Any thoughts on TrailerShowroom trailers?

[waterfallrunner]

Been looking at one of their setups and I really like how they do their website but I don't know about them or how they build. Just far enough away that I can't just swing by to take a look at their shop. Seem to have everything I'm looking for at a good price,,,,,but it really a good price if it's a crap build.

Any thoughts?
M

[NO David!]

Welcome!

Here's a discussion on Trailer Showroom, basically an online broker for several different manufacturers. Folks here seem to have had an overall good experience with them.
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=70139

Looked at your 7x12 thread, that transition from tent to small toy hauler, without all the fancy kitchen/bath stuff sounds familiar. Real familiar, just like ours. With a screen name that hints "kayaker", well, here's ours for ideas.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=48345

I find the search feature here a little overwhelming, so here's a copy/paste from another related post:
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Here's one of the Cargo Craft 6x14 offroad trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZQptdGU4g&list=PLuuocdv6wv7jHQKayvM-yYkJiB-ULrtRT&index=1

The models featured above are built by Cargo Craft of Texas, they also have a Georgia plant in Ambrose. I imagine they can build the same models in Georgia. Mine is a Cargo Craft as well, fairly happy with them as far as cargo trailers go. Good build for the price, still a family owned business.

-always order the next size up (2' longer) than you need
-consider having windows factory installed and offset for airflow, (credit gonefishin).
-same for a quality 36" RV-style side door
-put the fantastic vent fan into one of the ceiling vents.

I ordered a tandem even though I knew I'd never need the weight capacity. Reasons; "crawl" over bumps vs bounce/jump of single axle, get a flat, and keep going to a safe spot to change it, If I do need to carry heavy, well, I can. Of course doesn't turn as easy, but is more predictable backing up, and runs great on the road heading to the camping spots, not bad on the forest road. I chose standard leaf spring for more ground clearance.

Here's another good discussion on choosing a trailer:
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=54375
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In your case, for stability, 4 stab jacks have worked great for me, combined with some 4 x 6 blocks for certain spots. Also, consider standard spring axles for greater ground clearance for those occasional forest service road trips. Single step welded from factory at RV door, a big plus.

Edit: since you posted you are in the Southeast US, consider finding a local dealer for a brand you like, work a custom order with them, following it through with step-by-step updates/approvals.
East Tennessee area, I like Homesteader. I talked to these folks near Knoxville, TN on behalf of a friend, they seemed pretty knowledgeable on handling a custom Homesteader build. https://us.tngolfcart.com/cgi-bin/f/trailers.pl
Georgia, etc. well, I'd probably do another Cargo Craft, simply due to their support after the sale. I used Dykes Creek Farm Supply/Mathis Trailer and Equipment in Kingston, GA near Rome.

Several decent brands, I guess the difference being their willingness to customize at reasonable costs, communication via the dealer, and support after the sale, (which is not common in the cargo trailer world).

Best,

David

[waterfallrunner]

Thanks for the info David and you are correct about my screen-name. I used to spend a lot of time in the northern portions of both our states following the rain in a kayak. These days, though, there is a lot less kayaking but a lot of other activities that allow the family to get outdoors. A good small tent and a pickup used to be all we needed but these days the ground is a lot harder and the cold hurts more than it used to hence the move to a "luxury" trailer Not to mention the not so small teenager takes up a lot more space than me and wife combined and we need more room for the extra large cooler of food.
Your build is one of the ones I've been using in my research since you seem to follow the same minimalist approach as we do. I would really prefer to go with a name brand trailer and the Cargo Craft series is one I've been looking at but I get annoyed having to call and email back and forth just to get an idea of the prices. At least with Trailer Showroom I can price out what I want as well as see things I hadn't even thought about. I just worry about spending that much on something I don't know about.
Last big hurdles are size and axles. While I think we really could get away with a 12' model we'd have to do the single axle to keep the same floor plan we're envisioning. The 14' gives us what we want but it's just bigger than I was thinking. Having been down many of those forest service roads you referred to I worry that the larger size might put me in a bind. You know how those back woods mountain roads can be.

Thanks for insight.
Mike

[NO David!]

I probably already mentioned this but some things don't change with time.

We started with a 7x14 plan, took wise advice, did 7x16. It seemed huge at first, but now, It would be tight trying to do a 7x14. Now it's mostly just the two of us and two knuckle headed dogs, but we still like the space. I've considered building another, changing what we have, but after each trip, we end up deciding that our "hard wall tent", suits us best as it is. I recently added a couple of mirrors inside for morning/dressing duties, of course it also makes the trailer look bigger inside. Also switched to LED tape lighting for the ceiling, 12V so when we boondock, I now have dimmable, low current, ceiling lighting.


As far as axles, If I had to do it again, I'd pick tandem (again). Benefits outweigh penalties big time. The ride over the bumps is great, and zero sway. I don't need the weight carrying capacity, but I welcome the stability. The only downside might be the turning radius when backing, i.e. having to "slide" the rear tires in a tight. Although, the two times I thought I'd be in trouble, I managed to get out just fine. One was at Cartecay River Experience, parked early near the fence line, got back to a holiday crowd of parking and was blocked in. Still managed to thread the needle with the Ford van tow rig and trailer, got out without issues, to my wife's amazement. The other time was the Taco Bell in Summerville, GA, the only exit was through the drive through, which was not happening. Had to get creative there, but managed to get turned around, while looking like I'd planned it that way, and nobody had to move their parked cars.

I also have to back into our gravel drive, back down past the house and then separate single car garage, then jack the trailer 90 degrees to get to it's home behind the garage, and not get stuck in our garden, tricky but doable, even with the tandem and 7x16. Now one thing I'm pretty sure I can't do very well is disconnect and manually turn the trailer with the tandem...It ain't happening. Not too sure I'd want to wrestle a 7x14 single axle either for that matter. In the rare case of having to "back all the way down the road", I'll take tandem for sure.

So, when it's pouring down rain while camping, we never complain about our fancy digs vs. our tents. I also was surprised to learn how quickly I'll take the trailer, even for day trips, something I used to think would be overkill.

Have fun, don't wait, as that teenager will be grown and gone, interests elsewhere...