2012 JKU Sport Build - "AlternateLive" - The shotgun approach...

[jdzl]

We've had our 2012 JKU since December (ordered in October) and shortly thereafter decided we wanted to overland in our Jeep over the upcoming summer and so promptly registered for the Overland Expo 2012 as a way to learn more / kick off the journey.

The supposedly long winter has gone by quickly and little progress has been made on the Jeep. Thus, we are now trying to make up for lost time. Instead of posting a bunch of pictures after we get everything sorted out, this is going to be a public disas-- I mean project. Good or bad.

The gear list is a work in progress - below is what's been ordered/procured (may not have been installed yet). Welcome any feedback / dope-slaps you can offer.

Project goals
- Be able to avoid civilization for at least a week at a time, which dictates the following:
... 50 quarts of fridge space
... 10 gallons of fresh water (minimum)
... 5 lbs of propane
... an untold amount of gin and/or beer.

- Sleep in/on the Jeep
- Keep at least seating for one person in rear seats, ideally two
- Be as safe as possible in the event of a rollover (gear not flying around)
- Be capable of medium/difficult trails (pretty subjective)
- Be able to basically work for whatever situations we manage to get ourselves into over the 4 months we plan on being out this summer

2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport
White ext / Black cloth int
6MT (Manual Transmission)
3.73 gears
Trac-lok

Jeep Gear
ACE Engineering Rock Sliders 100lbs
AEV ProCal
AEV DualSport XT 2.5" Suspension w/ FCA brackets
Rigid Industries Dually 2x2 Lights (2) 5lbs (est)
Expedition One JK Basic DX Bumper w/ Wings 45lbs (est)
Gobi Stealth Rack 88lbs
Goodyear Duratrac 33x12.5 tires (5) 245lbs (49lbs/each)
Mickey Thompson Classic II 15x8 wheels (5) 85lbs (17lbs/each)
Offroad Evolution JK Trail Table 26lbs
WARN M8000 Winch 74lbs

Weight removed: 260lbs (Tires 27lbs/each, wheels 25lbs/each)
Weight added: 668lbs
Weight added (net): 408lbs

Recovery Gear
4-3/4 Ton Yarding Block (BLOC1240) 12lbs

Weight added: 12lbs
Weight added (running): 420lbs

Camping Gear
Alite Monarch Chairs (2) 2.3lbs (1.15lbs/each)
AutoHome Maggiolina Airtop (Small) 119lbs
LC Industries 5 gallon water cans (2) 10lbs (5lbs/each)

Weight added: 131.3lbs
Weight added (running): 551.3lbs

Kitchen Gear
ARB 50Q Fridge 49.6lbs
Partner Steel 16" Wind-screen Stove w/ extra slats over burners 14lbs

Weight added: 63.6lbs
Weight added (running): 614.9lbs
Fluid/liquid weight added (full): 80lbs (water)

Total weight added: 694.9lbs

 

[MCObray]

Hello fellow Oregonian. Your '12 JKU looks great! I look forward to seeing your progress and adventures you will experience.

 

[ExpoMike]

Cool deal. If you want to knock about another 20 lbs. off the rig, switch to syntectic winch line. It is amazing how heavy the cable is. When I switched, the hook weighed more than the syn. line.

 

[jdzl]

Yeah I was thinking I'd run the wire cable for awhile and then switch to synthetic at some point in the future as the cable is hardly worth anything, and the synthetic is pretty expensive. Managed to pick up the M8000 on Amazon.com for $540, and Warn is offering a $50 mail-in rebate on top of that (both deals still going).

 

[Metcalf]

Just wondering......why the switch to 15" wheels and tires?

Is the rear seat at 60/40 setup? I would ditch the 60 side and build a mount for the fridge in that location. That leaves you with a 3-seater. The fridge weight would be forward, and you would have the entire rear cargo area.

Personally I would stay away from the roof rack and roof rack tent setup. I just think it add too much weight up high in the worst possible location for vehicle dynamics, wind resistance goes up bringing mileage down, etc. I would try and pull off a light weight sleeping platform just above the wheel tubs that would have a slide forward leaf section over the fridge towards the front seats. Sleeping gear can go on top of the platform, but everything else you want to take stays below the beltline of the vehicle. Its a REALLY good goal since it helps eliminate stuffing the back completely full with gear and overloading the vehicle.

Just a few thoughts. Cool project.

 

[jdzl]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

The stock rims / tires are steel 16" because it's a Sport and to run a larger tire you have to run spacers which I wanted to avoid. Went with the 15" in alloy because they're lighter, more sidewall with the same diameter tires and the tires are cheaper. I'm pretty happy with them so far in the snow and on the highway - I guess time will tell.

Moving the fridge forward makes good sense, but I'm not sure it outweighs the convenience (for us) of having your kitchen in the back. The sleeping platform would be awesome if it were a solo trip but it's my wife and I so probably need a bit more room. Adding 200lbs to the roof is definitely not helping the vehicle dynamics - with just the rack on I've lost about 0.5 mpg on the freeway, but haven't put on the fairing yet and the AirTop is pretty smooth so will be interested to see what happens there. I wonder too, is the Wrangler already quite a bit lighter up top because it has a composite / fiberglass roof as opposed to other hardtops?

Packing-wise the goal (better or worse) is to be able to see out the rear window, so trying to keep as much weight down low as is practical.

 

[jaxs1984]

I would recommend some way to carry at-least 5 gallons of extra gas and maybe a cb radio. "..you are only lost if you run out of gas"

 

[jdzl]

I would recommend some way to carry at-least 5 gallons of extra gas and maybe a cb radio. "..you are only lost if you run out of gas"

Yeah extra gas would be great... We don't have a rear tire carrier yet so the mounting options back there are limited - and storing it inside the vehicle isn't usually preferred, so I'm trying to figure out where / how to put it on there. Anyone ideas?

On the CB radio, is it worthwhile even if you're planning on being alone most of the time? I was thinking about looking into getting my HAM license and maybe getting a 2m?

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

I made a post last week (In a different thread) about how many people on ExPo seem to generally underestimate or disregard their vehicles weight rating. I tip my hat to you for providing a detailed list of your build's weight. I think you have made modest, but capable modifications to your JK. In doing so, its added 695 lb. (Rounding up) to your platform.

The below numbers are from Jeep's website for a 2012 JK Sport;


Base Curb Weight - Manual Trans; (Not ready to run) 3760 lbs.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) - Maximum; 5935 lbs.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) - Standard 4910 lbs.

Payload Capacity - Standard 1000 lbs.


Its easy to see how quickly the lbs. add up, even with simple modest add ons.

HAM is a world away from CB and I highly recommend it. Also if your looking for a place to store your fuel, you have a roof rack listed. I'd get a dual can holder from one of the vendor's here, mount it on your fuel tank side and use a Super Syphon to empty them without removing them.

 

[Metcalf]

I would be VERY hesitant to mount 50-100lbs of fuel on the roof rack.....

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

I would be VERY hesitant to mount 50-100lbs of fuel on the roof rack.....

You've never seen it on any of my rigs either, but it's one option, not the only option. Five gallons of petrol = 42.5 lbs without can.

 

[Metcalf]

Yup, I wouldn't even say it out loud

Try and keep ALL weight added to a vehicle below the belt line ( top of the tub on a Jeep ). In VERY few instances can I justify having weight added above that line. Of any weight added to a vehicle that is probably the worst place to add it. Just saying.

I agree without a doubt about about the weight thing. I see a LOT of overloaded vehicle with poor load distribution. While I think for most people going out for a few days of camping this isn't a huge issue. I sure wouldn't want to do that on a multi-week trip to the middle of nowhere. Just because you have the storage volume does now mean that you have the weight capacity. I would much rather have a 'light' one ton truck rather than a 'heavy' Jeep, even if they both are the same overall weight. I have seen some 4-door JK's that are pushing the weight of my Dodge truck ( 39s, one-ton, Cummins, etc ). That is just insane to me.

 

[Deleted member 48574]

I have subscribed to this one -- I have some similar goals for my 2dr so I may poach a few ideas!

 

[MOSDIF589]

I also like that you are keeping track of the weight you are adding but I would also keep the added unsprung weight seperate from the over all weight. The added weight from larger tires and wheels will be different from adding say bumpers & a winch... Lilke what you are doing and will be following your build. Good Luck...

 

[McZippie]

FWIW... to help keep weight down...
We use our JKU pretty much the the same as our previous Expo vehicles, we keep them mostly stock.
An expo/bling Tire/Rim combo and extra style'in driving lights, lets others know ya in da club.
.
To change from daily driver to expo/camping use, fold the rear seats down, throw gear in back and protect the occupants with a heavy duty cargo net barrier.

To set up camp, we pitch a small tent and quickly take the gear out of the Jeep and put it in the tent, except the food/cooler gets moved to the front seats.
In the now empty rear of Jeep, we inflate backpacker air mattresses and unroll sleeping bags.
Run engine for heat or air-conditioning as required.... Love the remote engine starter.