Jah310 Trailer Build. Here goes...!

[jah310]

Thanks guys - that's around Big Sur... So I ended up needing to spend an unexpected night down by Pismo State beach last week. I really wanted to camp on the beach but was frankly unsure about the reality of pulling the trailer in the deep sand. I arrived at about 10pm to a bunch of people warning me about how high the tide was and that folks were really getting bogged down. Spoke to a tow service guy and he said it was a mess down there. I decided to check it out on foot first. Yes there were people getting stuck but they were also driving near or through the water line - sand was thick wet and sticky. I figured I'd take a different line - a much higher line that hugged the sand dunes. Still nervous about it, but really wanted to give it a shot so I aired down all six tires to ~ 15psi stuck in 2nd gear four low (manual transmission) and went for it. Truck pulled the trailer beautifully! Kept my momentum and cruised through some pretty deep stuff! Feel like having the Manual really helped. Anyway I was so pumped - so pumped that beach towing wasn't out of the question. Next morning did the same thing with no problems. Used the arb pump to air up and was outta there. Awesome little adventure. Here are the only pics I took...

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[xwazmtb]

Thanks guys - that's around Big Sur... So I ended up needing to spend an unexpected night down by Pismo State beach last week. I really wanted to camp on the beach but was frankly unsure about the reality of pulling the trailer in the deep sand. I arrived at about 10pm to a bunch of people warning me about how high the tide was and that folks were really getting bogged down. Spoke to a tow service guy and he said it was a mess down there. I decided to check it out on foot first. Yes there were people getting stuck but they were also driving near or through the water line - sand was thick wet and sticky. I figured I'd take a different line - a much higher line that hugged the sand dunes. Still nervousness about it, but really wanted to give it a shot so I aired down all six tires to ~ 15psi stuck in 2nd gear four low (manual transmission) and went for it. Truck pulled the trailer beautifully! Kept my momentum and cruised through some pretty deep stuff! Feel like having the Manual really helped. Anyway I was so pumped - so pumped that beach towing wasn't out of the question. Next morning did the same thing with no problems. Used the arb pump to air up and was otta there. Awesome little adventure. Here are the only pics I took...

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Very cool story, though I do have one question why did you air the trailer tires down wouldn't that end up making it hard to go throught the sand due to the increased rolling resistance? Just wondering the reason behind that.

 

[MtnClimber]

Airing down the trailer will help it float across the sand. That's my theory anyways, YMMV

 

[jah310]

Fair question - this seems to be somewhat of a debate. Here's a thread about towing in the sand. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/78633-Towing-off-road-trailer-in-SAND

After this experience, I'm a believer in airing down the trailer tires. As MtnClimber mentioned above, the increased surface area allows the trailer to float rather that dig in. I honestly was surprised how well it went - I expected the trailer to be just a huge anchor, but instead it smoothly floated along...

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Agreed... it is a lot nicer to tow on gravel and washboard roads too with about 18-20 PSI in the trailer tires.

I imagine sand even less pressure.

 

[indiedog]

Lowering the tire pressure increases the footprint of the tire on the sand, usually more than doubling it. A bigger footprint makes it much easier to stay "afloat" in sand driving situations. Usually I find around 20psi is fine but I've heard of others going lower. No sharp turns at speed though or you risk losing a tire.

 

[jah310]

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[R Thomas]

Great looking setup

 

[jah310]

Finishing up a week long trip down to SD. We got somewhat snubbed with the cooler temps and rain (not ideal when rolling with a 2.5yr old and a 10month old) but still managed to have a decent day here and there. Here are a few sunny pics.

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[jah310]

A few things that I thought were worth mentioning:

Tepui Tent - we have been super pleased with how the tent has performed. Believe it or not every single time we've had it out it's rained including this last trip where we had a torrential down pour. The tent didn't leak a single drop was relatively quiet in the wind and kept us nice and warm. Also the zipper doors were good in keeping the little ones in while jumping around in there. Never worried about them slipping through the cracks like I did with the Eezi Awn.

Water Heater - I used this a few different times. I brought a foldable tub filled it up and used that water to bath the kids after a beach day. Very useful to get them cleaned before putting them back in the rtt for nap. Also used it for dishes by filling that same tub with piping hot water and letting all the dirty dishes soak. On both occasions I grabbed water from an external source, set the valves so the pump didn't pull from the onboard water source. Worked really well and I didn't have to worry about how much water we were using.

Solar Panel - we set up camp Sunday night and today is Friday afternoon. According to the sun saver charger controller the battery indicated to be at or near full charge every day except one. That was after a few cloudy days . The day after where we saw a little bit more sun the indicator was green (full) again. I'm pumped that it's been pretty much able to keep the fridge, water pump etc going the whole week. Kinda cool...

Sand - had the trailer in the sand again and as last time it went very smooth...

MPG - on the way down my scan gauge averaged 14.7 mph. Not bad all things considered. I drove no more than 65mph and kept it in 5th gear. The below 70mpg seems to make a big difference (plus keeps the cops at bay). Got a ticket going 70mph on my last trip and cost me $550. Learned my lesson...

Usage - Our first trip was in March of 2014. Since then we've logged 7 trips over 20 nights and more than 4,000 miles. I'd love to get out more but for us that's not bad.

That's all for now.


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[tgreening]

$550!!! Jee-zus. What were you doing, 70 through a daycare or something?

 

[jah310]

Right?!?!? I guess It's because with a trailer the limit is 55. Totally sucked!


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[wvtradbow]

SUPER COOL BUILD!!! Thanks for sharing…I may steel your composite decking idea,That Looks Great

 

[dakota123]

super cool. Finally going to be getting around to putting the sides on mine this weekend. Im pretty worried about weight as mine is going to be pulled by a 2004 tj wrangler across the country in May. Did you find that the composite was lighter than going steel? because i really like that idea!

 

[jah310]

super cool. Finally going to be getting around to putting the sides on mine this weekend. Im pretty worried about weight as mine is going to be pulled by a 2004 tj wrangler across the country in May. Did you find that the composite was lighter than going steel? because i really like that idea!

I'm not honestly sure if it's going to be lighter than steel. It obviously depends on what gauge sheet metal you choose etc. I didn't ever weigh the boards. Either way I've really liked the look and so far functionality has been great. The one challenging part has been sealing up all the seams, but so far so good. Good luck!