Off-Road Ranger I
So I have been looking for quite a while at getting a trailer to move into a different phase of overlanding, and as I have done so, my priorities evolved quite a bit.
I had a very broad search criteria, everything from a ruggedized tent trailer like the Jayco Baja...
...to a homebuilt trailer off of either a Harbor Freight trailer or build it myself.
The absolute bomb would be something like a UEV440, along those lines...
Another awesome company is Patriot, but it will be too long before these are available in the US, if at all.
As cool as any one of those trailers would be, none of them quite fit my thoughts on how I would take my overland adventures to the next phase. Too heavy, too big, too complex.
I also decided that I didn't really want to spend the time to build it myself, a project this complex usually takes me way longer than I think it will and I wanted to spend my time USING it, rather than building it!
To get it straight in my head, I really needed to list up my real priorities to find the right rig.
These are from most to least important as I've thought about it.
1. Towable behind my '80 series Landcruiser (weight is a real factor here)
2. Small & compact, lightweight to maneuver on tight trails
3. RTT capable, should be able to sleep 2-3, mostly it will be just me but I like a lot of room!
4. Wheel track similar to the 80
5. Configurable for a low Center of Gravity to minimize concerns when off-camber.
6. Able to design in additional utility to customize for my personal style and current equipment
7. Flexibility to add in 12Volt, 120Volt and probably Solar in the future without much trouble
8. Room for all of #7, battery, propane, compressor, CO2, etc.
On the "B" list...
1. Able to carry a light motorcycle - for those single track opportunities or as a backup transportation
2. Carry a bike rack with rear receiver that would double as a recovery point
3. Same hub / bolt pattern as the tow rig (6 on 5.5") for tire / wheel interchange
I did some homework, not ever quite ready to commit to one particular style or brand. Cost is not listed in the above priorities as I felt that if all these could be met, I would work out how I could afford it. After all, I was not going for luxury, but utility.
So... considering all of this, my search was reaching a point where if I didn't pull the trigger, I knew I would never do it.
Then along came Justin at Anchor Mountain Overland (@Anchor Mtn ) with what looked to me like the solution that would work for me.
Justin was willing to build the trailer that I wanted, a lot of the customization that I knew I wanted, he could build right in, or provide an easy way for me to customize like I wanted.
A few phone calls, some negotiation and discussion and I felt like he knew exactly what I wanted.
He provides a small-ish box, 4'x5' then can customize with a lid or a rack, a tongue box, and other various accouterments to make a solid base on which to build.
This is from his website, not exactly what I ordered but based on this photo, I knew that what I wanted, could happen! AND for the right price!
Here's what I ordered:
- standard box, 4'x5'
- rear trailer supports (provide easy leveling on any semi-flat site)
- tongue box
- spare tire mount, specified to be behind the tongue box
- rack/rail for one motorcycle! (this may be my favorite part!)
- aluminum lid
- I added a HiTents Jalama RTT to be bolted directly to the lid for low profile/low CG
- I opted to have Justin order a set of the same tires/wheels as on the tow rig for interchangeability.
(although this was not a high priority, he made it so easy to do this, I couldn't pass it up!)
Right now he's building the first run of production trailers on this platform with a projected finish date of around the first of July.
I'll post photos up here as I can get them, stand by for those as well as a reveal / review when it happens!
Thanks, Dan.
I had a very broad search criteria, everything from a ruggedized tent trailer like the Jayco Baja...
...to a homebuilt trailer off of either a Harbor Freight trailer or build it myself.
The absolute bomb would be something like a UEV440, along those lines...
Another awesome company is Patriot, but it will be too long before these are available in the US, if at all.
As cool as any one of those trailers would be, none of them quite fit my thoughts on how I would take my overland adventures to the next phase. Too heavy, too big, too complex.
I also decided that I didn't really want to spend the time to build it myself, a project this complex usually takes me way longer than I think it will and I wanted to spend my time USING it, rather than building it!
To get it straight in my head, I really needed to list up my real priorities to find the right rig.
These are from most to least important as I've thought about it.
1. Towable behind my '80 series Landcruiser (weight is a real factor here)
2. Small & compact, lightweight to maneuver on tight trails
3. RTT capable, should be able to sleep 2-3, mostly it will be just me but I like a lot of room!
4. Wheel track similar to the 80
5. Configurable for a low Center of Gravity to minimize concerns when off-camber.
6. Able to design in additional utility to customize for my personal style and current equipment
7. Flexibility to add in 12Volt, 120Volt and probably Solar in the future without much trouble
8. Room for all of #7, battery, propane, compressor, CO2, etc.
On the "B" list...
1. Able to carry a light motorcycle - for those single track opportunities or as a backup transportation
2. Carry a bike rack with rear receiver that would double as a recovery point
3. Same hub / bolt pattern as the tow rig (6 on 5.5") for tire / wheel interchange
I did some homework, not ever quite ready to commit to one particular style or brand. Cost is not listed in the above priorities as I felt that if all these could be met, I would work out how I could afford it. After all, I was not going for luxury, but utility.
So... considering all of this, my search was reaching a point where if I didn't pull the trigger, I knew I would never do it.
Then along came Justin at Anchor Mountain Overland (@Anchor Mtn ) with what looked to me like the solution that would work for me.
Justin was willing to build the trailer that I wanted, a lot of the customization that I knew I wanted, he could build right in, or provide an easy way for me to customize like I wanted.
A few phone calls, some negotiation and discussion and I felt like he knew exactly what I wanted.
He provides a small-ish box, 4'x5' then can customize with a lid or a rack, a tongue box, and other various accouterments to make a solid base on which to build.
This is from his website, not exactly what I ordered but based on this photo, I knew that what I wanted, could happen! AND for the right price!
Here's what I ordered:
- standard box, 4'x5'
- rear trailer supports (provide easy leveling on any semi-flat site)
- tongue box
- spare tire mount, specified to be behind the tongue box
- rack/rail for one motorcycle! (this may be my favorite part!)
- aluminum lid
- I added a HiTents Jalama RTT to be bolted directly to the lid for low profile/low CG
- I opted to have Justin order a set of the same tires/wheels as on the tow rig for interchangeability.
(although this was not a high priority, he made it so easy to do this, I couldn't pass it up!)
Right now he's building the first run of production trailers on this platform with a projected finish date of around the first of July.
I'll post photos up here as I can get them, stand by for those as well as a reveal / review when it happens!
Thanks, Dan.
