Small Off-Road Build

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I think your build is amazing. One thing on the chassis is where the a frame meets the main front member may suffer over time. The loads are concentrated into the box section in torsion and would be great to try transfer those loads directly down the side members. It would be great to gusset that corner in a bit. I have just built a similar trailer and yours looks amazing. Great work.



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rodrage

Adventurer
Thanks for the props. Yeah, I'm holding out until the tanks are fitted, but the "V" gets two steel 1 1/4" runners milled into the rear frame and run back substantially. This keeps the common "center tube" from lowering the tanks and undercarriage height. I also have 2 pair of 3/8" thick 6x4" corner gussets that I will box out once the accessories get fitted.
 

rodrage

Adventurer
Might have another serious problem with the TJ hinges. I'm just not sure if I can get the sweep out far enough without hitting the small outer trim. Also, Due to the original Jeep body recess that the hinges were designed for, I'll need to build a surround for the smaller piece of trim once the box skin is in place..
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I will say that the Rugged Ridge carrier mount is quite stout once bolted together. I run a metric 17" tire equivalent to a 33" size and there is plenty of extra room and could certainly hold a 35" mudder. Now- I need to figure out what else I can store in that wasted space..?......
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rodrage

Adventurer
Added the cross bar last night for the pull out kitchen support. This will carry a "box" that holds the pull out and the cookware storage that is accessed from the rear hatch. The box will be screw mounted and is the anchor point for the roller slides. I wanted to get it just a degree less than perfect so it would have more tendency to roll in than roll out. This is if the trailer is set at a perfect level on perfect grade in great weather and the 5th Tuesday of a full moon leap year, but I thought I'd try.
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Also wanted to get a good birds eye view of the front water tank that will ride in front of the box. I'm anxious to get the front to rear supports in and made measurements for the filler, tap, etc. I won't actually run the rest of the steel in the frame itself until the box is finished and back off the frame for powdercoat.
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rodrage

Adventurer
For those that saw my post a few weeks ago, I was making my best attempt at a spare mounted above ground fire grill. I used a barrel ring, some expanded metal and some scrap galvanized channel I had left over from another project. I had a few hours this morning and got finished before lunch. Not a pretty as milled or CNC parts, but good enough for grilling dogs or chops if the fire is good.
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Made sure that the ring was centered in the tire before making measurements and then some quick geometry on cardboard so not to embarrass myself.
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The ring and expanded grate was easy- I just marked the metal with the drum ring. Cutoff wheel and some tack welds made the grate very rigid. I then cut off the ring bolt and welded the seam. Took the channel and added a few holes. I'm not really big on "pretty", but the holes added some weight loss and may be useful in a cooking fire setting. I used my small plasma cutter and smoothed the edges with the grinder, not perfect, but at least, the edges won't cut anyone. I then took a cutoff wheel and ground a shallow gutter into the underside of the channel. This made it easy to bend the channel in the vise and kept me from fitting individual pieces and welding more later. I test fit the first piece directly to the tire to make sure I had the clearance I wanted.
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rodrage

Adventurer
Once I got the other two cut, I tacked them to the ring to fit them on the spare.
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Then I welded what I could and sanded it a bit. Not near perfect, but good enough until I get it prepped to get it blasted and coated.
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PCO6

Adventurer
Might have another serious problem with the TJ hinges. I'm just not sure if I can get the sweep out far enough without hitting the small outer trim. Also, Due to the original Jeep body recess that the hinges were designed for, I'll need to build a surround for the smaller piece of trim once the box skin is in place.
rodrage - I know what you mean re the hinge / body recess. The 2004-06 Jeep TJ hinges are steel and require the body recess. The 2003 and earlier TJ hinges were made out of cast aluminum and have a flat back. I used the earlier ones and was able to mount them flat on to my tailgate jambs. As far as I know most (all?) of the after market hinges also have flat backs.
 

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rodrage

Adventurer
Thanks. I may have to settle for an aftermarket hinge at this point. I actually sunk the pivot side of the hinge and knew the trim flush would be another issue, but even if I grind the hinge "stop" to increase the opening radius, the trim will get broken off. Talked to Morryde a few minutes ago. Might give that a go. They are beefy, look good, and if they can fan out any wider, they will probably be the choice to fix the issue.
 

rodrage

Adventurer
I rarely endorse ANY products unless I'm very familiar with their content and history. The hinge dilemma led me to a company called "MORryde". I believe they have the one hinge that I can modify slightly to remedy my issue of needing more radius for the rear hatch kitchen area. The parts are tough and great looking. They advertise that the parts are serviceable and much stronger than the originals (things I like when reaching into the aftermarket sector). However, service is what sold me on the item. I called them yesterday to discuss and hopefully talk to a human, (preferably in America). To my surprise- I spoke with a lovely, professional representative named Maria at their Indiana office. We discussed the dilemma and Maria contacted the engineer in charge of design of the part I was inquiring about. Within a few hours she made a follow up call to me and advised that the hinge does have a built in stop, and provided a CAD print showing me the specs so I could determine if the product could be used. I vowed that I could modify the part to open wider without sacrificing the integrity of the part use, even though it was being used for a different purpose.
I may have just been happy to find a solution, but then started to research the company. The on-line info is very impressive. They specialize in "adventure type" vehicle parts and I was humbled to find that they have many item that I wish I had researched earlier in the build as I would have used them... Maybe next build. I really like their attention to detail and focus on the quality rather than cheap/mass sales. I'll shop around their dealers, and see if I can find the set on sale, but will order them regardless and post the final fix.
In closing, the parts seem pricey, but the parts they produce are not the type items that you would want to "save" on in the short term, as the long term loss will most probably be a major failure when there is no place to repair it properly. Yes, it changes my budget slightly, but saves me the headache in the long-run. If you haven't taken a look at the gear, (I'm sure many Jeep enthusiast have already)- take a minute to browse at their stuff. I wish I had a while back. If you need to talk to someone who makes a difference, really cares about the products and helping clients, ask for Maria.
 

rodrage

Adventurer
The MORryde hinges arrived, and everything is good in the build world now. (for now). I pulled them apart, measured a good angle on the pivot end, and cut off with a wheel before a little hand filing and adding some touch up texture paint. IMG_5925.jpg
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Thanks again to Maria at MORryde for a great product, upgrade and solution to my dilemma.
 

rodrage

Adventurer
Once the hinges dried, I added them to the rear gate. Bolt heads on swing arms to the inside of the box to be able to flush mount pantry.
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Notice the full swing once the stops were removed.....
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Temporarily added the pantry to get the support rails fitted-
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