ADVENTURE TRAILER - HOME BREW
The 4WD drive bug bit DTK back in the 80s, and was followed soon by the trailer bug. Back then there were not nearly as many great trailer manufacturers as there are now, and anyway, we figured that we could make something that was far better than anything we could buy "off the shelf." The search began and, as we should have known, there was nothing that we could find that was even close to what we wanted. This was our wish list of capabilities, which we eventually accomplished:
- It had to be small enough to manage all of the trails we expected to travel
- It had to be capable enough to follow the 4WD anywhere it went
- It had to be big enough to carry all the gear that our group of campers would need
- It had to be built as bullet proof as we could make it (ruggedized, I think they call it.)
- It had to have a stove, 5 gallon propane tank, 15 gallon water tank with exterior faucet, solar power hookups, 4 corner lighting for our large camps, complete kitchen gear, fire pans for cooking, 20 gallons of gasoline, 20 gallons of spare water, lighted work stations, cooking grille, a battery to allow power outlets(12V), and enough room inside to carry our camping gear.
This was a big list to be sure, and it quickly became apparent that we had our work cut out for us. Ultimately, we located an old utility trailer, beat to hell, and with the exception of the chassis, it was trash. Razed to the ground, we started a year long project of building and rebuilding, ultimately making it what it is today.
To be sure, the end product was not pretty, but with several rattle cans of camo colored paint, it seemed to blend into it's surroundings, making it a little easier on the eyes. What it lacked in beauty was balanced out with it's utility, strength and function. As this one-of-a-kind "chuck wagon" (as it was soon known) became more and more popular, we realized that we had accomplished our goals. As you can see, we used this trailer in remote locations, including the Parashant, to comfortably serve large groups.
MOJAVE CAMP
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NOTICE THE SOLAR PANEL
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PARASHANT
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HITCH PROBLEMS
The path to a reliable trailer was not entirely smooth. As we put more trips under our belt, it was inevitable that we would hit rough and uneven trails, and it was at that point when we discovered the limitation of the traditional ball trailer hitch. Translation - soon after we hit dirt, we tweaked the hitch right off the ball. We were able to limp home with the assistance of a BFH, and that is when the search began for an articulating hitch that would stay put regardless of the trail. Back then, the internet was not as plump with information as it is today, and my multiple searches yielded almost nothing. Persistence eventually paid off as I discovered that the Aussies had solved this problem long ago. What I found was an Australian trailer hitch, under the name of Treg Poly Block Coupling, (
https://www.tregtrailers.com.au/poly-block-couplings/) that was made specifically for their "outback" where traditional trailer hitches would quickly fail. At the time, and still (I think) today, this hitch is only available in Australia. The story on the net, but here is what it looked like all cleaned up, followed by the same unit now welded to our trailer. (second picture.)
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- Treg Installed.jpg (775.31 KiB) Viewed 650 times
Problem solved
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