How tall is too tall? And how long is too long for mild off road?

[Grim Reaper]

Tired of sleeping on the ground.

Have a little 4x6 cargo that I was going to out the stretch out to 8ft and make it a cargo camper with a kitchen in the back like a teardrop.

I also have an interest in a larger cargo that I could put my motorcycle in and then use as a base camp. I ran across an interesting trailer that's 6x9.5 with 6ft ceiling. It's all aluminum and the real bonus is it not the typical cargo trailer with the wheels outside the box, they are under it. That's because it use to be the back half of a light duty front drive delivery truck. That makes it the same track and body width as my 80. It also has a torqflex with shocks under it. The down side is no side door (that can be dealt with) and the back doors are only 46in clear so a little tight loading my full fairing BMW. The hitch is junk and needs to be redone (not a big deal, I weld and have tools).

As it sits it's 8ft tall and a little short of ground clearance. I'd like to run the same wheels as the tow vehicle so it needs 3-5 in lift and by the time it's wearing 34's it's going to be near 9ft tall. Now I'm not looking to drag this on the Con but I do want the option to take it down forest service roads.

So where is that line of just too damn big?

 

[elmo_4_vt]

I haven't had too many issues with mine on roads like your talking about, and it's a pig compared to most on here. 6x12 trailer with a 6' roof on 35's. It is right at 8'-9" to the top of the roof vents. If you're going this wide with the trailer, you need to seriously consider the inset wheels. I think the width will hurt you more than most other dimensions when trying to get past trees and around tight corners.





Don

-

 

[Scott B.]

Can you drop the roof? Of course, that may defeat the purpose.

You could enlarge the wheelwells to run your 34s without lift (or with only a small amount of lift) to keep the overall height down.

 

[skersfan]

Pictures would help I think.

I think it depends on how and where you plan to use it. Running in the east with the woods being so thick, height and width could be a problem. Colorado and shelf roads could be a concern with height more than width it seems.

I would assume the wheels fit inside the trailer wall, that is not terribly wide. My trailer is 80 inches wide at the outside fender, 14 foot long and 7 foot high. Have yet to find a trail I could not get it down. But I am sure there are some. Knowing where you are going and preparing for that is what you will need to do. A long trip into the Ozarks with a trailer your size or mine, might be an experiment in terror. But hey you can turn around!!

 

[The Swiss]

Well, the question really is where you want it to go; to basecamp or anywhere?

Mine is 16' over all length, about 6'6" wide and approx. 7'6' tall. I have very little problems on our NW Georgia fire roads just need to be on the lookout for low branches. Bob's Unimog is taller and wider, if a Unimog fits, my trailer can get through. However, that's where the comparison with Bob's Unimog ends. Taking it "off-road" beyond a base camp would be an illusion.

If you want to build a trailer where you can reach 99% of possible base-camps, I'd be more concerned about usability, practicality and durability (corrugated roads are harsh on trailers) than size. Size (and weight) will come into play when maneuvering between trees at campsites and in regard to fuel mileage while towing at highways speeds, not on NF roads.

If you want a trailer that can follow you beyond base camps, I'd say your 4x6x4 with beefed up frame, suspension (with shocks) and multi-axis coupler is about as big as you want to go.