LawnDart
Senior Member
They will. Because Ford doesn't hate us like Toyota.
LawnDart's Build Thread
- Thread starter LawnDart
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They will. Because Ford doesn't hate us like Toyota.
LawnDart
Senior Member
As much fun as shit posting about how much I want a raptor (and mark my words, I will have one), I still have the 4Runner and starting next month the truck will go in for repairs and new front and rear bumper (sticking with Pelfrey for the time being). Front bumper needs to be replaced after the damage I did to the truck, and it'll likely be getting the Pelfrey rear when that's available.
The truck needs a major tear down and rebuild on the suspension system.
I'm also stripping some weight out of the truck, and one of the big things was going to a lighter and simpler fridge slider, in the form of the Alu-Cab slider. I love this thing so far. The Tembo Tusk was crazy awesome, but this is just a bit more simple, and a lot lighter.
Also, the episode of Trail of Missions premieres Sunday Sept 3rd on ABC, at 2pm I believe:
The truck needs a major tear down and rebuild on the suspension system.
I'm also stripping some weight out of the truck, and one of the big things was going to a lighter and simpler fridge slider, in the form of the Alu-Cab slider. I love this thing so far. The Tembo Tusk was crazy awesome, but this is just a bit more simple, and a lot lighter.
Also, the episode of Trail of Missions premieres Sunday Sept 3rd on ABC, at 2pm I believe:
geoalesolo
New member
What type of damage did the front bumper take? Also excited to see the rear bumper from pelfrey!
LawnDart
Senior Member
I can't really convey how constant and intense the washboards are in Baja. I have a photo somewhere where I put a coke can down in the valley of the washboard, and the peak of the washboard is taller than the can. So your own hope is to hit the road at 60mph to skip over the ruts.
The shaking as a result basically can cause bolts to stretch and metal to fatigue. In the case of the front bumper it maybe sticks out a tiny bit further than it used to.
To Pelfrey's credit they realize that the endurance testing we did on the truck as a result is testing you can't really pay for, and they're smart to want the bumper back to inspect the welds, and see how they can improve the design.
I think any good company is smart to say "okay this broke in some way, we want to know how and want to improve as a result."
I don't mind when something brakes after 2000 miles of punishing abuse. I only freak out when something fails after 20-50 miles of easy stuff.
007Tacoma
New member
Well, it seems like everyone and their cousin is jumping in on the "adventure trailer" market. With limited funds and a real desire to not do an RTT on my 4Runner, I am trying to make forward looking plans for doing something of an adventure/off-road trailer for next year. I am trying to weigh all the pros and cons of either buying one ready to go or building one to suit my needs.
So, I am always open to hearing what people's opinions are of their off-road/overlanding/adventure camp setups.
Specifics? Ease of use? Setup? Capacity? Capability?
Biggest question: Why get this one over any other?
FinntheT4R
New member
Yeah, it'll be coming. I have pictures of the 'Ranger Raptor' cruising the highway in camo here in Denver as of last week.
TerraCrawler
New member
[MENTION=73851]007Tacoma[/MENTION] I am in the same boat as you. I have a thread on this now, I am targeting the Smittybilt Scout or CVT Off-Road Trailer. Scout is $4999 without wheels/tires, and CVT is $6800. At the low extreme is the Dinoot. In the middle is like UGoat, CVT, Smittybilt, FSR, AT Chaser........at the very high end is Turtleback ($18-22k) and numerous other companies.
Because [MENTION=124732]LawnDart[/MENTION] has been so thorough in talking about his XV3, and also because he seems to be a pretty picky person, it has caused me to look more at the Schutt offerings. I have to say, for $9995, you're getting substantially much more than anyone else at that price point, including full onboard electronics. There are numerous other things I would want to add like water, propane, electric brakes, tongue box, etc. But even then, you would not approach Turtleback territory and have something really nice. For example, if I got one, I would HAVE to have that awesome rollback cover [MENTION=124732]LawnDart[/MENTION] has, its just too useful and well thought out for me not to, I am a sucker for good design.
In my trailer thread here on T4R, someone linked to someone building a Smittybilt. The person claims the Smittybilt is 90% of what he needs. He is an extremely talented individual, a "jack of all trades" type with a substantial shop at his disposal. He then proceeds to work for MONTHS in getting it to where he wants it.
Silverbacks trailer to haul his booshi shit.. not my word.. its TacoXpo's. | ToyotaOff-Road.com
Here is the kicker, many of the things he is doing are actually already included in an XV3, or available at an option which if you value your time at any nominal rate ($20/hr, $40/hr, etc) then it quickly makes sense to pay Schutt to do it. I am in the boat of I don't have time, I need to get out and explore, and I am not looking for another "project". At the same time I don't want to hit the easy/expensive button and pay Turtleback $22k to have the trailer Nirvana. I want a platform I can build on, but something that brings great value. I am rapidly thinking that may end up being a XV3 at some $9995 or a few grand higher price point. Good luck!
LawnDart
Senior Member
I'll jump in and tackle these questions. First and foremost, I have no financial stake in the trailer market, I helped provide some design insight into the Schutt, along with Expedition Overland, and other designers. There's components of the XV3 that I helped design, but it was a group effort, based on a requirement for a smaller version of the XV2. That said, there's some great alternative trailers out there, and I don't make a dime off my relationship with Schutt. I just want to be upfront that I'm allied with them, because that's what I use, but not because I'm pushing their trailer for financial gain.
Now with that out of the way, I will say each year more and more trailers come out at places like Overland Expo, however not many survive the following year. Meaning it's a very popular market to go after, but can you make a good product and sell enough to survive.
My take on the trailer market, as it relates to the overland market, is you have tear drops on one end, and pure storage trailers on the others. From a comfort level the teardrops are pretty much the bees knees. The downside is as offroad trailers the definition is pretty loose. Mild to moderate terrain? yeah okay I can see that. Difficult terrain? Nah...not really gonna hack it. The pure storage trailers, like the Turtleback are pretty impressive in how much stuff they cram into a small space. But they're dedicated to camping. You can't use them to haul stuff to and from the dump, or act as a utility trailer. They're built for a very specific task and can't be made to do much else. I've also yet to see one of these get pounded on and be as durable as the XV series.
The XVs sit right in the middle of these two ends of the spectrum. You can't live in one without an RTT, but it has dedicated components that make it far more than just a utility trailer.
I find the XV2/3 are as easy or complex as you set them up to be. I'm constantly refining the setup, figuring out how I like to camp. Capacity wise it's perfect for 2 people, or 1 person and a dog (like myself). If you require more than that you'll want to step up to the XV2. The downside to that is the XV2 is much bigger and heavier, and the 4Runner isn't the ideal tow vehicle for that.
I find that now that we've designed an option bigger tongue box, that the XV3 is really just a sized down XV2. There's really no capabilities the XV2 has that the XV3 does not, short of having a tongue box sized to hold an ARB fridge inside like the XV2.
I don't want to talk smack about any other trailers on the market, but I think the Schutt, as far as utility style, is hands down the best. It's far lighter and better built than the other ones you mentioned.
The one thing to consider, is you can start with the base trailer, and add things like the water tank, and electronics, etc, down the road via a dealer. I would however say that the deluxe is the one to get, as you'll save yourself a lot of time and cost in buying once/crying once.
In my current configuration my trailer with all the gear added is likely about...22-23K in cost. It'll be more when I add the Alu Cab Shadow awning, which is the last thing I want to change out.
I think the XV3 is pretty much the Goldilocks of the XV family, in that you still get an 18gallon water tank with hot water on demand, propane, rock lights, area lights, bed lights, power system with solar capable inputs, etc, and something that the 4Runner can tow well, it's hard to beat.
I will say these trailer builds can get wildly expensive as you outfit them, but what I appreciate about the XV3 is that it can basically go anywhere, and it's built to take the abuse, but it's really refined in terms of construction, and it shows.
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LawnDart
Senior Member
300lbs off the truck if possible. However realistically it's just streamlining the truck down and making it a bit more modular.
greatape
Senior Member
That's a big dump...
HeartGuy
New member
Awesome. Making things more efficient is going to be fun to watch, I hope you keep us updated as things progress!
007Tacoma
New member
This is closer to what I am trying to do with my 4Runner. "Keep it modular" and "Keep down the weight".
I am sure my home made storage/platform in the cargo area isn't helping, but it is removable and 100% useful from day to day. Skids/armor are my next venture. RCI's Aluminum stuff is looking better and better everyday since I don't do anything too crazy, but I have a tendency to bang up things without trying.
LawnDart
Senior Member
It'll come down to being really honest with yourself on what you need when camping and what you want to have with you in a centralized manner. For me that's having a tent on the trailer, the ability to move all my camping gear out from the truck into the trailer, and for all that gear to pretty much be stored in that trailer 24/7, and to have power, water, and propane.
The arrangement I have is that my trailer lives at 99 West Trailers, and is used as a demo trailer for people who want to see an XV3, and I can take the trailer whenever I want, and all my camping gear lives in that trailer. It means all I have to do for camping is to load my north face bag with clothes, etc, put the dog in the truck, grab the trailer, and go.
I appreciate aluminum for a weight savings standpoint, but part of me is always like, "hmmm...steel is stronger."
So I'm of two minds about it.
007Tacoma
New member
That is my thought process. I need to be able to haul all that + extra fuel while keeping the interior of the 4Runner more suited for trail duty. The trailer I would like to get would need to be trail ready, but also able to setup a base camp for my wife and I. I want to avoid putting an RTT on my 4Runner. I prefer to keep all of that on a trailer.
For this fall, I am going to stick to an on-ground tent, but next year will hopefully be different.
I realize that too, but my rig shouldn't be as heavy as yours. My unsprung weight is already less at stock tire size (P-rated Falken A/T3Ws). Also, I am going to put off doing full bumpers until the rig is paid off (come on 2019!!!). I definitely won't be doing 80% of the stuff you can do with your rig, and it needs to be a daily driver as well as cross-country tourer.
...but I have a tendency to damage my tranny pan. :lookout:
greatape
Senior Member
I'm liking the size of the larger tongue box. I will be adding that as well and a frontrunner rack to name a couple extras.
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