The little/light Camper Trailer Thread...

See any Burros there?

Yeah...there were several in attendance
actually, I think that interior photo may have been from one. ^^^


We didn't go through the entire assembly of campers, as not only were there so darn many, but they got kinda the same after awhile. I'm sure we probably missed out on some neat stuff, but after going through about 20 of 'em, you pretty much get the idea of what they are and have to offer.....and that's why we went.


After alot of looking at different ideas and types of campers, motorhomes, toyhaulers, and conversions... I think we're gonna end up building a 6' x 12' cargo trailer into our own version of a utility toy hauler/camper...

...along these lines (but with our own twist of course!)

I pulled the trigger and bought a Microlite Vymeron back in April. Pulled home with absolutely no problems other than it's so light that the wind was an issue. Page forward to June, let's try this baby out. Loaded the GS and some more stuff in the trailer. Most everything else went in the truck bed. Pulled for 5 miles, nice smooth road and the tongue breaks off. WTF. Slowed truck and let trailer run into back of truck. No harm to the truck and it saved the trailer.











The Microlite people washed their hands of this saying I had bought the trailer used and it appears that the tongue
was overloaded, not by me but by the previous owner. I asked for details and specifications of the newer Vymerons (the tongue is shorter on the newer models) but I get no response. Caveat emptor.........
Looking at the break it appears to me and my engineering friend that the heat from the weld weakened the aluminum, that and the fact that it is a little long.
I've fixed the tongue and am taking the trailer to a repair station to get the sheet metal straightened out.
I sleeved the tongue with steel and bolted. I am taking it to a friend who does TIG welding to weld it back together.

Holy Shit! :eek1 There's no end to the bad conclusions that could have happened with that deal.

Glad that this incident didn't end up being a major disaster on the road :eek1

Early Saturday morning, 2 lane road with no oncoming traffic. Yes it could have been a cluster fuck for sure. I must live right.

WOW... You are the luckiest man alive!

A catastrophic failure like this needs to be reported to the NHSTA as soon as possible. I wonder how many of these Microlite trailers are on the road waiting for this to happen. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

Phucking Aluminum... could be the welds, lack of proper heat treating after welding, or the fact that most aluminum alloys have no fatigue limit.

What is the weight rating of the trailer? I don't see a breakaway cable/switch for the brakes. I think brakes are required if over 1500lbs.

BTW Thgere is no way to enter data for a trailer at the NHTSA site. Only concerned with cars, trucks, tires and accesories.....
No brakes. 1500 lbs empty 2500 lbs gross.

Looking at Microlite's website doesn't say anything about a warranty anyway.
That sucks that they wouldn't at least look at it.
If I was a manufacturer I would want to look at it to see what happened.
What year is the title?
And post that on http://www.tnttt.com/

Do you think the tongue was lengthened or modified? I'm guessing not by the tire pressure info on the tongue...

Sucks but man you sure did get lucky!

I've been going to mod my Casita for some time. Makes me think twice even though it's not aluminum...

Wow, throw a touring bike in there and you are at the weight limit.

Interesting, in a holicrap kind of way! I did a little googling, and it appears Microlite's arrangement is a little like Aluma's, light-duty arrangement...something aluma re-worked, I'm suspecting after doing a little due diligence.

Aluma, before:





Aluma Re-designed:









There's obviously no telling what happened, precisely. but they certainly did beef up the high-stress area. I should clarify; there was no direct relationship between the particular incident shown above, and their redesign. The fellow who had that particular fracture brought it back to the manufacturer, and they told him at that time that they already had re-worked his model, and showed the new reinforcements to him.

If you read through his thread, though, it isn't exactly a happy story. Whether his trailer was falling apart before the incident or not is anyone's guess. But the regardless, *after* the wreck, the other joints on the trailer did *not* fare well. I'm thinking the jarring vibrations of dragging on the ground did a number on the various welds, and in the end it's certainly not something *I'd* have much confidence in.

I'm not one to sue somebody, but that would make me talk to a lawyer and discuss options. Microlight should not wash their hands of that problem. I agree that the weld was poorly done. Not a fault of the owner of the trailer.

Bummer. This trailer was on my short list. It's hard to find something that will haul a bike, provide what I consider to be the necessary RV amenities, and be light enough to be pulled by my jeep. Looking at your photos I'm unimpressed with the construction of the trailer, namely the welds and the thickness of the material used. I guess that's how they make them so light weight. As has already been mentioned I'm not sure Aluminum is the best choice for the tongue due to possible fatigue issues over time.

First thing comes to mind ........in the past someone jacked knifed the trailer while backing and cracked the tongue................complete failure happens after the crack point is fatigued.

Someone with skills can examine the failed surface and determine if the crack was a one time over load (not likely) or a fatigue failure do to prior damage.

Either way you are likely and so are the others that might have be following or in on the on coming lane:eek1:eek1:eek1

Yeah, the NHTSA site isn't that intuitive but you should be able to enter your trailer safety complaint. I used the search function to see complaints for other trailers. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

EDIT: I also checked brake requirements and it varies by state: http://www.towshop.com/trailer_supplemental_braking_laws.htm

Do you have a trailer yet? I have a 6 x 14 V nose that I am putting up for sale very soon. Tandem axle, with electric brakes. 6' 2" at the center, so I can walk through it.

I searched a long time for a 14' tandem, and have had it about 5 years. I used it more when I was single, and the cost of storing it just went from free to "not free".

Well...I do wanna keep it on the 'light' side, and my 'payload' should only be #300-ish, plus maybe a #400 lb dual-sport...so a dual-axle trailer would be a bit of overkill for me.

But whaddaya got, and whaddo ya want fer it??


B'sides...I'm gonna sell off my chopper before I buy any new toys.


Things are tough all over.

2001 Interstate. 2 x 3500# axles = 7,000# GVW.
13' 6" x 6'ish inside, plus the v-nose. There's a cabinet built into the V.
E-Track on the walls, two strips down the floor, and one across the back. Includes ten E-Track clips & tie down rings. The E-Track is bolted *through* the floor into threaded t-nuts, with corrosion resistant grade 8 bolts. I hate just screwing into plywood for things like that.
Electric brakes on both axles. Spare tire.
There's a piece of carpet that fits the entire floor - it's a little beat up, but still OK.
Barn door, not a ramp (I hate the extra 8' a ramp required plus the pain in the butt to just open the door for a moment). Side door, near the front.

I used it for camping a lot, so I built a bed platform high enough to slide rubbermaid bins under, so all my stuff fit under the bed and kept the floor clear. It only took a few minutes to remove the bed if I needed the entire space for a large item (you could put a Tacoma inside the trailer, and not hit GVW).

I'm a big fan of tandems, which is why it took so long to find this one.

$3,500.

Tarp, sleeping bag, poncho and a rubber chicken. WTF do you need a trailer for?