Tent trailer good or bad idea?

etcatmeat

Well-known member
Sep 20, 2006
342
0
West Covina, CA USA
I was thinking about buying a used tent trailer in the 2 grand range to pull behind my RR. I would like it to sleep at least 4 people, have a fridge, heater, some sort of shower (outdoor would be good enough) also some sort of roof rack on it to put mt. bikes and kayak. I was also thinking about lifting it a few inches and putting some rugged tires on it so I can take it on some light trails. Any thoughts on this?
 

Leslie

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
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Kingsport TN
etcatmeat said:
I was also thinking about lifting it a few inches and putting some rugged tires on it so I can take it on some light trails. Any thoughts on this?



If the trailer's axles aren't driven, then there's no need for putting rugged tires on it. The only reason to have "rugged" tires on it would be if you were running the same size on the Rover so that you could use the trailer's tires as spares. Given that you're not going to find a trailer that has a Rover hub pattern (well, not a commercial tent trailer, I'm not counting Sankeys here), there's no need to spend money changing out the tires on the trailer.
 

etcatmeat

Well-known member
Sep 20, 2006
342
0
West Covina, CA USA
Leslie said:
If the trailer's axles aren't driven, then there's no need for putting rugged tires on it. The only reason to have "rugged" tires on it would be if you were running the same size on the Rover so that you could use the trailer's tires as spares. Given that you're not going to find a trailer that has a Rover hub pattern (well, not a commercial tent trailer, I'm not counting Sankeys here), there's no need to spend money changing out the tires on the trailer.

I wasnt thinking of putting mud tires on it, just something better than the standard issue trailer tire thats more rock friendly, also to help with some extra ground clearance.
 

UK 4X4

Well-known member
Jul 6, 2006
704
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Planet earth currently Oman
I love mine.....just a roof tent but mean's you can set up camp and leave it if you wish, not tent up tent down everyday just to run a trail
or suddenly realise your out of wine and need to hit the latest store..

Kitchen in the back....fridge planned.....just need a spare $ 700.

Mine started life as a northern tool standard 4Ft X 6ft trailer.....

then came the spring over-4" lift and jeep wheels, narrowed the frame
added lift handles and 2" hitch too for tow hooks -bike rack etc

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/POshaughnessy/Discovery/MoabLandrover089.jpg
 

Leslie

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
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Kingsport TN
etcatmeat said:
I wasnt thinking of putting mud tires on it, just something better than the standard issue trailer tire thats more rock friendly, also to help with some extra ground clearance.


True, the taller tires would provide additional clearance.



My question though, is just how far back are you planning to go that you think that a trailer wouldn't make it as-is? There's a certain point at which, you circle up and camp w/ a trailer, and if you want to go further, you switch to packable tents.


IMHO, the problem is, you would only gain an inch or so w/ the tire change. As UK4X4 here said, you have to go with a spring-over to gain noticeable clearance with a trailer. If it's a shorter trailer, you will gain more advantage, but a long trailer won't gain as much, as the longer the distance between the axle and the ends are, the more that they'll hit; as one end goes up, the other will go down....


Don't get me wrong, I understand the appeal of having a bit more comfort, a sink and a fridge, a bed, a toilet and shower, those are desirable things. But there's a point where you need to either make sure that you're looking for a really short trailer to help in the off-road use and maneuverability, or you can go with the larger trailer for more comfort and limit just how far you take it along....


Now, FWIW, I've seen a caddy towing an airstream WAY up forest service roads, where most folks thought I was mad for taking a Subaru.... so, you just might be able to get a lot further along w/o anything fancy needed.....


FWIW....
 

etcatmeat

Well-known member
Sep 20, 2006
342
0
West Covina, CA USA
Leslie said:
True, the taller tires would provide additional clearance.



My question though, is just how far back are you planning to go that you think that a trailer wouldn't make it as-is? There's a certain point at which, you circle up and camp w/ a trailer, and if you want to go further, you switch to packable tents.


IMHO, the problem is, you would only gain an inch or so w/ the tire change. As UK4X4 here said, you have to go with a spring-over to gain noticeable clearance with a trailer. If it's a shorter trailer, you will gain more advantage, but a long trailer won't gain as much, as the longer the distance between the axle and the ends are, the more that they'll hit; as one end goes up, the other will go down....


Don't get me wrong, I understand the appeal of having a bit more comfort, a sink and a fridge, a bed, a toilet and shower, those are desirable things. But there's a point where you need to either make sure that you're looking for a really short trailer to help in the off-road use and maneuverability, or you can go with the larger trailer for more comfort and limit just how far you take it along....


Now, FWIW, I've seen a caddy towing an airstream WAY up forest service roads, where most folks thought I was mad for taking a Subaru.... so, you just might be able to get a lot further along w/o anything fancy needed.....


FWIW....

I get pretty adventurous when it comes to picking camping spots, so I like to keep my options open. I am not going to be doing any rock crawling with it, but I can see myself going through some ruts and small boulders. I also got the idea of using a pintle hook hitch design from the guys over at lrrforums for better off road capability. True, I could probably get pretty far with a stock trailer, but hey whats cool about that? :cool:
 

Funrover

Well-known member
May 10, 2006
287
0
Colorado
Hell yeah!! Do it...... I am gonna give my camper a lift soon and put larger tires on...... I do some 4x4 trails with it now...... But nothing crazy....... I have already lifted it about 4" or so.... I have another 4 to go......(It was super low when I got her) I have a 1971 Cox Conestoga!! It's a great way to go!!!

IMG_7496.jpg

IMG_7489.jpg

You did have to 4-wheel in to that camping spot...... We had a few folks asking us how we got in there..It was a great time.My buddy also brought his pop up seen here
IMG_7488.jpg
 

etcatmeat

Well-known member
Sep 20, 2006
342
0
West Covina, CA USA
Funrover said:
Hell yeah!! Do it...... I am gonna give my camper a lift soon and put larger tires on...... I do some 4x4 trails with it now...... But nothing crazy....... I have already lifted it about 4" or so.... I have another 4 to go......(It was super low when I got her) I have a 1971 Cox Conestoga!! It's a great way to go!!!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/Funrover/Off%20road%20Trips/IMG_7496.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/Funrover/Off%20road%20Trips/IMG_7489.jpg
You did have to 4-wheel in to that camping spot...... We had a few folks asking us how we got in there..It was a great time.My buddy also brought his pop up seen here
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/Funrover/Off%20road%20Trips/IMG_7488.jpg

OMG! In those pics it was lifted 4"?? That thing was riding gangsta low man! I can't wait to find my victim and start workin on it!
 

Roverless

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2005
83
0
49
Atlanta, GA (Literally)
I would agree. Owning the Starcraft 11rt is great though I don't pull it with my rover yet. We usually setup a base camp near some trails and then hit the trails. I know there are some ways to lift without doing to much modifications by swapping the axel to the bottom of the leaf springs and I've heard of some people installing spacers as well. A good site to get some ideas for a tent camper would be popupexplorer.com. Good people with alot of knowledge ready to share. Hope this helps :)
 

mikemeyer0

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Apr 13, 2005
1,141
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42
Las Vegas, NV
For 2G's you can find a nice used one.

as for lift, just by some leaf spring mounts and weld them to the top of the axle and mount the springs over axle. pretty easy. I worked at a welding shop and we did spring over lifts on all kinds of trailers.

Get bigger tires, the small ones on a tent trailer you can only do 50-60mph, when your going 60mph those little tires are hauling ass. get something in the 25-30 inch overall diameter.

good luck!