Lifetime trailer @ costco

[RubiconGeoff]

Geoff, Looks great. Any recent pics of the Sx4? I miss mine! :sombrero:

Still got it, nothing new to report though. To keep this thread on-topic, I do tow my Lifetime Tent Trailer behind the SX4, but I do so with the original wheels, tires, and fenders. Even with the small tires, it'll still go on most backcountry trails with plenty of clearance, and it tows great behind a small car like the SX4.

 

[derangedhermit]

Lifetime tent trailer questions - axle, wheels

I know just about nothing about camping trailers, and could use some good advice. This little trailer would seem to suit our needs very well, except I have one concern and one "wish".

My concern is about the 13" wheels and the tires. I'm used to using Michelin LTX tires on all my vehicles, for maybe 15 years now, and I just put on a new set every 60-70k and forget about them. I have real doubts that I can find a 13" tire that I have as much faith in. Is my concern ill-founded, or are there great 13" trailer tires, or...? I wouldn't be abusing the tires - no overloading, no offroading (well, maybe fields and dirt roads and such). But I don't want to be constantly checking the mirrors to see what's going on back there.

My wish is for a torsion axle. Not the 3500# JJ one; 2000# would be fine. I see, for example, that Southwest Wheel will sell one for about $280. Knowing zilch about trailers, I don't know what this will do to ground clearance, "ride height", the tilt of the trailer, or whatever else might be screwed up by changing axles. What is the wisdom of forum? And if it is doable, is that $280 going to be the bulk of the cost? I did read about getting the spindles, not the axle, in the same place as the original, and the need to get the axle truly square with the frame. And I also read that a torsion axle puts more load in one spot, where a leaf spring axle spreads it out more - so should I reinforce the frame members in some way?

Thanks for any help!

 

[RubiconGeoff]

I don't think there's any reason to be concerned about the 13" wheels and tires. What's the issue you're worried about? They work fine for me, and the trailer was designed around this size wheel and tire. It's a standard trailer size, so you can pick up a spare wheel/tire just about anywhere.

Same goes with the leaf sprung solid axle - it all works quite well right out of the box.

The only reason I modified my trailer with the Lock'N'Roll hitch and oversize wheels & tires was because I drag mine down rocky trails that are well beyond what Lifetime intended for this trailer. But when I tow it behind my car, I just bolt on the original fenders, hitch, wheels & tires (takes all of 20 minutes).

Ground clearance is perfectly adequate with the leaf sprung solid axle, but installing a torsion axle shouldn't be too hard to do. You can easily adjust the ride height by building a subframe to mount between the torsion axle and the trailer's frame - I did this under a Starcraft tent trailer to raise it for ground clearance and to fit a larger set of tires under it, and it worked well.

If you simply want to switch to 15" wheels & tires, it's a piece of cake to do so. The trailer uses 5x4.5" hubs. You'll just need to use 2.5" backspaced wheels or some wheel spacers to get the tires to clear the frame rails. But if you plan to install a torsion axle, then you can set it up to be whatever width and lug pattern you want.

 

[derangedhermit]

The why of torsion axle, and wheel/tire concerns

My wife and I would be hauling astronomy gear back there for a lot of our trips, and some of that stuff likes gentle treatment. I understand the torsion axle gives a much smoother ride. That's my main reason for wanting one. I don't want to lift the trailer. I'd actually prefer it not be high, so it is easy for old folks to step in and out of the tent. What is the step-up height, anyway?

On the wheel/tire thing, I'm after reliability. I've seen lots of people with all kinds of trailers on the side of the highway, with a flat or a smoking bearing or something else. Also, when I was looking earlier at small travel trailers, a very frequent owner complaint was that they couldn't find good trailer tires, and wanted the manufacturer to put 15" wheels on as standard equipment, or at least as an option.

What would 215/75R15 or 235/75R15 light truck tires (load index 100 or 108, 1700-2000 lbs per tire) do to the ride (given proper inflation for the load)? Will they fit in the stock fenders?

Also, I don't see a trailer jack in the pictures at the Costco web site. Is there not one included?

Last (for now), is this trailer a good candidate for a folding tongue to save some storage space?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Idlehour]

I just got mine assembled yesterday. Is arrived in 5 days
Step height Is ~23". It came with a 10" folding step stool for
The first step.
It does come with a decent quality trailer jack. Sealed at the top with a zerk fitting for
Greasing. The foot Of The jack is 4x8 or so.
The tongue is (edit: 3"x3") tube and is bolted to the first and second rib. I'm not sure how you would want to fold it.
Lifetime does sell a spare carrier that locks under the bed. I'm planning on eventally getting hubs/wheels/tiires to match My tow vehicle eventually, so I can use the spare on the jeep or the trailer.

 

[Idlehour]

A couple of pics. You can see the jack and step stool in them.

I assembled the trailer myself, which I would not recommend. There are a few heavy parts, and assembly is labor intensive, but the directions are complete and well thought out.

 

[Idlehour]

Geoff - do you have any close up shots of the bigger fenders? Are they as sturdy as the stock ones?

 

[RubiconGeoff]

Geoff - do you have any close up shots of the bigger fenders? Are they as sturdy as the stock ones?

I don't have any close-up photos, but I can take some photos for you.

I bought some universal 32x10" sheetmetal trailer fenders from my local trailer supply store, fabbed up some brackets, and bolted them to the original fender mounting tabs on the trailer's frame. I purposely kept them from being too rigid because I knew I'd be bumping the fenders against rocks and trees, and I wanted them to be easily replaceable, kind of "disposable" - because if I mounted them too rigidly, the trailer frame could potentially get damaged. The original fenders are surprisingly stout, but mine are not as strong. I'm fine with that.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

On the wheel/tire thing, I'm after reliability. I've seen lots of people with all kinds of trailers on the side of the highway, with a flat or a smoking bearing or something else. Also, when I was looking earlier at small travel trailers, a very frequent owner complaint was that they couldn't find good trailer tires, and wanted the manufacturer to put 15" wheels on as standard equipment, or at least as an option.

Proper maintenance is the key, not tire size. I pulled a harbor freight trailer on Chinese 12" tires all over the south east and out to NM over the years. I kept them inflated and used good quality grease in the bearings. I never had a flat, but I did wear a couple of sets bald over the years.

About once a year I'd pull the hubs and re-grease them and put on new seals. Its been my experience that most tire failures are to either low tire pressure, or an over loaded trailer. Bearings seem to fail because of a lack of maintenance or over loaded trailers.

If you look around, plenty of cars roll on 13" and 14" tires and have no problems. Granted I prefer a 15" tire, but a smaller tire would not deter me from buying a trailer/camper that I liked.

 

[derangedhermit]

Bought one, finished assembly today.

Overall, I'm impressed with the sturdiness of the components and the apparently well-thought-out design. It went together like someone had put some effort into making the assembly straightforward.

Specific comments (from my experience, YMMV):
- The instructions are straightforward and step-by-step. Occasionally there is some ambiguity about what exactly is to be done, but a bit of study resolves it.
- I suggest assembly be done on as flat and level a surface as possible. It will reduce the amount of fiddling to get everything to line up in the end. There is not a lot of slop in how things can go together (a good thing, IMO).
- A hammer and block of wood is a good (for me, necessary) substitute for the recommended rubber mallet. In a few places, gentle persuasion with a tap of a sledge sorted things out.
- Mention of the sledge brings to mind the one area where I feel quality falls short:the two wood floor sections. If I was to do it again, I would just buy my own higher quality 2x6s and copy the supplied pieces. They were warped, split, and very uneven. I used deck screws to pull things tighter together and still had to shave a fair amount off both sides of both ends with a hand plane to get the flooring to fit (and apply the sledge to tuck the back end in the frame).
- I can post who made the axle, tongue, jack, tires, etc if anyone wants to know.
- The tent provides a huge amount of floorspace and bedspace for such a small trailer footprint (5x7). Another 2" of firm foam for the bedding will feel good to these old bones.
- I think the wheel bearings are unsealed. I remember helping Granddad grease his boat trailer wheel bearings in the 1960's - 50 years later and I will be doing it still.
- When locating for camping, you need to get the axle level (side to side). Then you can adjust front/rear height and set up the "wings" to work on uneven ground.

One person can do most of the assembly, but a second person sure helps a lot of the time, to provide someone on "the other end" or added muscle.

I think this thing will be just about bulletproof in a car camping application.

I'm still undecided about changing wheel/tire sizes. I sampled some trailer wheels and tires at TSC. The stock (no-name, Chinese I'm sure) wheel+tire combo weighs about 28 lbs. I think if I change anything it would be to go to a 14" wheel. 15"+ seems to add more weight than I care to have. 14" gives a wider variety of available tires with a similar load rating (in pounds, according to TireRack). I'd go to a wider tire - from 5.5" to 6.5" tread width. That's about the max that will fit in the stock fenders. And change from bias ply to radials, for the improved "ride".

I do think I'll go to a torsion bar fairly soon. I need to find someone locally who can spec the dimensions, or learn more about it myself. From what I can tell, there are bit players making trailer torsion bars, but Dexter dominates the market - so I would probably use them unless I find a strong reason not to.

I can't find the options mentioned in the manual at Lifetime - the spare tire and holder, the cargo cover, the storage cover. I'd like to get the storage cover. Maybe I should call them.

My main concern over the long haul is the tent. Lots of folks can keep the steel trailer going. The tent is probably not feasible to replace except from Lifetime. I thought about asking them if I can buy a complete second tent and keep it for spare parts or as a backup.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

Hermit, I agree with everything you've said, but I didn't have any of the problems you mentioned with your wood deck. Mine fit perfectly and was well-built. I wish the wood was sealed, but that's something I can easily do myself.

I took mine out again this weekend - hitched it up behind a buddy's SuperDuty, so he and his lady could have his cabover camper to themselves, while my wife and I had our Lifetime Tent Trailer to ourselves. Obviously, these are two completely different solutions to the same "problem" of how to camp in comfort. The cabover camper is quicker to set up at camp and has everything built-in, but the Tent Trailer opens up to make MUCH more space. You can cook in a cabover camper and it has a tiny bathroom and has a built-in heater, but I've solved those problems with a "Luggable Loo" for bathroom needs, my regular camp cooking gear, and a Big Buddy propane catalytic heater with an adapter hose to a BBQ bulk propane tank. I still don't like the idea of cooking in the camper, since my buddy's cabover will now smell like onions and bacon for eternity.

My biggest concern over a "big" purchase like this (still, a lot cheaper than a pickup and a cabover, or most other popup tent trailers) is the longevity of the tent. The trailer will last forever, but the fabric will only last as long as you take care of it. But considering the fact that I got 10 years of extensive use out of a $29 ground tent, I don't think I have too much to worry about since this tent trailer is much heavier duty and better built. Unlike a regular tent, this tent trailer uses thick PVC (like a river rafting innertube) on the bottom and partway up the sides, along with ultra-thick tent material in the upper sections. I've found that it is perfectly watertight (I've camped in the rain with it several times now, including this last weekend) yet the fabric breathes great (I never get ANY condensation on the inner walls, even when using the catalytic heater all night, which is one of the biggest "problems" with this type of heater).

I've set up and taken down the tent trailer enough times now that it's a piece of cake for me to do it all alone. It goes up really fast - most of the time just is spent fine-tuning it, cinching down all the tension straps which is no big deal, but which makes the tent nice and rigid even in strong winds. I love the fact that the platform support legs have enough adjustment in them that they reach the ground just fine in spite of the 4" greater height from my oversize 31" tires, without needing the 4x4" foot blocks I made because I thought I would need them on uneven ground. My main complaint is that water can collect in the storage bag when the tent is set up in the rain. I've never gotten water inside the tent, but when I get home I need to erect the tent and let the water dry out of the storage bag or else I'll worry about mold being a possibility.

After a year of use, I'm still in love with this tent trailer. It's not the perfect solution for everyone's needs, but it's perfect for mine and I have no hesitation recommending it for others. I'm one of those people who are hard to impress - but I'm impressed by the design and quality of this tent trailer.

 

[Bill Beers]

Hey Geoff,

we use the same table you do, but set it up on the inside of the tent. Our propane cylinder resides in a milk crate too!

 

[RubiconGeoff]

Hey Geoff,

we use the same table you do, but set it up on the inside of the tent. Our propane cylinder resides in a milk crate too!

Yup, that's what I love about this Lifetime table - it can be set normal height for use outdoors, or left in the lower position for use inside the tent. I just prefer to do my cooking outdoors, so that's where I usually have the table. But when it starts to rain or the mosquitoes get too bad, I can bring it in to use for cards or board games or whatever.

 

[derangedhermit]

Looking at the accessory PDFs at the JJ site, it looks to me like both the JJ water rack and cooler rack could work on the LTT (and then so could the kitchenette top). Does anyone know for sure, or am I going to be the guinea pig?

It also looks like the spare tire carrier parts (but not the spare itself, of course) could be used on the LTT, just not in the same position because of the different tongue. I like the idea of having the spare underneath, to keep access all around the trailer open, and to keep the weight as low as possible. Ground clearance is not a concern for me.

Geoff, what are those two big containers you have on the back in post #54? I think I want to repeat that setup. Also, the tent bag has what look to be triangles for draining in each corner. Maybe your bag is wrinkled underneath? If not, why aren't those working for you?

 

[RubiconGeoff]

Geoff, what are those two big containers you have on the back in post #54? I think I want to repeat that setup. Also, the tent bag has what look to be triangles for draining in each corner. Maybe your bag is wrinkled underneath? If not, why aren't those working for you?

The two bins are locking bins from Contico. I picked them up at Lowe's. I originally was going to use some Rubbermaid Action Packers but these are much heavier-duty and better sealed against rain and dust. I keep my various camping accessories in one (stove, sink, solar panel, propane heater, honey bucket, lantern, flashlights, etc.) and off-road recovery gear in the other (compressor, straps, snatch block, shovel, etc.) I've been experimenting with the best placement & tie-down for the bins, which is rather critical when towing behind my lightweight Suzukis because their soft rear springs can't handle much tongue weight without sitting on the bumpstops. A 2x6 wedged under the rails halfway along the trailer's deck makes for a super-strong tiedown point to keep these heavy bins from sliding around and puts the weight over the trailer's axle instead of on the tongue.

The tent bag's drain corners work fine, but some water still gets inside the tent bag when it rains. There's probably nothing for me to worry about, but I've seen other tents get moldy and ruined when stored in their bags for months when put away damp, and I just don't want to risk that happening with mine. It's very little effort to erect the tent when I get home and let it completely dry out before I put it away for what's likely to be several months, since winter is on its way.

- The tent provides a huge amount of floorspace and bedspace for such a small trailer footprint (5x7). Another 2" of firm foam for the bedding will feel good to these old bones.

I simply use both supplied mattresses stacked on one side, which I've found to be even more comfortable than my bed at home! There won't be many times that my wife and I will have anyone join us in the tent, but the one time so far we've had a guest sleep with us, we just let him put a standard air mattress down on the other bed and he was perfectly comfortable. That's an easy enough solution for me - you ought to give it a try and see what you think. Generally, we just place our clothes bags and other things on the "unused" side of the tent, which leaves the floor space uncluttered.