A Question for Willem

G'day Ross

In the beginning.........................I went bush in a Suzuki and even crossed the deserts in one....but the needs changed over the years.

I always drove old bombs but got a real flash 10year old truck in 2004. On many of my trips I went solo or took a mate with me but then SWMBO started coming along again and the dog as well and so the gear got added to the array of stuff we carry.

The trailer came along in 2005 and has served us well and over some pretty rough country as well. But now SWMBO says that she is getting tired of the extended camping routines and my obsession to go places where normal people shun and so the trailer is on the obsolete list.

I have in the past had a good run out of the trailker but this past winter I miscalculated the harshness off the terrain I was to traverse, carried too much gear, ran tyres over country which were unsuitable in a towing situation and generally made life hard for myself.

With all of these factors in mind and the wish to continue going bush to remote places by myself I have decided to trim everything to the bone, so to speak, and I am at present in the process of doing just that. The trailer will be tidied up, repainted and sold.

I believe the finance department is budgeting for a caravan for when Her Worship and the dog want to come along :-) I will still have my trimmed down rig including 250lts diesel, 60 lits water, bullbar, winch and tucker. It remains to be seen what it will weigh over the weighbridge !

Cheers

G'day Ross,

I am not Willem but like Willem I have towed a camper trailer over a considerable amount of this country. I did not wake up one day and think 'Hey I'll spend $12k on a trailer to tow for no good reason.'

I thought about it for a long time carefully weighing the pros and cons before spending my hard earned. I love my camper but recently did a trip without it. We slept in swags and had a ball. Now I love that too.

Life is constantly changing. I am currently considering the purchase of a motorbike. Haven't had one in 21 years. Back then I sold my bike because my circumstance changed and I could no longer justify my trusty old steed. Now things are changing again.

Spreading the weight is a very good reason to tow a trailer. For me 3 kids and a wife meant lots of gear that simply would not fit in the car. That and a couple of bad experiences with roof racks meant a trailer was a real good option. Now the kids are not travelling with me as much. Less people, less gear less need for a trailer. But it's not gone yet and there will still be times in the next few years when the camper will put a lot of miles away.

If you have a look at thread number 72930 you will see how the changing needs of a number of people have influenced equipment choice.

Duncs

The punch line is I am struggling with is how much it weighs over the scales.
It is not only the liability side of the equation with overweight loads but also the stress on the vehicle. suspension accounts for only part of the problem but doesn't help with, brakes,tyres, diffs etc.
On the other hand a trailer while spreading the load presents an additional
problem if long range recovery is required.
We have all seen abandoned trailers on the tracks.
There is probably no one answer.
Thanks for you thoughts.
Ross

Thanks Dunc,
You are right , of course, things change but in remote area travel there is a base load that needs to be carried. How best to carry that load is my dilema
Regards
Ross

Duncs,
I would have thought that not getting a car park at McDonalds with a trailer was a big plus.
Ross