Building a Trailer. Anyone have leads on a telescoping rack?

[Alpine Warthog]

Hey guys, building a trailer and will be mounting the RTT to it. However, I want to tow it with the tent as low as possible (off camber trails, wind resistance) but still want to be able to do a canopy while at site and be able to access the trailer on all sides beneath the tent. Trying to find a way to raise and lower the tent once on site to accomplish this. anyone have leads to something like this? Or maybe a DIY option?

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[Jaxmax]

Eric how about mounting trailer jacks at the four corners , take off the handles to use an impact driver or racket , benefit is ,have two levels under tent you could make tent perfectly level no matter how the truck sits. Your do not need HD huge ones either, just saying ….Jack

 

[Dilly’S Willy]

You could use threaded rod and a threaded collar to raise/lower the rack. Low speed, high torque, but requires lubrication and dirt can wear things out if not sealed/cleaned/lubed regularly. This would work similar to @Jaxmax comment, as you could drive each corner independently based on vehicle position and make the load/tent level.

Could also build a scissor lift powered by a couple electric linear actuators, similar to a man lift. Less maintenance than above, but takes more space. Also simpler to make.

Could even use pneumatics, but they require 40PSI+ minimum to lift moderate weight and if not perfectly level they can bind and release intermittently. We did this in robotics years ago to lift other robots with ours, but our success rate was pitiful as they angled the cylinders and the binding would cause the robot to tip due to friction buildup and not extending equally.

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

Hey guys, building a trailer and will be mounting the RTT to it. However, I want to tow it with the tent as low as possible (off camber trails, wind resistance) but still want to be able to do a canopy while at site and be able to access the trailer on all sides beneath the tent. Trying to find a way to raise and lower the tent once on site to accomplish this. anyone have leads to something like this? Or maybe a DIY option?

Check out the trailer John from Gator Overland built, sounds like the same thing you are thinking.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

Eric how about mounting trailer jacks at the four corners , take off the handles to use an impact driver or racket , benefit is ,have two levels under tent you could make tent perfectly level no matter how the truck sits. Your do not need HD huge ones either, just saying ….Jack

Check out the trailer John from Gator Overland built, sounds like the same thing you are thinking.

I like this idea. I was considering something similar. I need it to raise up roughly 3 feet (maybe more) depending on where the top of the trailer bed rails end up. I'm 6'1" and I'd need the base to get up over my head so the canopy would be high enough.
I'm building it on a trailer made from a 74 chevy luv. I have to retrofit a Gladiator bed on it or I could do some body work and rehab the original bed but she's in rough shape.

 

[azmojave]

Bivouac Trailers has been doing this for years. I almost bought one until I found my teardrop. They use scissor jacks.
https://moabaz.com/product/fort-xl/

 

[kroo]

Tent campers used to use a winch with cables running to all 4 corners to raise the roof. Maybe retrofit something like that.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

Bivouac Trailers has been doing this for years. I almost bought one until I found my teardrop. They use scissor jacks.
https://moabaz.com/product/fort-xl/

Those gotta be some beefy scissor jacks to hold the platform in place with winds and 400 pounds shifting laterally or forward and back. I can see the selection to add them, but the site doesn't seem to have any information on the system

 

[azmojave]

Those gotta be some beefy scissor jacks to hold the platform in place with winds and 400 pounds shifting laterally or forward and back. I can see the selection to add them, but the site doesn't seem to have any information on the system

It’s their design. After the platform is raised, legs pull out and sit on the front and rear headache racks taking the weight off the jacks. Brilliant IMO

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