what is the smallest lightest "off road" trailer?

[rc51kid]

I have a little 4x8 harbor fright trailer that i use to pull 2 dual sport bikes behind my cruiser. I repacked the bearings and up greaded the little 8" wheels to 12 wheels and it actually does great. i have pulled the bikes cross country with no problem.

But as i look at pulling them down foestry roads i have some concerns. The first limiting factor is just how the bikes are tied down. So i know i can only do so much with the trailer before the cargo moving around is the issue.

I actually like how small and light the trailer is. if i get it in a bad spot i know i can un hook it and push it around by my self. So i dont want anything bigger like an enclosed trailer.

I have no dreams of taking a trailer with 2 bikes wheeling. But for example we are going to San Rafael swells. I know the main roads are pretty good there. But i would like to be able to go a short distance down the side dirt roads to find nice camp sites. If i remember from my last visit they just get a little ruted and deeper sand. It would be nice to have a ttailer that i know will hold together for light stuff like that.

Also if thinks twist and atriculate at low speed would a pintol hitch be better?

does anyone make a simple 4x8 trailer like this that is still ligjt weugjt and affordable?

Maybe i should just find something with bigger wheels and call it a day?

Any way i could find a small trailler that will take the same wheels my 80 does?

I guess i am just kind of day dreaming about what i want.

 

[Firemedic831]

Just build one . My trailer i just built I can move around buy myself very easy . Only weights 500lbs and has the same tires and wheels as my FJ .

 

[greentruck]

SNIP

Also if thinks twist and atriculate at low speed would a pintol hitch be better?

does anyone make a simple 4x8 trailer like this that is still ligjt weugjt and affordable?

Maybe i should just find something with bigger wheels and call it a day?

Any way i could find a small trailler that will take the same wheels my 80 does?

I guess i am just kind of day dreaming about what i want.

One of the smaller military trailers might work. But handling a 4x8 sheet can be a problem for most of the 1/4 ton rated ones, if that's the goal instead of simply have a bigger trailer. With our M101 CDN, I built a frame of 2x materials that sat on its lip that held 4x8 sheetgoods, so if moving that sort of thing is behind the 4x8 requirement it's one way to solve it.

Problem is these sorts of trailers are usually not cheap. We managed to find a very good deal on ours a decade back after some looking ($700). There are also a variety of US surplus trailers out there, but they're usually not light.

On the other hand, if you want to run the same tires as on your prime mover, a trailer can only be so light while still being durable offroad, so consider what you goals are there.

 

[ntsqd]

You could upgrade the axle under your trailer. Most folks building an off pavement capable trailer use an axle rated for at least 3500 lbs. Not because they're going to carry that much, but because starting about there the wheel bearings get big enough to work and live off pavement. I wouldn't advise doing this, though I strongly suggest using such an axle at the minimum. The HF frame is more than good enough for what you're carrying, but it will start to come apart when subjected to off pavement use. You might buy it some service life by welding it together (leave the bolts in place, their do no harm), and you would certainly buy yourself more useful time with it by boxing the frame. The problem is that it is nearly as much work to box that frame as it is to simply build a new frame from tube.
Copy the basic HF frame design in square tubing of roughly the same size as the HF C channel and of the same wall thickness. I do suggest going to longer leaf springs with shackles. I know some of the HF trailers don't use shackles, this is a bad idea, use shackles.

I used to not like pintle hitches for their noise. Then I discovered that some of the lunettes on the market are far too small in cross-sectional diameter. If the ring does not almost completely fill the opening in the pintle it is too small and the combination is sure to make noise.

I am in the process of converting all 3 of the trailers that I regularly tow to the pintle system. Two of them will use the swiveling lunette system that I built a while back.

An example of a lunette that is too small and will make noise:

See how little the ring fills the opening? That allows it to slide back and forth, banging at each end. It also allows the ring to bang up and down. I have one of these rings. When I bought it online I didn't realize how small it was. I've never used it and only hang onto it in case I need a steel ring for something else.