Adjustable Height Trailer--looking for options

[cruxarche]

Hey Folks,
After watching me pack/unpack, pack/unpack, repeat--all camping season long, my wife has green lighted a 4x4 trailer purchase! We are a family of five with kids ranging from 3 to 10, and a dog. My main issue is that my wife really loves the RTT with annex setup. She likes the kids in the same "house." Most trailers are too low to effectively use an annex.

Does anyone have any experience with Ethos trailers? http://www.ethosoffroad.com/. This is the only manufacturer I have seen with an easily adjustable height trailer. I have no idea of the build quality however.

While I am not a big rock crawler, I do like to overland out here in California and Nevada, and the trailer cannot slow me down too much. I have traveled with my buddies AT Horizon, and I am looking for something with that level of capability.

Looking for any suggestions on trailers that may accommodate this need. Vehicle is an FZJ80 with 2.5" lift.

Thanks!

 

[ethosoffroad]

Congratulations on the green light! We have two boys and got tired of the very same thing... pack/unpack, pack/unpack and repeat. We finally had enough and built our first trailer. I feel the same way your wife does. I want my kids in the same "house" so our first tent was really cramped! (two man tent sleeping 4 people). We needed the annex and the ability to access the trailer without folding our kids up in the tent. This need led to the design of the rack system. Unfortunately, I was unable to lift the rack myself so after many hours staring at the trailer the patented lift assist rack was born. We now build trailers for others to enjoy. We have towed our Ethos Trailer behind a Jeep Wrangler TJ to many a remote location and it has made all the difference. I know when searching for a product it is comforting to hear from others that have put their hands on it or purchased one. I will see about getting you in touch with customers. However, I wanted to reach out to you. I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the specs. Texas Avid Outdoors wrote an article about the trailers. I've included the link.

http://www.texasavidoutdoors.com/main/ethos-outdoors-building-it-from-the-ground-up

Please feel free to contact us.
Will Herring 512-773-2019
Dana Herring 512-740-6167

Thanks for checking us out!

 

[ethosoffroad]

Side note - the write up was done before we purchased our first CVT Tents and have since outfitted our trailers with their awesome product. The customer service provided by Bobby and his team has been a blessing.

 

[MTaco]

Wow, cool trailers. I've been looking for one with an adjustable rack like that. That is funny, my wife also said we should look into a trailer after our last trip and not being able to use our vehicle because of the tent. I'll be showing her this one tonight!

 

[MicroOverland]

I think bivouac trailers has an adjustable lift tent option on their M.O.A.B. trailer. it uses electric scissor lifts to raise the whole rack when you park and set up (with manual backup crank system). saw it at an outdoor show and it looked really nice. I think they use Tepui tents. the website is www.moabaz.com

 

[BlindWilly]

So, I don't own and Ethos Trailer (yet), but I did get to see one up close at the Lonestar Jamboree this year.
They are awesome.
Everything about them looks well thought out and built.
My favorite thing about them is the grill on the back, lol

 

[Box Rocket]

For the DIY'er out there here's a link to my build with a home made telescoping rack for my RTT. It was built for the same purpose to allow for the use of an annex when camped but not be required to have the tent so high when travelling. I was not the first to use a similar idea so I don't claim this approach as my own but I know several who have used mine as a reference point for their own builds. Maybe it is helpful again for someone.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Homemade-trailer-build?p=1388611#post1388611

 

[jays0n]

And for the kinda DIY'er here is a link to my trailer build. It was originally built and currently sits with a fully stationary, full height overhead rack. I use the same tent as BoxRocket and have run into some "center of gravity" issues with the height required to use the annex. I'm currently in the process of modifying the rack to work similarly to his however I'll be using 12v linear actuators instead (something I pondered in the original build but ran out of time before we needed it for a trip we'd scheduled a year in advance).

There are so many options out there for off road trailers now just be certain you do your homework before you choose one or choose to build one yourself. I'm very happy with the Dinoot.com products/support (where my tub and frame are from). The end result is a trailer that's light, was easy to build and allowed for any customization I could come up with.

 

[Box Rocket]

The gas struts on my tent rack have worked pretty well but there is some maintenance involved to keep it lubricated well. Linear actuators would be ideal. The rack will still need lubrication but the actuators would be nice.

 

[shack]

I used linear actuators on my old build

 

[Cyberman]

I went simple with a single scissor jack. If you want an electric lift, just use an electric drill.

 

[Basil.]

I went simple with a single scissor jack. If you want an electric lift, just use an electric drill.

View attachment 320332

Thats just what I did! I thought none else had done it, but I guess its just you and me.

Untitled by Basil Lynch, on Flickr