Camping trailer

Please tell us about your DIY projects, tips and tricks
User avatar
Dustin
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 428
Joined: 14 Sep 2009 12:14
Full Name: Dustin Roberts
Nickname: Dustin
Home Town: Port Elizabeth
Current 4x4: Patrol-less :-(
Home Language: English
Location: Port Elizabeth
Has thanked: 42 times
Been thanked: 52 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Dustin »

Nice ! :thumbup:
I always say, don't work harder, work smarter :lol:

The wifey likes a caravan and I like a camper trailer, so I combined both.
I like to see over what I'm towing for some paranoid reason, so it fits the bill perfectly.
a.k.a. Datsun Dustin

View my Patrol's story here : http://patrol4x4.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=6478

No hill too steep, no donga too deep !
GO PATROL !!!
User avatar
Michael
Moderator
Posts: 2479
Joined: 05 Mar 2014 14:39
Full Name: Michael
Nickname: Steyn
Home Town: Centurion
Current 4x4: Patrol GU 4.2 Turbo Diesel
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Centurion, PTA
Has thanked: 189 times
Been thanked: 336 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Michael »

Impressive Peter, kan nie wag om te sien hoe hy gaan lyk as hy klaar is nie.
"The Just shall live by Faith" Rom1:17

Check out my build here My Patrol
And my engine rebuild here mostly engine related stuff
User avatar
Peter Connan
Moderator
Posts: 6011
Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
Full Name: Peter Connan
Nickname: Piet
Home Town: Kempton Park
Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Kempton Park
Has thanked: 1067 times
Been thanked: 985 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Peter Connan »

So let's get to the crux of the matter (and also the controversial bit): the suspension. In SA, almost all camping trailers have live axles on leaf springs. These typically only have around 100mm of suspension travel.The only common alternative is the Rubax axle, which has even less travel.

The Patrol has upwards of 200mm. Typically, the ride gets uncomfortably rough only when the suspension starts bottoming out. The result is that you can be driving along fairly comfortably on a bad road, while your trailer is busy destroying itself, and you don't even realize it. I found this out the hard way a while ago when I hooked the old Venter and went down to Dwesa on the wild coast for a family holiday. At one point I clearly saw the trailer's roof filling my side mirror.

So suspension here is independent by trailing arm. Big and powerful shocks are incorporated. However, the only way I could find to keep it up within a reasonable space was by using air springs.

At first, this seems like a risky option in an off-road trailer, and you are all seeing visions of Land Rovers on car transporters, but bear with me:
1) Usually, it is the control system that fails. My control system is really simple, consisting of a tube from each air spring to an air valve (like the one in a ca's rim), with an equalizing valve teed in between the two.
2) These air springs are commonly used by modern trucks and trailers throughout africa, and failures are quite uncommon. Certainly less frequent than with leaf springs on normal trailers.
3) This brings the advantage of making it very easy to level the trailer on a less-than-flat campsite: simply equalize pressure, shove the trailer to a level position, close the equalizing valve, drop the feet, un-fold the jockey-wheel, un-hitch the car and jack up the jockey wheel.
4) It also allows a very stable sleeping platform by reducing air pressure, and possibly the ability to change ride height and attitude in difficult terrain...

The only real risk is puncturing an air bag. To prevent this, the trailing arm is of a very wide section, with a solid, impenetrable base, and there is very little room between it and the wheel. The air springs are also small and light enough to carry one as a spare, and relatively easy to replace.

The trailing arm's inner swivel point is a bush fitted inside a 10mm thick plate welded into the chassis's main cross member, right at the strongest point:
trailerBuild-24.jpg
trailerBuild-24.jpg (293.28 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
The outside bush is in a strong bracket bolted to the outside of the drawbar tube:
trailerBuild-22.jpg
trailerBuild-22.jpg (216.42 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
Maximum droop is 250mm:
trailerBuild-25.jpg
trailerBuild-25.jpg (275.66 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
Minimum height (the spring will reduce this a little bit) is 100mm:
trailerBuild-26.jpg
trailerBuild-26.jpg (276.01 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
Thus the total travel is nearly 250mm:
trailerBuild-28.jpg
trailerBuild-28.jpg (254.23 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
trailerBuild-30.jpg
trailerBuild-30.jpg (276.43 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
With air-spring fitted:
trailerBuild-31.jpg
trailerBuild-31.jpg (239.8 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
In this view, the "control panel" is visible:
TrailerBuild-42.jpg
TrailerBuild-42.jpg (233.45 KiB) Viewed 3849 times
This will be hidden inside the mudguard when it's all finished.
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
IanT
Patrolman 1000+
Patrolman 1000+
Posts: 1234
Joined: 17 May 2013 10:43
Full Name: Ian Temperley
Nickname: IanT (aka) "The Joker"
Home Town: JHB
Current 4x4: 1995 GQ 4.2 Petrol (Turbo Charged) (Hell Boy)
2008 4.8 GRX Umkombe
Home Language: English
Been thanked: 92 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by IanT »

Looking Great Peter, lots of thought gone into this :thumbup: Have you won the lotto looks expensive???
Wilkie
Patrolman 1000+
Patrolman 1000+
Posts: 1402
Joined: 24 Feb 2014 15:33
Full Name: Errol Wilken
Nickname: Wilkie
Home Town: Pretoria
Current 4x4: 1999 4.5 GRX Nissan Patrol
2004 BMW 3.0D X5
Home Language: Afrikaans
Has thanked: 69 times
Been thanked: 92 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Wilkie »

Great work Peter.... :thumbup: :thumbup:
User avatar
Peter Connan
Moderator
Posts: 6011
Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
Full Name: Peter Connan
Nickname: Piet
Home Town: Kempton Park
Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Kempton Park
Has thanked: 1067 times
Been thanked: 985 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Peter Connan »

IanT wrote:Looking Great Peter, lots of thought gone into this :thumbup: Have you won the lotto looks expensive???
Ian, i guess it's not the cheapest way to build a trailer, but it's still going to cost a lot less than any of the camping trailers on the market when purchased new.

However, i could have bought a second-hand trailer for less.

I am still expecting to complete the project for around R45k. Of course, i am doing a huge amount of the work myself, and labour is not included in that figure at all.
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
IanT
Patrolman 1000+
Patrolman 1000+
Posts: 1234
Joined: 17 May 2013 10:43
Full Name: Ian Temperley
Nickname: IanT (aka) "The Joker"
Home Town: JHB
Current 4x4: 1995 GQ 4.2 Petrol (Turbo Charged) (Hell Boy)
2008 4.8 GRX Umkombe
Home Language: English
Been thanked: 92 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by IanT »

Peter at least you then get exactly what you want, and not what the trailer manufactuers think you want!!!
User avatar
Abri Hoffman
Patrolman
Patrolman
Posts: 526
Joined: 30 Apr 2009 14:06
Full Name: Abri Hoffman
Nickname: Abri
Home Town: Monument Park
Current 4x4: 2013 FJ Cruiser
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Monument Park
Been thanked: 7 times
Contact:

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Abri Hoffman »

Mooi Piet.

Those airsprings are a bit heavy duty :wink:
At least leveling the trailer for the night will be the easiest thing on earth
2013 FJ Cruiser
"Jack Russel"
User avatar
Peter Connan
Moderator
Posts: 6011
Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
Full Name: Peter Connan
Nickname: Piet
Home Town: Kempton Park
Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Kempton Park
Has thanked: 1067 times
Been thanked: 985 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Peter Connan »

Ed Zachary Ian

So let's hope i actually know what i want.

Hopefully, the rolling chassis will be ready for initial road tests by next weekend.

Thanks for all the comments guys.
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
User avatar
Grant
Patrolman 1000+
Patrolman 1000+
Posts: 1269
Joined: 29 Apr 2009 14:52
Full Name: Francis
Nickname: Grant
Home Town: Rosendal
Current 4x4: 2020 70 Series V8 LC
Hilux 2,4 4x4 SC Dakar
Home Language: English
Location: Eastern Free State
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 25 times

Re: Camping trailer

Post by Grant »

Hi Peter,


Great work and good choice to go the independent suspension route. I have recently upgraded to the companion 2 berth Caravan that features independent suspension and can confirm that this makes for far easier towing. Behind the Ford 3.2 lt the comfort trailer did very well but when we got the Companion I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of towing. All the concerns about a bigger heavier unit are gone and we are very happy with the caravan.


Regards and once again great work
V8 Power

You can't expect to be old and wise
if you were never young and crazy
Post Reply

Return to “21. DIY Projects”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests