TheMike
Adventurer
Continued from Part 1....
Every group we passed wanted to check out the trailer.
This is where things got interesting. If you know of the White Rim you are probably wondering how on earth anything weird can happen there. Well a fluke really.
In the middle of nowhere was a puddle of water/mud right in the center of the trail. Most were going around it since it would be a real sticky, throw everything around, kind of mud. I went around the puddle on the left side. There was maybe a 6-8” incline on the side of the road that the Jeep and trailer were going to ride on to go around the mud. The Jeep went around then the trailer followed. In the center of this small incline was a bolder. When the left trailer tire hit this bolder it bounced the trailer over on it’s side in a right tumble.
We tried to roll it back over manually but 2100 lbs all pivoting on one tire proved too hard for us men!
We used a synthetic winch line to wrap the trailer and pull it on its wheels. You can also see the bolder that the left tire hit. Also note that the trailer didn’t roll forward after it started to roll over. Even though I was driving very slowly forward it flipped real fast!
Nothing inside the trailer seemed to move at all. I am pointing to the cooler in the left rear that leaked when it was inverted. After the fender impacted the ground the tent then took the full weight. As a result of this:
Damages:
Right fender got tweaked a bit.
The riser support brackets for the rack got pushed/bent toward drivers side.
The rack rails on the top of the roof were pulled and bent by the riser brackets.
Lid is a tad pulled as a result of the riser/rail getting pulled.
Tent cover got one scrape/hole in the front upper corner.
Not Damaged:
Trailer Tub
Lights
Tent
We were back on the trail within a minute or two of righting and checking the trailer over. The rest of the Maob part of the trip went great.
On the way home though was another story. The left wheel bearing ate itself. $100 and 160 miles later it was as good as new.
After getting home 4 hours late, cleaning up the “loaner”, the Jeep, and the gear, and waiting for a week, my trailer was ready to ship to me.
There was nothing lacking in the “loaner” trailer. It was an earlier design and since the trailers have been upgraded and improved though. These items aren’t on the company web site but was rather emailed to me by Mario (AT President).
1- Upgrade to Paint Locked surface treated sheet metal body panels vs. conventional cold rolled sheet
2- Improved air spring mounts with lengthened gussets and ¼” steel vs. 3/16” steel
3- One piece tailgate frame vs. four piece
4- 10 gauge battery charge wiring vs. 14 gauge
5- Rancho RS 9000 shocks with .710 thick piston rod vs. the Rancho RSX with a .625 thick piston rod
6- Waterproof electrical butt splice connectors used on tail light and brake wiring vs. conventional insulated butt splices
7- Trailing arm pivot rod mounting plates thickened to 3/8” vs. ¼”
8- New proprietary camber and toe in adjustment feature vs. none
9- Pivot rod material changed to 165,000 psi Stress Proof steel vs. 85,000 psi cold rolled steel.
10- Lid bulb seal upgraded from 5/8” x 3/8” to 7/8” x ½”
11- Rivets upgraded from aluminum to stainless steel
12- Lock and Roll coupler is zinc plated for corrosion rather than painted
13- Neoprene is now used between the fender and body to reduce coating abrasion from grit
14- Roof rack system has been upgraded from Surco to the Thule product line with nationally available accessories
Lots of little things that make a huge difference in the durability of the product. Anyway, I am not the most patient of individuals so I was constantly calling Mario about updates and such on my trailer. He was happy to send me pics of my trailer in the build and ship process.
Frame/suspension wiring was first to be done
Now the body assembly
Just about done
On to part 3...
Every group we passed wanted to check out the trailer.
This is where things got interesting. If you know of the White Rim you are probably wondering how on earth anything weird can happen there. Well a fluke really.
In the middle of nowhere was a puddle of water/mud right in the center of the trail. Most were going around it since it would be a real sticky, throw everything around, kind of mud. I went around the puddle on the left side. There was maybe a 6-8” incline on the side of the road that the Jeep and trailer were going to ride on to go around the mud. The Jeep went around then the trailer followed. In the center of this small incline was a bolder. When the left trailer tire hit this bolder it bounced the trailer over on it’s side in a right tumble.
We tried to roll it back over manually but 2100 lbs all pivoting on one tire proved too hard for us men!
We used a synthetic winch line to wrap the trailer and pull it on its wheels. You can also see the bolder that the left tire hit. Also note that the trailer didn’t roll forward after it started to roll over. Even though I was driving very slowly forward it flipped real fast!
Nothing inside the trailer seemed to move at all. I am pointing to the cooler in the left rear that leaked when it was inverted. After the fender impacted the ground the tent then took the full weight. As a result of this:
Damages:
Right fender got tweaked a bit.
The riser support brackets for the rack got pushed/bent toward drivers side.
The rack rails on the top of the roof were pulled and bent by the riser brackets.
Lid is a tad pulled as a result of the riser/rail getting pulled.
Tent cover got one scrape/hole in the front upper corner.
Not Damaged:
Trailer Tub
Lights
Tent
We were back on the trail within a minute or two of righting and checking the trailer over. The rest of the Maob part of the trip went great.
On the way home though was another story. The left wheel bearing ate itself. $100 and 160 miles later it was as good as new.
After getting home 4 hours late, cleaning up the “loaner”, the Jeep, and the gear, and waiting for a week, my trailer was ready to ship to me.
There was nothing lacking in the “loaner” trailer. It was an earlier design and since the trailers have been upgraded and improved though. These items aren’t on the company web site but was rather emailed to me by Mario (AT President).
1- Upgrade to Paint Locked surface treated sheet metal body panels vs. conventional cold rolled sheet
2- Improved air spring mounts with lengthened gussets and ¼” steel vs. 3/16” steel
3- One piece tailgate frame vs. four piece
4- 10 gauge battery charge wiring vs. 14 gauge
5- Rancho RS 9000 shocks with .710 thick piston rod vs. the Rancho RSX with a .625 thick piston rod
6- Waterproof electrical butt splice connectors used on tail light and brake wiring vs. conventional insulated butt splices
7- Trailing arm pivot rod mounting plates thickened to 3/8” vs. ¼”
8- New proprietary camber and toe in adjustment feature vs. none
9- Pivot rod material changed to 165,000 psi Stress Proof steel vs. 85,000 psi cold rolled steel.
10- Lid bulb seal upgraded from 5/8” x 3/8” to 7/8” x ½”
11- Rivets upgraded from aluminum to stainless steel
12- Lock and Roll coupler is zinc plated for corrosion rather than painted
13- Neoprene is now used between the fender and body to reduce coating abrasion from grit
14- Roof rack system has been upgraded from Surco to the Thule product line with nationally available accessories
Lots of little things that make a huge difference in the durability of the product. Anyway, I am not the most patient of individuals so I was constantly calling Mario about updates and such on my trailer. He was happy to send me pics of my trailer in the build and ship process.
Frame/suspension wiring was first to be done
Now the body assembly
Just about done
On to part 3...
Last edited:
