If you need a trailer you are carrying too much stuff 
So, how much of a liability is a trailer, offroad?
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alia176
SILVER Star
If you need a trailer you are carrying too much stuff
If you need a 60 then you're carrying too much stuff. A 40 should do just fine for camping with a family
It's all relative my friend....
If you need a trailer you are carrying too much stuff
try hauling a family of 5 which consists of 3 kids under 7
even the 80 gets filled up fast.depending on the setup of the trailer, it should be able to follow you through whatever terrain save the hammers etc. my cdn M101 tracks right behind me over obstacles, and as long as i dont have to back up too much to reposition (lockers or winch help here), i never have any issues. turning around on forest roads can be tricky depending on the width, but if worse comes to worse, i unhitch at the furthest side, U turn where i can, come back, manhandle the trailer 180, and reconnect.
my 101 is sprung over with oversized tires. ground clearance is more than the 80 itself, and the track width is narrower by a few inches.
some pics, on oem tires and oversize tires
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
Just stick with backpacking, if you can't carry it on your back your taking to much stuff.If you need a trailer you are carrying too much stuff
It's all about what level of comfort you and your family want and how much you want to compromise your mobility.
be careful not to miss the smiley next time.
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
Oops! I forgot mine.
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
The original question here can only be answered knowing your complete frame of reference. What sort of wheeling do you REALLY do (not what do you like to think it is). What are your abilities and those of your rig, what do you consider too much work... all sorts of stuff like that and all of it with the same qualifier as the first question.
I have seen guys show up with modified 2 place snowmachine trailers full of everything but the kitchen sink and think that they will pull them down days long muddy trails with their stock '40. All we could do not to fall over laughing. Literally. I have seen well built '40s discover that an SOA M416 is still an anchor after a day or two on the trail. We have also pulled M416s laden with 1200 pounds of fuel and gear over pretty serious terrain with out regrets. We have rolled trailers in rough terrain. We have had a trailer jacknife, roll and take the rig over with it. I have had them tear bumpers off in extremely rough terrain. And again, we have pulled them for days on the trails with no problems. On the roads and back roads a trailer is seldom a real disadvantage. In true off road situations they certainly can be. It all depends on what you are really doing with it, what your abilities and your rig's capabilities truly are and how hard you are willing to work.
They most definitely can be a problem in terms of manuvering. But that is just a matter of knowing it before hand. If backing out of a bog is your best option to get the rig free... a trailer is gonna sit there and laugh at you. Being winched backwards is problematic too. Winching yourself out forward with a trailer in tow can change your anchor needs and winch strength needs a LOT as well.We have had to separate trailer and rig a few times to get them extracted from bogs or quicksand. Positioning to get someone else extricated is a real PITA with a trailer too.
Deep fast water crossings can be complicated by a trailer. If you are bouncing and loosing grip and getting pushed downstream on a crossing, a trailer can again be a real PITA.
You are generally going to want your rig to be more capable overall if you are saddled with a trailer than if you are not, to traverse the same trails.
A trailer is nice for carrying gear. On the roads and back roads it is preferable to loading the rig heavier and higher. On the trails you are better off to keep it all in/on the rig and reduce your loadout as called for.
Mark...
I have seen guys show up with modified 2 place snowmachine trailers full of everything but the kitchen sink and think that they will pull them down days long muddy trails with their stock '40. All we could do not to fall over laughing. Literally. I have seen well built '40s discover that an SOA M416 is still an anchor after a day or two on the trail. We have also pulled M416s laden with 1200 pounds of fuel and gear over pretty serious terrain with out regrets. We have rolled trailers in rough terrain. We have had a trailer jacknife, roll and take the rig over with it. I have had them tear bumpers off in extremely rough terrain. And again, we have pulled them for days on the trails with no problems. On the roads and back roads a trailer is seldom a real disadvantage. In true off road situations they certainly can be. It all depends on what you are really doing with it, what your abilities and your rig's capabilities truly are and how hard you are willing to work.
They most definitely can be a problem in terms of manuvering. But that is just a matter of knowing it before hand. If backing out of a bog is your best option to get the rig free... a trailer is gonna sit there and laugh at you. Being winched backwards is problematic too. Winching yourself out forward with a trailer in tow can change your anchor needs and winch strength needs a LOT as well.We have had to separate trailer and rig a few times to get them extracted from bogs or quicksand. Positioning to get someone else extricated is a real PITA with a trailer too.
Deep fast water crossings can be complicated by a trailer. If you are bouncing and loosing grip and getting pushed downstream on a crossing, a trailer can again be a real PITA.
You are generally going to want your rig to be more capable overall if you are saddled with a trailer than if you are not, to traverse the same trails.
A trailer is nice for carrying gear. On the roads and back roads it is preferable to loading the rig heavier and higher. On the trails you are better off to keep it all in/on the rig and reduce your loadout as called for.
Mark...
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
Marks post made me remember this
Eight inches to wide to fit through, jack knifed trying to back out. Eventually everybody just picked the trailer up and moved it side ways until I could back up into a side slot and turn around. All reports I had before the trip said the canyon shouldn't be a problem
.
Spressomon walked right through the same spot with his AT a few minutes later, then again this year with his Kimberly. So which trailer also enters the equation. My modified pop-up will do a lot of the trails in but it is by no means comparable to an AT, Kamparoo, or Kimberly. In the same way that those trailers are not the same as a M416.
Eight inches to wide to fit through, jack knifed trying to back out. Eventually everybody just picked the trailer up and moved it side ways until I could back up into a side slot and turn around. All reports I had before the trip said the canyon shouldn't be a problem
.Spressomon walked right through the same spot with his AT a few minutes later, then again this year with his Kimberly. So which trailer also enters the equation. My modified pop-up will do a lot of the trails in but it is by no means comparable to an AT, Kamparoo, or Kimberly. In the same way that those trailers are not the same as a M416.
You got pics of E-hill and your trailer? I would love to see that! That is one of my favorite places and have dreamed of pulling a trailer through there. Would you do it again or did it turn out to be more of a headache?
alia176
SILVER Star
Hmm, I don't have any but maybe Kurt took some, I dunno.
To me, that wasn't the hard part of that trail, coming down a particular rocky area of the Lockhart Basin was more troublesome.
Would I do it EHill again? Yea, it wasn't a big enough of a deal to be a deturrant to me.
Let me gather my thoughts (and find a bit of time) and I'll weigh in on my experiences. I've been towing my Trail-Trail all over the Utah/Nevada/Colorado for the last 5 years. I've changed my mind about some things and re-affirmed others.
Sorry, couldn't find any on E-Hill proper but I found a few from other places on our route
Lots more here: Long Way to Moab - October 2007
thats some nice country there lads. good photos
Taking a trailer offroad is no big deal.....Have not had any issues at all
Here's my .02 cents...
Here's my .02 cents...
- Trailer brakes are a must for help with braking and quick backup turns (jack knife).....Lock & roll is a great hitch...see picture below..
- Packing the trailer is key.....must keep it pretty even when you load it....don't want any tip-overs...
- You must me careful who you go with due to the speed issue....Trailer do slow you down on the trail with the extra care of spoting and etc..
- Tongue length is also key....to long = high centered.. to short = hard to back up or see, jack knife could cause damage to tow rig.
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So how about it Ali, did my trailer slow our group
My thoughts.
The trailer is not the god send I once thought it would become, it is however another 'tool in the shed' if you will and it should be utilized as such. When I first started building my trailer in 00'/01' I figured it would be an added appendage of my FJ40, like always attached regardless of the type of trip I planned to voyage out on. With that in mind I built it to go anywhere I was comfortable taking my FJ40 and had plans to incorporate everything I could, 12V power, water, fuel, tent, cooking, counter tops, propane, generator, you name it. Building it as such did leave some trade-offs in the forms of practicality, none that I've really regretted but I do wish it was bigger at times? I've honestly never really finished my 'build' I've got boxes of parts and components I've wanted to install, things as simple as interior dome lights and setups for water, etc. Really I don't know if I'll ever get around to it. With a nice fleet of Scepter cans I've grown accustom to to just using the trailer as raw storage rather than really outfitting it to the point where I feel like I would be lacking if I decided to leave it home for a trip. Right now it is storage and a tent platform. If I'm doing a trip where a ground tent is appropriate or preferred, then the trailer is just storage. If I'm doing a trip where I won't need storage beyond what I can pack in the 40, the trailer stays home, pretty simple. I don't rely on it for water, for my stove, for my shade, its just a tool. I don't take it just to be taking it.
My trailer handles and tows like a dream both on and off-road. It does little in the way of slowing me down in the grand scheme of a trip but it is undoubtedly more 'work', on a more difficult trail you need to plan all obstacles with the trailer in mind, you need to plan your stopping spots and even campsites around having the trailer behind you. For me, a trailer slowing me down or limiting where I can go would be a compromise. For some that isn't a limiting factor and if you get a more comfortable camp setup by having to slow down a bit I can totally see how that ranks up.
My trailer use has dwindled since I first 'finished' it for use in 04? Those first few years it probably got 15-20 trips a year, and last year I probably took it out less than 10? Part of that is the fact I've now got a tent on my Tacoma and with the pickup bed I don't have the storage issues you have with a 40. Though I most often travel with just my wife and our dog. Add a couple little-ones to the equation and I can imagine needing the trailer even behind the Tacoma, that or my wife and I will have to start driving separately.
alia176
SILVER Star
So how about it Ali, did my trailer slow our group
Ummm, nope, not a bit
I don't have much to add to what Kurt said except to reaffirm one thing: when our daughter came along, our needs simply changed in terms of storage. She's little, but dang does she need a lot of stuff, especially when she was less than a year old.
We also travel as a family, that means both dogs and one of them was a large Rotty. After he passed away (saddest day of my life thus far), we regained some space back in the 80. But still, the trailer really helps with storage and is a great place to sleep off the ground. We also enjoy staying inside during inclement weather and have cooked inside as needed.
As the OP asked, does a trailer affect your trail behavior? Well, yes to some degree but it's well worth it for me to have family adventures. I certainly wouldn't take them on the Hole in the Rock trail with the trailer but will jump in my 80 and do it solo with my Mud buds
rusty_tlc
Dain Bramaged Member
Ummm, nope, not a bit
I don't have much to add to what Kurt said except to reaffirm one thing: when our daughter came along, our needs simply changed in terms of storage. She's little, but dang does she need a lot of stuff, especially when she was less than a year old.
We also travel as a family, that means both dogs and one of them was a large Rotty. After he passed away (saddest day of my life thus far), we regained some space back in the 80. But still, the trailer really helps with storage and is a great place to sleep off the ground. We also enjoy staying inside during inclement weather and have cooked inside as needed.
As the OP asked, does a trailer affect your trail behavior? Well, yes to some degree but it's well worth it for me to have family adventures. I certainly wouldn't take them on the Hole in the Rock trail with the trailer but will jump in my 80 and do it solo with my Mud buds
At the opposite end of the spectrum from the young family you find empty nesters that find tent camping just isn't as much fun as it once was. I look forward to solo trips with the FJ40 and my buddies, but also enjoy the less intense trails with my wife and our little pop-up trailer.
As for you Ali, your a self proclaimed slut. You don't even need your 80, you'll ride with anybody
. BTW I re-wired the front locker switch on the FJ40 last night so I don't need a co-pilot to operate it anymore.
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Eric, what size/type of trailer are you planning on towing? That's a big part when it comes to switch backs.
We never have any problems, but like most have mentioned we don't do hardcore trails with our setup.
The best thing about a trailer to me is being able to setup base camp , then head out and explore. Come back
to ice cold beer and your bed/kitchen waiting for you.
We never have any problems, but like most have mentioned we don't do hardcore trails with our setup.
The best thing about a trailer to me is being able to setup base camp , then head out and explore. Come back
to ice cold beer and your bed/kitchen waiting for you.
just curious why youd want to haul a large boulder around with you? 
but i agree about the trailer. my main reason why i dont want to run an RTT on the 80. if we're setup at camp, and want to do some exploring, the tent must come with. that means the mrs or anyone else that doesnt want to come have nowhere to chill at or have a nap etc. once the kids get older, then we'll try for an RTT on the trailer. but i think a family of 5 might be tight in there...
dave, love your setup btw...followed it over on expo
but i agree about the trailer. my main reason why i dont want to run an RTT on the 80. if we're setup at camp, and want to do some exploring, the tent must come with. that means the mrs or anyone else that doesnt want to come have nowhere to chill at or have a nap etc. once the kids get older, then we'll try for an RTT on the trailer. but i think a family of 5 might be tight in there...
dave, love your setup btw...followed it over on expo
Awl_TEQ
Supporting Vendor
just curious why youd want to haul a large boulder around with you?
was thinking the same thing 
