Jumping Jack Trailer Rebuild

[davebic]

I thought I'd share my rebuild of a 2005 Jumping Jack with the forum and get any insight or suggestions that the group might have.

I bought the Jumping Jack new and have used it a fair number of times. I like the Jumping Jack setup because we can carry either the ATV's or the raft. What I don't like about it is that it is not convenient to carry gear if the top is being used. My idea is to lengthen the tongue and add a large storage box and platform along with the spare and propane tank. I also have a receiver hitch on the rear of the trailer (not centered yet) that I intend to use for the 300KLX as a rafting shuttle.

The trailer is getting pretty rusty. I'm considering getting it sandblasted and either powder coated or line-x'd (is that a word?). I am also considering installing a new torsion axel thinking after 10 years the rubber might be getting kind of dry as well as getting a couple of inches of lift on the wheels. Although the wiring appears to be fine, I may end up rewiring the trailer with more protective sheathing and heavy duty lights.


For those of you that might not a seen a Jumping Jack (from the front of the trailer)





One with the tent open (from the rear of the trailer)







The first order of business was to inspect the tent canvas. Generally, it is still in very good shape but unfortunately I found a couple of small holes in the roof created from the mechanical action of opening the trailer. I put some tear-aid on both sides of the canvas and pressed it down real well. It seems to have held pretty good but we'll see when I open up the tent again in a few months whether it's permanent or not.







Having "fixed" the tent I removed it from the trailer body





With the job supervisor carefully monitoring my progress we made the commitment and started cutting on the hitch assembly. With the Sawzall I cut the ball receiver off and also made space through the tubing where it met.







My intention now is to insert a 6' piece of tubing through the cut out hitch and secure it. This will give me about 3' extra to mount items on the front of the trailer. I am bit concerned about hitch weight with the additional weight. It shouldn't be a problem when I have the MC on back. I'll just have to work through all of that.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

Moving the axle forward will help ensure the trailer carries enough of its own weight.

 

[davebic]

Thanks for the tip about moving the wheels forward. It shouldn't be too hard, there is just a couple of brackets that are welded to the frame that would have to be moved. I'll have to do some weight calculations once I decide what kind of liquids and gear will be riding on the tongue.

 

[RubiconGeoff]

I'm doing that to my very similar Lifetime Tent Trailer. I've extended the tongue 16 inches and now am moving the axle forward 4 inches via longer leaf springs (new spring hangers, same shackle hangers) to better distribute the trailer's weight onto its own axle.

 

[davebic]

I made some more progress on the rebuild today. After finishing cleaning up and sizing the hole in the cut off ball coupler I got the new tubing to fit where it is supposed to. It's a good fit and I think it's going to be quite stable once it's all welded up.






As far as the welding goes, I picked up a cheapo 120v welder from HF figuring that if the welder will work for this rebuild it's certainly better that having to haul the trailer down to a welding shop. I would be very interested in opinions on whether this welder will handle the job. The new tongue is 11ga and the existing steel on the trailer is thinner than that.

Here's a picture of the welder box, it hasn't opened it yet thinking that it will be returned if it's not the right tool. The reviews for the welder were pretty good on the HF website.



I also managed to remove the wooden floor from the box today. Unfortunately, the screws were really rusted into the frame and every time I tried to back them out they just stripped out.





I ended up having to saw out the 2x8's. It worked fine, just won't be able to salvage the wood and all of the remaining screws will have to be backed out with vice grips or ground off.






After the floor was removed, I had a pretty good look at how the torsion suspension is mounted to the trailer. It will be very simple to replace the axel but it appears that moving the mounting bracket would be a major PITA. The axel bracket and the fenders will all have to be taken off and moved or completely replaced. I'll just have to figure out he tongue weight and maybe mount something heavy towards the back of the trailer. If the motorcycle is on the back of the trailer I may not have to worry at all about the trailer balance.





One thing that I am starting to think about is the hitch coupler. On the surface an obvious choice would be a fully articulating coupler, but if there is a 2-3" lift on the trailer it may get somewhat top heavy with a couple of ATV's loaded on the top of the trailer. Maybe a regular ball hitch would be better? Less chance of rolling the trailer? The stance of the trailer is pretty wide (6' plus)

 

[jdharrin]

Thanks for posting. Thinking about picking up a trailer like this myself. Any chance you could provide details on your raft and how you carry it with this trailer? Any disadvantages over a standard raft trailer?

 

[davebic]

I've got a 13' river raft with a rowing frame that simply loads on top of the JJ and straps down (sorry, no pics). In the past I've leveled it off with some 1" x 8'' boards but I'd like to do something that looks a little more finished and that I can remove from the JJ. The rail around the top of the JJ is about 3-4 inches off the deck so the raft doesn't ride all that well unless it's leveled off. I tried to put together an illustration of what I have in mind - pretty bad but I think it shows you what I trying to do. I'll have to figure out what kind of material to use and how to mount the removable skids on the JJ.

 

[davebic]

I managed a little more progress done this weekend.

I welded the new tongue extension in place. My welding skills are pretty bad, but after a little grinding to clean everything up it doesn't look too bad and should hold quite well.



I also removed the front diamond plate wall of the trailer. I'll keep the diamond plate and reinstall after painting.



Next, I'll remove all of the wiring and lights. Also, I'll try to straighten out the bends in the metal and get all of the hinges moving smoothly in preparation for sandblasting and painting.

 

[d110pickup]

My welding skills are pretty bad, but after a little grinding

You asked if the welder is suitable for this job . . . I've been welding for 40 years and I'll answer no. The HF welders capacity is very optimistic.

And judging by your quote above you probably shouldn't be tackling a project like this yourself. If the welds break you've endangered the safety of those around you. There is a lot of force on the tongue and now you've increased that by making it three feet longer. Post some "up close" photos of the welds and let's see what the penetration looks like.

I know this sounds harsh but people need to realize that buying a welder doesn't impart skill.

Mike

 

[drgrenthum]

d110 has a point. I dont think the HF welder is a bad welder,per se, just limited capabilities. A welder with such limits in the hands of someone who admits they are a poor welder is not a good combo. With that being said just have someone with more knowledge take a look at them. I applaud you for taking the initiative and doing it yourself.

dthum

 

[getlost4x4]

I have the 220 Volt harbor freight mig welder. its fine. but those little 110 flux welders suck. I've tried them before the welding quality is horrible. I plan to upgrade mine next year and back into a Miller welder. I used to have a DVi-2. It was a great machine. I've been a hobby welder and professional welder for over 15 years.

 

[davebic]

You guys are absolutely right about having a professional take a look at it and re-weld if necessary. Sure don't want the damn thing to fall apart when I'm way back in the sticks. We'll just consider it "tacked in place" for now and I'll take it in before getting painted.

 

[Semi-Hex]

So, how did this turn out? Did you camp in it this year?

 

[gravelhack]

Love my Jumping Jack, Im interested in seeing this one finished after the modification.

 

[water_guy]

Hi,

I know that this is an old thread, but I am looking into purchasing a 6x8 standard jj and wanted to know if you ever put a lift on yours. I am thinking about putting a 4 inch lift on mine (still not sure yet)

Thanks!