[atari4x4]

the ozhitch's are rated for 2 & 3.5t, way overkill for what i need.

i can't see my self carrying more than a couple of jerrys, a 31" spare, camp table & chairs & 20l of water unless heading across the simpson & it would only be a few more jerrys & a bit more water

[christover1]

atari4x4 wrote:

the ozhitch's are rated for 2 & 3.5t, way overkill for what i need.

i can't see my self carrying more than a couple of jerrys, a 31" spare, camp table & chairs & 20l of water unless heading across the simpson & it would only be a few more jerrys & a bit more water

Most my trailer sees is only 400kg including it own weight.

Hoping to cross Simpson with it in the future.

[atari4x4]

thats about what i'm aiming for, my trailer rego papers say it weighs 170kg (i think it's heavier), with big wheels i'm guessing over 200kgs.

any idea on how much your roof top tent weighed?

[Joe]

I'm running the same one as Buzzbox, like what Chop said i don't like the idea of the pivot point being on the towball tongue.

[atari4x4]

i want to build a custom towbar nice & high so i'm concerned about the height of the bit that says on the towbar with treg style hitch getting in the way of the door or knee capping it.

[Polar_Bear]

Joe wrote:

like what Chop said i don't like the idea of the pivot point being on the towball tongue.

what would be the reason behind this idea?

[Chop]

The trailer doctor said they have bad wear on the bolt and can get sloppy. Not good for heavy loads and sometimes considered a light duty one.

[Polar_Bear]

i thought these were the shiz for an offroad trailer?

http://www.tregtrailers.com.au/poly_blo ... lings.aspx

[zukenutter]

When I took my camper off road for the 4WD Action shoot I surprised myself at the sort of angles the ball receiver could handle.

Definitely was at the edge of its rotation but for probably most occasions would be fine...not a Simpson crossing though

[christover1]

atari4x4 wrote:

thats about what i'm aiming for, my trailer rego papers say it weighs 170kg (i think it's heavier), with big wheels i'm guessing over 200kgs.

any idea on how much your roof top tent weighed?

Trailer weighed for rego at 200kg + a bitted of added weight, since,
and tent top at 40kg,
but some tent tops weigh more.

[Polar_Bear]

ok, i know i have way too many projects on the go at the moment but..

i'm chucking a heap of junk out of my place and i've come across my old lwb vitara half cut front chassis, which got me thinking, how would it work to use as a base for an independant suspension trailer build? using the stock arms, hubs and bearings, springs and shocks, and cutting all the other crap off it. There wouldnt really be much of the original chassis remaining.

I'm aware you would have to watch the weight of the whole thing.


or maybe i should just take the lot down to the recyclers

[atari4x4]

come get my trailer & make it happen, i also want it to have steering operated from the cab.

[Chop]

Polar_Bear wrote:

ok, i know i have way too many projects on the go at the moment but..

i'm chucking a heap of junk out of my place and i've come across my old lwb vitara half cut front chassis, which got me thinking, how would it work to use as a base for an independant suspension trailer build? using the stock arms, hubs and bearings, springs and shocks, and cutting all the other crap off it. There wouldnt really be much of the original chassis remaining.

I'm aware you would have to watch the weight of the whole thing.


or maybe i should just take the lot down to the recyclers

by the time its ready your 5 kids will need to much junk to take away and you'll need a pootrol

[Polar_Bear]

to the haters.

i never said i was going to do it, just if it was a good idea

[buzbox]

Chop wrote:

I'll be upgrading to an ozhitch, bit dearer but less people have them so not as easy to steal.

A couple of options that I've thunk of to prevent theft.
1) Put the pin through with a padlock instead of the R clip.
2) one of these in the polyblock.

[atari4x4]

i was going to chain the thing in 2 spots, through the wheels/axle/spring to make it hard to roll away & chain the front to something solid. run the length of chain through some large diameter clear pvc bong tubing to stop it scratching paint.

what sort of trailer springs are everyone running?

looking online there are a 3 leaf 600kg & a 1000kg 4 leaf, mines got the 4 leaf slipper springs on it & it's rock solid empty. could i pull a leaf? there are 3 "slipper" springs & a small leaf at the bottom of the pack

[christover1]

Mine had slipper springs at first,
from a light weight boat trailer,
handled well, but wore out badly.

I since fitted 750kg shackle springs,
with most of the leaves removed.
These work so much better than the slippers.
Do need some shox tho,
I reckon shox are needed, many say no.

[atari4x4]

mine has slipper springs but shows no real signs of wear on the rear hanger & the trailer was built in 1985! i guess being so stiffly sprung they're not moving much. for now i'll run with the slipper springs to try & keep the project moving along, had an epic day of grinding rust today...

i've got a few thin lengths of HDPE/teflon tucked away somewhere, i was thinking of pulling the 2nd leaf that is full length & adding a pad of HDPE to make up for the loss of thickness in the leaf pack & so the spring has slide on while keeping the leaf tightish in the rear hanger?

[christover1]

atari4x4 wrote:

mine has slipper springs but shows no real signs of wear on the rear hanger & the trailer was built in 1985! i guess being so stiffly sprung they're not moving much. for now i'll run with the slipper springs to try & keep the project moving along, had an epic day of grinding rust today...

i've got a few thin lengths of HDPE/teflon tucked away somewhere, i was thinking of pulling the 2nd leaf that is full length & adding a pad of HDPE to make up for the loss of thickness in the leaf pack & so the spring has slide on while keeping the leaf tightish in the rear hanger?

Souns like a good idea to me,
can't hurt to try it.
Sand, paint and grease between leaves will help, too.

A slip of steel for the slipper to rub on,
will save wear on trailer chassis,
and easy to replace.
Could have one already in it.


Think mine were out of square, chewed thru side of locating lugs

[christover1]

87 build pix in case it helpful
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p237 ... r%20stuff/

[atari4x4]

thanks for the link to your pics... the spring chewed that out nicely, over what sort of time frame/distance did it do that?

your trailer thread is the only reason i log into outers these days.

[buzbox]

Mine are 3 leaf slippers too, I do have some eye to eye springs but that requires more work to get them into place and besides over the dozen trips or so a year I'll be doing with it it will take many years for it to wear through, In saying that some wear pads could be put into place so it's not rubbing on the chassis and when or if they wear I'd cut them off and replace them.

[christover1]

atari4x4 wrote:

thanks for the link to your pics... the spring chewed that out nicely, over what sort of time frame/distance did it do that?

your trailer thread is the only reason i log into outers these days.

That chewing was over 6 - 8 months, with only occassional use.

I didn't know outers was still alive.
I can't read the new color scheme anyway.

[atari4x4]

i was thinking something like this...




drilled & tapped a thread into the HDPE, still have to line up & drill the holes for the one on the rail.

gave the underside 2 coats of chassis black after stripping & treating it yesterday, temps getting up to the mid 30's today so it can bake in the sun all day.

[christover1]

Brilliant, that will work,
probably would help springs work a lot better.

It should prevent rattles, too.


They are rebound slippers,
don't need shox with them

[atari4x4]

cool, cause i went & did the other side while waiting for a reply.

i have enough left to make up another 3 sets of pads so i'll keep an eye on the wear rate.

[remydog05]

Gidday all, Ive been reading this thread right though as Im thinking of building or buying a trailer that I can use with the Sierra.

A number of questions open for opinion!

What denotes an offroad trailer??
EG the things I can think of is
tow hitch, suspension, build quality,

Christover/ Fatzook/ Zooknutter would you take yours to Cape York or similar??
What do you think the real build cost of your trailers are?
From what I can tell if your crawling over things at very low speed the trailer wont care, its gets it flogging from things like pot holes and corrugations at 100klms and that's where damage is done.

Anyone put a Battery/water tank in the trailer or not much bother for the weight gain?
Would anyone still buy the same tent of different?
There is very little about the Kitchens you all use??
Anyone run a fridge in theres or just an esky??
Are they all what you could call dust proof and or water tight?
Kennel, your camper seems a fair bit larger than the others??

Moph would you call yours offroad??

Im sure there is other questions but that is more than enough for now!

[christover1]

I have been building mine for Cape York, Simpson Crossing type trips.
Hopefully.
I not bothered with kitchens, because I like low weight and simplicity.
Can carry me gas cooker to under a tree, or to a pic nic table.
You hit the nail on the head,
build quality/strength is major,
suspension needs durability over travel,
off road hitch takes strain off the tow bar/ball.
Trailer has better ground clearance than the Vit.
You definately want same wheels/tyres as tow car, and same track width.

Have taken mine off road locally,
has no trouble on mediun difficulty tracks.
I imagine it would manage some hard tracks, but hesitant to try it.

Mine cost me around $700 with tent, but some of my build was free/cheap recycled bits.
Tried to make mine water and dust proof,
but not real successful, still need to consider what goes in trailer.
But tent top doesn't let any dust or water in normally,
tho a bit got in during a torrential down pour.
Happy with my choice of tent top,
its not the best on thbe market,
but I can park camper and leave it,
with a lot less worries.

[remydog05]

Thanks Chris, great info, well done for making it all for well under $1000

Anyone know what size axel you need for the WT track width?
Im thinking a 50inch/1270mm then add about 30mm each side for hubs would go close to WT 1340mm?? Or is this way off??
Im thinking 45mm 1500kg axel with 3 or 4 leaf slipper rated 300-400kg each spring.

Ive just done some reading on Vicroads website it may help someone.

The trailer does NOT have to be registered
If its under 200kg empty
Under 3m incl drawbar
under the width of the towing car.

About half way down the page
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/Reg ... ration.htm

[christover1]

Will still need to be reg'oed if you want top tow it outside of Victoria,
thats how I interpretted it.
Legal jargon stumps me some days.
Only cost me less than $40 a year anyway.

I used a 2nd hand axle,
and changed the track by using different off sets on rims.
Still fit on car if needed.

You can give wheel mount to wheel mount measurements
to a trailer type shop,
and have exact length made if you want.
Probably not as cheap as an off the shelf size.
5ft x 3ft 6" have close to correct track width.