Buy a trailer (instead of a pickup truck)

[Fat Charlie]

Lots of elevation change in Arizona.

[chefdave]

Hi on my 3rd trailer smashed one wheel when tyre blew out. Snapped axle on 2nd one. Third one had to replace bearings ummm that was an interesting tow with a ton of concrete blocks in trailer. Third trailer has completed 2 trips without mishap. Maybe because i built this from scratch and over engineered everything. Double floor and sides. Using 25mm board and 50mm posts for fixing board. Triple screwed everything together. Fitted 14" 8 ply van tyres. Load rating 870kg per tyre. Breakaway cable looked flimsy so am using mobile home chain down cable. 20mm x 4mm links in chain. Uprated towball to 3500kg with plate certification on it. Can never take too much safety. So i recomend everyone double checks everything before moving off.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I didn't know AZ had mountains. Seemed relatively flat when I passed through.

That's because they tend to route the major roads through the flatter parts. But for instance take I-17 from Phoenix to Flagstaff, and branch off towards Jerome or Sedona, and you'll find a few mountains :-)

Then there are the holes, like the Grand Canyon.

[chefdave]

On subject of my previous post. Am concerned that i had to adjust freeload on bearings. I used lock tabs and split pin to stop nut slackening off. Any ideas as i tightened bearing nut up until wheel would not rotate then slackened of 1/4 turn. Yes i did repack bearing with correct grease and cannot hear any bearing rumble. Had to do another turn and half to take up slack. Never had this problem on car wheels.

[oil pan 4]

Cheap made in China bearings and races.

[Xist]

There is a sign on the 89 in Flagstaff saying 7,300 feet, but I can just ride cruise control from Phoenix through Flagstaff, to Page near the Utah border. I have not driven west on the 40, but east to Holbrook is boring. However, there are two routes from Phoenix to the White Mountains, and each of them goes through a canyon, and there is a steep mountain that passes 7,000 feet past Payson, with several steep and twisty sections.

[ByDesign]

On the bearings and axles issues, it is my experience that trailers are often neglected and abused. Home made ones are not always real straight and things are often not made true. All of those things contribute to problems that are often manifest in wheel and tire problems.

With any trailer, check 4 things:
1. Axles, springs, tires, hitch, etc. are rated for the intended load. Remember that load includes both trailer and payload.
2. Check axle alignment. The hitch and the centers of the axle ends should make a perfect equilateral triangle. You can do it yourself, but take time to really measure accurately.
3. Load distribution on the trailer is even (within reason) side to side and you have 10-15% of the total load on the hitch.
4. Trailers don't normally have plush suspensions, so avoid the bumps and holes as they can do damage on your trailer even if they don't damage your vehicle. If you do hit something significant, get things checked out.

A lady called me the other day asking about issues with her trailer. Turns out she broke a shackle, and it was causing lots of tire and hub problems. She thought the issue was tires. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, but usually the tires get blamed because that's where the "rubber meets the road".

Good luck.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Haven't seen so many small cars hauling trailers recently, but that Chinese vegetarian restaurant owner still keeps that red Chevrolet Celta.

[freebeard]

I found the SRK owners forum and they're talking about a towing hitch. When I went to the roll-out in Eugene a year ago last November, the first person I talked to was the big guy himself, Mark Frohnmayer and my first question was whether the SRK has a towing capacity. He said 400kg/1/4ton.

So that was two points. It has a declared towing capacity. And it is the same as my Westfalia utility trailer. I have a source for the BASF elastomeric snubbers on the trailing arm suspension to get it on the road.

I'm hoping there is an option for one pivot/two wheels and two pivots/one wheel. Because I'd also want to make a Vespa/Piaggio pusher trailer and that would be single wheel.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I'm hoping there is an option for one pivot/two wheels and two pivots/one wheel. Because I'd also want to make a Vespa/Piaggio pusher trailer and that would be single wheel.

Just to clarify: when you mention one pivot/two wheels, you consider something similar to this trailer?