Little Guy Teardrop Rough Rider Build

[TriadExpedition]

Starting a thread for my 2014 Little Guy Rough Rider 5 Wide. I am having a long list of modifications performed to this trailer, to enhance the durability and function of the trailer.
One of the major upgrades is the suspension, it will no longer be a torsion axle suspension, instead it will be the Timbren Axle-less 4" lift, off-road tires option.

The starting point, the factory version.

 

[TriadExpedition]

The Work Begins, The Suspension is removed

First up is removing the old torsion axle suspension.

 

[TriadExpedition]

The new Axles are installed.

The new axles are the Timbren Axle-less system, it is an independent system. There are several configurations available, this is the 4" lift, off-road tire version. The axles were moved 6" rearward, to help clear the cab access doors. The ground clearance will be very good, and will actually be 6" greater than the tow vehicle, even with the skid plate system.

 

[TriadExpedition]

And the tires get mounted.

With the rims and tires loosely mounted in place, it is encouraging that the doors will clear the fenders, once installed. The trailer will be getting an extensive rock guard system, to keep the body from making contact with larger rocks on the trail.

 

[TriadExpedition]

Another photo of tires on the hubs from the rear.

 

[vladig]

Very nice, would you happen to have a close up of how they attached the Timbren to the chassis?

 

[TriadExpedition]

Sorry, I do not. They are not done yet. If I get one, I will post. They are installing the 2x2, or 2x3 beam from one side to the other. To add strength. They built up the outside edge with additional 1/4" plating. And they are planning on making the inside gusset plate to take advantage of the full with of the mounting surface of the suspension mount. The key thing was to make the suspension component removable with bolts, in the event there was a suspension failure.

 

[freshlikesushi]

im pretty excited to see this done. I wish they were like this from the start!

 

[TriadExpedition]

freshlikesushi, I agree, I would pay the extra to have it come from the factory this way. From my understanding and there may not be any truth of this, The Little Guy factory is a strong deterrent against custom modifications. It slows there production line down. They have been accused of price inflation to deter folks from making substantial modifications or custom request to order a trailer. I hope this not to be the case. I do plan on touring the factory in May, and taking "The Honey badger" to show them, what I have had done. I would like Little Guy to come out with a Little Guy Pro Series. The Rough Rider, model is really not a solution for the off-roader, IMO, and it would be nice to see a more realistic option to be offered. For the guy that is just taking dirt roads, without a large amount of washboard. I think the rough rider to be a good option. But The skid Plates, suggest a more extreme use, and the suspension falls short of the overall plan and specifications.

 

[Hilldweller]

What happened to the other thread? It seems to be gone...?

freshlikesushi, I agree, I would pay the extra to have it come from the factory this way. From my understanding and there may not be any truth of this, The Little Guy factory is a strong deterrent against custom modifications. It slows there production line down. They have been accused of price inflation to deter folks from making substantial modifications or custom request to order a trailer. I hope this not to be the case. I do plan on touring the factory in May, and taking "The Honey badger" to show them, what I have had done. I would like Little Guy to come out with a Little Guy Pro Series. The Rough Rider, model is really not a solution for the off-roader, IMO, and it would be nice to see a more realistic option to be offered. For the guy that is just taking dirt roads, without a large amount of washboard. I think the rough rider to be a good option. But The skid Plates, suggest a more extreme use, and the suspension falls short of the overall plan and specifications.

Little Guy did a custom build for me in 2011 and one recently for Scott B. ----- his came out better since they had a bunch more experience. I'm pretty sure that my build was their first foray into the off-road custom world and they had a learning curve.
All in all, my trailer has been rock-solid and we love it. It's used very often and enjoyed fully.

Mine

Scott's

the two of them after 38 miles of dirt (not a great shot...)

 

[TusknRaidr]

Love Timbren products. I just installed Timbren's new Active Off-Road Bumpstops and they're awesome. But that Axle-Less trailer suspension looks pretty amazing too, I may have to give one of those a go soon.

 

[TriadExpedition]

Joey Pitts Little Guy Rough Rider

This is a Rough Rider with the Timbren axles installed. There is great ground clearance which is paramount. For serious offroading, where large rock roads are involved. The biggest thing, is when a trailer is taken off of a ledge. The rear of the trailer will try to contact the ledge as the tires meet the drop off. I am hoping my departure angle will be a good one. We are building a Rock Guard that will extend across the back of the trailer, just in case. The rear of the trailer is fiberglass, and it would surely be destroyed if it was sliding on a rock.

 

[TriadExpedition]

It is on its own two feet. Again.

Ok, so the wheels are mounted. Not sure if the wheel spacers were utilized. More info to come, but a teaser shot, to say the least.

 

[geo.greg]

Please share your plans for the rock guard system. Although the suspension looks intriguing its way beyond my needs but the rock guard just got my attention. Thanks for sharing

 

[TriadExpedition]

Plans for the Rock Guard system

The Rock Guard system plans are on paper, but we are tweaking the plans slightly. Yes on the fly. The builder and I have a clear picture of what it should be. Overall the design is simple, but extremely clever, and functional. With the rock guards, the fender will be very strong. The fenders become two baskets behind the fenders, and those two baskets become a rear skid bar, that will allow the rear of the trailer to slide from a step down if needed. Regarding the comment, that the rock guards have your attention, but the suspension does not, keep in mind that the 2200 pound torsion axles that come with the rough rider, are basically the very minimum required to reliably carry the weight of the stock rough rider teardrop, plus cargo, water, etc. This does not allow for the additional weight that will be applied by an exterior rock guard system. So basically, in my opinion, it is all of nothing. Just a thought.