My Backcountry Camper Trailer Build

[R_Lefebvre]

No problem.

It's not that I want a short tongue for technical situations, it's that I want a long tongue when the bike is loaded. I'll need it both to reduce the tongue weight, and also to provide clearance between the bike rack and the truck when turning. Whenever I don't have the bike on, I'll use the short tongue. The other thing is that I want to be able to interchange between an off-road coupler, and a standard one. Once you decide on that, you will have a removable tongue which will have the same slop as an extendible tongue. I can't permanently go with a long tongue, because what I need for the bike is too long for off-road. This situation of the slop is going to be easily fixable but a number of methods. I could weld nuts to the tongue outer tube, and put bolts in to tighten up on the inner tube, exactly the same as other available drawbar stabilizer setups.

I don't think the suspension is too soft, it's just the nature of the beast. It's a tall trailer with a suspension that actually moves. The suspension is rated for 3500lbs, and I figure I'm at about 2000 with right now. I'm not overloading it in any way, it's just far less stiff than leaf springs.

I don't think any of this will be a problem, I was just presenting my observations so far. I'll get some more tongue weight, and see how that works out and go from there. The bobbing side to side I suspect is normal for any large trailer like this. And it doesn't do it under normal conditions, only when I wiggle the truck.

Maybe it's important to point out that I tend to be highly critical, and notice things most people don't. So the fact that I'm writing about it doesn't mean it's some huge problem, it's very minor.

Last weekend I helped my dad pick up a used tent trailer he bought. 2200lbs, 200lb tongue weight, towed by a 99 Yukon. My setup towed better than that, overall. I couldn't believe the horrible pitching and bouncing that setup induced.

 

[Root Moose]

My understanding is that ST rated tires have a stiff sidewall to reduce sway. Airing up your LT tires should help.

Pie in the sky idea: Consider fangling a sway bar on the trailer? Get some Jeep style disconnects for when off-road.

 

[Box Rocket]

Back to the tongue/coupler discussion......

That's my lock-n-roll and you are correct that having a coupler of this fashion does in essence have a similar amount of slop that your extendable tongue would have. But one difference is the amount of movement that will happen because the slop is happening such a short distance from where it is actually mounted. With your extendable tongue that slop is magnified because that distance is greater. For example, if I wiggle a pencil (keeping one end in a fixed position, I get x amount of movement at the other end of the pencil. Now if I wiggle a broomstick the same amount with one end in a fixed position, the other end of the broomstick has a much greater range of movement than the pencil because of the added distance from the fixed end.

I still think you could find an acceptable fixed tongue length and still have interchangeable couplers such as mine and greatly reduce the movement your getting with the trailer.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Moose, I was thinking about that. I'm not sure how ST sidewall stiffness compares to LT sidewall stiffness? I thought maybe they'd be similar, but I don't know. I know on my utility trailer, I can run with ZERO air pressure, and there is little sidewall bulge, so maybe that's an indication.

Adam: I actually had it on the short setting for the test drive. You're right, long might be worse. I will play with some other things first, because losing the extendible tonge would be a last resort. I could drill and tap the anti-bellmouth ring on the end of my tongue receiver to install snugging bolts. The metal is effectively 1/2" thick there.

 

[ntsqd]

Some points:

Data point - I once made a 325-350 mile tow with the TrailBlazer and then found that there was only ~5 psi in the 33-12.50 tires. Where's the red faced Oopsie smilie?
I only know that they were that low because I checked them the morning after my late night arrival. Zero noticeable difference in the way that it behaved aired up or not. The RS9k's are set full stiff. Granted, loaded down that trailer might weigh what yours does now.

Sliding tongue observations -
1) When we built the C.U.T. we built it with a receiver on the tongue for security reasons. Kind of hard to steal it if there is no coupler on it, and a sliding coupler is not a common part. Because my build partner wanted it, the tongue receiver and the coupler got a second pin hole. I pinned the first and then drilled the second on my drill press. Once that second pin is put in place, it takes some effort, the coupler will not wobble.

2) The TrailBlazer's tongue extends nearly 4 feet. The combo of rust in the receiver & on the tube, and the length of the sliding portion of the tongue makes for very little to zero movement when set at the short setting. I've only used the long setting (& there are no in between settings) for horsing the trailer around on soft ground.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, on my utility trailer, I was trying to pick up some large rocks in a construction area near my house. I kept letting air out of the tires to increase the size of the footprint, and not much was happening. I didn't have a gauge, I was just letting it out. Anyway, I loaded the rocks, must have had a few thousand pounds in it, and went to move the trailer, and the tire just came right off the rim. Ooopsie. Another data point for stiff ST tires. They still didn't flatten out even when they didn't have enough air to keep them on the rims!

I have a second pin on my tongue already. I did one horizontal, and one vertical, thinking it would help as you did. Probablem was, it needed to be a bit oversize to even get the pins in so, didn't help as much as I'd like.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I moved the battery from the rear to just in front of the axle, and that brought the tongue weight up to about 30-40 lbs just from that. I think if I do a dual battery setup, and with cargo in the front, it should all work out.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Last night I removed the pins on the tongue and replaced with Grade 8 5/8 x 4" bolts. Once tightened up, the tongue is MUCH more secure. It won't move or wiggle at all by hand. I think this is strongly recommended for anybody with the extendible tongue.

Then I looked at the draw bar I'm using. It's a cheap 8" drop draw bar I got at a farm type store. It fits really sloppy in the reciever, I never looked that closely at it. Due to it being an 8" drop, it's got a long lever arm which can rock side to side, making matters worse. This situation also needs to be improved. I was going to put a bolt in it too, but I can't, due to the position of my wiring socket.

Also on the weekend, I bought 2 Hella Matador knock-off work lights, which will get mounted front and rear. I had idea of wiring the rear facing one to come on automatically with the reverse lights, but due to the complexity, I probably won't. It would probably be a bad idea anyway, say if I had to reverse on the shoulder of a road or something. The trailer does have reverse lights as it is. If I ever *need* the work light to help reverse at night, I'll just get out and turn it on. Both will be position near the sides, so they could be rotated to aim down the side if needed for setting up camp.

 

[Root Moose]

Then I looked at the draw bar I'm using. It's a cheap 8" drop draw bar I got at a farm type store. It fits really sloppy in the reciever, I never looked that closely at it. Due to it being an 8" drop, it's got a long lever arm which can rock side to side, making matters worse. This situation also needs to be improved. I was going to put a bolt in it too, but I can't, due to the position of my wiring socket.

Do the drop hitches that you used have a thick longitudinal dropping gusset on them to reinforce the ball location? If not, have a look around for that style. I have a few of them (separate 2" and 1-7/8" set ups) but have no recollection of where I got them since it's been so long. I know for a fact it wasn't Princess (didn't exist) or TSC. Might have been CTC or U-Haul.

Mind you, cut some ~5/8" plate and TIG a gusset on if there is enough meat to weld onto. Gud-2-go.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, I guess there's that aspect as well. No, this does not have that gussett, I'm pretty sure I know what you're talking about. But that's not even the problem I discovered, it's worse than that. I'd estimate the 2" bar that plugs into the reciever is maybe... 1/8" undersize, so it has a lot of slop and can move around in the socket. I think it was from Princess Auto, so I could probably decide to use their iron clad return policy.

In any case, I will eventually be making some sort of off-road coupling that should do away with that problem.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Ok, just another update. I started on the weatherstripping for the doors with some success. I found a nice black rubber EPDM rubber automotive weatherstripping at Lowes of all places. I've put it on the front doors but need to pick up some more. I also installed some Hella Matador knock-off work lights. These can be swivelled so I can have coverage to the back and front, or on either side. I also painted the wheels with the same bronze colour as the truck wheels. This *really* makes the whole thing look better. I took it for a little drive with the slightly increased tongue weight, but it's still not enough. The side-to-side tramlining was greatly improved with the bolted in tongue extension, and I recommend anybody else with an extendible tongue give it a shot. I may pull the trigger on the dual golf-cart deep cycle batteries, which will further help the tongue weight.

 

[RgrBox]

Wow.. it looks great.. you have it loaded for the pull?

RB

Finished the inside yet? If so you got any pics..

 

[Curtis in Texas]

If you added just the rail for the bike to the tounge that should give you the weight you need up front.
OR
Maybe a removeable battey box between the front rails , forward of the main box, that will allow you to add or move your battery forward when the bikes not loaded. This would give you the option of dual batteries too!

Lookin Good!

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Nope, inside is not done yet.

Curtis, the rail won't weigh enough, and it certainly won't be on full time, so that's not a solution. I have actually been contemplating adding a battery box right in front of the main box, slung kinds between the tongue bars, and putting the battery up there. I figure I have to get the TW up to at least 100lbs, and I think it's about 20-30 right now.

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: RL, Please allow me to make some "behind camera observations"

These are neither destructive or constructive, just based on my experience with a much lighter camping trailer

1) High center of gravity on BOX, mass weight ctr, too high (sway)
2) spare tire mounted too high, off ctr, subject to offsetting wind flurries and reduction of tongue weight
3) tongue length too short/light for trailer stability
4) Maggiolina airfoil design, backwards for trailer design-causing "downforce" on rear of trailer-at speed- thereby reducing tongue weight

If you think none of the above is correct-KEWL

Just a thought and your welds look great !!

:costumed-smiley-007:safari-rig::safari-rig: JIMBO