Crawler Hauler

[Wildman]

I called mine a Redneck Toyhauler but now the term seems to be Crawler Hauler. This one was made by Dunes Sport in AZ. They also build ADA accessible trailers which was how I'd first found out about them.

 

[Wildman]

I like the idea of the open deck in the rear & then a living area in the front. Who wants a nasty dirty muddy rig inside where it's a PITA to clean up afterwards?

Not everyone's idea of the perfect rig but IMO it works.

 

[Wildman]

Another version of a Crawler Hauler

 

[Wildman]

The bumper pull version

 

[Wildman]

And as with everything here in the USA we always have to push the limits.

https://www.off-road.com/blog/2018/03/16/this-is-the-ultimate-crawler-hauler/

 

[Wildman]

And everything in between.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

What do you figure the tongue weight is without a rig on the back to balance it out? Or does the triple axle take care of that?

I was thinking about this the other day and was thinking about some way to put the axles leaf spring mounts on some sort of worm gear trolley system so I could move the axles forward or backward to allow for hauling with or without the crawler...but maybe it's not necessary. I don't think I've ever towed anything heavier than 5,000lbs total.

 

[Apparition]

I think Holly’s looks nice.

 

[Apparition]

What do you figure the tongue weight is without a rig on the back to balance it out?

I was thinking about this the other day and was thinking about some way to put the axles leaf spring mounts on some sort of worm gear trolley system so I could move the axles forward or backward to allow for hauling with or without the crawler...but maybe it's not necessary. I don't think I've ever towed anything heavier than 5,000lbs total.

@toximus may have an idea of the weights.

 

[Wildman]

What do you figure the tongue weight is without a rig on the back to balance it out?

I was thinking about this the other day and was thinking about some way to put the axles leaf spring mounts on some sort of worm gear trolley system so I could move the axles forward or backward to allow for hauling with or without the crawler...but maybe it's not necessary. I don't think I've ever towed anything heavier than 5,000lbs total.

I never weighed mine without the Jeep on it so I can't tell you how much it changed the pin weight but it towed just fine with 2 quads on back instead of the Jeep.

I don't know why you couldn't have the trailer axles slide like they do on a 53' semi trailer if it was that big of an issue.

I think Holly’s looks nice.

View attachment 388311

View attachment 388315

 

[Wildman]

@toximus may have an idea of the weights.

They'd be close but enclosed or open deck does make a difference. The first one I posted said he was going to be getting some numbers. He hauls a SXS inside and his crawler on the open deck. Plus races motocross which was why he went with the DuneSport setup.

 

[Wildman]

When I built mine I had a shortbed truck and wanted a larger camper. Extreme 4x4 was building their crawler hauler using a tent trailer which gave me the idea.

I towed it to Moab & back to WA with my 3/4 ton Ram and then traded up to a 1 ton dually Ram but still a Mega cab with short bed. For what I was doing then i LOVED the setup. The only reason I went with the motorhome this time was I plan on being on the road for longer periods of time. So the added room for comfort seemed like a better idea.

 

[Apparition]

1. Doesn’t like black color, too hot
2. Lack of storage
3. The mattress, Walter is 6’10” tall neither is small
4. Wants a visual gauge for fresh water level
5. Two TV’s with same remote
6. Lack of outlets
7. Needs more living space
8. Smell the black tank in hot climates

 

[toximus]

What do you figure the tongue weight is without a rig on the back to balance it out? Or does the triple axle take care of that?

I was thinking about this the other day and was thinking about some way to put the axles leaf spring mounts on some sort of worm gear trolley system so I could move the axles forward or backward to allow for hauling with or without the crawler...but maybe it's not necessary. I don't think I've ever towed anything heavier than 5,000lbs total.

Keep the axles at the back. It makes a huge difference in how stable it tows. Having had no experience towing anything large, I started off using an RV GPS which warned me every time a sharp turn was coming up, I literally got annoyed by it dinging every time and turned that option off since I either had time to react or didn't had to react at all. Yeah, I can tell there's weight behind the truck when accelerating, but driving was so surprisingly effortless that you have to remind yourself that it's back there so you don't clip a turn. Which brings me to the downside of placing the axles at the rear: the turns are very wide and you will be driving into other lanes to get it around turns and taking roundabouts very wide. But it's all doable and I got the hang of it even in traffic after a day or two. My passenger's can't tell it's back there.

I haven't been able to place my Jeep in the back yet, but from what I've heard from other people, it reduces pin weight by 50lbs or so. Obviously, this will vary based on your trailer and your load.

Plan on 30% pin weight for gooseneck.

 

[toximus]

1. Doesn’t like black color, too hot

We'll see how my gray/black is, but based on my understanding a lot of this has to do with them having only a single small AC unit in a medium size living quarters. They should have either a larger 15k unit or 2.

Edit: Nvm - it sounds like they aren't running the AC at all. In that case a better Fantastic vent fan would help.

 

[toximus]

2. Lack of storage

We have a size smaller living quarters than they have. I majorly disagree. My wife and I have no idea how we're going to fill the storage. HOWEVER, we also have an enclosed "garage" with more storage so that probably plays a large part into why we don't have this problem. All but the largest rigs will fit in an enclosed garage based on my measurements.

 

[Apparition]

We have a size smaller living quarters than they have. I majorly disagree. My wife and I have no idea how we're going to fill the storage. HOWEVER, we also have an enclosed "garage" with more storage so that probably plays a large part into why we don't have this problem. All but the largest rigs will fit in an enclosed garage based on my measurements.

Watching the video, their organization does not look optimal. I think they have more shoes in there than we have in a house of 5 people.

 

[Wildman]

This only applies to someone like me and also older folks and that is trying to crawl in and out of your rig when it's in a enclosed trailer. I asked a buddy of mine if I could try crawling into and out of his Jeep inside his trailer. It was another reason why I don't want a enclosed trailer for my Jeep.

You can fit a pretty large rig in the back of a enclosed trailer.

I had a 8'x16' pop up that I could setup over the back of my trailer for working on it. I never got any pictures with that setup. But having 17' of deck out the back door was nice.

Kept you up out of the dirt & dust.

 

[Wildman]

The campers that have the closed off storage area look really nice.

If you can find a flatbed version of a camper they'll sit on the deck of the trailer and area easier to tie down.

There are pluses and minuses to both versions.

This guy had it setup nice.

 

[Wildman]

Just to be clear here, I'm not advocating for one or the other just showing one option. I had my reasons for building mine and would again if I needed it. I hope my motorhome works out to be everything I hope it to be but also know if it doesn't, I'll go back to some type of crawler hauler.

And an enclosed trailer is great for others. So just make sure to do your research and choose what suits you the best.