Our trip to Deadhorse Alaska

[mep1811]

My wife and I completed a 13,000 three month trip to Alaska and Canada this past summer. My article on the trip on the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse was just published in TCT Magazine.

The article ,ARCTIC ADVENTURES IN A VINTAGE LAND CRUISER, in TCT Magazine. Page 46.

Enjoy and I look forward to your comments


My latest article in TCT Magazine

 

[Downey]

Did you have more than one cracked windshield???

 

[mep1811]

No cracked windshield just the rear lift gate glass. The 100 mph tape lasted the entire trip. The trick ,I think, was to pull over and stop when a 18 wheeler was passing.

 

[abqcruiser]

Nice Article! Years ago my folks did the same trip pulling a camper trailer. If I recall they had to buy a few new tires at that tire shop.
How did your Taxa trailer hold up on your journey? We recently bought one ourselves to pull behind our pig.

 

[mep1811]

The Tiger Moth was great but not designed for rugged travel. Although we never went off road , the trailer suffered with the box panels popping rivets, the box frame pulling loose . The frame cracked in two places and the trailer was totaled by the insurance company. We were only 1300 miles from home.

 

[abqcruiser]

Well that sucks!
Is yours the earlier, lighter aluminum version? Do you have any pics of the failed areas? I was hoping to take mine off road. I'm guessing that you didn't replace it with a newer one?

 

[mep1811]

Mine was a 2018 all steel model . I did have the tongue modified to accept a receiver and a lunette ring . The frame broke right where the wires enter the frame from the box. It broke exactly at the same place on both sides .

The box frame is only screwed into the floor with 1/4 or 1/2 inch screws not bolted through the floor. Also there is no sealant in between the frame and panels. I noticed that when I had water leaking through the frame dues to to flexing of the trailer box.

If you have the roof rails you should add bolts to all the empty hole in the rail . TAXA only places a mounting bolt every couple of holes . That allows the rail to flex and your cross bars could pop off. Also if you are using Thule cross bars you should change the mounting plates. The Thule plates only grab the rail on two small edges of the plate. E-Trailer makes mounting plates that will grab the whole rail . I hope this makes sense.

If you go to the Tiger Moth Facebook page you can look up all my modifications I made. This trailer was designed with the Subaru crowd in mind . I think TAXA was hoping to get into the over-landing business but I think abandoned that after my experience and I pointed out the deficiencies in the trailer.

 

[AlaskanWheeler]

Great article, I seen that same Unicat just north of Fairbanks, I was headed south.

 

[mep1811]

Great article, I seen that same Unicat just north of Fairbanks, I was headed south.

Thanks. It was quite the rig. They should be on the way to South America by now.