[WhereAreWe?]

My P38 is pretty smooth off road on the small bumps, but how do those bumps feel from in my trailer? Some time this spring im planing to make a trip down a long dirt road in mexico to a secret fishing, kite boarding, and surf location with a few buddies. We tried a butt breakin ride down there a few years ago in an old rv half way then a small truck the rest. This year were hopen for 2 trucks and my range. We'd like to bring a boat too, likely a 12ft aluminum hard bottomed inflatable with a 30hp. Im invisioning transforming the flat bed trailer into a box trailer, basicly a box with the boat on top. Fill the box with all the stuff, food, tents, sails, gas, water, moter, flip the boat over and put it on top.

So on to my question is how do i modify this trailer to make it a comfortable ride for the stuff? and keep me going fast. These guys will go way to fast over everything. This isnt extreme off roading, just washed out roads and some sand.

Heres an example of me trailering (not the triler im invisioning):

Ive already got the girls going with me (even my friends girlfriends) (my friends trucks are a bit rady), so i dont want to mess this up. Haha

 

[OkieRover]

First. I would get bigger tires.
Big tires can take the bumps better than the small ones.
That's for sure.
As far as springs.
I would initially say softer but that is only a hunch.
The trailers I towed in the Marines had the same size tires as the trucks.
For several reasons.
One was so if you needed a tire you had two back there in addition to the spare.

Second was to keep the loads at the same level.
So anything I hit with the truck tires the trailer wouldn't
be pulled off the back of the truck.

If you look at the offroad camper pull behinds they have the same tires
and wheel travel as the truck pulling them.

Good luck. :drink1:

 

[Muddy Oval]

you should reduce the image sizes to make it easier on is laptop users!

I agree- bigger tyres, good shocks. My trailer has stout springs and Monroe gas truck shocks. Tyres aren't quite as big as the tow vehicle, but are 30".

 

[02RhinoRange]

Is that your boat? I like that thing.. Just curious..
I'd like to look into one of those sometime, just to do a little running around on the lake near the house...

 

[WhereAreWe?]

you should reduce the image sizes to make it easier on is laptop users!

I agree- bigger tyres, good shocks. My trailer has stout springs and Monroe gas truck shocks. Tyres aren't quite as big as the tow vehicle, but are 30".

Sorry about that, i actualy am on a laptop, just a big screen hi res one. I spend more of my life then id like doing work with it so ive forgoten what most ones are like. Ill resize from now on.

The trailer ive got has decencent size tyres and a spare, but the springs are very stiff (leaf, i dont think ive seen a trailer with coil) and no shocks. What am i looking at in terms of cost of materials, (a friends said hed do the welding / fabricating) for the springs and shocks (could i just grab some off some honda at the junk yard? or are these springs made sespecialy for trailers), and is there anything i need to watch out for in terms of keeping this thing road legal? It does have to be drivin in the US on a highway for a couple hours before we reach the border.

Oh and nice pic

Is that your boat? I like that thing.. Just curious..
I'd like to look into one of those sometime, just to do a little running around on the lake near the house...

Yeah it is, 10ft Zodiac hard bottom, 15 hp 4stroke yamaha. This is the first and only time its been on a lake, it spends its life in the ocean. The 15 hp is a bit excessive and almost to to heavy for the boat (i belive 100 pounds, the boat might weigh less then it), definalty need wieght in the front to get it on to a plane. We had an early 4strode 9.9 on it up till a year so so ago when the 15's lightened up to the same weight as the 9.9. The reason we went with larger engiine is to tow people behind on short boards, into waves if were feeling daring. After being on a lake id have to say that a light 10 hp would probably be the best bet as it would be a lot easier to drive alone.

That same weekend i also drove a 13ft boston whaler (see it in back ground?) . I hate it in the ocean but it really performed on a a lake.

 

[OkieRover]

Legal?
If you can cut a pickup truck in half and weld on a hitch and call it a trailer how much concern do you have?
Just make sure it stays under the weight that is necessary to have independent brakes and the lights work, has chains for second attachment, and the hitch is a really good one. If you want to go off road, as it sounds like you do, look at putting pintal style hitch and receiver. This is the style the military, logging companies, etc. use. But this is just a thought. You wouldn't have to worry about articulation and the hitch and ball coming apart.

If it looks legal I'll bet most people with think it is. Of course we live in Free-Oklahoma. :wave:
Some of the regulations you have to put up with in Cali are well, un-American.