Monday, Jun 05, 2006 at 20:18
G'day Pelican,
I have a tandem-axle camper, though not a Coota (
check my gallery pics)... I also have a tandem (8x5) box trailer that I made approx. 22 yrs ago...
Between them, these 2 trailers have crossed the continent every which way no fewer than 12 times, & I personally would not consider anything but a tandem.. (different strokes for different folks of course)...
At 1100kg tare, my camper is somewhat lighter than the Coota (1280kg advertised tare), and I "guesstimate" the all-up loaded weight to be in the vicinity of 1600kg...
At no time have I considered this to be a hindrance, & it has been in some pretty rough
places, including CSR &
Simpson Desert (
Hay River, French line & QAA line)....
FWIW, last year on the CSR I needed a 2nd attempt at two (2) dunes, and 3 on the SD crossing... that's 5 out of 2000+ dunes... We did it much, much easier than many people we saw who were _not_ towing.... (Have not yet been in a situation where a snatch, tow, or winching has been necessary)...
Even though this camper has "done the hard yards" & taken everything thrown at it, I'm currently in the process of having a replacement designed & built (by the same maker) for no reason other than that we think we can design "a better one";-))..
I'm told that the new one will be lighter.. (by how much, remains to be seen)...
One big advantage that I see with the larger trailer (& tandem axles) is that the only weight that is carried in my vehicle is the 2 Engels (& their contents), + "day to day" stuff like
first aid kit, cameras, maps etc (much of this weight is compensated for by the fact that the 3rd row seats are removed)... This enables the (driving) tyre pressures to be reduced waaay down low when necessary (and it WILL be necessary if one chooses to tow in sand (or mud))... In the deserts I regularly run 12-16 psi, & can go as low as 10 psi if (& when) necessary... even fully loaded, with 4 tyres on the ground the trailer can run on 10 psi all day off road, & down to 4 psi if the need should arise (I've not yet had to take 'em below 8)...
Another advantage is that (IMO) a tandem-axle trailer is just s-o-o-o-oo much better to tow on highway.. sit on the limit all day without the slightest hint of "sway" or "wander" or that
rock'n'roll "see-saw" effect that some single-axle trailers seem to display on some roads.. (yes, I realise that loading is a factor here)...
Off road, on reduced tyre pressures (and reduced speed), the tandem rides the corrugations much, much better than any single that I have seen...
In a nutshell, if ya like the look of the Coota, & can live with the all-up weight, then IMO you will not regret having tandem axles...
Regards, Ed. C.
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