Any Tuff Stuff overland trailer owners out there?

[Fuelfish]

Hey gang,
I bit the bullet and bought one of the Tuff Stuff trailers and wanted to see if there were others on the forum who bought one so we can compare notes and set up mods etc. Please post here, PM me.

I will do a write up once I get a little experience with it. I took it for a shakedown cruise and it pulls super super nice off road. the trailing arm suspension makes it behave much differently than any trailer I have pulled. The truck would hit something too fast and I would actually brace for impact but the trailer ate up the bumps much better than the truck. Lots of things to like given the price point and a few things that have me scratching my head so would LOVE to talk to others who got one of these first ones.

Take care,
Dave

 

[NV Bigblue]

Hey gang,
I bit the bullet and bought one of the Tuff Stuff trailers and wanted to see if there were others on the forum who bought one so we can compare notes and set up mods etc. Please post here, PM me.

I will do a write up once I get a little experience with it. I took it for a shakedown cruise and it pulls super super nice off road. the trailing arm suspension makes it behave much differently than any trailer I have pulled. The truck would hit something too fast and I would actually brace for impact but the trailer ate up the bumps much better than the truck. Lots of things to like given the price point and a few things that have me scratching my head so would LOVE to talk to others who got one of these first ones.

Take care,
Dave

Yep! I just picked ours up last weekend. I had a Smittybilt on order, but after 45 days of delays and then being told I wouldn't see it until next year, I canceled the order and bought the Tuff Stuff trailer that day, and then picked it up the same week.
Initial shakedown was 550 mile return trip home. So far I'm pretty darned happy with it. A couple of small things, but they've been really good getting things sorted.
We haven't really done much other than clean it up inside (misc small debris) and load it up with everything we usually take in our FJ when we camp. I'm waiting on a new set of mounting bars for our RTT (I cut the originals to fit the FJ). Those should be here tomorrow, and then I'll get the tent mounted. We're running the Tuff Stuff Ranger.
I'm really looking forward to a decent shake down camping trip in a couple weeks.
I may install a set of adapters so I can run a matching set of FJ wheels and tires, but for right now what's on it is fine.
It towed great coming home. I could tell it was back there while going up hills, but on the flats I can't tell it's back there.
I did get the solar panel kit from Harbor Freight. All the panels fit perfect in the long storage area above the battery. And, since we'll be leaving our fridge in the FJ, the only power we'll be using is for the pump and on-board lighting, the panels should be able to keep the battery charged as long as needed. We do also have a small genny that fits perfect in the bottom one of the rear storage area. I am thinking of adding a small, dedicated panel (10w or so) just for maintaining the battery while it's stored. I'll probably mount it on the lid of the front storage box.

NV

 

[Fuelfish]

Yep! I just picked ours up last weekend. I had a Smittybilt on order, but after 45 days of delays and then being told I wouldn't see it until next year, I canceled the order and bought the Tuff Stuff trailer that day, and then picked it up the same week.
Initial shakedown was 550 mile return trip home. So far I'm pretty darned happy with it. A couple of small things, but they've been really good getting things sorted.
We haven't really done much other than clean it up inside (misc small debris) and load it up with everything we usually take in our FJ when we camp. I'm waiting on a new set of mounting bars for our RTT (I cut the originals to fit the FJ). Those should be here tomorrow, and then I'll get the tent mounted. We're running the Tuff Stuff Ranger.
I'm really looking forward to a decent shake down camping trip in a couple weeks.
I may install a set of adapters so I can run a matching set of FJ wheels and tires, but for right now what's on it is fine.
It towed great coming home. I could tell it was back there while going up hills, but on the flats I can't tell it's back there.
I did get the solar panel kit from Harbor Freight. All the panels fit perfect in the long storage area above the battery. And, since we'll be leaving our fridge in the FJ, the only power we'll be using is for the pump and on-board lighting, the panels should be able to keep the battery charged as long as needed. We do also have a small genny that fits perfect in the bottom one of the rear storage area. I am thinking of adding a small, dedicated panel (10w or so) just for maintaining the battery while it's stored. I'll probably mount it on the lid of the front storage box.

NV

OK good to hear, lets stay in touch. I took mine for a shake down drive and then a single campout and you are right, it pulls like an absolute dream. I have had some issues however, the nut to secure the hitch to the receiver has come almost all the way off at highway speeds TWICE and the TS guys just suggested red Loctite which I have done but haven't tested since. 2. Some water intrusion into the doors causing a bit of rust 3. paint or powder coat on rack is really bad (they offered to pay if I wanted to have it painted but it is a massive hassle). 3. Water tank essentially empties to 1/2 on bumpy roads (super annoying). 4. Some latches have enough play that I can open them when locked. 5. Electric brakes dont work at all. Wondering if you have any of this?

Customer service has been super responsive and they are willing to kind of do whatever but it is such a hodge podge, I am not quite sure how to tackle it.

On a positive note, stove is great, all the space is so awesome to just store your stuff and never move it to the garage again. I filled every nook and cranny with some kind of plastic tote organizer but probably need to rethink that a bit. Had plastic cut to go under grating in big drawer up top (it rains a bi here in the northwest) and I added external fire ext and axe/shovel set up with is cool. Also Harbor freight has a killer tongue box you can stick up front and you end up with almost too much storage!

OK would like to hear after you use it a bit and maybe stay in touch on breaks/mods/fixes.

Dave

 

[NV Bigblue]

OK good to hear, lets stay in touch. I took mine for a shake down drive and then a single campout and you are right, it pulls like an absolute dream. I have had some issues however, the nut to secure the hitch to the receiver has come almost all the way off at highway speeds TWICE and the TS guys just suggested red Loctite which I have done but haven't tested since. 2. Some water intrusion into the doors causing a bit of rust 3. paint or powder coat on rack is really bad (they offered to pay if I wanted to have it painted but it is a massive hassle). 3. Water tank essentially empties to 1/2 on bumpy roads (super annoying). 4. Some latches have enough play that I can open them when locked. 5. Electric brakes dont work at all. Wondering if you have any of this?

Customer service has been super responsive and they are willing to kind of do whatever but it is such a hodge podge, I am not quite sure how to tackle it.

On a positive note, stove is great, all the space is so awesome to just store your stuff and never move it to the garage again. I filled every nook and cranny with some kind of plastic tote organizer but probably need to rethink that a bit. Had plastic cut to go under grating in big drawer up top (it rains a bi here in the northwest) and I added external fire ext and axe/shovel set up with is cool. Also Harbor freight has a killer tongue box you can stick up front and you end up with almost too much storage!

OK would like to hear after you use it a bit and maybe stay in touch on breaks/mods/fixes.

Dave

OK good to hear, lets stay in touch. I took mine for a shake down drive and then a single campout and you are right, it pulls like an absolute dream. I have had some issues however, the nut to secure the hitch to the receiver has come almost all the way off at highway speeds TWICE and the TS guys just suggested red Loctite which I have done but haven't tested since. 2. Some water intrusion into the doors causing a bit of rust 3. paint or powder coat on rack is really bad (they offered to pay if I wanted to have it painted but it is a massive hassle). 3. Water tank essentially empties to 1/2 on bumpy roads (super annoying). 4. Some latches have enough play that I can open them when locked. 5. Electric brakes dont work at all. Wondering if you have any of this?

Customer service has been super responsive and they are willing to kind of do whatever but it is such a hodge podge, I am not quite sure how to tackle it.

On a positive note, stove is great, all the space is so awesome to just store your stuff and never move it to the garage again. I filled every nook and cranny with some kind of plastic tote organizer but probably need to rethink that a bit. Had plastic cut to go under grating in big drawer up top (it rains a bi here in the northwest) and I added external fire ext and axe/shovel set up with is cool. Also Harbor freight has a killer tongue box you can stick up front and you end up with almost too much storage!

OK would like to hear after you use it a bit and maybe stay in touch on breaks/mods/fixes.

Dave

Dave,
I don't have my FJ wired with an RV7 yet, so can't verify the brakes work yet (or the lights for the matter).... but I did see that on one side the brake wiring is run through the brake shoe lever hole, and the parking brake doesn't really set the brakes fully. I'll be going over that stuff tomorrow. The alignment (camber) also looks to be way negative.

Our top box has a full metal top, not the mesh.

I did buy a diesel air heater yesterday, should be here tomorrow. I'll be working on a portable (for now) heater that can pipe hot air up to the tent. I'll let you know how that works out. It's a pretty small unit, so if the portable system works, then I may mount in on the trailer full time (we like winter camping a lot).

I'm also thinking about adding a couple of 12v ports on the outside of the trailer. I don't like running wires through door seals.

And the wife would like a little stereo if I can find space. Not sure where to mount everything, but that's for down the road...

NV

 

[NV Bigblue]

Finally got my new tent mounting rails today and got the tent off my FJ. (I cut the originals to fit my FJ)
Still have to drill and trim the rails, but getting closer to being able to use the trailer. Stove regulator should be here tomorrow.
I've also been testing my diesel air heater. It's a beast. Still not sure how to make it fully portable, but pretty sure it will keep the annex and tent warm. :)

Also got the rv7 on the truck. Still no lights. I'm thinking it must be a grounding issue. Ill dig into the wiring on the traler next.
Still have to install the brake controller.

And i bought some vent line and a valve for the water tank. Im hoping to prevent fuelfish's bumpy road draining issue.

Fuelfish, did you you ever get your brakes working?

Road trip to Idaho for turkey day, with camping on the way back, so a 1000 shakedown on everything. :)

NV

 

[NV Bigblue]

Hello all!

Did some maintenance on the trailer last weekend.
Braking action was there, but not what I think it should be.... so I tore apart both hub assemblies. Seems like the factory coated the drums in some type of protective stuff. Not quite oil, but still slick. Washed everything down with brake cleaner. Got all the protective crap off and also washed out a lot of cast iron machining flakes. Put everything back together and adjusted the shoes out a little. Also replaced the cotter pins for the axle nuts and bent them around the side of the nut instead of over the end of the axle. They were bent over the end of the axles and were slightly rubbing the inside of the cap.

Braking action is MUCH better now. Still not what I think it should be, but hopefully will improve as the brake shoes set in. I'm using the REDARC Tow-Pro Elite for a controller. Nice unit.

I used a digital level stuck to the bearing cap to adjust the camber. Initially, I had about 13 degrees of negative camber. I was able to get one side to zero and the other side to -1.2. I set both sides at -1.2. Toe-in was about 1/16 to 1/8 inch. I used a punch to mark the adjustment bolts, and torqued everything down. I used locktite on the nuts.

I had to cut/repair the brake wiring on one side to remove the wires from the parking brake lever. And I installed wire rope thimbles on the parking brake lever ends of the cables. Although I may replace those with a strap fork.
I removed the saddle clamp holding the cables together at the brake handle end. The cable is captive around the pulley on the end, so no worry about it falling off. I'd rather it be able to pull equally on each side. I tightened the adjuster so there was very little play in the cables. The parking brake now actually works.

I wired in a break-away system for the brakes.

And I bought the atv hitch carrier from Harbor Freight. I bolted the two rack pieces together without the center tube. I'll be mounting it in front of the storage box on the hitch. It's just the right size for an ice chest or in my case, for my mobile tent heating system. And I'll still be able to open the back door of my FJ.

We ended up mounting our tent opening off the back of the trailer. Should make it easier to deploy everything in a narrower camping spot. With most everything loaded, this makes the tongue weight about 150 pounds (that's my, can I lift this estimate). By time we add a propane tank, fuel cans, tools and misc items in the front storage box and an ice chest or the heater unit, I think it will bring the tongue weight up into the 10-15% range.

Still have some mods to make to the water system. Water level gauge reads full even when empty. And I want to extend / valve the overflow/breather line. And I'm looking for connectors and tubing that will allow me to better route the supply lines a little better. I don't like how they hang out from the tank.

Testing everything out in the back yard this weekend, and then off to Idaho for Thanksgiving, with camping on the return trip.

NV

 

[NV Bigblue]

So....bit of an update...
After our 'incident'....
Check those lug nuts!

I did get the the fender mostly back to normal, but it will never be perfect again. Oh well...fireside stories....


I finally got enough time back home to start fixing the wheel bolt issue....
I've had a hell of a time trying to find exact replacement wheel studs for this trailer. But today I sat for a couple of hours and finally found a replacement. Not the solution I was looking for, and it means replacing the other wheel studs as well, but at least we can get the trailer back on the road again.

I'm converting all the wheel studs over to a metric size. The originals are 1/2 X 20 threads, 1.5 inch length with a .56 knurl.

What I found is that (strangely enough the trailer is being towed by an FJ Cruiser) the wheel studs for an FJ Cruiser are almost a perfect fit.

I ended up using some Dorman 610-266 studs. I bought all 16 that they had.... I like spares.

These are M12X1.50 threads, 40mm in length (vs 38.1), with .599 knurls (that's the spec, but when measured they come out more like .61 or .62....not bad..a few thou...). They fit the drum without any issues. I did have to replace all the lug nuts, but at least I can find these at a local Autozone or O'Reilly.

Since these studs are very close in size to the originals, and since it's the lug nuts that center the wheel on the hub, I don't think it will make much difference.

If you do replace the studs and nuts, be sure to verify that the nuts are a 19mm drive. The most common 12X1.50 nuts are too big for a socket to fit the stock wheels. The socket they provide with the trailer is narrow wall....

I mic'd the drum and it's within a few thou all the way around, which was good news after using it as a load bearing item for a 1/4 mile....

After getting a new grease cap, we should be good to go for some fall camping!

Wow... just looked at my last post...it's been more than a bit...

I fixed the water level gauge issue. Removed the panel and found it was grounded on the hot side.... so showing full all the time. It's 'sort of' accurate. Empty? Yes. Full? Yes. 1/2 full? Sure....let's go with that.

Extended the breather for the water tank and added a filter on the end. Tank can be completely full and wont piss out water from the breather over rough roads now.

Still need to add some 90 degree elbows to the water lines to tuck them in a bit.

I picked up a TIG welder and aluminum spool gun a bit ago. Once I get a few more hours of practice with it, I'll probably add a couple of extra rock guards around the water fittings and tank area.

NV

 

[ovrlnd_escape]

Nice write up. After looking at your trailer I have come to the conclusion that my Crux trailer is the same as your tuff stuff trailer. Just a different name on it.

 

[bshinn]

Bought a Crux earlier, basically the same trailer. I'm pretty sure the 1600 is identical to the Tuff Stuff, my 1610 is a little different, shorter and wider I think, with less features on the interior.

 

[ovrlnd_escape]

Bought a Crux earlier, basically the same trailer. I'm pretty sure the 1600 is identical to the Tuff Stuff, my 1610 is a little different, shorter and wider I think, with less features on the interior.

I have the 1600. It’s definitely the same. They are all made in China

 

[Rlemond]

Hello All, new here. Been thinking about a Crux 1610. Would love any more feedback. Have some reservations about a trailer made in China. Thanks.

 

[NV Bigblue]

Hello All, new here. Been thinking about a Crux 1610. Would love any more feedback. Have some reservations about a trailer made in China. Thanks.

Rlemond,
We've been mostly, very pleased with our trailer (the Tuff Stuff). We've got about 3000 miles or so on it now, and other than a few issues right after delivery (and the...uh..wheel issue :/ ) we've been really happy with it. It tows great, and has plenty of storage.
I still can't get the alignment to exactly where I want, but the tires don't seem to be wearing funny, so I guess it's close enough.

If the Crux is the same trailer (which I suspect it is), and your comfortable doing a really good double check of all the fasteners and wiring and such, then I probably wouldn't be too worried about getting one. I would say, if you have a chance to look at one before buying, go do it. However, we did buy ours sight unseen after me getting a little pissed off at Smittybilt.

There are a few things they could have done better on it... better routing of the wiring, better plumbing on the water tank (a few elbows in the piping) and I recently discovered that the grease fittings for the swing arms were basically glued in place. I had to pull the arms, thoroughly clean them, tig up the holes and redrill and tap for the zerks.

The paint could be better, but we run a LOT of gravel roads and it's getting beat up on the front edges. I'm planning on having a lot of it coated in truck bed liner this year.

But overall, I've been happy with the trailer.

Towing wise, other than the weight, I don't know it's back there. Ours does seem to be VERY sensitive to tongue loading. We had a hitch carrier on the rear with firewood and fuel cans on it, and it didn't give us any issues until we got up to highway speed.... then it got a bit twitchy going down the road. We stopped and moved the fuel to the front, and then things got back to normal.

I would also comment on the dealer. We've been very pleased with the support from Tuff Stuff. They have been very good about getting me information and replacing a few things. Be sure that whoever you get your trailer from has spares, and is going to be around for a while.

I'm pretty sure most of these off road trailers, no matter than name, basically come off the same assembly line. And for the price, understanding that you might have to do a little work to get them exactly where you want, they are a pretty good deal.

Good luck and let us know what you get and how it works out for you!

NV

 

[Rlemond]

Great information, thank you for the reply.

 

[ovrlnd_escape]

Hello All, new here. Been thinking about a Crux 1610. Would love any more feedback. Have some reservations about a trailer made in China. Thanks.

I have towed my crux over 10k miles and i have put it through the ringer on some very hard trails. I’d say keep everything lubed good on it and get some silicone for where the wires go into to battery area to keep water out.

 

[Rlemond]

I have towed my crux over 10k miles and i have put it through the ringer on some very hard trails. I’d say keep everything lubed good on it and get some silicone for where the wires go into to battery area to keep water out.

Thanks for the reply. I haven’t seen one in person yet but Probably gonna go look at one next week.

 

[Matt9]

hello all
just stumbled onto this tread. i have the tuff stuff base camp as well. so far have about 4000 miles on it in the last year. several long highway trips with some pretty decent off road trails as well. for the price it can't be beat. but for the price there are a few items to work. BIGGEST issue was this last weekend going to hook up and found 2 of the 4 bolts holding the hitch to tounge of trailer missing the lock nuts and other 2 bolts loose. all 4 bolts were bent as well. lucky we weren't to far from a hardware store and was able to find replacement hardware. these will forever be a pre use item i check. have slowly been replacing all hardware with aircraft grade hardware (perk of the job). did add silicone when replaced the hardware on the rack rails to help with water intrusion / rust inside the cabinets. i also had to replace grease fittings on the hitch due to them stripping out when removing the grease gun. on first use i did have a water pump issue the folks at TS were awesome in helping get this fixed. they shipped me a whole pump assembly in super fast time. turns out it was a spit in the water line at the pump fitting so at that point i started replacing stock water lines as well. i did have a leak at the water tank where the water pump line connects which took some creative part installations to fix. i also found out the wheel bearings seem to be an odd size which would follow with the above wheel stud issue. i did also relocate one of the 28vdc plugs in the fridge area to the door due to when plugged in the model fridge we went with would not slide past the fridge. for the price i feel its a great trailer had i paid the $30k plus i would be furious having to tweak on it. still not thrilled having to tweak on a $13k trailer but makes it easier to swallow. TS was super helpful and ever sent me a few goodies for my troubles with the water pump so customer service always goes far.

 

[Rlemond]

Thanks for all the feedback. We ended up getting a Crux 1610. Can’t wait to get out and use it now.

 

[Rlemond]

 

[ovrlnd_escape]

After a year and a half with our crux we are about to upgrade to an off grid expedition 2.0. We love the crux and it has served us well but we have three kids and need a different set up for all of us. Haven’t decided if we are gonna sell the crux of trade it in but should know something next week.

 

[Mwaldrip]

Really helpful thread! Thank for all the input.

So I am trying to make a decision between two trailers, the Tuff Stuff Base Camp or a Turtleback. While I like the layout, storage and galley on the TS, not to mention the price point, but am getting a little fervor’s after reading some of the issues in this thread. The Turtleback is really well built. It’s made by hand here in AZ and the the guys in the shop are great. Price difference is significant. All-in, the TS is about 18K including RTT and Awning. A similar setup on the Turtleback in right around 30K. Just trying to determine what the best path forward is. We don’t do any hardcore over landing so both are a bit overkill. I’m really just wanting something that I can store all my gear in and hook up and go when I need too.

I would also like any feedback on the quality of the Tuff Stuff RTT’s. The one on the trailer is the Elite Overland that comes with the awning. It’s massive. I am leaning toward a 23 Zero Walkabout or iKamper (crazy expensive). There’s not a lot of info out there in the TS tents so I’m just curious. They seem a lot less expensive so I’m afraid the quality isn’t there.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Matt