2011 Schutt Industries LTT 1 1/2 Ton Trailer Chassis based Adventure Trailer Build

[skersfan]

Great to see your post sir!! Wheeling around, you need to slow down!! lol. If you have problems with the Dexter stuff, let me know, I will see if I can help. Glad to hear you are feeling better. Keep doing what you can, do not over do it. Have a great weekend.

Oh it looks like eers are surprising a few in college football this weekend. Good job!!!

 

[Mark Harley]

Keep your spirits up. Glad to see you are headed to church. God is GREAT!
Praying for a fast and full recovery.
Mark

 

[SamM]

Bob,
Thanks! I'll let you know. It was a great game. Last week, they got smoked. Awesome game today though!

Thanks Mark!
He is good! I remember praying during my crash and then, waking up shoved between 2 steel I-beams. That was after I bounced off the guardrail. Somehow, I knew that I would be ok. I remember everything, the rescue, ambulance ride, helicopter ride, the doctors at the Trauma unit and all my nurses. I was able to thank most of them personally. I was in the ICU four days. It was a steady stream of family, well wishers and my church family for 10 days. Not everyone got to see me but they were all there.

I'm very thankful to still be here! Thanks for the prayers! Without them, I would not be here. I also wanted to mention that my best friend and Pastor, Rob was with me when I crashed. His brother-in-law Dave, also a very good friend of mine was there too. They both laid hands on me and prayed for me for 35 minutes, until the rescue squad got there. They kept me calm, kept me from going into shock and more than likely saved my life. My buddy Jeremy from work had a cellphone that worked and called for help. Without these guys, I would probably not be here.

My wife Stacy, daughter Caitlyn and my mom Ileen, have all been taking care of me since the crash. They have done a terrific job!

Sam

 

[xkid]

The curb weight on my trailer is listed as 1175#. Stock it came with 37" tires and HUMVEE wheels. That's heavy stuff. I don't plan to use any of that. There's still quite a bit that can be cut off it. With the MOPAR Class III hitch, the Jeep is rated for 3500#.

I thought the 4 doors were 3500. 2 door,2,000.

 

[SamM]

Don't know about that. My MOPAR hitch is rated at 3500# with a 350# tongue weight. That's what they told me and what the paperwork says. Honestly, it doesn't matter because my trailer will never be close to that. I've removed all the heavy military steel components from it already. The frame will also be cut down a little as it is still too wide.

The criteria for keeping the TorFlex axle is that the new hubs and brakes have to tuck the wheels up closer to the frame. Not sure that's possible. If not, the Timbren suspension will cut much more weight from it.

 

[xkid]

That's good news. I've herd of a 2 door pulling 3,000lbs anyway.

 

[trail-explorer]

I thought the 4 doors were 3500. 2 door,2,000.

That's correct.

The hitch rating being "3500lbs" is the max weight that hitch can handle so long as the tow rig also has that rating.

Since the 2 door is only rated at 2000lbs, that means 2000lbs max towing with the 2 door, regardless of what the hitch says.

The hitch is the same for both the JK and JKU.

 

[trail-explorer]

As for the trailer. I've been thinking about calling a Dexter to see if electric brakes and hubs are available for the TorFlex axle. They should be. Depending on what they tell me, I may just stick with the stock axle. I'll keep you posted.

Should fit. Trailer axles using a industry standard four bolt flange on them... whether it's a Torflex or leaf sprung axle. The trailer brake assembly has 4 studs in it to go through the holes in the flange.

As long as the trailer axle has the flange, you're good to go.

 

[SamM]

Thanks for the information! I don't expect my trailer to weigh much over 1000#. When it's loaded I don't expect to see anything over 2500#. My Jeep should easily handle that. The TorFlex axle will be removed from the Schutt trailer as I need to drop weight and match the track width of my Jeep JK. A new suspension will accomplish this easily and will be worth the cost. After much thinking, I just feel that this is the right way to go for my build. I've recently emailed Main Line Overland and plan to order a Gobi rack and have it installed before Winter hits here. They will also install a set of a AEV corner protectors at the same time. My trailer suspension mods will have to wait until these Jeep mods are completed first.

As for my surgery, I still feel like garbage. It's hard to sleep at night. Most of my sleeping is done from 4am til noon. The doctors looked at my knee Friday and reported that everything looks great. I start physical therapy on Tuesday and have that twice a week for the next several months. I've been able to get out and about, a couple of times and actually went today and bought my wife a new 2014 Jeep Compass. Her Ford Taurus blew a water pump and head gasket last week. It just wasn't worth fixing. It's not a Wrangler but she likes the Compass and it will serve her well in the Winter.

I plan to start cutting on the trailer again, sometime this week. I will post pictures of the progress.

SamM

 

[Mark Harley]

Great to hear you are healing well Sam.
Take it easy but work hard on PT.
Looking forward to more of the build.
Mark

 

[k9lestat]

samM congratulations on the trailer. i had my knee replaced at ripe old age of 41, so i feel you pain about the sleeping. i know im not one to take pain meds, but i figured out with the surgery recovery and therapy that it was best to take it as ordered. so all ill tell you is two things, not to sound like a know it all, the stationary bike is you friend to get your range of motion back. the first few seconds will hurt but it gets better after the joint warms up. second thing is take your meds like they tell you. it will help you sleep better and be more comfortable through the day. good luck with your recovery. i wish you the best.

 

[SamM]

Thanks k9lestat!

I'm trying to take the meds but I'm not a big fan of them. They do help at certain times and that's a big plus. I just sold my mountain bike and I'm looking to replace it with something newer. I have a stationary mount for it and plan on using it in my living room.

The trailer is super cool. I think that I bought it right and it should serve me well.

Thanks for the good advice!

SamM

 

[skersfan]

Sounds good man. Looking forward to your build!!

 

[SamM]

Thanks!

I've put off buying anything for the trailer until the end of October. My Jeep MOAB is getting a new Gobi roof rack and AEV corner protectors. All my extra cash is going for those parts and the installation by Main Line Overland. I've also just purchased 1.25" TeraFlex wheel spacers and POR15 paint for the Jeep's frame. The Rugged Ridge 1.5" spacers stick the wheels out just a bit too much. There likely won't be much of a difference between the wheel spacers. Just trying to fly under the radar. As for the POR, I have a few rust spots starting on the frame and want to get ahead if it. The POR will keep the rust from growing out of control. I pointed the rust out at the time of purchase but the dealership didn't think it was a problem. If the frame rusts out they will replace it and anything I do will not void anything. I have that in writing. A CouplerTec rust proofing system is also going on the Jeep to keep any future rust at bay. All this needs done before Winter. My only plans for the trailer, are to start the stripping procedure back up this weekend. I should feel good enough then, to get back into it. Not sure if I mentioned this but I did buy 2 MOPAR Winter wheels for the trailer. The stock Jeep Goodyear Wranglers will be used for the trailer the Jeep is getting stock sized Goodyear Duratracs.

My goal is to keep my Jeep as stock as possible to keep my million mile warranty intact. All the extra systems will go into the trailer. I think this plan will work the best for me and keep my Jeep usable as my DD. The Gobi roof rack will protect my soft top during the Winter and enable me to carry a solar panel to keep my single Jeep battery topped off. Some recovery gear will go on the rack as well. For shorter trips, when the trailer wouldn't be needed the planned RTT could be mounted to the rack as well. The extended warranty will keep me from installing dual batteries in the Jeep. A Warn ZEON winch will eventually go into my stock AEV front winch bumper. Dual batteries would be nice but I won't be able to upgrade to that. A deep cycle Optima will replace the stock Jeep battery. The trailer will have dual Optima batteries as well and the ability to jumpstart the Jeep in case of an emergency. Minimal winch use will be the plan. I may be able to setup a system to run the winch power from the trailer, not sure if that is feasible though.

If anyone has thoughts please post them.

SamM

 

[Titanpat57]

I think you're on the right track (vehicle and trailer wise)..and glad to here surgery recovery is coming along as well.

I use two batteries in the trailer and truck, but have yet to run out, even after 4 days of hard usage. I used 6Volt Interstates in the trailer, and a Group 34 and a Group 31 Sears Platinum AGM in the truck. I like the idea of jumping from the trailer. On extended stays without power I throw the Honda generator in the truck. Bob(Skersfan) has some good info on batteries he uses for his builds...very serious. Think removable and transferable as systems go...you'll get your biggest bang for your buck that way. The Jeep mods sound awesome.

You're going to let those *$%@#+!^ from Main Line work on your truck?!

lol..


We just came back from the Cove last week..with several different trucks they've worked on.....they really, really do nice work, and are great bunch as well.

Keep the good thoughts going!