2007 Jumping Jack Build

[Semi-Hex]

After six years of ownership we moved to a teardrop just so we could extend of season of travel. The JJ is a very well built trailer and we were very happy with it.
It has been modified a bit (see pics on this site), has most of the options from JJ. A 30 gallon fresh water tank and electric pump and a bunch of extras. It will need a new canvas.
We also live in NorCal.

 

[Parb]

I am planning for a longish trip for 2019 and I am in the planning stages.
With that said Pm me when you're ready to consider selling it. If it's a good value vs new I may be interested.

i kind of enjoy the build and making it right, which is why I've enjoyed this thread and all of your experiences, super valuable!

I saw one on sale in Reno on Craigslist, it was ten years old and the seller was asking $2400 for it. They seem to hold value really well.

 

[PrdCdn]

This is mine, July 1st. loving this thread!!! So many mods - so many to do.

 

[trint99]

I'm going to zombie this thread again. ?‍♂️

I'm looking for a lockable toolbox solution where I can keep tie-downs, bungees, wheel chocks, etc. I haven't been able to find a "tongue" toolbox that's "shallow" enough. If I measured right, with a box more than about 12" inches front-to-back, I'll either lose the storage area for the folding table or bang my knuckles while cranking the tongue jack. Anyone have a solution (with pics)??

P.S. I am currently piecing together a hoist so I can lift the tent out when I need to use the trailer for utility hauling. I'll get pics up when it's done.

 

[trint99]

And then... 30 seconds after I hit "post", I find this pic online:

That tongue configuration looks different than my 2018 12 foot model. Different ball lock. Different jack crank handle. (And, of course, mine has the brake controller that will be in my way.)

But still, might work. Now I just have to find out what size that toolbox is.

 

[calicamper]

Last weekend I picked up a gargage kept 2007 Jumping Jack that was purchased in 2008 new by the original owner. My wife and I had been camping out of the back of a 2004 tacoma for the last 10 years with a drawer system and engel setup while towing a trailer with dirtbikes or zodiac behind us. Now that we have a 1 year old that setup wasn't working however and she wanted something more substantial than a tent on the ground to get out in with the little one. We thought about Fleetwood Evolution E2/E3's, Somerset Evolution E3's, and Jayco Baja style trailers but at $15,000 new they were just too much for something we might use once a month. Used people still want 8-10k for something 7+ years old and often in not great shape which I thought was too much. At 22 feet long they're also big enough that we couldn't keep it in the garage like we do currently with the dirtbikes and zodiac on the trailer. So the jumping jack fit the bill as being capable for toy hauling but substantial enough for use with a 1 year old when thinking about the next 5 years of our life.

I have the little brother to yours the original Life Time tent trailer actually built in the same shop in Utah. Two Queen beds with 4x6 floor between.
I also haul 10ft West Marine rib, 13ft Euro sailing dinghy at times sometimes with a 6 ft Eltoro Sailboat and even a 18ft canoe. Then add the winter renovation dump runs and yard cleanup trips. Its hard to go more RV like given it would be less useful. ?. Only downer is set up time and sensitivity to winds. Moab Wind storm was our test in survival mode. Lol

 

[calicamper]

I put that same tongue box on mine. Also the big improvement was a 50cal ammo box mounted on the front trailer plate next to the tongue box with solar charger gear in it. I sewed LED strip lighting into the privacy curtains up high with switches both sides. Added a ATV light to the back for dark arrival no blind backing into dark sites etc. I don’t have a good photo handy. But the ammo box only has a few bolts through it sealed, no external bits to keep it road / weather proof. 18amp hr battery fits in it along with solar controller and fuse box. When setting up I open it pull a short lead out for the tent lights plug it in, also a short 12v usb puck I plug in and set inside the tent for small device charging. I use two 20watt panels that fit in my tongue bo

You can just make it out in the bottom right front plate. Sorry pict went sideways

 

[calicamper]

Another very simple but has been great mod. Fork mounts on the trailer rail

 

[calicamper]

Just spent two straight weeks living out of the JJ in the mohave desert outside of laughlin, NV / bullhead city, AZ on a dirtbiking trip. Super happy with it and it performed just as I hoped it would, before leaving I made a bunch of small mods so thought I'd share some pics and explain. Also got a chance to finally use the "large" awning attachment that came with it when I bought it used, definitely worked better than expected even in 50mph winds one day.

I was a little unhappy after doing a long weekend in the JJ a while ago that if I was sleeping inside and shifted just right I could "feel" the cross bars on the sleeping wings even through the fairly nice pads. It mostly was an issue if my hip aligned right in the middle of one and it would depress some and then i'd shift and hip would be right on top of the crossbar. Wasn't painful or anything, mostly an annoyance. Decided to fix that up though and made these "filler" pods that slip in each of the slots. Made them out of two 1/2 inch purple rigid foam sheets from home depot spray glued together. They sold 1 inch think "project panels" but they weren't long enough in any dimension to fit well so decided to custom make these. Just used the tablesaw to cut them to dimensions from the 4x8 sheets and then spray glued two face to face and they become one piece that is nearly the perfect height. Total cost was like $12 bucks a sheet, 2 sheets and $10 for a big can of 3M spray adhesive. The foam isn't so rigid that it doesn't give a little bit if you press on it hard, so over time they might dent a little but I don't really care for 30 bucks and having a little give might actually be better.

There is plenty of room in the JJ tent bag that these fit inside with everything else when its all folded up and only adds a minute to setup to plop them in place before folding out the tent. I don't know if it actually made any difference for insulation but I was plenty warm in the desert and the sleeping platform is now nicely flat with no more lumps no matter how I shift around! There wasn't any noticeable wear, I'm sure they'll last through years of use with <= monthly JJ usage with the family.


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Had the same issue. I put 2 inch thick inflatable insulated back packer pads under the stock pad and a costco topper on top. Its as good as home now.

 

[calicamper]

I'm still working on it myself. I think a better option might be to fore go the way that the jumping jack bed wings are secured in the first place since there is slop built into the design by only having the front secured via the bolt in a slot on the bed wings, and nothing in the back. It was designed to have a load on the top, and as Dnellans said, when you have a bike or quad or something on top it doesn't clank around.

I was thinking of getting some latches like these:

and putting a pair on the front and the back. As well as putting some kind of rubber gasket or something. I just think that if I don't find a way to secure the back side of the bed wings, that in spite of there being material between the pieces of metal, youre still going to have banging when you go over washboard etc.

I added those. No give I sheered the bolts off the two rear clips. Now I just use my Sailor skills and toss some line on it. Yeah they are noisy!! Old bike tire tube rubber cemented as a pad worked for a busy summer tho.

 

[calicamper]

Does anybody have opinions on using the buddy heater in the Jumping Jack. Having the baby in the tent made me too nervous to leave the heater running all night with fear of suffocation. Are people venting with the jumping jack windows? And how much? Was only my second time using the heater so I'm not very familiar with them.
I was venting the corner flap of a window, but felt that it was letting most the heat out

We use the little buddy in the mornings to warm up the tent as we get up. Takes about 8 minutes to go from 30-to 75 lol

 

[trint99]

I put that same tongue box on mine.

What model/make is the toolbox?

 

[calicamper]

What model/make is the toolbox?

Amazon purchase