Hi From Recent 4wd Convert

[nthnbeachesguy]

Found this forum from a link on another site I was searching through looking for trailer camper info.  As the username suggests I'm from the northern beaches of Sydney, prior to 4 months ago I have been driving SS utes for the past 10 years.  Finally decided I needed something with more than 2 seats and an auto for Sydney traffic and with much heartache sold my VE SSV to a mate.  I was in a massive quandary as to what to get next but decided to go for something different from what I was used to and bought a 2007 Ford Ranger XLT 3.0TD.

So far so good, got me up to the carpark at Perisher and Guthega a few times with no need for chains which is one reason I went for 4wd and then on the weekend just passed had it on the dirt roads and beach up around Seal Rocks, another reason I went 4wd.  This brings me to how I find myself looking into camper trailers, I have always done a fair bit of camping, usually near the beach so I can surf but lately also at the snow so I can avoid paying for accom.  This worked quite well until I went camping with the girlfriend in Jindy and 30knot wind the second night kept us awake as it alternated between trying to rip the tent out of the ground or buffetting the tent into our faces.  This prompted me to look into something a little more sturdy and easier to live with in inclement weather this stumbling onto the camper trailer.

Now the last few weeks I have been looking into them and am probably more confused than ever.  I have a budget which is basically as low as it can go, under $3-4K preferably, I'm used to camping without running water and little more than a tent, camp stove and a clark rubber foam mattress so masses of paraphenalia don't interest me. 

The initial plan is that I will use it as accom in the snow for next season, mostly for me and a couple of mates and also in the summer months in camp grounds up the north coast, I'm yet to fully understand if you can camp on the beaches anywhere as yet.  I'm not really interested in doing trips through muddy goat tracks or to Cape York so I'm guessing semi off road is as rugged as I will need it.

I'm OS over Xmas so it's not a rush to buy one and I'm thinking that post summer might be a good time to be ready to buy?  There seems to be a mass of CT's out there but being new to 4wding let alone campers I'm a bit lost as too what I'm looking at.  Judging from the above what should I be looking for?

1.  What sort of trailer construction material, gal, steel alum etc?

2.  I'm 6'3" and need a decent sized sleeping area to suit, will 200mm x 175mm be enough for me and the girlfriend (she's quite small)

3.  Is the sleeping area dependant upon the trailer size?  I'm thinking I need a 7 x 4 at least.

4.  At what point do you need to swap the ball connection for a tregg (spelling??) hitch?  Is it expensive or hard to do?

5.  What else goes into a trailer to constitute semi off road, is it just tyres and road height?

6.  What brands should I be looking at or maybe a shorter list would be what to avoid?  I have found new stuff from Kangaroo tent city, GIC, Mariotrailers, TP Camper trailers, Bluetongue and roo campers that all seem to come close to the money I want to spend.

7.  Alternatively would it be a better option to buy a box trailer and fit it with a tent from Ebay or one of the above to end up with a no frills trailer and tent?

8.  The second hand market has me a bit lost as to knowing if something is good value or not, some CT's on there seem to be advertised for more or the same as buying them new.

Apologies for the essay and I'm sure I forgotten some of the things I wanted to know.  I have used the search button but it's hard getting the exact results without sifting through a lot of unrelated stuff.  Thanks in advance.

[GGV8Cruza]

Welcome to Myswag, there is a lot of choices out there and it looks as though you are doing the research, don't discount second hand as you can find some bargains out there that have been set up and be stronger than some of the lower end units. There are heaps of threads on here about the campers you mentioned and I am sure some of the owners will give you advice shortly.

Enjoy your stay and keep us updated on the purchase

GG

[Hairs]

To Myswag,
You've asked a heap of good questions there mate,
I'll try and throw my two Bobs worth in.

If you can hire one to start with, it may help sort out what you may or may not need.
Size, I'm a petite 6'3" and we found that a 7x4 trailer was big enough, the bed base was as wide as the mud guards of the trailer, which was more than enough room for Fysh and myself.
Hitch, If your doing a lot of off road traveling, yeah there are a number of off road hitches out to fit, all basically do the same job and are about the same to fit. We have a AT-35, which our camper came with. Have a gander through this link off-road couplings
Off road trailers usually have more ground clearance, heavy springs and tyres/Rims that are the same as the tug.

We built part of our last Camper trailer by buying a tent off eBay, Our Previous Camper, We hinged & strutted the top. For the tent section to be the right height, I added 225mm(I  think  ) to the height of the box section.
We already had the kitchen, but you could purchase one from Drfta kitchens that do a great job.
We added a 90lt water tank, Battery, gas bottle holders, pole tubes and an extra tool box for Ropes & Pegs.
We also had a 6M X 7M Tarp, with poles, ropes and spreader bars to keep the heat of the roof, another trick I have heard people use, is the bladders from wine casks as little air cushions to keep the tarp off the roof to allow air to travel between the two.
All up it cost us about 5K.
Anyway, If I've missed anything, and I'm sure I have  someone will swing on by and add more.
Hope this helps some what.

 

[nthnbeachesguy]

Thanks for the welcome and the info thus far guys, I have a towbar with the traditional ball hitch but it's the interchangeable square sleeve type so a Treg hitch should be a straight swap, look like they're about $100 on Ebay.

Hairs your camper tent is exactly the setup I'm looking for, the flip part of the tent and the addition is the perfect amount of space for what I'm looking for I think.  As I mentioned I don't really want a sink of anything like that, maybe just a bench to throw the cooker on and thats about it.  Already have a decent 7 x 5m tarp with 8 poles rope and pegs and am well versed in setting that up when we camp for any extended period of time.

One other thing is trailer brakes, whats the go with these, what weight trailer does it need to be to warrant them and then whats the difference between electric and mechanical as far as connection to the tow vehicle goes?  All I have at present from what I can tell is the flat style of light connection.

All I really want to start is the trailer and the tent, I can add stuff if and when I see fit.

[Mace]

Gday and Welcome.  Thot someone would have posted an answer by now, so here goes.

General rule is if the laden mass of your trailer exceeds 750kg you have to have some form of brakes.

Basic setup is mechanical over ride brakes on trailer.

Our CT is 550kg bare, and is fitted with mechanical and electrical brakes.  Our laden mass would approach  1000kg.
I havnt bothered to fit a brake controller and utilise the electric brakes yet, you can install one yourself for less than $200.

Once over 1500kg electrically activated are the go.

Lots of threads out there on this topic.

 

Oh yeah, edit, you wire the electric controllers in to the trailer via the flat plug!

[Heiny]

Hi nthnbeachesguy and welcome to My Swag

  bubba

[sol]

G'day mate
You're on a winner with this site!!Enjoy the chat and info

                 

[mystq]

Welcome to the Swag, check out some of the camper builds get some ideas.

[nthnbeachesguy]

Hey guys, anyone know of any camper builds involving just a basic off the shelf trailer and something like an ebay tent?  Most of the camper builds are full builds involving making the trailer, something that pretty much outta my comfort zone, haven't welded anything for years and apart from silver solder only ever did arc or mig at tafe!

[Jenko67]

Welcome mate...

[3.8v6lover]

Have fun here mate, you'll find all your answers in here somewhere.