gravelhack
Heavy Hauler
PO mounted tire carrier
there, I will try to get you some pictures. Lets put our heads together and come up with an easier way to remove/install tent from trailer. Thats a heavy unit. Sawhorses with rollers?
2007 Jumping Jack Build
- Thread starter dnellans
- Start date
there, I will try to get you some pictures. Lets put our heads together and come up with an easier way to remove/install tent from trailer. Thats a heavy unit. Sawhorses with rollers?
I've never actually removed mine - what is the claimed weight on it, something like 240lbs? Thats way more than one person can handle and pushing it for 2. The tent bag has that steel frame around the bottom of it that i would presume can support the weight of the pod, what about just running lengths of 1.5 inch webbing from side to side under the whole thing between the wood and tent bag? that would provide 2 handles on each side that would at least make it somewhat easier to lift up - or you could at least attach it to a garage ceiling pully that way and just lift it up instead of having to slide it out?
gravelhack
Heavy Hauler
Engine hoist....maybe?...I like the idea of lifting it. Mine has four straps for handholds I wonder if you could pick on them
I use the trailer as a utility trailer from time to time. So I have been taking the tent out by using a piano dolly under one side and then lifting the other side up and rolling it out until I can set one end down on the garage floor. Then I take the piano dolly out of the other side, put it under the side on the garage floor and roll it out of the trailer the rest of the way. I'm a fairly big guy so I find the weight manageable but definitely not easy by any means. Hence looking for a more elegant solution.
Currently, my tent bag already has four webbing strap loops on/ near all four corners. I take a pole and slide it through two of them on one end to give me a nice big handle to lift up an end. They are stout, stitched to the bag, and run the length of the bag on the under side, so I feel confident they could handle the weight, if I were to lift the whole thing up using them.
I had thought about a cherry-picker engine hoist but didn't like the idea of having to have a big clunky piece of equipment in the garage where space is already at a premium. I much prefer the idea of having some kind of dedicated simple thing mounted to the ceiling that can handle the job of lifting it a few inches out of the trailer (enough to raise it and roll the trailer out from under it) and then setting it down and reversing the process to put it back.
I think I'm settling on a hoist and gambrel set up. Cheap, can handle the weight, and I can stick it in a drawer when not being used. I have a beam running the width of the garage that holds up the second floor of my house. Should be strong enough to put an eyehook in it and lift the tent bag.
I figure I can use a couple of ratchet straps with hooks on either end to hook onto the webbing loops on the tent, and then put those into the gambrel and lift it up. By using all four points of contact, and lifting using two, it should keep it even and stable. I would just need a helper to pull the trailer out from under it as it's held up, or have a loop in one end of the rope that I can put onto a hook while I do it. The one pictured above is sized for 600lbs, so it should handle the 250 +/- lbs of the tent. Plus it's only $26 bucks
Currently, my tent bag already has four webbing strap loops on/ near all four corners. I take a pole and slide it through two of them on one end to give me a nice big handle to lift up an end. They are stout, stitched to the bag, and run the length of the bag on the under side, so I feel confident they could handle the weight, if I were to lift the whole thing up using them.
I had thought about a cherry-picker engine hoist but didn't like the idea of having to have a big clunky piece of equipment in the garage where space is already at a premium. I much prefer the idea of having some kind of dedicated simple thing mounted to the ceiling that can handle the job of lifting it a few inches out of the trailer (enough to raise it and roll the trailer out from under it) and then setting it down and reversing the process to put it back.
I think I'm settling on a hoist and gambrel set up. Cheap, can handle the weight, and I can stick it in a drawer when not being used. I have a beam running the width of the garage that holds up the second floor of my house. Should be strong enough to put an eyehook in it and lift the tent bag.
I figure I can use a couple of ratchet straps with hooks on either end to hook onto the webbing loops on the tent, and then put those into the gambrel and lift it up. By using all four points of contact, and lifting using two, it should keep it even and stable. I would just need a helper to pull the trailer out from under it as it's held up, or have a loop in one end of the rope that I can put onto a hook while I do it. The one pictured above is sized for 600lbs, so it should handle the 250 +/- lbs of the tent. Plus it's only $26 bucks
Last edited:
couple more trips out and some minor stuff was annoying me about the JJ so fixed them up. The pull handles on the 3 pins you use all the time were pieces of ****, broken, bent, or flimsy. Spend all of $2 to add some decent split rings to make them easier to pull out. the two front screws that keep the beds from bouncing around if you dont have anything on top of it are too long and hit the table. While that may have been intentional to keep them from loosening, I thought it was a pain in the *** to have to lean the table forward just to unscrew them, so i was just not using them. went over a rail road track pretty fast and noticed them bounce up 12inches so thought i should probably actually ahve those screws in place... a little work with the dremel and I can use them without frustration now. Haven't done it yet but next step i'm going to put a strip of dynamat or something along the top edges of the bed rails so that its not metal on metal clanking from the bed wings on them when driving down the road with any bouncing. should make it quieter to drive for $10 in supplies...
Attachments
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.
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.
Next mod before the desert was that I wasn't super happy with the space utilization of the propane rack. In prior trips I found having the propane locked down there was a pain since I always had to remove it to make it more convenient for cooking and the 20 gallon size was way more than I would normally need. Plus on the dirtbiking tank, I carry 10Gal of pre-mix and that stinks up the back of the truck. So I decided to turn the existing propane rack into a gas tank holder.
I reused the existing propane rack because it fits the tongue great and is really stiff, plus someone else or I could re-use it as a propane rack if they want later. The key was lowering the rack so it was level with the framerails so a box could mount on top of it easily. Normally the rack is about an inch higher than the frame rails to accomodate the foot of the jack. But since I cut that off a while ago in favor of a big *** wheel, lowering it worked with a little custom angle grinder work so that the jack body would have clearance. Then I just bought a pre-fabbed gas holder made for race trailers that was the right dimensions and mounted it with a couple stainless bolts/washers and a few other holes to keep the jugs from bouncing out (not that i would be too worried even without it).
Here is pic of the propane rack lowered - just redrill new lower holes in the frame and re-use the 1/4in sheet metal screws.
Pic of the premix jugs with bungie. I decided on the box style container so that if I don't need to bring gas I can put anything else in there I might need for the trip.
Oh and for those keeping score - since I didn't have a 20lb tank holder anymore I coughed up $100 bucks and bought a fancy *** composite 11lb propane cylinder. Aside from the sticker shock of it, I really like it. It definitely light, you can see the propane level in it, It stands up really nice and stable, and 11lbs appears to be more than enough propane for cooking and even using the big buddy propane heater for 3 nights. If you run the big buddy on high in really cold weather for a longer trip you might need more propane but at half burn and 40F temps in the desert it kept the jumping jack super toasty with just me in it on several nights. So score one for the big buddy setup in the tent too!
I reused the existing propane rack because it fits the tongue great and is really stiff, plus someone else or I could re-use it as a propane rack if they want later. The key was lowering the rack so it was level with the framerails so a box could mount on top of it easily. Normally the rack is about an inch higher than the frame rails to accomodate the foot of the jack. But since I cut that off a while ago in favor of a big *** wheel, lowering it worked with a little custom angle grinder work so that the jack body would have clearance. Then I just bought a pre-fabbed gas holder made for race trailers that was the right dimensions and mounted it with a couple stainless bolts/washers and a few other holes to keep the jugs from bouncing out (not that i would be too worried even without it).
Here is pic of the propane rack lowered - just redrill new lower holes in the frame and re-use the 1/4in sheet metal screws.
Pic of the premix jugs with bungie. I decided on the box style container so that if I don't need to bring gas I can put anything else in there I might need for the trip.
Oh and for those keeping score - since I didn't have a 20lb tank holder anymore I coughed up $100 bucks and bought a fancy *** composite 11lb propane cylinder. Aside from the sticker shock of it, I really like it. It definitely light, you can see the propane level in it, It stands up really nice and stable, and 11lbs appears to be more than enough propane for cooking and even using the big buddy propane heater for 3 nights. If you run the big buddy on high in really cold weather for a longer trip you might need more propane but at half burn and 40F temps in the desert it kept the jumping jack super toasty with just me in it on several nights. So score one for the big buddy setup in the tent too!
One other thing that was bugging me was having to put the ramp for the bike in the back of the truck. So after a few measurements, I had a buddy weld up some brackets for the back of the trailer to hold the ramp permanently when it wasn't in use - thanks Kep! Brackets keep it captured and two bungees hold it tight to the trailer and prevent any side to side shifting. I re-used the sheet metal screws from the big fugly JJ logo plate I took off a while ago with just some high temp loctite to secure them. I was a little worried about the screws holding up but since the ramp is aluminum and the bungies hold it tight to the trailer there doesn't seem to be much/any bouncing of it on the road and after 2600 miles back and forth they're still tight as when I put them in - good enough for me!
After using the ramp a couple times (10 foot folding aluminum) it definitely feels like a long way down the first time you ride the bike up it under power and its a bit nerve racking if you have never ridden a bike into the back of a truck (for example). I later discovered that with two people its actually easiest to just walk the bike up using a stool on one side so you step up onto the stool then a slightly big step up onto the JJ. The second guy can give you a little extra pushing power though with the 10 foot ramp its not a very steep angle and with a slightly taller stool like the ones they make for the truck+bike guys I could certainly do it myself. Long story short, bike under power works fine as long as you get over the pucker factor, unloading is fine with a stool, two people makes both jobs easier without any worry. So its not a perfect bike trailer, but certainly good enough for riding once a month or so.
After using the ramp a couple times (10 foot folding aluminum) it definitely feels like a long way down the first time you ride the bike up it under power and its a bit nerve racking if you have never ridden a bike into the back of a truck (for example). I later discovered that with two people its actually easiest to just walk the bike up using a stool on one side so you step up onto the stool then a slightly big step up onto the JJ. The second guy can give you a little extra pushing power though with the 10 foot ramp its not a very steep angle and with a slightly taller stool like the ones they make for the truck+bike guys I could certainly do it myself. Long story short, bike under power works fine as long as you get over the pucker factor, unloading is fine with a stool, two people makes both jobs easier without any worry. So its not a perfect bike trailer, but certainly good enough for riding once a month or so.
After the mods, I hadn't actually loaded the bike before this trip so was worried about fabbing up a wheel chock, etc. So went riding one day locally just to see how it all worked without one. There happens to be a really nice "knotch" in the middle of the trailer where the wings come together that can capture the front wheel of a bike perfectly. So one bike, no chock should even be considered, if/when I have more than one bike up there (when kids start riding) I might need to reevaluate that. I see people not using chocks all the time but man would it suck to have the front twist on your bike and fall over while you're on the road...
So after all that enjoyable modification and tweaking time I actually set out for the desert. Hit the wheel bearing zerks on the JJ with a little mobil 1 synth grease before going since I've never actually looked at them (maybe not wise since I bought the trailer used). With the new bigger wheels/tires I'm even less likely to burn them out since they're spinning slower so just went for grease and go. 1,300 miles both ways and trailer pulled like a champ and was great getting up to the camp on a big wash road that required 4-low but no locker in a couple spots to keep on trucking. I appreciated having the bigger tires on the JJ since they didn't dig into the sand. My only towing complaint I've got is that the tongue to wheel distance on the JJ feels pretty short and it can be a little fickle when backing up, but thats the price you pay.
One other nice thing I REALLY like is that the expanded metal on the top of the JJ makes it super easy to just throw a couple action packers on top and then find some spots for ratchet straps to secure them down. With the railings all around it you never have to worry about stuff sliding off even if it shifts a little bit. I don't have any pictures but on the way home I didn't even both with the ratchets, just a couple of bungies around 4 action packers and it was perfect.
One other nice thing I REALLY like is that the expanded metal on the top of the JJ makes it super easy to just throw a couple action packers on top and then find some spots for ratchet straps to secure them down. With the railings all around it you never have to worry about stuff sliding off even if it shifts a little bit. I don't have any pictures but on the way home I didn't even both with the ratchets, just a couple of bungies around 4 action packers and it was perfect.
One complaint about the "table" and leg extensions you can buy and can see in the picture just to the left of the awning with some goalzero solar panels on it. They're actually too long which makes the table height annoyingly high to try and use for cutting or cooking dinner on. I'm going to measure a few other tables and then cut the legs down by 6? inches or so to make it a more standard table height. That should also remove a little bit of the shaky-ness that the table I hope, because the legs are so skinny and all independant the table is pretty unsteady. Its not that it will ever fall over, it just sort of jiggles if you bump into it.
chromedragon
New member
thanks for a very interesting read. I have been being eyeing the JJ X4 and am off to see them up close and personal at the Sacramento, CA international Sportsmans expo. I am very intreated in seeing it up close as so far all i have been able to see was the regular jumping jack out at sportsman where house in rocklin. The JJ folks have been falling all over themselves seeing me info i have a pile of videos on the set up and take down of the x4. My big concern is that that sleeping accommodations are not going to be comfy as it is a smaller platform. The regular JJ feels like i can sleep a small army in but it will mostly be me and my gf in the tent so would prefer the smaller trailer. also some of the way you can use the trailer and its flexible components appeals to me. love what you have done to the JJ has any one got any experience with an X4 Ill start a build thread if i do buy one at the show.
Rumline
Observer
Cool thread! I'm considering one of these trailers but I haven't seen too much info about the durability of the tent itself. How does it do in the wind? Also the door (or actually the zipper around the door) doesn't look super waterproof. Is it just the zipper that keeps water out, or is there a flap that covers the zipper?
On my 2 week trip to the desert there was some serious 30mph steady 50-60 gusts winds for 2 days and like you, I started getting a little worried about how much flapping it might do because lets face it, its pretty big! Yes it did some shaking but it was never even close to at risk of collapsing or anything, the internal uprights are beefy square steel and the horizontal supports are flexible but pretty darn stiff fiberglass. Having spent nights in 2-man backpacking and a 6 person big car camping tent in the same location over the years, I was -very- happy about how much wind isolation that thick canvas provides. When you're out there for two weeks you can get pretty wind burned just doing normal stuff in the day but getting whipped at night is the worst, it was a really nice relief. I wouldn't worry at all about it in basically any wind you'd remotely consider camping in. If my memory serves me right the zipper around the door is a lot like the windows, there is a "flap" behind it of the same canvas that basically serves as a little channel/backing to block any rain that might possibly spray in. Given how big the whole tent is though, to be honest, if it got a little wet by the door in days of constant rain I wouldn't even worry about it because you can move things away. Its not like its a 2 man backpacking tent where if a seam leaks you're sleeping on top of it. I've had it out in light rain for just 2 days max and haven't noticed any leaking anywhere but I wouldn't describe it as even heavy rain so I honestly can't say how well it would stand up to significant rain on par with my wind experience. Get one - you'll love it!
Lookin sweet dnellans!
I was wondering what wheel and tire setup you have there, and if you had to do any sort of lift for the torsion axles? I looked into it a bit and the bolt pattern at least on mine is the same as a lot of small trucks/suv's etc, i.e. a ford ranger and I think a jeep cherokee, so I could probably score some old takeoffs or something. But I like the look of yours. Was thinking of doing some kind of block to lift it before going with a full size tire though because I was afraid of having clearance issues. Have you had any so far?
I had to completely 86 those screw in handles on my JJ and I put together a threaded eye hook bolt with some cable to a couple of carabiners. Way stronger and I made them out of galvanized stuff so it doesn't rust so bad. The plastic handles both busted off. Make sure you leave plenty of slack on the cables or the plastic handle breaks and there's nothing to keep them from spinning out of the threads going over washboard etc. Found that out the hard way lol
Also, one of the welded on bolts on my table/panel thing busted off because of the wobbly legs. I actually don't even like the table because it's so heavy and awkward compared to a plastic foldup one from wallyworld, and I just use it for when I use the JJ as a utility trailer. Kind of a jankball design.
I like your mod for the ramps too. I have the JJ supplied aluminum ones. I might have to do something like what you did but mount them to the sides since they don't fold and they're too long to put on the back.
And as far as the beds, I finally got a 3" memory foam pad to put on top of the pads in the trailer because the pads that came with it by themselves were real uncomfortable to me at least. I could feel the crossbars etc too. Creative idea putting the foam boards in there. probably adds a little insulation under you too.
I like that propane tank you've got also. I like having the extra propane with the bigger tank, especially on my late season hunting trip when we ran the big buddy a lot, but not having to lug around the big heavy steel tank would be nice. The $150 +/- price tag is hard to swallow though. Have you found it to be worth it so far?
My last trip I was an idiot and I accidentally left the rear stabilizer foot down and bent the living hell out of it. Trying to see about getting a replacement or figuring something else out. I'll let you guys know what I come up with when I figure it out just in case one of you goes full-moron like I did lol
Anyhow, thanks for the pics!
Last edited: