Off road campers

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Roof tent on the landy or trailer?

  • Landy's roof

    Votes: 25 62.5%
  • Trailer

    Votes: 15 37.5%

  • Total voters
    40

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I don't get it... Why do people put all terrain or off road tyres on their trailers? We used to pull heavy trailers through the outback in Oz and used cheap road tyres on the trailer. There is no DRIVE going through the trailer wheels, so by putting grippy tyres on you're just increasing the drag (the off road tyres give more purchase on the sand and mud, so you need more energy to DRAG them through it) and increasing the chance of getting bogged, Right? I don't understand.


Edit: is it just to make the traliers look the part?
 
I don't get it... Why do people put all terrain or off road tyres on their trailers? We used to pull heavy trailers through the outback in Oz and used cheap road tyres on the trailer. There is no DRIVE going through the trailer wheels, so by putting grippy tyres on you're just increasing the drag (the off road tyres give more purchase on the sand and mud, so you need more energy to DRAG them through it) and increasing the chance of getting bogged, Right? I don't understand.


Edit: is it just to make the traliers look the part?

i think its more to do with making the trailer match the truck... might help with getting the trailer level too if you have sillybig wheels like me lol
 
I don't get it... Why do people put all terrain or off road tyres on their trailers? We used to pull heavy trailers through the outback in Oz and used cheap road tyres on the trailer. There is no DRIVE going through the trailer wheels, so by putting grippy tyres on you're just increasing the drag (the off road tyres give more purchase on the sand and mud, so you need more energy to DRAG them through it) and increasing the chance of getting bogged, Right? I don't understand.


Edit: is it just to make the traliers look the part?

partly to look the part, partly for grip on slopes i assume, but mainly its so you only have 1 type and size in the rig, so you only have to carry 1 set of spares,
 
makes sense I guess. Our trailer had its own spare carrier, and as I say I think you're more likely to get stuck because of the tyres, but each to his own I suppose :)
 
makes sense I guess. Our trailer had its own spare carrier, and as I say I think you're more likely to get stuck because of the tyres, but each to his own I suppose :)

you could carry say 2 spare tyres in total, then they would do for trailer and truck, instead of 3 or risking 1 spare for the vehicle, means more space for things/less weight
 
I don't get it... Why do people put all terrain or off road tyres on their trailers? We used to pull heavy trailers through the outback in Oz and used cheap road tyres on the trailer. There is no DRIVE going through the trailer wheels, so by putting grippy tyres on you're just increasing the drag (the off road tyres give more purchase on the sand and mud, so you need more energy to DRAG them through it) and increasing the chance of getting bogged, Right? I don't understand.


Edit: is it just to make the traliers look the part?

There is a couple of reason which I would have thought were oblivious

Gives the trailer more ground clearance for off roading ( hence why it is an off road camper trailer )

Also having the same tyres on the trailer as the car gives you at least three more spares for the car. Which can be very useful in the middle of no where in the outback.

Also off road tyres have more tread than basic road tyres and therefore are less liable to punctures and being torn apart by rocks on dirt tracks.

And bigger tyres like off road tyres are easier to pull across sand rather than small skinny tyres. Basic physics bigger tyre more surface area which is what you need on sand.

Ali
 
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I see all your points bar your last one, I don't see why you'd want to drag more tyre through sand than is necessary
 
Think very carefully about where you intend going if you are tempted by a off road trailer camper . They are like dragging an anchor behind you, especially when they start to get big which alot of them tend to end up. A few negatives , in sand esp dunes extra drag, dig in on crests due to usually poor break over angles, with long drawbar , which they usually have for stability reasons. Similar with drop offs into creek crossings. In muddy conditions danger of jacknifing , (one of reasons that MT tyres are quite often fitted to try and grip ground esp sideways apart from matching tow vehicle) .
They are also more susceptible to accelerated wear on suspension particularly when being pulled by modern coil suspension vehicles. Corrugations are particularly hard on them . I tried them in OZ and found it better to tow a large off road modded tandem axle caravan to a central point and then use as base and go with roof tent into bush . I had many calls out to rescue broken trailers from the bush. The so called off road caravans tend to be short lived if used for extended periods on bad roads, I know personally of two abandoned on RTW trips .
It is better if you want a caravan level of comfort and security rather than tent level to use an integral vehicle built setup , take into a/c the bigger you go the harder to get unstuck , the more fuel, and the larger shipping costs, and limited access you have. Its better to travel lightly loaded in a larger vehicle than overloaded in a smaller one HTSH

re tyres on sand as mentioned bigger footprint less psi less sinking in also bigger diameter is better than wider smaller diameter
 
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a failed hill climb with a trailer on could be a problem

:rolly:

Mmm always amazes me what people think you do with a trailer on

When you are overlanding you don't do stupid stuff like go through deep mud holes or try stupid steep hill climbs , you have the space so you drive around them. It is all about preservation of the car and trailer as you depend on the car for your life as nine times out of ten you are on the middle of no where.
 
Mmm always amazes me what people think you do with a trailer on

When you are overlanding you don't do stupid stuff like go through deep mud holes or try stupid steep hill climbs , you have the space so you drive around them. It is all about preservation of the car and trailer as you depend on the car for your life as nine times out of ten you are on the middle of no where.

If you have the choice, obviously , but sometimes you dont :)

thats why they are not a first choice for overland travel esp in known difficult areas JMHO
 
I don't get it... Why do people put all terrain or off road tyres on their trailers? We used to pull heavy trailers through the outback in Oz and used cheap road tyres on the trailer. There is no DRIVE going through the trailer wheels, so by putting grippy tyres on you're just increasing the drag (the off road tyres give more purchase on the sand and mud, so you need more energy to DRAG them through it) and increasing the chance of getting bogged, Right? I don't understand.


Edit: is it just to make the traliers look the part?


1. stop sideways slip on slopes
2. Ground clearance, means the axles at the same height as the tow vehicle
3. provide extra spare tyres for the tow vehicle
4. It looks the part

An off road trailer is not meant for crazy ****, if there was a slope you was unsure on you would unhitch, do the slope and then winch the trailer up afterwards, well thats what I would do anyway. I am currently making one as a little project, it will proberbly only be used on lanes and maybe a bit in europe but as I sold my VW for the 90 I needed something better than a tent for the summer

307786_10151056717997374_501675243_n.jpg


229272_10151056742707374_1187350945_n.jpg

(obviously not fully erected but you get to see the layout, the legs still need beefing up though)
 
looks a cracking little unit :5bdrool5: dont forget tho if you are going over 750Kg Brakes ;)


Cheers, I specifically got this trailer tent for its weight, width and fold out design, its a 400KG trailer so I got 350KG to play with for making up the chassis/suspension, im hoping it will come in about 550KG by the time I am finished.
 
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