Media GX460 / Prado150 pic thread (7 Viewers)
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^what bumper is that?
It is custom made
shadowz all up on this thread showing us how it's done. Well done, Sir.
Just got back from an amazing few days in the desert. My daughter's first time camping, and my first time with a camper trailer. It was a resounding success.
Just got back from an amazing few days in the desert. My daughter's first time camping, and my first time with a camper trailer. It was a resounding success.
What kind of trailer is that?shadowz all up on this thread showing us how it's done. Well done, Sir.
Just got back from an amazing few days in the desert. My daughter's first time camping, and my first time with a camper trailer. It was a resounding success.
We have a pop up tent trailer we use but I’m thinking about selling and going with one that doesn’t pop up.
It's a SoCal Teardrop "Krawler" that I rented from Off The Grid rentals. We spent a lot of time discussing the pros and cons of this trailer vs others. I think I'll try a few other designs out for my next trips and see what fits best. Frankly this was overkill for the washboard roads I was on, but I'd love to take this to my Southern Sierra hideouts this summer. Maybe I'll get some boujie Airstream for a trip up the coast this spring... Keeping my options open.
Teardrops are the way to go...if you’re not trying to sleep a family of 6 and want to truly get remote of other campers.
That’s a nice setup!
Sweet rig, and I agree entirely. I'll be doing this setup again when I go remote. But for a trip to the Redwoods, which will be entirely paved and likely stuck in noisy campgrounds full of idiots, I could see the benefits of other styles.
Here's another shot of my whole setup in the daytime, from one of our many roadside breaks.
I see that SoCal teardrop has a standard ball hitch and just want to inject my opinion for folks with campers or who will be buying them in the future. It is 100% worth it to get an off road hitch, even if you're not doing more serious off roading. Here is my Pros/Cons opinion, both in order of most important to least important on each list:
Pros:
- Security, less likely someone with criminal intentions has your same Max-coupler or Lock-N-Roll hitch and can easily hitch up and drive away with your expensive camper (while camping or at home)
- Secure attachment, way less likely for the tongue to bind and come undone on washboards, bumps, off road, etc
- Noise, no clanking ball or pintle hitch over bumps/potholes/etc and no weight shifting at the hitch connection either
- Cool factor
Cons:
- Cost, most are $200-300+
- Rolling the camper, in the event of the trailer wanting to go head-over-heels when on serious camber, etc, a ball hitch will resist that rotational force a bit before binding and coming undone, at least it will more than 360* freely spinning hitch. This is a noteworthy concern, but one that is easily balanced out with the "secure attachment" pro
- Maintenance, ball hitches are nearly zero actual maintenance, which is the only reason off road hitches even rate here. Mine has one grease zerk vehicle side and I use some lubricant on the trailer side occasionally.
I don't think you can go wrong with either of the two major options, MaxCoupler or Lock-N-Roll. I've had three of the LNR units and love them, but one main issue with them is the inability to easily adjust the vehicle side hitch height due to the entire assembly being made by LNR.
I run a 4" drop hitch, which means it can only ever be a 4" drop or 4" rise. If I get a different vehicle or change towing vehicles, the hitch might not be ideal. To fine adjust the hitch height, I'd have to buy a second vehicle side setup at ~$150. MaxCouplers mount to a standard ball hitch, vehicle side, which means height adjustment is down to buying a more appropriately sized rise/drop bare ball hitch for $20-30. You can buy an adjustable height LNR, but they're not ideal for departure angle while off road.
Pros:
- Security, less likely someone with criminal intentions has your same Max-coupler or Lock-N-Roll hitch and can easily hitch up and drive away with your expensive camper (while camping or at home)
- Secure attachment, way less likely for the tongue to bind and come undone on washboards, bumps, off road, etc
- Noise, no clanking ball or pintle hitch over bumps/potholes/etc and no weight shifting at the hitch connection either
- Cool factor
Cons:
- Cost, most are $200-300+
- Rolling the camper, in the event of the trailer wanting to go head-over-heels when on serious camber, etc, a ball hitch will resist that rotational force a bit before binding and coming undone, at least it will more than 360* freely spinning hitch. This is a noteworthy concern, but one that is easily balanced out with the "secure attachment" pro
- Maintenance, ball hitches are nearly zero actual maintenance, which is the only reason off road hitches even rate here. Mine has one grease zerk vehicle side and I use some lubricant on the trailer side occasionally.
I don't think you can go wrong with either of the two major options, MaxCoupler or Lock-N-Roll. I've had three of the LNR units and love them, but one main issue with them is the inability to easily adjust the vehicle side hitch height due to the entire assembly being made by LNR.
I run a 4" drop hitch, which means it can only ever be a 4" drop or 4" rise. If I get a different vehicle or change towing vehicles, the hitch might not be ideal. To fine adjust the hitch height, I'd have to buy a second vehicle side setup at ~$150. MaxCouplers mount to a standard ball hitch, vehicle side, which means height adjustment is down to buying a more appropriately sized rise/drop bare ball hitch for $20-30. You can buy an adjustable height LNR, but they're not ideal for departure angle while off road.
Here's another shot of my whole setup in the daytime, from one of our many roadside breaks.
So, how'd you and the fam like the setup on this one, major pros/cons?
We absolutely loved it. No major complaints at all. We drove about 20mi of washboard roads total, so our trailer was overkill for our needs. I did comment that the ball hitch would be a weak link if I did get into anything more challenging. On the other hand, we were soloing in Death Valley for my daughter's first camping trip so I was very careful to make sure we all had a good time and came back alive. That meant no rock crawling or technical wheeling. There's plenty of that to do locally.
Pros:
Size. It was short, light and maneuverable. I even pulled off a K-turn at the end of a dirt road without jack-knifing or pushing the trailer off the cliff.
Weight. Our lil' 4.6 isn't exactly the beefiest on the market, but I was passing guys in full size trucks while they dragged toy-haulers bigger than my house.
Galley. I've never had a fridge/freezer before. A man can get used to that level of luxury.
Comfort. I've literally spent more than 7 years of my life, combined, in a sleeping bag on the floor or ground. That's not an exaggeration. This trailer was nicer than my first apartment.
Cons:
Cold. This won't always be a problem, and wouldn't be for me alone, but my fair ladies are accustomed to better sleeping conditions. A heater would've been welcome.
Rear access. I spent a lot of time reaching in through the glass rather than opening the door. I'm sure a lift back or tailgate would be better, but normally I love my rear door.
No shower. This is a big one for my wife. She said those three days are the longest she'd ever gone without a shower. For me, that's any week I'm not working, LOL.
Security. I was extremely paranoid to turn my back on that thing, even for a minute.
Range. You don't pass up many gas stations in this thing. I had a couple of rotopax in reserve that I didn't use, but came mighty close to having a problem yesterday.
I feel like I didn't get a chance to fully appreciate the trailer because we were always on the move. The first night, at Kelso dunes, we showed up after sundown and basically moved from the truck to the trailer. Granted it was cold, with horizontal rain and 70mph winds, but the next morning we had a nice breakfast and walked around a bit before breaking down. I revised our second day itinerary so that we'd stop earlier in the day and enjoy our camp a bit more. I'd like to set up someplace remote for a couple of nights so I could enjoy the awning and treat it as a home base for hiking, but that brings me back to security concerns. We're already shopping for portable showers so that we'll have it regardless of what we rent. My Dad recommended a "dog boiler" or "zen stove" that a lot of other dog mushers use on the trail. He keeps one in his truck at all times and says it boils up 5gal of water in just a few minutes!
That's a lot of words for a picture thread...
Here's an example of my typical weekend excursions, where I wonder if that hitch would've been an issue.
And here's a good link for Zen Stoves, for those of you who aren't up on the latest trends in dog mushing.
That’s about where I sit on trails too, nothing crazy (usually) but definitely more than fire roads.
IMO a fully articulating hitch is worth it there. If memory serves me right, a standard ball hitch can operate at a max 30* angle/twist on the ball. On a trail like that, when your rig and trailer are cambered off on opposing sides over those moguls, that 30* angle isn’t hard to surpass and push the limits on. In that situation, the hitch falling off is a good outcome, binding and twisting mounts and tongues is the alternative.
Hopefully one of the next rentals will have one to try out.
IMO a fully articulating hitch is worth it there. If memory serves me right, a standard ball hitch can operate at a max 30* angle/twist on the ball. On a trail like that, when your rig and trailer are cambered off on opposing sides over those moguls, that 30* angle isn’t hard to surpass and push the limits on. In that situation, the hitch falling off is a good outcome, binding and twisting mounts and tongues is the alternative.
Hopefully one of the next rentals will have one to try out.
xlx
SILVER Star
I love my old Land Cruiser but the heated seats and steering wheel in the GX felt mighty fine this morning...
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Just swapped out the street style Black Rhino's on my GX for some Method 704's (17") and Cooper Discover AT3 LT's in a 275/70R17. Removed the bolt on the inner running board mount and replaced it with washers and a rivet. Took a heat gun to the rest of it and nearly have it dialed in. Such a another ride compared to the 22" inch wheels!
New ride! The project begins. 2013 Premium . Tires and wheels first .
Less than 32” tires to stay in the gears happy zone. Will try using a front level kit.
I will being adding a bumper of some kind up front. Not sure from there. I wanted something I could drive to the land lease and go to the wildlife viewing stands. Thanks all who have unknowingly helped me on this site. Lots of info . Thanks.
Less than 32” tires to stay in the gears happy zone. Will try using a front level kit.
I will being adding a bumper of some kind up front. Not sure from there. I wanted something I could drive to the land lease and go to the wildlife viewing stands. Thanks all who have unknowingly helped me on this site. Lots of info . Thanks.
