I've been window shopping off-road teardrops ( and squaredrops) for some time but I keep wondering whether or not people really take their off-road campers down gnarly trails. Almost all camping videos I see with these things seem to be to places that larger campers could get to. The rest of the time it seems like tight trails are the only thing preventing larger trailers from reaching some of these camping spots. This all brings me back to.... do you/have you take your teardrop down some really rough trails? FWIW, not necessarily rock climbing
Do people really take their off-road teardrops through gnarly trails?
- Thread starter jaydeesee
- Start date
dreadlocks
Well-known member
the problems big trailers have PDQ are attack and departure angles, things like ditches and big ledges stop my 20ft trailer.. I'm needing bridges to flatten out some of those harsh washouts so my tongue dont scrape crawling down into it and dragging the tail back up the other side.. short teardrop trailers will follow you right through that kinda stuff with the axle so close.. Outside that, there was nothing technically preventing me from dragging my big trailer out to Sublime Point in Grand Canyon for example, but I'd of had to spend most of the day clearing out deadfall and wrote that off as too difficult.. a teardrop or anything smaller profile than the tow vehicle woulda made it down that 30m road with ease.. I'm sticking to Logging/Mining roads that have high clearance and have found many places it'd be nice to camp that I just could not get down without riding on the roof w/a chain saw like mad max.
billiebob
Well-known member
So finished the fitting TJ tires to the trailer. Mostly I wanted to just need 1 spare tire but I also gained a lot more tire on the trailer and ..... if I ever needed to, I now have 3 spares for the TJ.
Gained a bit better departure angle and raised the axle a couple of inches. The big bonus is the 7.50R16s are much more compliant than the 205/75R15 trailer tires. You can see the sidewalls flexing on rough roads.
The change involved a new, wider track axle. Moving the fenders 1.5" out with some 1.5" x 1.5" square tube. And adding 5" to make the fender longer.
This ^^^ was the first version with 2" x 2" tube.
Comparing the original trailer tire to the new 7.50R16s. And calculating the rim offset to order a new axle with the correct track.
That trailer had pretty good clearances before but 4" more tire diameter adds clearance everywhere. The hidden bonus tho is a much softer riding trailer with all the added sidewall and the ability to run at lower air pressures.
Gained a bit better departure angle and raised the axle a couple of inches. The big bonus is the 7.50R16s are much more compliant than the 205/75R15 trailer tires. You can see the sidewalls flexing on rough roads.
The change involved a new, wider track axle. Moving the fenders 1.5" out with some 1.5" x 1.5" square tube. And adding 5" to make the fender longer.
This ^^^ was the first version with 2" x 2" tube.
Comparing the original trailer tire to the new 7.50R16s. And calculating the rim offset to order a new axle with the correct track.
That trailer had pretty good clearances before but 4" more tire diameter adds clearance everywhere. The hidden bonus tho is a much softer riding trailer with all the added sidewall and the ability to run at lower air pressures.
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Shortly after posting this I found this video . This guy apparently does tow his trailer down some challenging trails.
I have a bigger problem with low branches and narrow spots than with the actual terrain for most places I go - at least in forested areas - these pics of our TetonX Hybrid are in AZ between Prescott and Phoenix valley - I do have a battery chainsaw (rarely) and a tree pruner (always)
I was aiming for the rock in the foreground, but went over the one before it which was too small to worry about - need more spatial awareness, I guess
Probably a 18 inch bump there, but lots of departure angle and when the approach angle mattered, the front tires of the 4-runner hadn't yet started to climb the next one, so it didn't scrape - safety chains are dragging though
That leaning tree way over on the left is the kind of thing that would cause problems on a narrow spot or with a gully limiting how far left you can swing.
I was aiming for the rock in the foreground, but went over the one before it which was too small to worry about - need more spatial awareness, I guess
Probably a 18 inch bump there, but lots of departure angle and when the approach angle mattered, the front tires of the 4-runner hadn't yet started to climb the next one, so it didn't scrape - safety chains are dragging though
That leaning tree way over on the left is the kind of thing that would cause problems on a narrow spot or with a gully limiting how far left you can swing.
BritKLR
Kapitis Indagatoris
Here's a link to a great bunch of seasoned trailer travelers that I explored the Rimrocker trail with earlier this year.
expeditionportal.com
Rimrocker and Kokopellis Trails June 2020
Usually I have good notes to do a report from upon completion of a trip. But from lack of practice (shutdown) or just poor memory my notes are quite incomplete. This report will be pretty general but hopefully others will contribute to fill it out. We gathered at my place in Cedaredge...
expeditionportal.com
Kowboy
Adventurer
Absolutely not.
But then again, folk's opinion of what a "really rough trail" varies tremendously. If'n your tow rig just rolled off the dealer's lot and you bolted on a roof rack and a snorkel, then the trailer could possibly follow along behind on the limited trails that the tow rig can even do. Like dirt Forest Service roads and such. The Colorado passes are definitely doable with a decent tow rig but most folks don't consider them to be serious 4wd trails. Damn pretty tho.
My tow rig is extremely modified and can prob'ly tow my trailer places stock vehicles can't go by themselves. But no way I can tow it on anything close to what I'd call a "really rough trail".
The length 'tween the hitch and the trailer axle is very limitin' on actual 4wd trails. Any substantial berm or ditch means you're seriously draggin' the trailer over it. Hill climbs on loose terrain are quite challengin' with low gears and lockers bein' mandatory … and horsepower helps. You're just draggin' dead weight behind ya. And draggin' that dead weight also drinks fuel. Your trail mileage will drop significantly and must be considered for longer trail trips. Carryin' extra fuel also means even more dead weight.
Best to use the trailer as a nice, remote-area base camp and then hit the "really rough trail" without it. Keepin' in mind that if you break the tow rig, now the trailer's stranded as well.
There are definitely different levels of "off-road trailer" as I'm sure you've found in your research. Difference in independent suspension vs solid axle, different hitch types, etc. These variations will dictate how rough of a terrain you can go through along with driver experience.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread is the possibility of having to back up.
In my area often times trails change day/day or season/season, and if you haven't scouted it out or been to the area you very well might find yourself needing to back out or turn around.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread is the possibility of having to back up.
In my area often times trails change day/day or season/season, and if you haven't scouted it out or been to the area you very well might find yourself needing to back out or turn around.
Kowboy
Adventurer
alanymarce
Well-known member
Lots of people haul trailers into remote areas, on trails which I guess would be considered "gnarly" (I'm not really sure what that means). You see this frequently in Australia and Southern Africa. Much less so in other parts of Africa, and I don't think I've ever seen an "overland" trailer in South or Central America.
Nice! I've taken a look at those. How do you like it so far?
As I mentioned, I'm not really focusing on rock climbing. I'm thinking of heavily rutted/rocky trails. As I mentioned at the top, I've seen a lot of off-road trailers parked in places I could reach with a sports car.
Absolutely agree but I usually see photos/videos of awesome teardrops ( I'm a bit more curious about the teardrops than the off-road trailers) on terrain that could be easily handled by most crossovers which is why I'm curious to see how people are using them