What problems are common with rough road towing?

[CaptEditor]

I have quite a bit of experience driving on rough roads, but no experience towing a trailer on them. What maintenance issues should be expected from towing down washboarded, rutted, dusty, muddy, etc. roads.

I thought this could be a good topic so that we would know what kind damage to look for on our tow vehicles and trailers.

Just as an example to get us started, last year my stepfather noticed that the welds on the hitch for his Dodge were cracking. He tows heavy loads up to 10,000 lbs and clearly if he hadn't addressed the issue it could have been disastrous!

I've heard stories of broken axle welds on teardrops before due to washboarded roads, so I'm looking forward to some good input and stories!


-Kevin

[Ageless]

Well, you ain't gonna get nowhere near a 10k load with a tear.

I guess it is just how far "off-road" you are planning. I've towed both a 2500 lb trailer and my present 1700 lb trailer on off-rosd; but nothing severe. The biggest part of less than perfect roads is taking it really slow on really bad parts.

Sometimes, I find it better to drop the trailer in a more civil area and roam about the rough areas with the truck.

[Shadow Catcher]

What sort of suspension do you have on the trailer e.g. springs torsion arm (Dexter et el) or air bag?
Our new trailer will have air shocks with a Dexter axle. I plan on some sort of seal on the ends of the torsion arms to prevent dust getting in (reportedly a problem) and more frequent maintenance of the bearings and seals.

[boxcar]

Suspension is everything.....leaf springs crack or break , spindles shear off, bolts bend or break, welds break, toungues bend, Glass windows shatter from to flexy a rig. I'v seen it all and there is no true anser to your question. Expect the worst and then don't be surprised if it's still worse than you expected....
I like air bags, shocks and trailing arms the best. ( adjustable ) Trailing links Coils and shocks work well. Leaf springs are by far the most prone to failier due to harsh ride and limited articulation. SLOW is the key word here. I like the word CRAWL.
Good brakes are a must. And yes thay are high maintanance off road....(But The word offroad and maintanance are married at the hip)...
With brakes your trailer is more likely to stay behind you on a steep trail. Espcially
when your tow rig is a short wheel base rig like say a CJ or a Wrangler.
Ground clearence goes without saying...Boxcar...[img][/img]
Have fun...

[Arne]

You mean like this?

[Shadow Catcher]

Arne
Do you know anything of the back story on that picture?
I have seen pictures of one other tear in an off road situation where the single tube tongue broke.

[deepmud]

Aussie roads seem to be tough on trailers - they were the first that I saw with trailing arm suspensions. Short, stiff leaf springs as commonly seen on inexpensive trailers are good for intermittent use and heavy loads but would beat up everything on a washboard road. Sometimes I see comments that "Tires are the most important part of the suspension" - I do not subscribe to that theory. You need good tires, and larger tires don't drop into as small a hole, but the suspension should be in the suspension. I like trailing arms and air bags if I was building my own - but long supple leafs are good too - they are a trailing arm, in a way.

I also see comments that leafs are "field fixable" - however, I don't subscribe to that either - if you are handy with fixing things you can fix a trailing arm as much as a leaf spring - if not you are at the mercy of "mechanics" wherever you are - reading the "Lone Wolf Expedition" online, that worthy traveler was in the "not handy" realm, and had to have his leaf-sprung trailer repaired in at least 3 remote locations like Pakistan and Thailand - Heavy use and load will break anything, including leaf spring. These were repairs I would have made myself on such a trip - but I would have a portable welder if I ever get to go around the world

[Shadow Catcher]

Deepmud
There are places in this hemisphere where there is plenty of washboard, rocks, holes what ever. One of our favorite places to camp is North of Lake Superior and there is a great deal of Crown land with logging roads or even roads with in provincial parks that are as challenging as any place on earth. You don't even have to go that far, many Michigan roads are not paved and even the ones that are are a challenge.
I am work on adapting air shocks to a Dexter axle to be able to give additional ground clearance and take some of the strain on the suspension when desirable off road or in Michigan

[deepmud]

you know it I've been on the AL-Can a few times but it's soooo much better than it was in the 70's lol.

I think your shock-on-a-Dexter is a great modification.

Shocks are another place that trailers get a lot of neglect on. Even the short stiff leaf springs benefit from a good shock - and a soft sprung leaf or trailing arm get a much more controlled ride.

I used to run my Subaru-axle trailer without shocks - wow that was BOUNCY Like trampoline-bouncy - I could get launched 3 feet up jumping on the tail when it was hitched to my rig. Sort of the farthest extreme from short, stiff springs it was LOTS of travel, slow progression torsion springs. Shocks made it stop hopping sideways on frost-heaved corners - now it corners like it's on rails, tho' without any anti-roll built in it will tilt a bit when heavily loaded - but it behaves itself.

[dwgriff1]

Match the load to the suspension for starts.

I have a tandem axle flat bed trailer with two 3500 or 4000 pound axles. With a good load it works fine, but it will shake a light load to pieces.

On bad roads, just about anything that can rattle loose or tip over will do just that. And, any bad joints will get "badder".

dave

[boxcar]

The reason I like to run air bags and trailing arms are many but the simple way to explain them is with pictures.

The first is a solid axle set up. The springs must be rated at the maximum load of the trailer . This is a problem for me when I am not draging the kitchen sink with me.... [img]:lol:[/img] ( I tend to do that allot) [img]:?[/img]... And the axle tends to get hung up on rocks and stumps that my tow rig clears with ease. We have found that an independant suspension system solves most of thease problems.
By using air bags we can adjust the suspention to the given load . (Always a smooth ride) I also use gas shocks on all my builds. Prevents all the rebound problems . It also alows much more ground clearence in the center of the trailer , preventing the hang up problems asosiated with a solid axle.
Now this suspension system is not something the novice fabricator might feel comfortable trying to build . Its not as tough as you might think though. I will be happy to provide drawings if you need them. It can be adapted to any ladder frame trailer with ease. And is well worth the effort.
While this is not nesisairy for graval roads or eaven the ocational wash board road. If you are planing to truely go OFF ROAD I highly recomend it.....My trailer goes were my Jeep goes . Rocks ,bolders, stumps, river crossings, ruts , I don't care ....I like to sleep in my bed...Boxcar...

[PaulC]

There is absolutely no way I would contemplate any kind of independent suspension on any of the TD's I've built. Number 5 is in progress now and all of them have leaf sprung suspension. I'm a firm believer in the kiss principle.
Further, I wouldn't mind a dollar for every "cool", independently sprung trailer I've helped out of all sorts of predicaments, down here.
All of our camping is remote, not some, all of it.

Cheers
Paul

[deepmud]

And I always promote the other way Independent - really - we've posted opposite on the other threads.

BUT>
He's on number 5 and I have only built one trailer (and it's not a tear,either) from scratch. Mine's pretty old, and been on the road a LONG time, and I think it's the bomb....but he's right, leaf springs are simple, and tough. There is a reason they keep using that design under a million trailers and most new trucks - it works.

I built a custom, coil and link suspension on my 4x4 off-road rig - and it's taken me at least an extra year to do it If I had gone with proven, simple leaf suspension it would have been much MUCH faster to build. That's something to consider too. A leaf spring will be really easy to set up.

You can even set up airbags on a leaf spring if you find it's too soft, or if it's too hard and pull a leaf, and use airbags to get it "just right".

But I still like the way a trailing arm swings up and away from a bump, plus the clearance benefits Boxcar mentions. I've pulled my trailer on some crazy trails in "freight mode" (the box is removable) and feel it's important to have supple suspension when dragging it over downed trees and such. If Off-Road means not on a road(not just a bumpy dirt road), trailing arms are great and I think worth the extra engineering they require.

[PaulC]

And I always promote the other way Independent - really - we've posted opposite on the other threads.

BUT>
He's on number 5 and I have only built one trailer (and it's not a tear,either) from scratch. Mine's pretty old, and been on the road a LONG time, and I think it's the bomb....but he's right, leaf springs are simple, and tough. There is a reason they keep using that design under a million trailers and most new trucks - it works.

I built a custom, coil and link suspension on my 4x4 off-road rig - and it's taken me at least an extra year to do it If I had gone with proven, simple leaf suspension it would have been much MUCH faster to build. That's something to consider too. A leaf spring will be really easy to set up.

You can even set up airbags on a leaf spring if you find it's too soft, or if it's too hard and pull a leaf, and use airbags to get it "just right".

But I still like the way a trailing arm swings up and away from a bump, plus the clearance benefits Boxcar mentions. I've pulled my trailer on some crazy trails in "freight mode" (the box is removable) and feel it's important to have supple suspension when dragging it over downed trees and such. If Off-Road means not on a road(not just a bumpy dirt road), trailing arms are great and I think worth the extra engineering they require.

I think I remember those "other threads" Deepmud (Name)

Cheers
Paul

[deepmud]

Now that is more than a bumpy road, lol.

I haven't got pics of the trailer on the REAL off-road trails - I have an old 8mm Sony video that needs to be converted someday then I'll have a fun demo