SWITAWI
Doesn't Get Out Enough
Having just seen Verkstad's post over at http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...s-of-your-rig-and-trailer?p=971899#post971899 brought back lots of memories of a flatbed wagon trailer we used on an almost daily basis on my uncle's place when I was a kid. Got me wondering why there really aren't any expo trailers of that particular design. I've seen the threads about dual-axle trailers and the 'walking-axle' design, but my searches haven't found anything about wagon-style trailers with a steering axle up front on the forum.
A little Googling dug up these guys in Wyoming - http://expeditionrangecamps.com/. Pretty much everything else is for farm use or ATVs.
Now before you start smacking my noggin about size, weight and maneuverability, I fully understand those are the major pitfalls inherent in this kind of trailer. Add to those the whole extra tires/extra flats/extra spares problem. The way I see it the best reasons for the wagon design are basically zero tongue weight, stability, and unquestionable hauling ability. Now those don't cancel out the pitfalls I mentioned, and I can imagine trying to make it up a slippery boat ramp without a little extra tongue weight to help with the obvious traction issues. Maybe a more lightweight, tube frame design would cut down on the heft and a wheelbase that is kept down to 3/4s of the tow vehicle would help maneuverability.
:safari-rig:
It's definitely not a 'technical trail'-oriented design, being more suited to base camp use. Hell, maybe the idea is more RV than ExPo, but you don't see travel trailer manufacturers using this design instead of 5th-wheels either. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on the ups (if anyone thinks there are any) and downs of an offroad wagon trailer.
A little Googling dug up these guys in Wyoming - http://expeditionrangecamps.com/. Pretty much everything else is for farm use or ATVs.
Now before you start smacking my noggin about size, weight and maneuverability, I fully understand those are the major pitfalls inherent in this kind of trailer. Add to those the whole extra tires/extra flats/extra spares problem. The way I see it the best reasons for the wagon design are basically zero tongue weight, stability, and unquestionable hauling ability. Now those don't cancel out the pitfalls I mentioned, and I can imagine trying to make it up a slippery boat ramp without a little extra tongue weight to help with the obvious traction issues. Maybe a more lightweight, tube frame design would cut down on the heft and a wheelbase that is kept down to 3/4s of the tow vehicle would help maneuverability.
:safari-rig:
It's definitely not a 'technical trail'-oriented design, being more suited to base camp use. Hell, maybe the idea is more RV than ExPo, but you don't see travel trailer manufacturers using this design instead of 5th-wheels either. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on the ups (if anyone thinks there are any) and downs of an offroad wagon trailer.
