Suspension on an off road camper

You just described a Track Tvan!
Except their MC2 suspension is better than leaf or wishbone type coil spring suspensions.

Hi Mary
You will certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons with this.
Leaf springs with rebound springs attached are a good option
As it is easy to carry an extra spare spring for replacement if needed and generally a simple inexpensive job to replace them.
The trailer will still go where ever you drag it.
There are still allot of 4wd's getting around some very rugged country with leaf spirings.

Rob.

Hi Mary,
have a look at member 1/2A 's rig in the members list. I reckon it looks the part. Pacific Aluminium Trailers Vision Hardtop Camper.

Cheers

My view is based on not wrecking the trailer, or its contents.
Suspension should be relatively soft, long travel and be fitted with decent shocks and wheels & tyres that are identical with your tow vehicle.
The short, stiff leaves and no shocks that are fitted to most trailers don't do that job. Just imagine the ride if they were under your 4x4.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA96 Motorhome

Have a look at Vehical Components this is the suspension I have on my camper, its fantastic we did a lot of dirt in FNQ and none of the cans of beer in the fridge had any wear marks, which is a good test of the suspension.

This year we did 25,000km in our Trak Shak with leaf springs and shockers. While most was bitumen and dirt roads, there was plenty of bad corrugations and we didn't have any problems. It towed beautifully.
I believe that the quality of your tyres and ensuring their pressures were suitable to the terrain you're on would be just as important (if not more) than the type of suspension you have.

Cheers,

Mark.

Personal choice I think. I have two, A poptop and a trailer, I run HO 210 leaf springs with rebound springs on both and a spare bolted underneath a two tonne axle and landcruiser six stud hubs. These have been running up and down the Gibb and the Duncan for over four years no problems.
I repair about forty a year for insurance and Campervan and Caravan companies and I find the more common the suspension the less down time on your holidays.
An axle and springs is available off the shelf. A swing arm usually has to come from the suspension manufacturer who may not be the van manufacturer. This all takes time to work out where and from whom and then the freight to get them to a remote location.
The worst one you can have go on you up here is the torsional suspension that trochoidal rubbers instead of springs. ouch a six week wait for alcoa to make a new one to your size.
Good luck with your choice but remember the KISS principle.

I would stick to rebound leaf springs. Trailers simply aren't built as tough as cars and springs break so you want a cheap and easy thing to repair on the side of the road or bush town. The number of so-called "off road trailers" that break down on corrugated roads is numerous so make sure the springs are heavy duty.

One grey nomad we saw on the Gibb had a fancy new bushtracker with airbags only and one stick through the bag meant the van was on the side of the road until a new airbag could be sourced. It was still on the side of road 4 days later!

Another trailer broke a spring so the next day he went to the local roadhouse, bought a replacement and fitted it the next day. Back on the road in less than 24 hours!

Barnesy

Another vote for simplicity from me. That is shackle mounted leaf springs. Longer ones will give more travel & a softer ride.
Greasable shackle pins will give longer bush life, but plain bushes
are very cheap & simple to replace. As already mentioned most
suspension failures are hub based so regular maintenance is the
go. Match the hubs to your vehicle, a longer axle will increase the
wheel options. Big offsets can then be used if required. Shocks
are a matter of choice. I dont run them & have had no breakages
or problems, suspension or contents wise. Same goes for brakes
but load limits apply. My plain bush, 5 leaf, unbraked, unshocked,
setup has given no grief in 20k of outback travel, including
Tanami, GRR , Bungles etc, & is probably the cheapest option
available. Not why I chose it. It is also practical, simple, reliable,
& above all easily repairable in most situations. My maintenance
costs have been about $25..for two sets of bushes, one fitted, the other for spares. You will, of course, carry spare bearings &
seals, & a pot of grease....:))).......oldbaz.

We've dragged 2 campers across some of the most rugged tracks out there, both had ALKO rubber torsion supension.
First one was pretty lighweight and used to bounce around when unloaded. Current CT is an old Dingo, must weigh close to 2 tonnes when loaded. It follows like a cattle dog at any speed. I didn't choose the suspension, it was on the units when I bought them.
Only problem I foresee is, if they ever let go I reckon it would be difficult to jury rig limp-home supension. But I've never heard of one braking down. - Guess I'm about to though.

Steer clear of the slipper leaf types - came accross c/t on the Plenty with axle torn out and spring pack sheered thru each leaf at the centre bolt hole after hitting washaway . Helped owner carry rest of belongings to Jervois .

I have had a great run from the Sugar Glider unit with parallel bearings-1400kg rating per side - Withers Engineering Melbourne .

But as mentioned before, whatever you have you must do regular maitenance - very cheap in your own yard .

CheersJohn

Many thanks for all the advice so far .Am leaning toward the leaf spring option for simplicity and cost.
How many of you use shocks with the leaf setup?
Cheers,
Mary

My camper trailer has Hilux leaf springs and shocks under it and I can't fault it... when I did Cape York a while back the trailer handled better than the car and when the suspension failed on the car the trailer just kept on keeping on.

Quite often when I am towing my trailer off road and I hit a substantial bump the car gets thrown around but the trailer keeps on towing straight and true.

Add to that the ease of obtaining Hilux springs if the need arises.

I would have no hesitation in getting another trailer built with hilux springs and shock again..