Building off road trailer - looking for info

[TigersRevenge]

I am thinking about building a off road trailer to pull behind my JKUR. Now I have a size in mind that i like but need some opinions on some stuff

1- pro/ cons between a 60" axles vs 48" axle??
2- pro/cons between straight axle vs Torsion Axle??
3- Size - is wider trailer better vs narrower trailer on the trails???
4- is 2x2x 1/8 tube good enough for off road trailer build??
5- what is a good trailer tongue lenght???From front of trailer box to hitch??

The size that i am looking at is just big enough to hold my tepui tent on top so top of trailer must be 5ft x 4ft and would like to have 35" tires as a min.

I am sure there will be more questions as i go

Thanks for all the help in advance

 

[Johnnie Canuck]

#1 works into #3 question. 48" axle gives u a advantage in tighter trails. Ur from B.C.? So I assume ur going thru some tighter mountain trails?
#2, torsion systems are super cool! But are hard/impossible to field service. Also can be expensive. Straight axles take away from obstacle clearance. And it sucks to bend them in the field. Third option to consider? Axleless trailer suspension designed for off-road use. Timbren makes just a system for this application , and its a Canadian company!
#4, 2x2x1/8" tube for a smaller trailer will be just fine ( assuming ur talking about steel and not aluminum) just make sure u run enough cross-members to stiffen up ur ladder-frame. Most engineered applications for this would call for 1/4" steel wall, but if u check on almost any production units from anywhere in the world they will be between .100wall and .125 wall.
And as far as ur tonged length goes, there are formulas for that. But i just made mine really long for testing, then cut it down too wat worked for me.
Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Joey83]

I had a torsionbar rear axel on my previous car, I'm never making that mistake again!

I had to search for days too find parts for it.