I have a couple of questions about the Harbor Freight 1800# 4 x 8 trailer. I’ll ask the questions first but see below for caveats/other explanations.
I am interested in hearing from those who have used the HF trailer on several points:
1) How well do the standard 12” tires sold with the frame hold up to a combo of freeway speeds/high miles and also bumpy dirt roads?
2) Is the frame/tongue/axle sturdy enough for some off-road use?
Also I need the following measurements:
1) Ground clearance (height to bottom of frame and also height to bottom of axle).
2) Thickness of tires (I need to build wheel wells).
2) Distance between frame and tire.
Our camping trips are usually road trips. We combine a lot of freeway miles with a lot of cruising at low speeds on very bumpy dirt roads (looking for interesting birds). Our tow vehicle is a Subaru Forester which doesn’t have great ground clearance so we avoid the rougher off-roads (until we get a new/old tow vehicle).
Teardrop will be 5 x 10 with the tires semi-recessed into the body (don’t want to go wider then our tow vehicle) so small tire size is important.
If we can’t come up with a sub-floor design that makes the overhang of the frame seem safe then we will weld some supports to make the 4 X 8 frame closer to 5 x 10.
I live in WA and the closest TSC is in MT or CA so the Carry-on is out.
Building a frame from scratch will add a lot to our build time since Craig (my other half – I am the better half) will need to learn to weld (of course, waiting for the HF trailer to go on sale again may take as long!).
To me the frame is the most boring part of designing the teardrop but unfortunately a lot of my other measurements depend on it so I just want to get a (good) decision made and be able to move on!
Thanks,
Katie