Trailer. Also consider a pintle/lunette setup instead of a ball for the rough conditions you seem to be encountering.
Crazy idea for custom cargo rack
- Thread starter TJMexico
- Start date
You guys are carrying too much stuff around. I used to travel like this the first three decades of my grown up life:
Turkey
On my way to Island, in Norway
In Gods own country.
I still travel like this but in a TJ and I've got more storage room than ever before
Turkey
On my way to Island, in Norway
In Gods own country.
I still travel like this but in a TJ and I've got more storage room than ever before
Of all the trailers I've ever owned, none had brakes. I traveled interstate highways with trailers with no brakes. Somehow I made it through.
At any rate, I never get over 30mph when I'm on these trips (roads are that bad), and usually run under 20mph.
Good info! Thanks! I'll look it over.
Fact is, though, that I'll be running pretty much all off road with this setup. La Negrita seldom sees pavement and when she does, she won't be pulling a trailer or hauling a heavy load. I have my pickup for that. This last trip that I wrote about, I don't think that I ever topped 30mph and was well under 20 for a good portion of it. But there is definitely some good info there. Again, thanks.
It'll vary. If I go out alone, I don't carry that much. Sometimes I bring in gear or supplies for the folks in the villages, but mostly, if it's just me, it's pretty light. If my wife comes out, that's another story. Of if I plan to ride, I may need my saddle and tack.
Those are some cool racks. I still may look into that. They give me ideas. Thanks!
I do have one of those. Came with the Jeep. Bought a Maxxhaul bag to go with it and that works wonders. Nothing gets wet or dusty. I used it last trip. I'd be in a pinch without it. It does reduce the angle of departure a bit but that's not a problem too often, and when it is, I just angle across the gullies a bit.
That's all we used - indeed, all I ever saw - when I lived in Outer Mongolia. Worked great. I have never seen it here, but it'd definitely be worth looking into. They do work better in real rough off-road conditions.
ETA: More I think about this, the more I like it. I can get the pieces from Amazon here in Mexico. Pricey, but worth it! I think that if I do decide on a trailer, I'll do this.
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You guys are carrying too much stuff around. I used to travel like this the first three decades of my grown up life:
View attachment 637003
Turkey
View attachment 637005
On my way to Island, in Norway
View attachment 637006
In Gods own country.
I still travel like this but in a TJ and I've got more storage room than ever before
Oh, don't think I have not had my share of that kind of travel. Hell, I've done it (and still do it) on horse or mule with nothing but a pair of saddle bags.
Now, though, if the old lady goes with me I have to bring the tent, the grub, even the toilet. Women...
Luckily she doesn't care to go, so that does not happen real often; but when it does ...This last trip I folded up the back seat and hooked up the basket on the hitch. When I stay with a family out in the village for a few days, I always bring enough food to cover what I'll consume, as grub is not always easy to come by out there. And sleeping gear. And tools. A couple changes of clothes.
People need goods out there, so if I could manage to bring a small supply of stuff to sell (coffee, sugar, salt, flour, matches, etc.), that'd be helpful to everyone. That'd be one of the main reasons for having extra cargo capacity, actually. That and my tack so I can ride.
In wet terrain/muddy tracks a lack of trailer brakes can push and jack knife your setup,especially downhill. A super light trailer/load wouldn't be as bad though
Good point. I wouldn't be using the trailer if I know the weather will be bad. The ol' lady wouldn't be going out in that kind of weather anyway, so that'll automatically lighten the load.
It do get snowy up at those higher elevations in the winter. I'd probably try to plan my trips around the snow storms. Go in before it snows, have an excuse to wait out the melt. Sittin' in the kitchen around the fire drinking coffee and sippin' homemade mezcal for a few days in the winter does not sound like a bad thing to me. Actually, some of the best time for developing close connections and even discipleship happens in that kind of an environment.
Actually, once I get the gear I need shipped in, I'll probably be mostly going up on mule, Lord willin'. I need to buy another one as I had to sell my previous. He was a bit too broncy for an old fellow. After he chucked me the second time, It was generally accepted that he needed to go.
It takes the same amount of time to get there by mule as by Jeep. The mule trek is almost straight across country. The road for vehicles is almost a big spiral; you have to drive way out then back in to the middle to get there because of the mountains. I stay at a friend's camp a little less than half-way there when I ride over, so it's a good, easy trip on mule back. Actually, much more comfortable and enjoyable.
Nothing better than a mule who has decided you are their best friend. If that isn't the case you are in for bites,bumps and bruises!
That ol' beast had an attitude. We had to literally hog-tie him to shoe him. I remember kneeling on his neck while the farrier hammered his back hooves. He'd look at you when you approached like he didn't trust you. After that shoeing incident, I reckon he didn't.
Second time he threw me was largely my fault. I hadn't ridden in awhile due to a bum leg (not his fault) and I put on a light saddle that didn't have a swell so when he commenced to bucking I didn't have anything to hook my legs under. 30 years ago it would have been all fun, but for a 61 year old fart, getting chucked can be a dodgy proposition, so I figured it was best to relieve myself of him.
We had a subsequent prolonged drought, anyway, and feed and water would have been hard to come by, so it was better that I got rid of him. I'm in the market for another one now, but a solid, gentle spirited mule ain't easy to find and a horse doesn't quite fit the bill for these trails we ride.
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So does my Jeep.....It just does it straight downwards.
I heard a fellow once asked why his Harley leaked oil. He said it was just marking it's territory.
That's probably what your Jeep is doing.
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