Superpanga
Active member
The XV-3 is the ultimate compact, fully-featured off-road trailer. It’s the perfect choice for any tow rig, including Jeeps and lighter SUVs.
This thing is awesome, straight from factory, and then I radically upgraded electrical, water, and storage systems for a full off-grid, off-road capable machine.
Its so light and maneuverable- I towed it with a 2 door Jeep Wrangler as if it wasn't even there!
Articulating max-coupler hitch lets you move how and when you want.
Upgrades:
Electrical:
The electrical system that Schutt installs is pretty nice, but I felt it was kind of a mix of components rather than a system. I would chalk some of that up to the 2021 supply chain, but also shows their few weak areas:
Schutt builds a trailer that is super well-engineered and thoughtful, mechanically. The machine itself is pretty bulletproof. I felt like they were a bit outside their area of expertise when it came to the overlander/RV pieces (vs the Army-originated stuff)
To me, this showed up on component selection for the water system and short-sightedness/cost savings on the electrical.
Water:
To that end, I pulled the hot water heater and decided to keep it out for multi-season reliability, I felt the on-demand unit was a weak link. So I decided to go to a single hose feed for water, and replaced all hose fittings with more robust parts. It is now very solid. You could easily plumb in a hot water unit, though I too would look at Joolca/external portable unit if it was a priority. In the end I felt like I could heat water on the stove for my needs.
Power:
This is where I feel like I made the biggest improvements. The wiring for the auxiliary lighting- rack lights and rock lights was done really nicely by Schutt. I focused on the "brain" inside the nose box. I replaced the limiting physical switches/solar controller/etc with a full RedArc Redvision System. This includes their top of the line battery manager which allows for charging from DC/Alternator/Solar and AC, using smart sensors to find the most efficient source if multiple are available. Auto switches between AC/solar for example.
My favorite part of this system is the RedVision controller and in this use-case, the phone-based app addition. With the controls located in the trailer, as opposed to in a van- you have the added ability to monitor and switch via a phone as well as the physical buttons on the control unit. For example- turning on the reverse/rack lights when backing into a camp from your phone in the car/truck. Or turning on rocklights from the rooftop tent. when you hear something go bump in the night!
I added cigarette lighter ports as well and these are also switchable via the 'brain" so things like awning lights, fridges, etc are all controllable.
I added an Anderson port for universal connectivity to a solar panel. Plug it in and the brain will detect it.
Bed Slider:
The bed upgrade is a steel slider that is 60" long. I had an ARB 82 qt fridge on it and some aluminum boxes full of galley gear and tools.. Quick press of the lock/release and it will slide out, cantilever almost the whole way out. No climbing to get to the back stuff. It is about 20" wide, so less than half the width of the trailer. I thought about adding a second one, but didn't. It is connected via bolts & riv-nuts and could come out with very little work if you so wanted. I find it incredibly useful, and plenty strong. I think it is rated to hold 750 pounds when extended!
Also, I have a brand new Ostrich-Wing 270 Awning that I will include, though I would encourage the new buyer to keep that on the tow rig or weld/fabricate brackets. The extruded Rhino-Rack simply isn't strong enough to support the extreme torque.
NOTE: Rooftop tent is not included.
Willing to discuss delivery.
Reason for selling:
I am a huge fan of this particular trailer and it did everything I wanted it to do on an incredible trip. My next significant trip is motorcycle based and this is too good not to be used and enjoyed by someone.
Would consider trades for 1986+ Westy.
Price is
Located New York
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