jj421

I probably won't be folding it up. There is barely any room in my garage to work on my car, and I feel that bringing a trailer in would be a little tight, haha. But I'll make sure to take those things off (or never put them on). I didn't even notice them, haha. But if they get caught in driveways, I definitely don't want them since my driveway is pretty steep. I would weld the two halves, but I don't have welding equipment. And I don't know anybody that does. Maybe something for the future. That'd be a good idea with the double axle trailer. If you do that and weld the two halves, I bet this trailer can haul quite a bit. And that's what I was hoping with the tongue weight. That'd make it easier when maneuvering it around my driveway. Also would make it easy when connecting it to the car. What's the tongue weight like when loaded? If it's still pretty low, that'd be great for the Loyale. Those corners do look pretty sturdy. I'm thinking I'll have to wait another two weeks to do the siding (gotta wait for another paycheck ), haha. I'm hopefully gonna get the hitch in the mail late this week/early next week. Does your hitch drill into the metal part of the bumper? If so, how does it look? I have a hard time picturing it, haha. - So yeah, I'll probably buy this on Friday when I get paid, and build it over the weekend. Like I said above, I'll be keeping this trailer outside. From what I hear, they rust pretty easily. Any opinions? I was also thinking of doing the plywood deck and coating it in bed liner. Maybe that'd make it some degree stronger.

If you ever wanna swap in power steering, I'd love to trade you my power steering setup for that manual steering setup, haha. Looks like a good wagon, but at the same time, looks like you have a fair amount of work ahead of you.

So yeah, I am definitely not gonna pull this camper. I will, however, pull a utility trailer. I went ahead and bought a Curt hitch, model 112751-59146, off of Amazon for $185.12. Looks like four bolts in the trunk of the wagon, and two u-bolts in the bumper, so that shouldn't be too hard. Comes with a Euro style 1 7/8" ball, which would be the best thing to keep me from towing this camper, as it requires a 2" ball. So if ever get tempted, I have to buy a ball mount and a 2" ball. Also comes with the wiring to hook it up with separate brake/turn signals. What I plan on doing for the trailer is to buy a 4' X 8' trailer from Harbor Freight. The one in the picture below. Gonna put a plywood deck on it, as well as the railings. The frame weighs just over 200 lbs, and the wood shouldn't weight more than 200 lbs. So that's 400 lbs total, which leaves 800 lbs of carrying weight (even thought I doubt I'll ever haul that much). So, I should be able to haul this trailer. With a couple things in it, I can't imagine it being much more different than 2-3 passengers. The capacity of the trailer is 1195 lbs, which seems like the maximum I should really ever think about pulling. Like I said, I don't haul heavy things regularly, so I should never even come close to that figure. However, if I do, I'll make sure the overall driving distance is short and flat, if possible. Has anyone had experience with these Harbor Freight trailers? I hear they're good, strong, long-lasting trailers, although they're a PITA to assemble and it's best to swap out the bearings if possible. I'm going to be checking on Craigslist for cheap utility trailers as well, but I think assembling this would be a fun project. Turbosubarubrat, of all the times I've been to the junkyard, I've only seen one hitch installed on an older Subaru, and it was welded on. I wanted to take it off, but I can't do anything about welds, haha.

I am very interested in this hitch. The one I saw on RockAuto a while back was just like this. And the price for the hitch + ball + wiring is very cheap compared to other places. So, I might actually buy this. Not for towing this camper trailer, of course, but I might buy a Harbor Freight trailer and tow around that. But anyways, how does that install? It looks like drilling into the smuggler's compartment as well as drilling into the bumper. Does it drill into the metal part of the bumper?

My manual specifically states that towing is not recommended. Maybe post 1990 Loyale & GL & GL-10 models say otherwise, but mine says no to towing. I see that you can get one from U-Haul. On RockAuto, they had one for sale that wasn't the receiver style, but just bolted on in the middle. However, it was gone last I checked on there. And then, you can always modify a receiver from another vehicle. I believe, depending on the hitch, you take off your tow recovery hooks and bolt the hitch on there. Some you must drill into the bottom of the smuggler's compartment in the rear of the wagon, as well as drilling into the steel part of the bumper (saw that on the U-Haul installation guide). When I first saw the pictures of this trailer in the Craigslist ad, I thought, "A 16 foot, single axle trailer. Must not weigh a ton (literally and figuratively). Maybe I'll be able to tow it with my car.) Then, once I saw the trailer in person, I thought, "Wow, this might be too heavy. I'll see what everyone thinks on the USMB." And now I'm thinking, "There isn't a way to tow this on my car safely. It can be done, but the risk is not worth spending all that money in my car (for the rear disks, tow hitch, etc.)." As I've stated before, I might end up towing a small, light weight utility trailer at some point.

Yeah, it seems like the general consensus is that it wouldn't be safe nor smart to tow this with my Loyale. That's what I figured. Just wanted to get your guys' opinions on it. I'm just gonna keep the towing to the Explorer. I wish it was a manual transmission, but oh well. Keep the overdrive off and hope the transmission keeps up. At O'Reilly, I did see that it plugged straight in. However, it was for an '02 and newer Explorer, whereas the one we have is a '99. Gonna have to check online a bit more, as well as I will have to pick up a brake controller too.

Right, I forgot about trailer sway and weight balancing. Definitely something I'll have to remember when we load it up and go somewhere. I need to look it up again, but I remember reading somewhere that weight directly over the axle(s) is the best spot. Any recommendations? I would say the weight estimate is probably about right. It's basically sheet metal, 2" of insulation, and thin wood paneling, with a wood frame. Of course, I don't know the weight of everything else inside. But there isn't much. The refrigerator is old-school; powered by ice. So no lines to it or whatever (for example). The trailer does have a 7-pin connector on it. I guess someone installed one some time in its life. I will probably trace down the wire for the reverse lights and install some (as it doesn't have any currently). I was at O'Reilly today and saw the kit to install a 7-pin & 4-pin combo. We'll probably do that on the Explorer. I will open a thread tonight on the build of this trailer tonight in the off-topic section. That way I can get advice/help on repairing the trailer. Anybody with experience with old RVs/trailers, like you Gloyale, I would love your help. The point of this thread is to see if I can or can't tow it. I don't think I'll try towing this, but I can see myself towing some 600 lb utility trailer or something in the future. Although, I will say that the trailer looks pretty good behind the Loyale, especially since the angle on the front of the trailer is nearly the same as the rear of the hatch.

I wouldn't be towing it often. I couldn't imagine towing it more than once every few months. And it'd be no more than a couple hours at a time, mostly freeway (which would be mostly flat). I wish we could take it to a scale, but we have no means of towing it right now. Gonna be at least a week until we can hook it up to the Explorer anyways. Yesterday we ripped apart the paneling inside and the rot/moisture was pretty bad. Gonna let it dry out for a week before we put new paneling on. Definitely gonna be an interesting project. What I really need to know is how the circuit breaker wires up, haha. But I guess that would be for another post elsewhere. My Loyale has push button 4WD, but I don't think it's smart to drive with that engaged all the time. When/if my EA82 dies, I will do an EJ22 swap, but that might be months/years from now. I've always had plans for rear disks, so I'm gonna do that for sure. Never even thought about stiffer springs, haha. I think the best option would be to hook it up to the Explorer, drive with it a bit, and see if I'd wanna do all this stuff to my Loyale. And if I do manage to hook it up to my Loyale, take it to a parking lot to test it first before I take it out on the road.

Thanks for the fast response! I've seen a lot of your posts, haha. That's why I was/am questioning this. It's not recommended to tow anything (as per the manual), and many people would object, but many people have towed with their Subaru. I don't have any experience with towing, that's for sure. I've done thousands of hours on truck simulators on my computer, but I don't think it'd come close to real driving. The handling in those simulators are always skewed, the braking distances are never right, and (probably most importantly) a semi truck is much different than a car towing a trailer. Simulators did teach me how to drive and fly [planes], however, haha. :-p I will say though, I'd be a lot more comfortable towing this with my car than the Explorer. I'd also love to just hook it up to my Loyale and go, versus having to go in my mom's car. As far as hitches go, I did a search on U-Haul's site. It comes up with a "Sportframe 1 1/4 inch Rec (Powder Coat)" hitch, which is rated up to 2000 lbs. That would probably work, I'd assume. Wish I knew the exact weight of the trailer. Searches for our Ford Explorer come up with tons of Class III hitches, some Class II. Not to mention there are holes in the frame just ready for a hitch to be bolted on. I'd also love to know how you've wired up the trailer connector. Do you just have a 4-pin connector? I see there is something on Amazon where I can install the connectors for the trailer brakes. Definitely something I'll need to get.

Alright guys. I have a question for all of you. My mom and I started a project yesterday/today. We went out and bought ourselves a 16-foot 1966 Kit Companion trailer. We got it for $660, which considering the age and condition, was a pretty good deal. Now, it's got a lot of work before we take it out camping anywhere. For example, we're fixing the electrics on it, the dry rot on the inside, making sure the propane/water work fine, etc. But what I want to ask is, would towing this with my '90 Loyale be remotely possible? Or should I just keep the towing to our Ford Explorer (in the background of the picture)? I've done a lot of searching on here, and it seems like it's possible, but a bad idea. We are currently unsure of the weight, but the previous owner and the friend that towed it home for us (we don't have a hitch on the Explorer yet) estimated 1700-1800 lbs. For a Loyale, that's a ton of weight, I know. However, this is why I'm possibly considering it: first and foremost, the trailer does have brakes. So if I could wire up the trailer brakes to my car, then I'll have trailer brakes. Second, I would definitely do a rear disk conversion, to get at least a little better stopping power. I'd make sure my pads are new and lines are bled. I'm more worried about stopping than the actual pulling. I've read that stopping when towing anything 1000+ lbs is pretty sketchy. But I couldn't find if that included rear disks and trailer brakes. I'd also be concerned about my clutch. Would I be burning up the clutch a lot when starting from a stop, especially in reverse? So yeah, it's kinda like, would you tow a trailer like this? This heavy? I probably wouldn't drive more than a couple hours with it at one time (most of which would be on the freeway). I know I'd be going SLOW, especially on hills. But would this be at all a good idea? The thing is, I would get a hitch and whatnot and test it in a parking lot. See if I'm comfortable with it. But, finding a hitch for old Soobs is hard. I hear Uhaul can custom make one. I'd also have to get the wiring sorted out. I think with our Soobs, you can get a 4-pin trailer wiring setup, but this camper has a 7-pin setup. And I'm not sure if I'd have to rig something up for the trailer brakes. So in your opinion, would it be worth going through all that trouble and risk to pull this trailer, or just leave it to the Explorer?

Yeah, I was also kinda thinking along those lines too. Hmm, nice to know though! Hahaha, I thought you had actually found my YouTube videos. :-p But that guy does have pretty much the same hair!

Hahaha, that's an awesome photo. Your hair wasn't that bad back then. I like that technology right next to ya! Seems like state of the art! Haha, but what is all that stuff? I'm young, but usually I can identify most technology in older photos. However, in your photo, I can't really. They look like radios of some description, but I have no clue. You're right tough; it does sorta look like I have '70s hair, haha. I usually keep it shorter; I don't know why I haven't cut it. It's just that my hair grows so fast. If I cut it really short, like a buzz cut (which looks worse), it'll grow back out this long within two months. Probably less. So I kinda have to keep my hair longer to avoid getting it cut every week and a half. :-p

Definitely follow this. If the axle nut is coming loose, your cone washer is most likely failing. I spent a while thinking my bearings were making the ungodly grinding noise in my front wheels. Then I realized it was my cone washers. Never did anything about it, until the day I stripped my hub. So my word of advice from experience is, the very moment you realize your cone washer(s) is/are failing, head to the dealership and place an order for 'em. There wasn't a dealer with any in stock unless I drove 3.5 hours, one-way. Then, I ordered some, and Subaru messed up on the shipping, so I didn't get my washers for a week (when I was supposed to have them in two days). Not to mention the drive up to the junkyard for a new hub. So, anyways, not sure how much this would cause the pulling to the left, but it could definitely make noises up front.

Yeah, I'm not really the one to give advice on what the problem is, since there are WAY more knowledgeable people on here (who will soon chime in, hopefully). I never noticed my bit of torque steer until 6-7 months after I bought my Loyale, which is the time I finally put my foot down. :-p The torque steer isn't gonna turn the steering wheel 90 degrees like a 350 HP FWD car, but it's enough to notice it if you look for it. When you had your tires balanced, something could've happened. The moment after I had my snow tires installed on my car, I noticed a somewhat violent shaking from the front passenger side when at freeway speeds and under load. Take my foot off the gas, and the shaking stops. Still haven't figured out what is wrong, but yeah, something could've happened. If you change the bearing, change the axle too while you're down there. A failing axle could cause that I believe, so it wouldn't hurt to swap it out.

Did this just randomly start happening? I know with any FWD car, there is torque steer. Tons of power going to the steering wheels will make them turn towards one direction. Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear did a demonstration of this in a Ford Focus (if I remember correctly). However, the EA82 has barely any power, so it won't be very evident. But when I launch and go full throttle, I do feel the car pulling to one side, usually the left. I'm not sure exactly how hard your EA82 is pulling to the left, though. It could always be a bad wheel bearing, but just do remember that torque steer exists.

I've not posted a picture of me yet, so here I am.

Yeah, I've tried the black triangle from a DL. Unfortunately, the holes don't line up so it doesn't fit. It doesn't bother me much though. Like I said, from far away, it's not noticeable. But I'll be on the look out for a door. However, it's hard enough finding a junkyard Soob with my color code, let alone a specific year. And I don't see it being worth it to repaint two doors, haha. I'm not entirely sure about the temperature of the bulbs, but they are LEDs. If I remember rightly, I bought them from superbrightleds.com, and they were entitled "Cool White" or something along those lines.

Thanks! Haha, if my wagon was just a little shorter, I would've parked under the trailer and taken a picture. I think an EA81 wagon with no roof rack is short enough to fit under some trailers. :-p Fender mirrors are my favorite thing ever on any car, haha. They look a little out of place on my wagon, but not bad. Just need to figure out what to do with where my door mirrors were. Figured I'd just put some black duct tape over it or something. :cool: For me, door mirrors are always a bit awkward, turning your head so much and whatnot. Fender mirrors are much easier for me to get comfortable with, and I have almost no blind spot now. Just too bad I can't see much in the mirrors at night in the pouring rain.

Got some new fender mirrors in the mail today. The same ones you have, 1982gl4. So far, I love them! Installed them and went out and did some night photography.

Yup, I know what he meant. It's just they always say, "It's not the camera; it's the photographer." But I believe: Bad photographer + bad camera = Horrible photos Bad photographer + good camera = Bad photos Good photographer + bad camera = Tolerable/Good photos Good photographer + good camera = Amazing photos I've got a pretty decent point-and-shoot (the photos I posted are from that camera). It's got full manual controls and takes nice quality photos, but I still wish I could swap out lenses and have the quality of an expensive DSLR. Plus, I would love to do some nighttime photography, but my cameras just don't cut it. I would save up for a nice DSLR, but I keep spending money on my car.

That's what they say, yeah. Sure you can take great photos with a cell phone, but it's not gonna be the quality of a DSLR. Nor will you have the option of different lenses. In the same sense that you might be able to play a graphically-demanding game on two different computers, but the person who can play it with higher graphics settings might enjoy it better. They're playing the same game, following the same story, and doing the same actions, but the person with the better computer is gonna be seeing the game with much greater detail and quality.

Awesome! Amazing! I love it! That should be used as the promotional video for next year!

I'll definitely be on the lookout. Without school for the rest of the month, I'm gonna stay dormant in Sammamish for most of the time, so probably won't see it. But if I do, I'll call the police. You know what they say: a manual transmission is the best anti theft system in America. I guess it didn't work in your case, but still, haha. Hope you find it soon!

Since my sister moved out, we have an extra room in my house. My mom and I have rented it out a few times already, so it won't be a big issue. You can work in my garage, but I can only fit a third of my wagon in the garage at a time and I don't have many tools. But then the UW is not right near my house, by any means. If you're going to the campus in Seattle, that's gonna be about a 45 minute drive, one way. But the bus stop is right next to my house and you can ride down to downtown Seattle without any transfers. I don't have anything in terms of work. But yeah, my place isn't ideal, but it could work if nothing else.