The Reality of Handling Trailers in the Back Woods

[fike]

So I have been using my rooftop tent on a Subie for a couple years and I am considering a light offroad teardrop trailer (little guy rough rider). I generally restrict myself to rugged, remote fire roads that are, at most, severely rutted, yet often narrow.

Narrow is the operative word. Many of the people on this forum are overlanding in the desert southwest where things are frequently wider. (I know there are narrow trails in the west too.) What I want to know is how you have coped with a situation where you are pulling your trailer and you find yourself in a narrow spot and you need to turn around or back out. Every offroader (whether extreme or not) has done a 25-point turn in a narrow spot. With a trailer, I am afraid that is a near catastrophic situation.

Presuming you could get your tow vehicle around the trailer, can a light-weight trailer be disconnected, turned around by hand and reconnected? How much manhandling can you expect to do in that situation? Fear of getting boxed-in to a narrow trail would seem to be a substantial impediment to enjoying overlanding with a trailer.

 

[Semi-Hex]

Twice, I have had to find a slightly wider spot, disconnect my trailer, turn my truck and trailer around and rehook. Now, I try to walk at least a portion if the terrain looks narrow or very unused.
But, we have gone to some really cool places this way and this summer we will be going to a wildlife underpass that I will have to measure before going through at San Rafael Swell. Would we exchange our life with a trailer? No way, though we do at times have troubles finding a slot at the rv car park.

 

[dlh62c]

A hand brake lever on the trailer will prove useful.

 

[OCD Overland]

Even a light trailer can be difficult to turn by hand if the road is soft, inclined or rutted. I think you need to carry a come along at minimum to pull it around if you need to. Better would be some long straps and pulleys so you can rig a way to pull it around with your car.

I'd get a good heavy duty jockey wheel that's less likely to sink into the ground, like this one - http://www.arkportablepower.com/pages/xo-trailer-jack

Another thing to consider is the trailer tongue length. If you can get an extended length tongue that allows you to get the trailer as close to 90° to the car as possible, then turning in tight places will be easier.

 

[fike]

A hand brake lever on the trailer will prove useful.

I like that idea. Can you have a trailer handbrake AND electric-hydraulic brakes? Do they typically come on little things like teardrops, or do you need to install them yourself?

 

[fike]

Even a light trailer can be difficult to turn by hand if the road is soft, inclined or rutted. I think you need to carry a come along at minimum to pull it around if you need to. Better would be some long straps and pulleys so you can rig a way to pull it around with your car.

I'd get a good heavy duty jockey wheel that's less likely to sink into the ground, like this one - http://www.arkportablepower.com/pages/xo-trailer-jack

Another thing to consider is the trailer tongue length. If you can get an extended length tongue that allows you to get the trailer as close to 90° to the car as possible, then turning in tight places will be easier.

I think the question for me is whether you are better off keeping the whole rig and trailer short, or if that 90% capability is that important.

I like that heavier duty jockey wheel. I wonder if anyone makes them with inflatable tires, or if that would be counter-productive.

Definitely yes on the come along, and I would guess putting a variety of good tie-offs on the frame would be a decent idea too.

 

[JoshN]

I like that idea. Can you have a trailer handbrake AND electric-hydraulic brakes? Do they typically come on little things like teardrops, or do you need to install them yourself?

Traditional teardrops (home built, small, light weight) are typically un-braked for all the listed reasons. Commercially made tears depending on size / weight are usually offered with electric brakes as an option if not included.

 

[meental]

There are electric brakes available with hand brakes

Dexter 10" x 2.25" 3500lb electric brakes with handbrake K23-086-00 LH, K23-087-00 RH

Sent from my RTT while stargazing

 

[SnowDozerCJ5]

Electric over hydraulic is over complicated. I 2nd the electric with hand operated parking brake separate systems less issues

 

[Scott B.]

There are electric brakes available with hand brakes

Dexter 10" x 2.25" 3500lb electric brakes with handbrake K23-086-00 LH, K23-087-00 RH

Sent from my RTT while stargazing

I have these brakes on my Little Guy.

 

[AFBronco235]

Back on topic.
Its not THAT hard to back up a trailer on a trail. You just have to pay attention to what the trailer is doing as your backing up. Having a spotter is good too.
Anyways, if you can get into a trail, you can back out of it with a trailer. You would only have to turn around if you had to back up a considerable distance, as in maybe half a mile or so. If you have a trailer handy, just practice backing up with it. Its not as difficult as people make it out to be. Take it on a little cone course in an empty parking lot to see how it handles. I think you'll be surprised at how maneuverable it is.
And lastly, just be smart. If you come to a trail where you think your trailer will get you stuck, chances are you're right.

 

[fike]

Back on topic.
Its not THAT hard to back up a trailer on a trail. You just have to pay attention to what the trailer is doing as your backing up. Having a spotter is good too.
Anyways, if you can get into a trail, you can back out of it with a trailer. You would only have to turn around if you had to back up a considerable distance, as in maybe half a mile or so. If you have a trailer handy, just practice backing up with it. Its not as difficult as people make it out to be. Take it on a little cone course in an empty parking lot to see how it handles. I think you'll be surprised at how maneuverable it is.
And lastly, just be smart. If you come to a trail where you think your trailer will get you stuck, chances are you're right.

Yes, I was talking about that 1/2 mile backup....which can be hair raising sometimes without a trailer. With a trailer, that much reversing (through mud puddles, straddling washouts, over rack ledges the wrong way) could be problematic. When exploring in search of a campsite, sometimes you take risks. Usually it goes okay, but sometimes.....

 

[AFBronco235]

You mentioned that the roads were extremely rutted. I still don't think it would be that bad. Like I said, you have to use your head and some common sense. To give you a better solution, I'd have to know the exact makeup of your tow vehicle and your trailer.

What kinds of trail blocks are you likely to encounter anyways? Maybe all you need is a chainsaw?

 

[fike]

You mentioned that the roads were extremely rutted. I still don't think it would be that bad. Like I said, you have to use your head and some common sense. To give you a better solution, I'd have to know the exact makeup of your tow vehicle and your trailer.

What kinds of trail blocks are you likely to encounter anyways? Maybe all you need is a chainsaw?

I am thinking of a particular ford in my mind where the entry requires you to step down a series of 6"-8" rock ledges which ie easy in my Forester, but going backwards back up that ledge would be impossible with a trailer that has smallish tires.

I can certainly avoid this situation but it certainly diminishes my exploration instinct a bit, and I can't decide if it will be a real problem for me.

 

[greentruck]

Given the extensive availability of overhead imagery, hi def maps, etc, you can usually assess how tight things are likely to be. You don't always get a full picture, but you can substantially reduce the chances of getting in a bind.

If you get into some tight trails, one of the reasons they make hitches is so the rig can be unhitched. Find a spot out of the way and drop the trailer, do some scouting, then once things are sized up, fetch the trailer.

And I never leave home without my come along, as they are a very handy supplement to a winch and quicker to deploy and put away, plus they can be positioned advantageously much more easily than a winch line. Just the thing for moving a trailer as needed.