Jump to content


Photo

thoughts on this yakima trailer off the paved roads?


  • Please log in to reply
16 replies to this topic

#1 Vic

Vic

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 350 posts
  • Locationcamping somewhere in the Sierra Nevada range

Posted 31 July 2016 - 01:31 AM

Hi all - thinking of buying myself a late birthday present.  Main use would be pulling the kayaks behind the truck/camper, so not hard core off roading but certainly going up and over ruts, rocks, etc.  

 

I've read the assembly instructions and watched the video.  Originally I was concerned that the wheel spindle would be a weak point but I don't believe that to be the case now.  

 

Any thoughts on how this would do?  I've never seen one in person so anyone who has used one before appreciate the thoughts.

 

 

 

Attached Files


  • 0

"I took the road less traveled.  Now I don't know where I am"

 

2014 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel & Hallmark Everest.  (Former Rig - 99 Ram 2500/ 2000 Sunlite Eagle pop-up)


#2 DavidGraves

DavidGraves

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 1,264 posts

Posted 31 July 2016 - 02:36 PM

Hi Vic

 

I have seen one in person....a very delicate unit.

 

 

DavidGraves


  • 0

#3 CALIcamperdad

CALIcamperdad

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 237 posts

Posted 01 August 2016 - 02:46 AM

My neighbor had one. Towed his Kayaks with the miata. Its more of a simple cart rather than a trailer. Worked great for his use. But regular dirt trips into remote launch spots is probably asking too much. Costly little thing too. Hulls tend to take quite a bit of abuse from trailer suspension also. So if you have costly hulls I would opt for roof racks on the tow rig.
  • 0

#4 wspohn

wspohn

    Member

  • Members
  • PipPip
  • 16 posts

Posted 10 January 2018 - 02:55 AM

We have a similar trailer that we have used for the last dozen years or so. It has worked well on moderate off road trips. Has adjustable suspension.
What appears to be a tool box is really my wife’s large tackle box. If the roads are really bad I move the kayak to the upper level so as not to drag the tail end of the boat on the ground. The pontoon boat moves on to the deck.Attached File  Image1515552655.368627.jpg   100.98K   51 downloadsAttached File  Image1515552730.684872.jpg   100.46K   53 downloadsAttached File  Image1515552754.226949.jpg   103.87K   53 downloadsAttached File  Image1515552853.190053.jpg   108.34K   53 downloads
  • 0

#5 Squatch

Squatch

    Senior Member

  • Members
  • 1,281 posts
  • LocationOn the wrong side of the mountains!

Posted 10 January 2018 - 09:36 PM

One big issue with boats on small bouncy trailers is that the web straps can cut into the hull. Ask me how I know!

 

Another option is a used Jet ski trailer. They are usually cheap on CL. I've been using one with a longer tongue added for several years. It has been set up to carry Jon boats or canoes open side up.

Attached File  002 (Small).JPG   126.37K   47 downloads

 

I just went through it and reconfigured it again last spring. I basically turned it into a rolling 3 bar padded roof rack! I shortened it down since I only carry a solo canoe these days. So I reinstalled the original tongue. New lights, hubs, tires, and spares for a long trip.

I also added 2 bike racks. one on either side.

Attached File  001 (Small).JPG   157.69K   48 downloads

 

Mine is older. Most now have taller wheels and tires. I see these regularly on CL for a couple hundred dollars.


Edited by Squatch, 10 January 2018 - 09:37 PM.

  • 0

#6 smlobx

smlobx

    Lost again

  • Members
  • 1,529 posts
  • LocationNorth Carolina

Posted 16 January 2018 - 12:03 AM

We went through a similar quandary in trying to figure out how to best carry 2 kayaks.
When we started thinking about a trailer we decided that it made sense to be able to carry some additional stuff as well.

We ran across a company that sells kits thatyou can build on a trailer frame.
https://www.dinoot.com
and liked the concept.

We then found a guy selling one that was 90% complete and we arranged to meet halfway (about 200 miles for both of us).

I took it apart and had the frame sandblasted and powder coated and added some kayak saddles and it has been great!
  • 0

Eddie
KO4CPL

 

Travel light. Travel far. Travel safe.


#7 PaulT

PaulT

    Need gumbo

  • Members
  • 2,604 posts
  • LocationHillsboro, Oregon

Posted 16 January 2018 - 12:35 AM

Which frame is your Dinoot built on? They do cusrom frames, DIY frames, and Harbor Freight trailers. Curious which one it is. Their custom frames look good but wonder if the Harbor Freight ones hold up.

Paul
  • 0
I thought getting old would take longer.

#8 Wandering Sagebrush

Wandering Sagebrush

    Free Range Human

  • Site Team
  • 10,535 posts
  • LocationNortheast Oregon

Posted 16 January 2018 - 12:41 AM

Which frame is your Dinoot built on? They do cusrom frames, DIY frames, and Harbor Freight trailers. Curious which one it is. Their custom frames look good but wonder if the Harbor Freight ones hold up.
Paul

Paul, they’re in Salem. It might be worth a trip down to see their product line. I would be cautious about taking a Harbor Freight frame into rough country.
  • 0

I am haunted by waters


#9 PaulT

PaulT

    Need gumbo

  • Members
  • 2,604 posts
  • LocationHillsboro, Oregon

Posted 16 January 2018 - 04:00 AM

Paul, they’re in Salem. It might be worth a trip down to see their product line. I would be cautious about taking a Harbor Freight frame into rough country.

I share your caution about building on a Harbor Freight frame.
I was aware of Dinoot's Salem location although I haven't been to visit, yet. They occasionally have a trailer available in a "garage sale" for a decent price but only about once/year.

The TrekMates look look well designed & seem to be reasonably priced.

Park has a nice small trailer that looks interesting but it must be a custom unit as I haven't found it anywhere other than his trip reports. It is suspicious it seemed to appear right in the middle of one of his trip reports. ;)

It would be nice to be able to carry bikes or kayaks, extra fuel, generator, tools, etc. without hanging off the sides or roof, or aisle of the camper or adding to the truck's payload. Bikes or kayaks are especially desireable.

Paul
  • 0
I thought getting old would take longer.

#10 ntsqd

ntsqd

    Custom User Title

  • Members
  • 2,879 posts
  • LocationNorth So.CA

Posted 16 January 2018 - 02:12 PM

RE: Dinoot trailers-

 

Not my post, stolen from here: https://forum.ih8mud...3#post-11415941 I thought the builder/user feed-back might be of value.

 

 

 

I realize I'm reviving an old thread here, but I am a Dinoot builder/owner of 4 years now and can provide long-term feedback on the Compact Dinoot. When I originally started looking for a trailer I had a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that was my daily driver and camping/adventure vehicle. We were also starting a family and had a dog...in other words we needed more cargo capacity! Due to aesthetics, price, and size I settled on the Dinoot. I started with a new modified Harbor Freight frame, wheel adapters to take matching Jeep wheels and tires, and the basic fiberglass panels with steel CJ tailgate. On top of that I added real leaf springs that are matched to my loads, Thule fake rain gutters, load bars and bike racks. I finished the inside and outside with Monstaliner roll-on bedliner.

In order for my feedback to be useful you really need to know how I use this trailer, all figures are approximate:

  • 15 days per year camping support. Carrying about 21 gallons of water, a full large cooler, misc durable items, two mountain bikes, and then filled to the brim with firewood. Would guess around 800 lbs of stuff headed out, and around 150 lbs of stuff returning. Usually headed from Boulder to Moab or Fruita, so 4-6 hours on the highway with around 45 minutes of rough desert trail to reach camp.
  • 5 days per year hauling brush, leaves, fallen apples, etc. from around the yard. The waste company weighed me at 780 lbs of apples one load, and did 4 of those that day.
  • 1 day per year hauling firewood. I can fit just over a quarter cord of split hardwood in this thing.
  • 365 days per year this trailer lives outside.

Ok, now here's my feedback:

  • Overall, this is a great little trailer for camping. It doubles my capacity with my tow vehicle being a 2014 Land Cruiser. I can keep all the clean and soft stuff inside the vehicle and all the heavy and dirty stuff goes in the trailer. It's handled this abuse well, with zero failures so far. The fiberglass seems to be holding up very well, as is the Harbor Freight frame.
  • Strengths: Weight, size, price, customization. This thing gets looks anywhere I go with it.
  • Weaknesses: Wood floor. If I had to do it again I'd probably figure out a way to make the floor out of some weather-resistant material. That said, there are probably better ways of doing the plywood floor that what I did. More on that in a sec.

After 4 years of what I would call hard abuse, I'm about to embark on a rejuvenation process for this thing to be ready for Spring. Some of this is enhancement, some is repair:

  • Repair - Monstaliner on plywood floor is peeling. This is my fault, primarily. I applied roll-on bedliner to the inside of the tub after it was fully assembled, which meant that I have bedliner covering seams between fiberglass and wood that are not sealed from the outside. Over the years water has penetrated those seams and gotten up under the bedliner on the plywood. I also sealed the plywood with a product from Monstaliner called Chassis Saver on all sides. I did not scuff it prior to applying the Monstaliner bed liner and it did not adhere well to the plywood. Adhesion to the fiberglass is fantastic, but it's peeling off of the wood. I'm going to disassemble each panel from the floor, apply new bedliner to the whole floor (all sides) before reassembly. I'll also apply a new coat of monstaliner to the inside of the fiberglass tub as I'll have the product mixed and ready to go anyway. Then I'll reassemble the whole thing using black silicone at each joint. Pics at bottom.
  • Enhancement - Apply 3M undercoating to the wheel wells and underside of trailer.
  • Enhancement - Install tie-downs outside the 4 corners. Primarily need these for utility trailer duty for ratchet straps.
  • Enhancement - New wiring throughout with rigid conduit for sections inside the trailer tub and a longer lead at the tongue . Split loom isn't heavy duty enough for how I use this trailer.

img_1961_small-jpg.1607200img_2988_small-jpg.1607201

 

 

 


  • 0
Thom

Where does that road go?




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users