Wagon trailers?..

[SWITAWI]

Having just seen Verkstad's post over at http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...s-of-your-rig-and-trailer?p=971899#post971899 brought back lots of memories of a flatbed wagon trailer we used on an almost daily basis on my uncle's place when I was a kid. Got me wondering why there really aren't any expo trailers of that particular design. I've seen the threads about dual-axle trailers and the 'walking-axle' design, but my searches haven't found anything about wagon-style trailers with a steering axle up front on the forum.

A little Googling dug up these guys in Wyoming - http://expeditionrangecamps.com/. Pretty much everything else is for farm use or ATVs.

Now before you start smacking my noggin about size, weight and maneuverability, I fully understand those are the major pitfalls inherent in this kind of trailer. Add to those the whole extra tires/extra flats/extra spares problem. The way I see it the best reasons for the wagon design are basically zero tongue weight, stability, and unquestionable hauling ability. Now those don't cancel out the pitfalls I mentioned, and I can imagine trying to make it up a slippery boat ramp without a little extra tongue weight to help with the obvious traction issues. Maybe a more lightweight, tube frame design would cut down on the heft and a wheelbase that is kept down to 3/4s of the tow vehicle would help maneuverability.
:safari-rig:
It's definitely not a 'technical trail'-oriented design, being more suited to base camp use. Hell, maybe the idea is more RV than ExPo, but you don't see travel trailer manufacturers using this design instead of 5th-wheels either. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on the ups (if anyone thinks there are any) and downs of an offroad wagon trailer.

 

[Mark Harley]

Awesome trailer!
I have towed hay wagons and they wag at speeds higher than 30mph.
I guess it would be the same as the pup trailers UPS and Fed Ex use.

The wagon trailer would be a great platform for a trailer.
I always wanted an old wagon to use for parade floats.

 

[SWITAWI]

We used the old one for parades, hay rides, even hauled an FJ40 that blew a head gasket back from the back forty on it. The front steering was basically a solid axle mounted under a turntable, so the front did not wander at all at road speeds. The rear always had old bent wheels, so it would start to get a little bouncy at more than 50mph.

 

[SWITAWI]

MaxiMog Trailer...

Slow day at the office...

I'm sure this has made the rounds here before, the MaxiMog and the MaxiMog Trailer.

http://www.maximog.com/trailer.html

:Wow1:
This is definitely ExPo, but on a scale I did not have in mind. Since the tow vehicle is already a freakin' UniMog I can't imagine that weight and maneuverability were at the top of the design criteria list on this one.

 

[brittan]

Idaho has a large Basque population who tend to sheep in the back woods of ID. I was traveling there this summer and came across the anual Basque festival. They had these units displayed as an example of how they live during the months they are shepherds. Looks like a great summer job.

 

[nk14zp]

Here is an 11 ton that could be used as a base.