Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi all,
Just wondering if things like tregg couplings instead of ball coupling, and do you really need brakes aswell.
cheers.

The coupling would be better if the trailer was to be taken on more washed out tracks as it would allow for better articulation between the 4b and trailer then a ball would. I'd imagine that a fully laden camper trailer would weigh a shiteload so brakes on the trailer would be a bonus to help the shitty brakes that most 4b's come with stop the whole setup

Rough60 wrote:Hi all,
Just wondering if things like tregg couplings instead of ball coupling, and do you really need brakes aswell.
cheers.

What kind of terrain are you going to be driving and how much do you want to spend?

Stuff like Fraser island and outback touring?

Or harder stuff like cape york trips and such?

Some friends of mine just picked up a camper trailer last week which they plan to use for beach and bush trips to tow behind their 60 series and their wrangler and it has no brakes and only a ball coupling and it will do everything asked.

Honestly, if you're asking if you need brakes or a treg then you're probably never going to need it and it'll just be money spent that won't have a justifiable benefit.

Thanks guys, it'll be towed behind a 80 and mostly touring outback etc.
would slipper suspension be ok?
cheers

Rough60 wrote:Thanks guys, it'll be towed behind a 80 and mostly touring outback etc.
would slipper suspension be ok?
cheers

slipper springs will be fine. if your only touring the outback then a standard coupling would be ok, i have taken a windup camper trailer with a standard coupling with me offroad and it was fine but the brakes defiantelly helped. they are required to have brakes for a rwc if the atm weight is over 750kg

I would want to do better than slipper suspension. Usually the piece of box section that locates the free end is pretty thin walled. This can become worn by the sides of the spring ends. Eventually it wears through, allowing the spring to wander around, and break. There was a trailer rolled on its side just north of Heathlands ranger station with this exact problem recently. When the suspension let go, the weight bent the axle, then broke the wheel/hub/stub axle assembly completely off.

As for the 50mm ball and coupling, this is fine for outback touring, but split pin the nut to the thread of the ball, to combat corregations. I have actually bent a towbar tongue once, when I towed my pop top camper up and over a sharp crest. Neither the ball or coupling broke, which surprised me, but the tongue sure got bent. I use an ORAC coupling on my camper, which Im pretty happy with. It transmits a lot less vibration than a ball and coupling as well, as well as making it a lot more difficult for someone to steal the camper, unless they happen to have the same coupling fitted to their vehicle.

Used to design/make off road trailers>

Dont use slippers.

Use shackle type.

50mm ball ok for limited works where articulation is not required.

Michael.

Just returned from trip to Cape Melville via Lakefield NP and back through Starke NP. 3 trailers in group (1 camper, 2 boat), all had treg hitches to cope with articulation, boat trailers had slippers, no problems, reinforced box section to retain free end, 1 did slip right out due to over articulation but didn't break anything. We were all very wary about load rates.

Cheers Matt

I wanted to brag about our Melville Trip!

The slipper retainers were beefed up to 7mm total wall thickness. The factory 2.5mm wall had worn substatially by the end of the trip.

Cheers
Craig