thecriscokid
Explorer
Rou, This is exciting!
Sounds very well designed!
Sounds very well designed!
The new Bundu Gear Expedition Trailer
- Thread starter bunduguy
- Start date
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Sounds like you have a good product in the making. Interested in seeing the specs.
Actually, the Alaska trip will be our client with trailer #1.
We anticipate debuting the trailer in late March, and it will be in Flagstaff for Overland Expo.
loren85022
Explorer
Is it legal to make such an announcement without photos? 
That's funny. Coming soon! Promise.Is it legal to make such an announcement without photos?
Sheesh, you guys drive a hard bargain; love and adoration in exchange for pictures! Okay, I get it.
Well here are some pictures. Caveat: these are not necessarily final design or construction elements. But it will give a good idea of where we are going. There are bits and pieces still to come. Fenders are being made but not added until suspension is on etc.
The frame is a wonderful piece of art. We have kept it as light as possible, but obviously as strong as it needs to be for a trailer that will take rough roads, some drops, and hopefully lots of washboards:sombrero: We have designed this in consultation/conjunction with an aerospace engineer whose specialty is destructive testing. We have designed the trailer to take advantage of manufacturing techniques available to us, as well as using accepted practices in the aircraft industry.
The tongue extends into the main frame, and is made of 2x2in steel tube. There is a crossmember in the A-frame to reduce twisting and flex. Here the frame is laid out for tacking. All joints are tabbed and slotted with really tight tolerances. This means that when we weld it up, it stays absolutely true without needing to jig it. Measuring it after welding just proved the concept and it stays remarkably true. The frame and body are riddled with punched guides to line everything up. The jig for the receiver is lined up not only with the tongue but with the entire frame.
On top of the frame goes a steel tray. This is bolted down with 12 carriage bolts. All holes are punched and line up perfectly with the corresponding frame holes. The crossmembers are riveted to the tray, to prevent any vibration or harmonics. The tray is actualy attched to the main box first, then to the frame, but this was for testing. The attachment points are designed to stiffen the frame even further, so the body is integral to the overall rigidity of the whole trailer. Here we attached the tray to test the frame under severe load. 1500lbs of sand, all in front of the axle.
This is the main box in construction. The box is made of 16guage sheet steel. The emphasis here was on clean lines, and this was achieved by bending, carefully designing where panel overlaps would be. The right side of the trailer here is all one sheet of steel, with multiple breaks in it, to create the corners, and the lip on the top, which is an S-bend. We strengthen the walls by adding hat-channel the full length of the wall. You might notice that the frame is not visible on the sides. This is because the main box actually has a skirt that overlaps the frame by 1.5in. The skirt is then riveted to the frame. This means the box is attached horizontally and vertically, creating another tie-in for stiffness allround. We are using structural rivets, each with a sheer strength of over 5,000lbs. Each side gets 8. Obviously there are no fenders attached yet, so the main box looks like a.....well, a box!
Here is the rear door. Flush mounted doors make for very clean lines. They also mean things do not get snagged, and the smoother surfaces mean it's nicer to move around, lean on etc.it means it's also easier when you want to accessorize and start hanging stuff on it. Heavy duty piano hinges do door duty, and we have flush mounted waterproof and lockable lever latches that you just press to open. Waterproofing is courtesy of top-shelf automotive sealing.
Inside the trailer is my favorite right now. We've tried to make it as clean as possible, and as strong as possible without adding too much weight. Corner braces, and panels are riveted together. In total there are over 200 high strength steel rivets in each trailer. The corner panels also hold space for wiring, and other attachmnet points for accessories which will follow.
That's all for now.Next time we'll show the lid, and a few other things.
Well here are some pictures. Caveat: these are not necessarily final design or construction elements. But it will give a good idea of where we are going. There are bits and pieces still to come. Fenders are being made but not added until suspension is on etc.
The frame is a wonderful piece of art. We have kept it as light as possible, but obviously as strong as it needs to be for a trailer that will take rough roads, some drops, and hopefully lots of washboards:sombrero: We have designed this in consultation/conjunction with an aerospace engineer whose specialty is destructive testing. We have designed the trailer to take advantage of manufacturing techniques available to us, as well as using accepted practices in the aircraft industry.
The tongue extends into the main frame, and is made of 2x2in steel tube. There is a crossmember in the A-frame to reduce twisting and flex. Here the frame is laid out for tacking. All joints are tabbed and slotted with really tight tolerances. This means that when we weld it up, it stays absolutely true without needing to jig it. Measuring it after welding just proved the concept and it stays remarkably true. The frame and body are riddled with punched guides to line everything up. The jig for the receiver is lined up not only with the tongue but with the entire frame.
On top of the frame goes a steel tray. This is bolted down with 12 carriage bolts. All holes are punched and line up perfectly with the corresponding frame holes. The crossmembers are riveted to the tray, to prevent any vibration or harmonics. The tray is actualy attched to the main box first, then to the frame, but this was for testing. The attachment points are designed to stiffen the frame even further, so the body is integral to the overall rigidity of the whole trailer. Here we attached the tray to test the frame under severe load. 1500lbs of sand, all in front of the axle.
This is the main box in construction. The box is made of 16guage sheet steel. The emphasis here was on clean lines, and this was achieved by bending, carefully designing where panel overlaps would be. The right side of the trailer here is all one sheet of steel, with multiple breaks in it, to create the corners, and the lip on the top, which is an S-bend. We strengthen the walls by adding hat-channel the full length of the wall. You might notice that the frame is not visible on the sides. This is because the main box actually has a skirt that overlaps the frame by 1.5in. The skirt is then riveted to the frame. This means the box is attached horizontally and vertically, creating another tie-in for stiffness allround. We are using structural rivets, each with a sheer strength of over 5,000lbs. Each side gets 8. Obviously there are no fenders attached yet, so the main box looks like a.....well, a box!
Here is the rear door. Flush mounted doors make for very clean lines. They also mean things do not get snagged, and the smoother surfaces mean it's nicer to move around, lean on etc.it means it's also easier when you want to accessorize and start hanging stuff on it. Heavy duty piano hinges do door duty, and we have flush mounted waterproof and lockable lever latches that you just press to open. Waterproofing is courtesy of top-shelf automotive sealing.
Inside the trailer is my favorite right now. We've tried to make it as clean as possible, and as strong as possible without adding too much weight. Corner braces, and panels are riveted together. In total there are over 200 high strength steel rivets in each trailer. The corner panels also hold space for wiring, and other attachmnet points for accessories which will follow.
That's all for now.Next time we'll show the lid, and a few other things.
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That's right... just tease us!! Looks great. Can't wait to see more.
