Rough road toy hauler build, My rally support trailer.

Hello all,

I am starting this thread because I have ordered my VRV toyhauler trailer from Livin' Lite RV. They will be custom building it over the next few weeks.


WOW! I'm looking over the video and plans right now, and I had to blurt out without thinking at this moment that this might be perfect for me to live out of, as I need a way to live in a portable manner AND still be able to play on my drums no matter where I'm at (I used special drum heads that nearly completely cut down the loudness of acoustic drums, which is why I have played in my apartment undisturbed for the last 4 years). The problem with traditional trailers is that there is almost no center-area floor space for my drums. This was a problem the last time I lived in a travel trailer.

One catch - where in the US can I find these things? I checked with some of the dealers in the US, and there was no indication that they carried these models.
 
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zidaro

Explorer
looks awesome! Did it ever happen?

would love to here updates on this vrv!!! How is it holding up to the weather and off-road usage? What issues have you had? what options could you do w/o or would you have liked hindsight?
 

DesertJK

Adventurer
looks awesome! Did it ever happen?

would love to here updates on this vrv!!! How is it holding up to the weather and off-road usage? What issues have you had? what options could you do w/o or would you have liked hindsight?

I have towed it probably 20K miles. Lived in it all last summer, moved my house and shop (including 14 bikes and 6K pounds of tools) 300 miles. I have towed it in the snow, ice, dirt roads, sand, rocks.

I would have had more cabinetes installed, but I can order some from them and install them now if I really wanted too.

I would have had a full water system installed, including hot water. Retrofiting it later has become a project and will never be a perfect as if it had been done before it was built.

I would not have bought the A/C unit, but have been glad I had it in 100 degree weather. It is just that I do not camp where there is power that often. I got the A/C because I thought I would be spending more time racing motorcycles and there is always power at the races.

I would have had propane lines routed through the trailer. Although I am planning the system right now, and it is not proving to be much of a problem.

I also would not have bought a 3.8 liter Jeep JKU to tow it with. I really like the Jeep, and it really does fine, but a small V8 or diesel would have been better. When we were moving we used our 4.8 V8 Chevy Van to pull it since I loaded the crap out of it. When empty, or with camping stuff, the van towed it very well.

The only problem I am having is the roof has warped from heavy snow in it. Next week I am putting a layer of 1/8 diamond plate over it and resealing the A/C unit and the roof seams. I should be able to walk of it and it will take the snow a lot better. It was fine until we got 3.5 feet of wet heavy snow in one night (actually about 6 hours)
I notice a little warpage and then months later on a trip to the Washington Coast in heavy rain we got a few leaks.

I still have not seen a trailer I like better. It do not take it over technical 4wd roads, but I can get to some pretty remote spots with it, and I bring my dirt bikes for the real off roading.

http://dbandkjp.smugmug.com/FourWheels/Our-camper/12679480_W3DvLr#934663576_SntDb-A-LB

I need to update my pictures. The Jeep has really changed since it fell off the 25 foot cliff.
 
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zidaro

Explorer
thanks for the update.
Really a bummer about the roof and not too cool considering an alum. tube frame roof should handle a "little" weight. 4' overnight is a standard storm here in the Sierras, sometimes wet and sometimes dry.
You think it was a one storm cause or did a cumulative effect cause the leaks. Would love for you to help me understand why this happened. Where is it leaking? only at A/C or along roofline at walls? is it a one piece roof sheet? Have you talked with livin lite regarding warranty?
Seems like a deal breaker if you live in snowcountry?
 

DesertJK

Adventurer
The tubes are fine. It has about 1.5 at most warpage of the roof skin. I let the snow sit on it for a month. I can walk on the roof if I stay on the tubes, it is a strong trailer. The leakage is because the warpage allows about an inch of water to sit around the A/C unit. I think it aslo caused the sealant to seperate. Not really a big deal and the diamond plate will be overkill. It only leaked during 2 weeks on the coast where it never stoped raining. I just tilted the trailer a bit off level and let the water drain away and we stopped it.
With the diamond plate, several people should be able to stand on the roof. I may even build a shade cover and install a ladder, so we can sit on lawn chairs and have a view.
 

zidaro

Explorer
thanks, that clears it up quite a bit.
I agree that the snow in our areas must be cleared off regularly after storms. I just dont want to be stressing during a storm cycle that i need to shovel every foot off as it lands. 4' of fresh snow is alot different than 2' of consolidated hardpack.
I would imagine it was the freeze-thaw cycle that caused the roof penetration?
Did the leak only develop around the AC unit? Your roof should be a seamless cap.

I just got off the phone with Tom, of VRV. He thinks the roof should handle a decent amount of fresh snow, but definitely not rated for walk-on as it is. Felt the weak point would be at the AC unit, and annual resealing of seams around it may be necessary in heavy snow country.
He has a great idea for the winter months- place a few braces (like a 2x4) inside from floor to roof-trusses(on the rivet path). This would support the roof in the center of the cargo area where the bowing would occur.
Also, my thought would be to raise the nose of the trailer a bit if you are storing over a long period to allow snowmelt to run off the flat roof instead of buildup of icesheet. I do this with my slide-in camper and it works well. Still shovel it after a storm cycle, but not crazy.
Tom can also custom build a heavily reinforced roof on any VRV build that can handle walk-on and snow load better. I may go this route, though a couple 2x4's may be cheaper :)
Your correct on the trailer manufacturing standard of flimsy roofs. I see them bowed in everywhere here in the Sierras. You must specify in a custom build a walk-on roof. ATC, TPD, Pace, Featherlite- all the top companies offer this, but it costs.
 

DesertJK

Adventurer
it was the freeze-thaw cycle that caused the roof penetration?
Did the leak only develop around the AC unit? Your roof should be a seamless cap.

.

Yes to all 3 questions. I could have really avioded it if I had been more carefull. I could just reseal the A/C unit, but for $300 buck in Diamond plate and a half a days work, I will have a really strong roof and I really want to be able to walk up there. I spend a lot of time around motorcycle racing and airplanes. Both of which are more easy to see from a view point.
 
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DKM

Guest
We have been considering something similar. How has it performed off-road?

You mentioned that it is a bit too much for your Rubicon, but you also mentioned that you were going to get a Hemi installed. Did you decide not to?

We're thinking of getting the full AEV package. I wonder if the 5.7 would be able to pull it with no problems.

I saw the pics of your build on VRV's website. Seems like a really nice setup. What are the overall specs if you don't mind me asking?
 

DesertJK

Adventurer
We have been considering something similar. How has it performed off-road?

You mentioned that it is a bit too much for your Rubicon, but you also mentioned that you were going to get a Hemi installed. Did you decide not to?

We're thinking of getting the full AEV package. I wonder if the 5.7 would be able to pull it with no problems.

I saw the pics of your build on VRV's website. Seems like a really nice setup. What are the overall specs if you don't mind me asking?


I decided against the Hemi mostly because for what I would spend doing the Hemi, even if I did it myself, which would be the only way I would since I am a perfectionist, I could spend that time and money on another fixer upper airplane, which is what I am doing. I spend a lot more time now flying over the backcountry and not bouncing along accross it. I can also land places you can't get to in a Jeep.
If you did a 5.7, you could haul the bigger version of this trailer full of motorcycles and supplies at 70 up any pass. My 4.7 Chevey van has no problem when the trailer is full to the top, and the van full when moving from Oregon to Washington last year.
With the 3.8 and a 6 speed with my 33" tires on is not bad if I keep the load in the trailer to a couple of dirtbikes and my gear. Without the dirt bikes it does pretty good. This trailer came in at 2200#'s when I weighed it. I had some water in the tanks and a bit of gear in there when I weighed it too. The factory said it should weight 1900 empty.
As far as off road. There is not a gravel road that worries me. It has good brakes and I bought an excelent brake controller. I take it on a lot of two track but ned to watch overhead clearance. I have had to climb up and cut branches out of the way a few times to avoid damage to the AC unit. I am getting a cordless pruning chain saw soon. I usually only need to do this sort of thing when getting into tight camping spots.
I really don't consider any place where an SUV can get to off road, more like soft road. So when you ask how it does off road, I imagine you are referring to roads that are not paved, which is what I use it for. I have no desire to tow it on trails, I have bikes for that. I use the trailer as a staging area and base camp when on my off road bikes.
 

wittrrider

New member
Hi guys, I don't want to hijack your thread, or stick my nose where it does not belong, but I just wanted to show you our VRV 614 sport.
We got the version with the LP package and wet bath.
We love it!
IMG_20110821_091240.jpg

IMG_20110821_091255.jpg
 

DesertJK

Adventurer
Don't worry about a hijack at all. I like the trailers and I like the company. I would love to see this thread grow into a VRV sub forum.
Can you put up pictures of the wet bath and the propane system? It was not possible when I got mine. They couldn't do a wet bath because I went with the 6 foot. I could upgrade to a 7 foot because it wouldn't fit down forest roads. I would really love to see how yours is set up inside.
I have been having a hard time findig a place to mount the propane tank (s) with the Maxx front end.

I am working on an insulating inner liner for the tent section made out of a quited fabric. It won't be hard for my with and I to sew up, we used to do that sort of thing for a living and still have the sewing machine, but I have not found a fabric that I feel good about being flame resistant enough to sleep under.
 
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DKM

Guest
I took a look at VRV`s website again and they have your model and a Rubicon model listed. It appears that the Rubicon model is the 7 footer. Based your length and width it appears that the tires do not follow the path of your Jeep (the one that unfortunately went over the 25 foot cliff). Did you have any problems with the wheel spacing?

Is your box 6 by 14?

What is the height from the ground to the bottom of the box?

I may contact VRV and see if they could spec one to my needs.
 

DesertJK

Adventurer
I took a look at VRV`s website again and they have your model and a Rubicon model listed. It appears that the Rubicon model is the 7 footer. Based your length and width it appears that the tires do not follow the path of your Jeep (the one that unfortunately went over the 25 foot cliff). Did you have any problems with the wheel spacing?

Is your box 6 by 14?

What is the height from the ground to the bottom of the box?

I may contact VRV and see if they could spec one to my needs.

They show my actual trailer on their site, but it is not really a model. I custom ordered it with heavy duty axels, 31" all terrains and what they call the "Maxx" front end.
It is taller than the orange one the guy posted above. My wheel spacing on the Jeep is about 2.5 inches wider than stock. The trailers wheels are wider, but trailers tow better on the road if they are slightly wider than the tow vehicle and it is much more stable in corners.
Like I have said, it is not an "off road" trailer, it is a soft road trailer.
 

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