2015 Subaru Outback - Expedition Retrofit

[midlifecrisis]

I cleaned things up today and was just goofing around in the back trying to get a feel for where things will go, etc. and I came up with this simple little mod that I think is going to be really nice for some "while you are there" short term storage. Those are the cargo nets that I got with the vehicle and they are both a "pouch".



I'll lose the big ugly mock-up carabiners for some nice soft straps to keep the clanking to a minimum, because I used a couple of quick easy ties strategically and the whole mess can actually stay up there while you are traveling and then just remove the ties and it drops down into place.

 

[calicamper]

45lbs empty 115 loaded. Most of the sag was due to the gear loaded in the back of the car. Trailer is 900lbs empty and typically 1300 loaded. All the boats and various trailer over the years with my subarus rarely ever come close to 150 on the tongue. I allways got lectures from folks when I towed my 8.5ft wide 21ft long racing boat all up it was 1800lbs with the trailer 25ft long. Towed great better actually than my little 4x6.

 

[midlifecrisis]

45lbs empty 115 loaded. Most of the sag was due to the gear loaded in the back of the car. Trailer is 900lbs empty and typically 1300 loaded. All the boats and various trailer over the years with my subarus rarely ever come close to 150 on the tongue. I allways got lectures from folks when I towed my 8.5ft wide 21ft long racing boat all up it was 1800lbs with the trailer 25ft long. Towed great better actually than my little 4x6.

That's really light in the tongue weight department, I'm surprised it doesn't want to butt whip around on the freeway when you tow it.
I believe conventional wisdom says 10-15% of the total weight should be on the tongue, which would be 130-195# on your loaded trailer.

 

[calicamper]

That's really light in the tongue weight department, I'm surprised it doesn't want to butt whip around on the freeway when you tow it.
I believe conventional wisdom says 10-15% of the total weight should be on the tongue, which would be 130-195# on your loaded trailer.

Only issue is no shocks gets bouncy with leaf springs.

 

[freshlikesushi]

On the water heater, I also toyed around with adding another tube of some sort along the back like is already on the unit that the legs slide into. If you hold the leg tight to the lower corners of the unit as if there were a second guide point there, it gets nice and sturdy as well. If I have to start jettisoning passengers from the lower decks to keep the weight down, maybe I will revisit that!

On the load issue, I will keep my eyes peeled as things come together and I may have to adjust some portions of The Plan I suppose.

I have a different focus than you as I'm not trying to build a super capable off-roader, just a great self contained road trip/self camper vehicle with all of the "normal" Outback off road capability for forest roads and some light wheeling perhaps. This is my daily driver, and I also really LOVE the car on an everyday basis, so I am going to be extremely cautious, to the point of leery, on any drive train or suspension changes. I don't want to do anything that is going to compromise how I use the car 90% of the time.

You're an excellent source of information and I really appreciate the input. It's nice to be second in line on some of these things as opposed to breaking trail.

edit: I was wondering, and I don't know much about the lift you did, but is it possible the lift pushes your out into a less coiled up spring which makes the delta when you load more obvious? Just spitballing....
I've circled back and started a weight log of everything and I bet your 300# estimate on the "loaded up" photo is light. I've been fairly shocked at the actual weights on some of these things.

Shower tent 19#
Roof rack (mine) 38# (yours is bigger/heavier)
Propane tank empty 11#
Water heater/stand 16#
Frig 49#
Starts to add up pretty fast...that's almost 150# right there, and that's before any beer.

and wood, carpet, clothing, books, camp stove, chairs, bedding (memory foam while isn't heavy, isn't light)


the springs (lift and normal) aren't really a huge difference or made for performance/offroading. its main purpose is exactly what you are doing. to give the back a little more support to accommodate loads

 

[freshlikesushi]

That's an interesting idea I had been wondering about myself toady.
Probably not a great solution for Grant with the four wheeling, but an air assist that you could pooch up when you needed it and drop back down for the rest of the time to a stock configuration would be perfect for me.

we cannot. Unlike a truck in the rear, we are a coil over shock design of a traditional strut which doesn't lend itself to that.

The biggest issue is lack of aftermarket for these cars yet. We are basically blazing paths and doing our own things because the market isn't there for it yet.

Shocks don't affect sagging, only the motion of the ocean. Spring sets ride height, stiffness etc. Shock controls that spring stiffness and controls how fast or slow it bounces basically

 

[midlifecrisis]

In the immortal words of Lieutenant Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, I love it when a plan comes together!!



The frig clears the headliner in the full open position by about 1/2".

 

[freshlikesushi]

i may take your idea and build a backseat platform. i dont have anyone in the backseat anyways

 

[calicamper]

Nice great fit.

 

[midlifecrisis]

i may take your idea and build a backseat platform. i dont have anyone in the backseat anyways

That was my line of thinking exactly. Not having a backseat keeps the riff-raff out too. ;-)

 

[midlifecrisis]

Back on the weight tally, I pulled the entire assembly out this evening to make a couple of adjustments and weighed it when I had it out.
The platform setup complete comes in at 143#. However, there is 80# of Subaru backseat crap currently laying in my storage loft as an offset.

I think a net 63# increase to have a purpose built ***-end is a fair trade.

 

[midlifecrisis]

Tonight's little project was pulling together a window screen.
The thought of sleeping inside of a car with no air flow doesn't excite me.

Some screen material from HD, some rolled strip magnet and a little bit of Suzy the Seamstress time and I think it turned out OK.

 

[freshlikesushi]

Back on the weight tally, I pulled the entire assembly out this evening to make a couple of adjustments and weighed it when I had it out.
The platform setup complete comes in at 143#. However, there is 80# of Subaru backseat crap currently laying in my storage loft as an offset.

I think a net 63# increase to have a purpose built ***-end is a fair trade.

not too shabby at all. less than I thought it would be. I think your whole setup weighs as much as my drawers, housing, and spare tire cover flip up. nice work

 

[midlifecrisis]

All buckled in.
It's amazing how much enjoyment I can get out of a simple little project that works how I had envisioned.


www.strapworks.com
If you are like me a get all warm inside over good strapping, give these guys in Eugene, Oregon a try. They have, and/or will make, pretty much anything you can think of, and it's extremely reasonable.

And no matter what you buy, make sure and get the "5 pound grab bag". He gives you literally 5 pounds of miscellaneous roll ends. It's a mystery what you will actually get, but for reference purposes I received something like 30 roll ends I would say ranging in length from 3 to 12 feet and a mixture of 1" and 2", all in black. I've read about folks getting all orange too, but if you're like me and don't care....the total cost is $1.00 (yes one dollar, not a typo) plus the add-on shipping which worked out to be like an extra $0.75 for me. Can you ever have too much strapping?

 

[freshlikesushi]

you should have strapped the handles down. Now its going to be a pita to open the fridge from the passenger seat