Offroad equipt modifications

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Has anyone done any super mods to equipt the tm more for offroad use besides the typical lift kit and 15 inch tires?What about offroad tires has anyone put those on? What about modding it slightly more to be more forest road friendly besides the obvious lift kit and 15 inch tires?

[scrubjaysnest]

We haven't do anything special, just take our time on the back roads. Do have load range E ST tires as I don't see any value to an so called off road tire. An LT tire or some kind of A/T design will have more side wall flex but because of higher rolling resistance will cost you a bit in gas mileage.

[Bill]

If you truly mean to go off road, you will probably find that the levelling jacks are the biggest limitations. They hang down low enough that they catch on things. On two occasions, we bent one badly enough to require replacement.

The ultimate solution, of course, is to raise the entire unit by a foot or so, like the off-roaders in the Australian outback do. We saw some amazing rigs down there - but I'm not sure I would be comfortable towing them at speed on a highway.

Bill

[[email protected]]

Maybe you should take your TM to a shop that builds low riders. They could put your TM on hydraulics so you could lift your TM up for off-roading, and then down and tucked in for the highway. $$$$$

[Bill]

A few more thoughts:

The low point of the trailer, of course, is the axle, so Thomas' idea for the Timbren axle-less axle might be a good start. The needed cross-brace on the frame is higher than the Dexter axle beam.

Beyond that, the levelling jacks are pretty vulnerable. On two different occasions, we have caught one and bent it badly enough that we had to replace it.

The rear end will drag now and again. But because the trailer's wheels are set so far back, it drags less than I expected. And of course you have skids welded to the frame. Would it be worthwhile to weld on a full width skid plate?

In my experience, the front end of the trailer - the hitch area - drags more than anything else, as the tow vehicle's rear wheels drop into swales and depressions.

For example, on a back road in Oklahoma, we ripped the propane carrier off the frame of our old TM. Fortunately, we were near a farm whose owner had a welder in the barn and was willing to reattach it. He offered to do it for no charge - nice guy! - so I thanked him and slipped a weighted twenty onto this welding cart. It was worth a lot more than that to me.

The jackstem has always seemed particularly vulnerable to me, though we've never caught it.

For a long time, we dragged the shank of our WDH quite often. I finally had a welder cut 4 inches off the bottom, but it still drags on occasion.

Of course the springbars will drag, but if you are moving slowly you can always stop and remove them until the obstacle is passed. Since the springbars are oriented fore-and-aft, and high at the front, they are almost like skid plates themselves, though not nearly as strong.

I don't know if it would be practical to add a skid plate up at the front of the A-frame, but I'm quite sure no one here on the forum has done it. You can be first!

I imagine that the true off-roaders carry a couple jacks and come-alongs and pry-bars and shovels and hunks of board. These are heavy ...

Bill

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Originally Posted by [email protected]

Maybe you should take your TM to a shop that builds low riders. They could put your TM on hydraulics so you could lift your TM up for off-roading, and then down and tucked in for the highway. $$$$$

Lolllllll this is hilarious thx for the laugh

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Originally Posted by Bill

A few more thoughts:

The low point of the trailer, of course, is the axle, so Thomas' idea for the Timbren axle-less axle might be a good start.

Beyond that, the levelling jacks are pretty vulnerable. On two different occasions, we have caught one and bent it badly enough that we had to replace it.

The rear end will drag now and again. But because the trailer's wheels are set so far back, it drags less than I expected. And of course you have skids welded to the frame. Would it be worthwhile to weld on a full width skid plate?

In my experience, the front end of the trailer - the hitch area - drags more than anything else, as the tow vehicle's rear wheels drop into swales and depressions.

For example, on a back road in Oklahoma, we ripped the propane carrier off the frame of our old TM. Fortunately, we were near a farm whose owner had a welder in the barn and was willing to reattach it. He offered to do it for no charge - nice guy! - so I thanked him and slipped a weighted twenty onto this welding cart. It was worth a lot more than that to me.

The jackstem has always seemed particularly vulnerable to me, though we've never caught it.

For a long time, we dragged the shank of our WDH quite often. I finally had a welder cut 4 inches off the bottom, but it still drags on occasion.

Of course the springbars will drag, but if you are moving slowly you can always stop and remove them until the obstacle is passed. Since the springbars are oriented fore-and-aft, and high at the front, they are almost like skid plates themselves, though not nearly as strong.

I don't know if it would be practical to add a skid plate up at the front of the A-frame, but I'm quite sure no one else here on the forum has done it. You can be first!

Bill

Great info Bill when I get my tm I will take it to the offroad shop.Technically I don't do super rough terrian I would like to be extra carefully and do whatever necessary to avoid any damage going done Forrest roads because I mostly camp off grid somewhere

[LoveToCamp]

While the exterior mods are very good ideas, don't forget the inside. What I discovered is that things rattle around, then come loose. What a drag!

First, the shower wall. My piano hinge on the front wall (which also holds the door wall) was not screwed into anything firm. The screws went between the wall veneer and the inner material. I think the inner material may be wood (it has been almost a year since I looked at it), but I am going to put longer screws in this spring, and make sure they go into substantial material, not just flop around almost uselessly.

The second major item I have beefed-up is the water heater mount. The outer mounting flashing is screwed into the outer shell of aluminum. It didn't take too far on rough trails for the water heater to pull all of the mounting screws out of the wall. It could make it impossible to raise the shell if you don't realize the wall is being restrained by a loose water heater. Also, if it rattled around enough, it could mar the inside wall of the shell. Unsightly! So, I put bolts through the wall, and put fender washers and nuts on the inside of the wall. My water heater is going nowhere, now.

Just be sure anything on the inside of the trailer, and in storage compartments, is secured. You don't want things wandering around, marring nearby surfaces.

On the outside, if you are handy with a welder, you may want to make a cage for the gray-water drain (and black, if so equipped). That could get ripped off by a rock pretty easily. I may do that this summer (weld a cage, not rip it off on a rock!).

Good luck!

[scrubjaysnest]

Additional comment, in five years of dragging the TM over forest roads we have never had a problem. I did do a mod of running the brake wires in conduit mounted to the back of the axle.
Mod can be seen here: brake wire armor

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Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest

Additional comment, in five years of dragging the TM over forest roads we have never had a problem. I did do a mod of running the brake wires in conduit mounted to the back of the axle.
Mod can be seen here: brake wire armor

Awsome this is what I will do then also when I get min with 15 inch tires and a lift ....seeet