My Thoughts On A Off Road Foamie

[Hamilton Felix]

Just an “offroad thought” here:

What I’m working on now is a foamie that will be towed behind a 5 speed ninth gen. Corolla most of the time, but may be towed behind our lifted Jeep WJ now and then. I have been measuring, figuring, modifying our frame, and am about to order the Dexter Torflex axle I want (which replaces the old four bolt Torflex axle that was on this 1988 Jayco frame). That is effectively independent suspension for the trailer.

The plan is to use wheel adapters with the new five bolt axle. I will be able to run the Corolla wheels with 195/65R15 tires when towing with that, but will be able to run the Jeep wheels with 255/85R16 rubber when towing with the Jeep. That will allow me to swap from a 25” to a 33” tire, gaining 4” of ground clearance, and it will mean carrying only one spare.

The Torflex and aired-down 33” rubber should keep the trailer from getting beaten to death.

I think running the same wheels & tires as the tow vehicle is a plus, but it takes planning. Trailer wheels normally have zero offset. Both the Corolla wheels and the Jeep rims have significant positive offset. My 1988 Starlight car hauler uses 5 on 5-1/2 Jeep or half ton Ford wheels. I bought it in 1988, from a guy who used it once when he moved to the PNW. He ran a Ford F150 with 235/75R15 rubber, and the trailer was supplied with 235/75R15 “blems” (name buffed off) when new (it now wears 235/75R15 D trailer tires).

I will know more about cost when I finish the project.

[ghcoe]

Just so you know Torflex axles do not last long with sever off road use. The rubber will literally fall apart in the tube and allow the arms to pivot. If you want off road independent suspension look at the Timbren line. More expensive, but well worth the money. Timbren have a recoil damper as well as the main damper that significantly reduces wheel osculation on rough roads.

[Hamilton Felix]

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. What I’m working on here will be 99% on roads. I just want to be able to take it up old logging roads behind the Jeep, if we choose. And we won’t be going fast.

I have heard that Torflex axles die with age in 15 or 20 years, regardless of use. The 31 year old Torflex I pulled off that Jayco frame is not “frozen,” but I could not say how close it comes to the original unloaded down angle, or how much “spring” resistance to load remains.

I think if I was building with offroad use as primary purpose (as opposed to the present effort to be very light and cheap), I’d design a frame to take those Timbren independent trailing torsion arms, and just avoid any sort of axle. I wonder what a guy could do if he started with an all coil spring half ton chassis like a 60’s Chevy, and plenty of steel stock near to the welder.

[GPW]

Ham , my street ( dirt road ) is just like an off road course , we found the trick to avoid damage is to Go SLOW !!!

[tony.latham]

I think it’s an Internet myth about torsion axles and washboard roads.

I’ve towed mine for many hundreds of miles on rough roads since 2013. It's where we camp. And I live in an area that is trailer rich. Never a peep about a torsion axle failure. Broken springs, yes.



The military runs Torflex axles on all of their utility trailers. I’d love to get my hands on the testing regime they went through to make the decision.

For this current build, I dithered long and hard about axles. Lots of looking at Timbrens. The new chassis has another Torflex under it.

T


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[ghcoe]

Here is another video of my foamie in off road action.



This year is winding down so it is time for some more thoughts on the foamie.

The foamie has worked out great this last year. I took it on quite a few long distance trips. I had anticipated rougher roads though so a bit disappointed in that. Lots of wash board though, which in reality is probably the worst conditions and a good test to glued joints.

The biggest issue I have found is gravel roads. Kicked up rocks basically sandblasts the metal parts and bigger rocks can dimple the foam/canvas. I guess mud flaps on the Jeep would be good, but I am looking at the trailer to be self protecting. Some thoughts are in mind for that. The gravel also tends to get lodged between the trailer body and the fender support. The fenders flexs when going down the road which allows the gravel to lodge more and more into the foam. I Think this is a bigger issue since I had to raise the fenders 2" to accommodate the 13" tires. Better fenders are probably the solution for this and if done right will cover the damage the gravel has done to the foam.

I have found that the 13" tires were a big improvement over the stock 12" tires. More so than I even thought. I am still looking to go bigger, but it is not as near the top of the list as it was. I still have plans to go to at least a 31" tire and some other modifications I had planned will have to go on the back burner till this modification is done. At this time I do not know how high the trailer will sit with 31" tires since with that modification I will probably be replacing the springs to a longer/shackle style springs. I will also at the same time be installing a new axle to support the larger wheel/tire combination.

2"x2" steel tube for a back bone has been a improvement for off road. I could tell right off a big difference in trailer manners on and off road. To be honest I think all HF trailers should have this modification even if still running the 12" tires.

I am working on a couple of roof rack system that I think will work. They are two different designs and really depends on the way I want to go with another thought.

A tongue box or carrier is on the list as well. This will depend on heating and cooling options that are also in the works.

More thoughts coming as I think of them, George.

[rjgimp]

I like what you're doing here, George. Great work! I have never subscribed to a youtube channel, but I may need to start.

[ghcoe]

I like what you're doing here, George. Great work! I have never subscribed to a youtube channel, but I may need to start.

I have two channels.

My overlanding/4x4 channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYuRx2 ... wVwZJ5oztg . This follows my adventures out and about with and without the trailer.
My Bug Out Trailer Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xVuH ... SiploqPyrw . This is a step by step video series on how to build a very basic foamie trailer. It is basically the same trailer that I am using for my Overlanding/4x4 trips.

Thanks for watching, George.

[ghcoe]

Wow! Over 2 years since I posted here last so I guess it is time for a update.

I have been using this trailer hard the last two years. It has followed me around on some epic adventures. You can check out those adventures here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYuRx2 ... ztg/videos if you have not already. I am happy to say that I finally did find some rough roads to test the trailer on. It has held up just fine.

I did finally break a leaf spring. I can not say that it was the springs fault for sure since I did have two of the leafs flipped for a softer ride. At that time I did opt to install a soft ride spring setup made my Compact Camping Concepts https://compactcampingstore.com/product ... spring-kit . This was a great upgrade to the suspension. It rides so much better now and I don't have to listen to the clicking of the slipper spring anymore.

There has been no other mods at this time except for the springs.

I am planning to install rear side cargo door and some shelves soon as well as a awning. I hope to have those modifications done before April.

Well that is all for now.

[John61CT]

Any thoughts on replacements for Glidden Gripper since that's been discontinued ?

[ghcoe]

Any thoughts on replacements for Glidden Gripper since that's been discontinued ?

I have been using Valspar Bonding Primer lately. It cost a bit more than the old Glidden Gripper (could be current economics though). I find it to be very similar to the old Glidden Gripper and I am very satisfied with the results.

[BrianInVA]

Any thoughts on replacements for Glidden Gripper since that's been discontinued ?

I have been using Valspar Bonding Primer lately. It cost a bit more than the old Glidden Gripper (could be current economics though). I find it to be very similar to the old Glidden Gripper and I am very satisfied with the results.

You use the Valspar to initially bond the canvas to the xps instead of Titebond II in your pmf?

[ghcoe]

Any thoughts on replacements for Glidden Gripper since that's been discontinued ?

I have been using Valspar Bonding Primer lately. It cost a bit more than the old Glidden Gripper (could be current economics though). I find it to be very similar to the old Glidden Gripper and I am very satisfied with the results.

You use the Valspar to initially bond the canvas to the xps instead of Titebond II in your pmf?

In my builds I sand the xps smooth making sure I get rid of all the shinny surface of the foam. Then I prime with bonding primer and then apply the canvas with TBII. I find that the bonding primer bonds better to the foam than TBII. Then I apply the canvas with TBII to the bonding primer. TBII bonds real well with the bonding primer. I have been pretty satisfied with this technique.

I don't think I would attempt to apply canvas with bonding primer alone. I just don't see how you would get a good result with that technique.

[catsmith]

Mr George,
I enjoying following your trips and the stuff you have at Overlander. I tickled me about their feelings about foam it construction.

[ghcoe]

Mr George,
I enjoying following your trips and the stuff you have at Overlander. I tickled me about their feelings about foam it construction.

Glad you are enjoying the videos! George.