Dinoot Trailers -- Product review of DIY offroad kit trailer (1 Viewer)

[Right Turn Clyde]

Mud'ers,
I wanted to share a pretty cool product that may not be known by folks looking to buy/fab an offroad trailer. I came across it when doing my own research on an M416 build. The Dinoot is a DIY kit approach to creating a custom, lightweight trailer to your own spec using a fiberglass set of tub panels. I've been using and modifying mine over the past 16mon. Just returned from White Rim Trail in Canyonlands, and testing some new adds (e.g., swing out kitchen box, nerfs).

I will be posting a Part II build article shortly, but if interested you can read the Part I piece here:

http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/review/dinoot-offroad-trailer-review-53728.html

Dinoot just released their own fiberglas M416 kit, so if that's the look you want then it's worth considering. It's darn light and gives you a lot of options, but obviously doesn't allow welding on the panels.

Cheers!
RTC

 

[titanpat57]

Scott has done some great things with these little trailers.....I'm glad you took the time to reveiw it and give some well deserved positive feedback!!

 

[Tutten]

The dinoot looks awesome. I've been looking for something like this for my travels.

I noticed in one of the pics the dinoot had flipped over after going down a small drop so it can be flipped if you're not careful.

I'm glad I saw your post about this.

 

[Fast Eddy]

It seems to me that this is a drawback of a Rock-n-Roll style hitch:

It seems to me that something could be done in the hitch mechanism that would have prevented this. The truck and it's receiver are heavy and strong enough to hold the trailer upright at the limit where it's about to roll over.

 

[kbahus]

Pretty cool trailer for the masses that don't want to spend big money. It needs some type of lid option beside canvas though. Anyone know how well a harbor freight trailer would hold up to rough dirt roads roads?

 

[ntsqd]

I don't know if that frame is what is supplied or if it was built by the owner, but it should have the tongue tube under the main frame tubes. Almost no one does this for these little light trailers (including the builder of the frame under our TrailBlazer), but it is the best way to do it.

It seems to me that this is a drawback of a Rock-n-Roll style hitch:

It seems to me that something could be done in the hitch mechanism that would have prevented this. The truck and it's receiver are heavy and strong enough to hold the trailer upright at the limit where it's about to roll over.

I played around with incorporating a shear pin that would limit the roll angle until the trailer had too much inertia and then it would shear off the pin. This was deemed preferable to the trailer taking the TV with it as sometimes happens. I abandoned the whole thing as it would be difficult to tune. Eventually I built this:

For some sense of scale, those are Ø9/16" X 7" G8 bolts with prevailing torque lock-nuts installed and torqued.

The lunette is free to rotate in that plate, except that one of those thick washers under the nut is actually a Belleville Washer so rotating it takes 2' of leverage or so. Then to prevent the lunette from "rolling under" while backing uphill and turning at the same time I added this to the pintle:

One could say that's a hangy-down part and they'll get no disagreement from me. They'll also be told that it has yet to ever touch the ground.

 

[Mace]

Doubt you could damage it anyway..