Off-road expedition trailers - good idea or bad?

Forum member Terracan Jas mentioned that he intends building or at least setting up an expedition trailer.

What do you reckon folks, are off-road trailers the way to go or are they restrictive - as I reckon they are?

Personally, I wouldn't take one over anything too challenging (like the Simpson desert and some of our badly corrugated roads) for the reason that it is 2 more tyres to puncture, more springs/shocks to break, more stuff to shake to pieces and extra stress on your vehicles motor and other components.

I reckon if you can't fit it in the vehicle, it doesn't go with you

I have an off-road camper trailer, but it gets left at home for serious stuff. It's great for comfort when away on a purely leisurely camping/touring holiday.

Tom was going to ask you about trailers, see in the D3 oz tent fitted inside, but will not fit in D1, so unsure if I will be able to lift it onto roof, yet to try but if not then trailor of some discription will be our way to go. Do you think it would be possible on Landy Rally, I think it might apart of coures the off road bits, like Val'D Sare and in France if we are doing them next year, have to wait and see, do not wish you yet to give a route as you like to keep a secret for a while.

will have to do this again

It is all horses for courses etc.

It really depends on Needs and Wants

A family of 5 with say a Disco might Need a trailer to carry all their stuff. A couple in same type of Disco might want a trailer for the conveinence of the kitchen etc.

A off road trailer has to be reasonably substantial to cope with the abuse it will get. The Aussies do some good offroad trailers.

Would I want a trailer? No

Would I want a roof tent? No

Personally I prefer all my kit inside my 110. However I might succumb to 3 roof bars and a foxwing however.

Like a lot of kit there are advantages and disadvantages. What is right for one person is not necessary right for another

Clear open spaces a trailer will cope, narrow mountain tracks, forestry tracks etc then they may not be so suitable


Brendan

yes i partly agree depends on the time you are staying in one place if you mean to travel every day then a ground tent or a roof tent but once you get to where you may be going a trailer is very good for a base as you can go of exploring and come back to you camp with every thing ready but if its long days driving which i have done many times a tent or hotel is better it all depend on what you want i have them all i have a choice most people don't

I personally would not have a trailer on my own vehicle - we travel very light, so do not need the storage space, even in our short wheelbase landie. And to be putting up a tent each night is not a problem - only takes 2/3 minutes and I actually like the proces anyway.

There was a thread on another forum showing how capable a Land Rover with a Sankey trailer is...it really is suprising the places it can go - this alone would not put me off having a trailer.

We have a Sankey trailer for my mums Range Rover - they indend to use it to get some of the weight off the car, as well as using it to mount a roof tent...seems like a good idea as it means that, as it is also their off road vehicle, it means they don't have to faff about installing roof rack/roof tent when they want to go away - just hook up and they will be off. The trailer is very light - and they have manufactured a removable NATO style tow hitch which works superbly - on the Range Rover you barely feel that you are towing it.

i pull my trailer with the D3 and the 130 and this year we did Happy valley in North wales no problem with them also don lots of other off roading with them it is just planing the way to go as said tents easy to put up and move on but a few days at one place its nice to have all the amenities

Thanks for the post tom,

Its good to hear peoples good and bad thoughts on off road trailers. I cant really coment on them or how effective they would be, i just liked the thought of maybe having more storage, built in toilet / cooker / shower etc.

To be honest i need to do a overland trip to discover how much equipment i can carry, how the vehicle performs, how i get on with a ground tent and all the provisions before i look to build a off road trailer Like you forum members have mentioned. i might not realisticly need one.


Jas

Where are you intending to go and how many people Terracan?

roamingman wrote:

Tom was going to ask you about trailers, see in the D3 oz tent fitted inside, but will not fit in D1, so unsure if I will be able to lift it onto roof, yet to try but if not then trailor of some discription will be our way to go. Do you think it would be possible on Landy Rally, I think it might apart of coures the off road bits, like Val'D Sare and in France if we are doing them next year, have to wait and see, do not wish you yet to give a route as you like to keep a secret for a while.

Take your point. I reckon you could use an off-road trailer on Landy Rally, cos in Val d'Isere amongst friends you could just unhitch it and leave it by the BBQ area safe & sound whilst you go and play, and at all other times it would be just fine.

Two points about companies supplying trailers -

1. There is a company called "Myway roof tents". They convert old Sankey trailers, so could be worth investigating. Really nice bloke who owns the company BTW, always helps!

2. In Macks 4x4 info - www.macks4x4info.com - you'll find "Myway roof tents" and a plethoria (good word eh?) of companies worldwide who specialise in off-road trailers. Simply click on DIRECTORY HOME and scroll down the categories in the l/h column until you find Trailers - Off Road. Simples!

Have aquired a sanky trailor cheseis, to build my own, then can keep all camping gear in so just hitch up and go, no need to keep loading and unloading the Disco.
Now just need to make a plan and biuld it.

Just thought, here's a question for you ...

How do you reverse an off-road trailer with a short drawbar if you've ended up at the end of a blind alley. Okay, on tarmac, providing you're not facing downhill you would simply unhitch it and push it backwards. Try that off-road! I don't think so. Even on the flat it would be nigh-on impossible, let along any sort of gradient.

By their very nature, because you have an off-roader and prepared to explore, surely you are more likely to end up in this type of situation?

And don't say it can't or even it's not likely to happen. On the first Landy Rally, bearing in mind the event does not place teams in danger intentionally, it's a placid 'non-speed charity drive' after all, a group of three 4x4's wandered off the prescribed route in the Road Book and found themselves up mountain tracks that were getting narrower and narrower. Eventually the lead driver, who was only slightly more experienced than the others, decided it was getting a little hairy, for the drop on one side was getting progressively worse the more they continued. He suggested over the CB they reverse back as the edge ahead was "crumbling away" - they did, no argument whatsoever!!!

The point is, bearing in mind it was a rough track, it would have devilishly hard to push a trailer back by hand, as that was with a a group of them. Had they been on their own, which is often the case with overlanders, it would have been a case of seeking out help.

We (4x4 overland travellers that is) pride ourselves on being self-sufficient at all times, hence self-recovery gear like winches, on-board tyre compressors, air-jacks, etc. so surely a trailer is something that increases the chances of being a less self-sufficient? Plus of course as mentioned there is the possibility of more punctures, broken springs and suchlike.

No, they are not for me. If you can't carry everything you need on board, (inside I hasten to add - not on a roof-rack as I've seen where those hands in Africa venture, the , then don't take it.

roamingman wrote:

Have aquired a sanky trailor cheseis, to build my own, then can keep all camping gear in so just hitch up and go, no need to keep loading and unloading the Disco.
Now just need to make a plan and biuld it.

Nice one! If a trailer's good for you then go for it. Bet you build yours before I build mine - the Range Rover ambulance/camper conversion that is! Really must do it this year ... sorry, NEXT year (it's still 2010 for a few hours at least).

Mud Stuff do the American Adventure Trailers

Boab import an Australian trailer and you do get a flat pack option or tow one away. Chris and TJ are away until 20th Jan 2011

Paul at Mywaytents used to rebuild Sankeys, now I think he does his own bodywork onto a Sankey Chassis

Be sat down when asking prices on a full spec trailer

HTH

Brendan

Well you may be right on the reversing but the sanky can be reverted ok but you need to do this and then it's different ball game it will go where you want it to i have 3 sankys in the work shop yard that have all been extended and one more that belongs to Border Rover awaiting to be built up

this is how it is done you don't need to alter the brakes be it drum or disc and i do not alter the towing gear as that is fit for purpose some do and drop it down and put other tow balls on which is not right as said i tow these with the 130 or the disco 3 and have no problem

roamingman wrote:

Have aquired a sanky trailor cheseis, to build my own, then can keep all camping gear in so just hitch up and go, no need to keep loading and unloading the Disco.
Now just need to make a plan and biuld it.

Are you going to convert the sankey to s standard style hitch or change the disco?

Tom Mc wrote:

Just thought, here's a question for you ...

How do you reverse an off-road trailer with a short drawbar if you've ended up at the end of a blind alley. Okay, on tarmac, providing you're not facing downhill you would simply unhitch it and push it backwards. Try that off-road! I don't think so. Even on the flat it would be nigh-on impossible, let along any sort of gradient.


We (4x4 overland travellers that is) pride ourselves on being self-sufficient at all times, hence self-recovery gear like winches, on-board tyre compressors, air-jacks, etc. so surely a trailer is something that increases the chances of being a less self-sufficient? Plus of course as mentioned there is the possibility of more punctures, broken springs and suchlike.

No, they are not for me. If you can't carry everything you need on board, (inside I hasten to add - not on a roof-rack as I've seen where those hands in Africa venture, the , then don't take it.

What would I do if I had to get a trailer out of a sticky situation...i.e having to push it up a hill? I know pushing it by hand is difficult...but think about it....you have a car with muhc more power than a person...unhitch trailer and just push it up the hill with the car - I know this is not a normal way to do things, but in certain situations, so be it.

I also agree about spares etc, if the trailer gets a puncture or whatever. But...for a start, I would make sure that the trailer had the same wheels and tyres are exactly the same as the vehicle...so I would not necessarily carry an extra spare. The chances of leaf springs breaking on a trailer? Very very slim unless it is really overloaded (or a crap trailer...a Sankey will not have this problem). If the shoocks fail on the trailer, big deal - leave them be - it will jsut be a bit bouncier. So I would not say spares or breakdowns would be a reason for me not to take a trailer.

I would not pay for a company to build, which is basically a box with a few compartments, a decent sum of money...I know this is simplifying their services...but as I have the facility to do these things anyway, that's how I see it.

Again, saying that, i would not have a trailer, I just don't see the need for it! I like to keep things simple

Oh, and if you get a Sankey, g for the widetrack version...much bigger...makes sense to start off with a larger base, and wider so arguable more stable

(sorry for the multiple replies!)

rustyrhinos wrote:

Tom Mc wrote:

Just thought, here's a question for you ...

How do you reverse an off-road trailer with a short drawbar if you've ended up at the end of a blind alley. Okay, on tarmac, providing you're not facing downhill you would simply unhitch it and push it backwards. Try that off-road! I don't think so. Even on the flat it would be nigh-on impossible, let along any sort of gradient.


We (4x4 overland travellers that is) pride ourselves on being self-sufficient at all times, hence self-recovery gear like winches, on-board tyre compressors, air-jacks, etc. so surely a trailer is something that increases the chances of being a less self-sufficient? Plus of course as mentioned there is the possibility of more punctures, broken springs and suchlike.

No, they are not for me. If you can't carry everything you need on board, (inside I hasten to add - not on a roof-rack as I've seen where those hands in Africa venture, the , then don't take it.

What would I do if I had to get a trailer out of a sticky situation...i.e having to push it up a hill? I know pushing it by hand is difficult...but think about it....you have a car with muhc more power than a person...unhitch trailer and just push it up the hill with the car - I know this is not a normal way to do things, but in certain situations, so be it.

That's if you have the room to turn the trailer around on a narrow track with a drop one side. That's what happened to the teams I mentioned, thankfully they didn't have a trailer so no problem.

Plus, you can only reverse a trailer with a short drawbar if you can manoeuvre the towing vehicle. With no room either side you're stumped!

I use one of these with my trailers as i dont need to changs the trailer hitch but only used for off roading

RLD did tow sanky home with D3, but looking at the D1 we will have for next year it looks like trailor will be pointing downhill could you please advise on tyre size you use, the ones on the sanky I think mightbea biton the large size,
as writeing this should relly measure it up to tomorrow
and need to get proper jaw hitch like in your photo, will look on flebay.

roamingman wrote:

RLD did tow sanky home with D3, but looking at the D1 we will have for next year it looks like need to get proper jaw hitch like in your photo, will look on flebay.

Have a look tonight Yoda, just may pick up a bargain as you'll be virtually the only one on there. If the seller hasn't worked out when the sale comes to the end, you could could get a right result!

RLD wrote:

Well you may be right on the reversing but the sanky can be reverted ok but you need to do this and then it's different ball game it will go where you want it to i have 3 sankys in the work shop yard that have all been extended and one more that belongs to Border Rover awaiting to be built up

On this trailer they are D3 19" you need wheel adapters for them like every thing expensive and the tow hitch is set just right for the trailer as i make these as well sole lots of them but you also need a Land Rover part as well for it to go into the Hitch part is a Nato Hitch