I'll look into the cost on those.... I've never had a trailer with anything other than an axle and springs... so you know... that's what I built. Backing mine up is a challenge too, it turns so quick...
I have brakes in my drums, and a controller in the Jeep... I just need to hook them up some day, but thus far it hasn't given me problems, but I don't use it much in ice or snow.
I think fully loaded it might be just under 2000 lbs. That's with the water full, gas tanks full, coolers and ice full, wood rack full... and drawers all full. So it is mostly unnoticeable full... and it tows great for hundreds of miles
When the food is gone, the wood is burnt, gas is spent, food is ate, water tank is empty... it has went into a bounce fit … and then it comes out of it and tows good for 200 miles... hits a bump wrong and it does its thing again... I don't know why the dynamics change so much with 400 lbs less weight, but it doesn't like being empty.
It's not heavy enough to move the jeep, but it looks rough on the trailer when it does it, like a "harmonic imbalance…" lol.... and it can't be good on wheel bearings for the 300 feet it does it .
I'm mounting some rancho 9000's we had laying in the garage... so I can adjust them to really stiff, to less stiff with the knobs- and maybe I can dial them in to work right. I bought the type of shock mounts that sit on top of the leaf spring top plate and they will mount outside the springs to the triangle axle braces I have on the side of the lower part of the box... if that doesn't work I'll try looking into the other option you mention... this option is 36 dollars right now.... so its worth a try!
