Off-Road ready Upgrades and mods

CampHub

William,

Encountered the unloading your talking about on a trip to Moab and the La Sal's last weekend we hit the super slab which allowed for higher speeds then we usually travel. Maxed out at 70mph when the wiggle began. I knew we had play in the hitch about 1" side to side and up and down at the ball. I picked up this simple device to eliminate the play. I am happy to report no more sway at 70.

TomD

The way things are engineered today with cost savings in mind means multiple items interrelate with each other and when one item is changed all the other items are effected in some way. Not saying good or bad. It’s just something to think through like WilliamA illustrates with all his mods.

WilliamA

I'm trying to blast off a few updates while my laptop is working. Quick and dirty will rule the day here.

Just did a move and trial of my new landing leg from Fastway. I've just gotta say that as a mechanic and builder, I have a huge appreciation for things that just....work. Half of getting something to work well is on the buyer. Good research into what you need is most important. The other half is when you get your widget and install it and it....just....works. This drop-down leg is an example of something quite simple in principle that has had good, solid, thoughtful design. It just works.. Period.



Cranks up and locks....Cranks down and locks. No pins, no messing about....no problem. I like it.

WilliamA

CFD614

Old thread, but Will how did you route the wires for the roof rack led lights? I want to add some but do not know how to run the wires into the trailer

WilliamA

@CFD614 said:
Old thread, but Will how did you route the wires for the roof rack led lights? I want to add some but do not know how to run the wires into the trailer

I (sort of) covered that somewhere but never got around to doing photos. I'll grab some pics and post them up. Give me a few hours...
WilliamA

TomD

I think I would miss being able to roll the LG around with the front wheel. The leg looks like a winner but unfortunately takes the wheel out of play without some work being done to bring it back.

WilliamA

@TomD said:
I think I would miss being able to roll the LG around with the front wheel. The leg looks like a winner but unfortunately takes the wheel out of play without some work being done to bring it back.

Tom,
You can still use the wheel. It sticks on just like before after taking off the landing leg. I have never used the wheel to roll my trailer around so that's why I got rid of it. I still have it in the shed stash though. Maybe if I ever live somewhere that has a concrete driveway I'll deploy it! Lol! Seriously though, I much prefer the stability of the leg over the ease of the wheel. Too many "Rollaway" close calls for me to be comfortable with it.
WilliamA

WilliamA

@CFD614 said:
Old thread, but Will how did you route the wires for the roof rack led lights? I want to add some but do not know how to run the wires into the trailer

CF,
Here's a couple photos. I run wires under the vinyl cover. I replaced the hex head screws with flat head screws.

WilliamA

WilliamA

Thought I'd post a photo of the new hitch front half. I have the weld-on trailer side but need to clear my homemaker schedule first. Perhaps next week.

WilliamA

CFD614

Genius Will thank you! Also what mounts are you using for the awning? I have the ARB universal mount on my Jeep. Might have to find a different mount for the round bars

WilliamA

Got my pintle welded on today! I was inspired by a rather disturbing post over on the T@B forum. Called my bro and he helped me do the work. It took about an hour not including our family fishing (b.s.) stories.

I will still take it over to my buddy Kevin's for some proper gusseting, but I'm confident it's not going to fall off. Now to get a locking storage hasp for a pintle. It never ends...

I pulled it for a bit to test and then home. I'm delighted and amazed at how well-mannered it is.
WilliamA

WilliamA

LuckyJ,
Have you gotten around to putting on your wheel spacers yet?
WilliamA

LuckyJ

Yes and no. I looked into it, and realized that the studs are to short, so I need to get back to nucamp to get new studs. But I am also thinking of bushing that back to the dealer for them to do theire job. But I am also super busy when not working to get My other TV ready for our florida trip mid august ( got a donor car and need to swap part for different issues including AC parts, alternator, water pump, spring loaded belt tensioner, front cv shaft boots, trailer brake controler, etc.
Had lots of snaping bolt on 13 years olds cars to make work a pain. But getting there.

Since I only have highway travel to do, I think I will push that later.

But might try again for the look and fender, since I have to grease the bearing before leaving.

Will keep you posted.

WilliamA

LuckyJ,
Yeah...I'd really like to use the 3/4" spacers but I'm in the same boat. I really don't like over-length studs (can't put the spare on with the stock capnuts) but proper wheel adapters are an inch and a quarter MINIMUM width so I've done nothing yet. I keep dodging bullets in getting a stick or stone behind the tire and swiping off the running light wires.

For TomD,
Thought you would like my most recent "re-purposing" (redneck) engineering triumph. I have been mulling over my security options for locking the new pintle hitch from grab-and-go bandits. A stir of my spares pile brought my now rusting unused landing jacks. I pulled the feet off the pads and it turns out they fit perfectly over the lunette on my hitch. My trusty, long-shank masterlock secures them together to ward off casual nefarious types.

I'll weld on some flat stock and make them look a bit more formidable but for now, I'll sleep better.
Something about this strikes me as hilarious, but it could just be me...
WilliamA

TomD

Speechless as usual! You are the repurpose master and as we call it around these parts the “King Of Cob”. Thanks WilliamA.. My camping creed is to not go to where camping is dangerous or security questionable so I don’t travel with the sometimes necessary and usual security hardware. If I get a “BAD” vibe on the campsite and neighbors I’m out of there. Wimp

LuckyJ

@WilliamA, way to go on the ring lock.

I did something very similar for my utility /off road trailer. But I am now using a multi axe hitch. Btw, you might want to verifiy how much flex you get from a fixed pintle lunette. Mine could swivel.

Ok, If I have time, i will look into it for the spacer before end of next week and get back with pics. Now, I'm at work until next monday 24/7.

DakotaRed

I also use my Jeep Wrangler to tow the trailer. I removed the stock jack when I was towing it, only three bolts. Then when I wanted to unhook I would just put the jack back on finger tight. Then I put a generator on the front basket and that got in the way of the hatch door. So I was thinking of just getting a 7 or 8 inch receiver extension. Does anyone see a problem with that?

LuckyJ

@DakotaRed, by doing so, you are reducing your hitch load capacity and create a lever that will augment the loaded feeling at similiar thong weight. And if you are doing a bit of rough roads, the longer hitch could drag when going accross let say a wash out culvert. And you will need longer chains.

But it can be done.

Perso, I went with the way of extendable trailer thong and move the jack to the side.

BBsGarage

@LuckyJ said:

Perso, I went with the way of extendable trailer thong and move the jack to the side.

Im not too sure I would want to see a extendable trailer thong !

LuckyJ

@BBsGarage said:

@LuckyJ said:

Perso, I went with the way of extendable trailer thong and move the jack to the side.

Im not too sure I would want to see a extendable trailer thong !

Unless I made a translation mistaque of using the word "thong" from my french, I made one on my T@G and have had one on my offroad/utility trailer for more than 20 years and after a few thousand miles orr road and way more on the road, no sign of fatigue.

On the T@G, it actualt offer a back bone to the known weak frame. Do not remember if the mod is here on "Le Refuge" or on the T@B forum also under "Le Refuge". Mod was made 2 days after I got the trailer new, and travel thousands of miles since.

Verna

@LuckyJ, I think you’ll have to provide a picture because we can’t visualize what you mean. I do believe something was lost in the translation, and that’s OK.

LuckyJ

Ok, so here is the correct word! "tongue". Not to far, but enough I guess to make people wonder. Lol and laught at me. thank you @Verna.

@BBsGarage, here is the link to the tongue mod on Le Refuge tread of the T@B forum.
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/5367/le-refuge#latest
But I did reduce the lenght of the tube welded to the trailer frame by about a foot if not a little more, since I am able to extend or reduce the lenght or even remove the telescopic receiver tube. And you will see that the tube goes all the way to the back to spread the force and strenghted the entire frame lenght, including the A-frame folded area. To primery goal is to provide a rear recovery point to to TD that is united to the TV hitch with is the stronguest recovery point on a TV, most of the time.

@WilliamA sorry for adding an other side to you post. So I would say, please coment if so on le Refuge tread on this forum is needed to.

Back to WilliamA's post.

WilliamA

LuckyJ,
Not to worry about "hijacking"!! I always enjoy the way threads wander about! Much more fun and probably also more informative. As to translating, I for one commiserate with you. When I was living in France, my french friends used to introduce me at gatherings as:
"Gilliam, La Langue Boucher"!

La Langue n'est pas un test.
La Langue n'est qu'un otil.
Communication est la test.....
WilliamA

WilliamA

Lucky (Luc...pompier? C'est bon!!),
Well...I'm envious of your access to tools! Sadly, when I got out of the custom-car business I got rid of most of mine. Now when I get a great idea I've got to beg time from my friends to use theirs! LOL. Of the things in your "mods" list, the one I like the most is the full-length frame backbone. It's a simple (in principle anyway) way to double the strength of the frame. I've been called out several times on my opinion of the T@G frame but my personal opinion hasn't changed. I still think it's the Achilles heel of the off-road use of these trailers. If I still had my shop, I'd have boxed my frame by now. Short of that, I can see the merits of running a tongue extension full-length as you have. It's stronger by a magnitude and much less invasive than boxing the frame as I wanted to do.
I like the longer tongue as well (Jeep owners appreciate access to the back) but my experience with my own trailer says keeping the tongue shorter makes tight offroad sortee's less troublesome. If nothing else, with the short tongue it tracks much closer to the Jeep's rear wheeltrack in the woods.
As I said before in this (?) thread, I looked at a number of offroad-ready hitches and wanted much more articulation than the stocker, but also, being pragmatic and cheap (mostly cheap) I wanted some method to easily return to the standard ball/coupler combination. I settled on the pintle/lunette as it is a great compromise between the two extremes of off-road capability and on-road manners. I've got about 500 miles or so on the pintle hitch and am really very happy with the results. Articulation is easily doubled and, as an unseen bonus, hitching up (and unhitching) is now "first time, everytime" affair. Far from being noisy, I believe it's quieter than the ball. It tracks quietly and has none of the annoying highway squeak of the stocker. To be fair, it's noisy when creeping downhill offroad as the trailer brakes come on and off, forcing it to the front/rear travel limits. I quiet it down offroad by simply turning off the trailer brakes. I have an A-Pillar switch in the Jeep that kills power to the brake controller for low-range creeping and also for backing uphill. All that said, if I still had my welder and tools, I'd have built a 3-axis hitch like yours with poly inserts. It's a horse-apiece now. I still have plans to add some gussets to my lunette-mount but am now considering adding on a 2x4" 11 gauge frame section as you have. Call me a worrier...
I still need to tackle the wheel-spacing issue but for now, it doesn't seem to be a problem. It's inevitable that offroading will put a stick or stone up in between the body and tire and swipe off the clearance light wire (or worse) but the "LunchBox" (my 9 yr-old named it one day. "It's like a lunchbox Papa! We can carry sandwiches, keep drinks and bait cold and cook lunch!) doesn't sit still much. It gets dragged around pretty much daily. I'll get to the wheel-spacer thing in time.
So my biggest panic is close to coming to a head. I've worked myself clear out of mods. I'm not too worried. Something will come to me.... Perhaps a full vinyl wrap...hmmmmm...
WilliamA
Luc,
We've got a matched set of these! Bwwwaaaaahhhh!!!!!

CFD614

Will what is the hitch height when level with the new lift kit? I’m thinking about doing the same. And from your experience I’d need to get spacers

WilliamA

@CFD614 said:
Will what is the hitch height when level with the new lift kit? I’m thinking about doing the same. And from your experience I’d need to get spacers

I just measured it. Immediately ahead of the axle, it is 21 inches to the bottom of the frame. I also measured the same 21" to the bottom of the lunette. I like to run with the trailer slightly raked so when hitched I have 20 inches to the bottom of the lunette ring for a total of 2" forward rake. I can adjust the pintle up another notch (bolt hole) on the receiver to level it, but prefer the rake and additional trailer departure angle.

WilliamA

LuckyJ

@WilliamA Someday, we will share a drink around a camp fire!

WilliamA

@LuckyJ said:
@WilliamA Someday, we will share a drink around a camp fire!

WilliamA

@LuckyJ said:
@WilliamA this is what they have send me. 3/4" universal aluminium spacers. Have not put them on yet' got them this winter, but have not looked behing the wheel since we came back from our Nova-scotia trip. Hope all is good.

Follow-up for this post:
Here are the wheel spacers I ended up getting:

1 1/2" thickness. Atomically strong. These needed minor machine work to clear the T@G hubs but otherwise are perfect. Also, one of the most important things about them is I wanted something that would use the same lug wrench as the trailer and my Jeep. These fit the bill perfectly.
You can find more detailed information about them here:
http://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/386/electric-brakes-theory-troubleshooting-maintenance#latest
WilliamA

LuckyJ

Nice. I did look at your installation tread, and I am happy to see that the tire tread did not come out to much from under the fender.

Should have mine done a few weeks from now. Thwy will be dne free of charge by the dealer.