/fuel fore of the axle might be enough.
Motivation is because the 4Runner isn't big enough for all 4 of us and gear if we bring bikes or more than just camping gear. Plus, it's more efficient to haul a trailer than run any kind of roof rack mileage wise. Also, for the comparitive costs of racks and rooftop accessories, I think I could make this trailer SUPER rad.
Last question, if I build it out for off road use do you think I'd be able to sell it for what I put into it if it ends up not being something we like using?
-M
