2018 Three Feathers Mfg. 'Trail Head'

[80t0ylc]

Recently, I was able to land a teardrop style trailer. It was listed in the classified section here on ExPo. When I first noticed it, was in process of being sold, but I checked back and the buyer backed out. So I jumped on it and worked out a deal with the original owner. I currently own a CVT utility style of trailer that this teardrop will replace. In the build of the CVT, I added several mods keeping in mind that my goal was a teardrop, so I'm able to move some of them to this trailer. I've already moved the 270* awning, the off road trailer jack and will be setting up the MaxCoupler on it eventually. I got the wall kit with the AluCab awning and it works well with this trailer. Since the wall kit doesn't come with an inner wall, I'm in the process of fabbing some barriers under the trailer to help block the wind and other negatives of the exposed opening. I'll eventually post some pics when finished. They're made of 7/16 OSB and hinges, so they swing up out of the way for transport. Here's a couple of current pics. The rest are from the classified thread from the original owner.

 

[80t0ylc]

My under the trailer wind block project seems to have worked out as planned. I also like the additional privacy for when camping in areas with other campers. They fold up completely out of the way for transport and when deployed provide fairly secure under-the-trailer storage while camped with my 270* Alu-Cab Shadow awning and wall kit. It helps to keep a tidy campsite. They still need to be tested in the wind at a camp site, instead of in my driveway.

 

[80t0ylc]

I set up the awning and wall kit to get the full effect. My driveway has some slope to it, so it was a little challenge to simulate a level camp spot that hopefully it will be set up when camping. I used cinder blocks at the corners and door to simulate wall tent pegs in case the wind kicked up. Also used my driveway canopy concrete tiedown points as awning wall pole anchor strap tiedown points, since I wasn't willing to drill more holes in my driveway for pole stakes.

 

[80t0ylc]

Since welding is not one of my skills, I hired my local welding & machine shop and supply to cut the original hitch off the tongue and drill holes to accommodate both the original cup & ball style or if I expect to tow in rough terrain I can instead, install my MaxCoupler hitch. (Wilson's Welding & Fabrication in John Day, OR.) The owner, Mitch has an excellent local reputation and has done work for me before. I trust his recommendations when it comes to high stress points like a trailer hitch and frame.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Cool set up! Will this be an addition to the stable or a replacement? What is the ready to go weight of the trailer?

 

[80t0ylc]

Cool set up! Will this be an addition to the stable or a replacement? What is the ready to go weight of the trailer?

Thanks, Phil! This replaces my CVT utility style. I"ve been wanting an off road teardrop since traveling with @Ace Brown in Baja. Thought I'd start with a cheaper util style and see how I liked trailer traveling and camping. Well, I found that it works for me. I had been scouting classified adds from time to time - not real intense, but occasionally. This opportunity came up at the right time. Finances were in place and I'm now an owner .

As far as weight goes, I've weighed both Land Cruiser and trailer (while towing) and LC by itself. Both were unloaded, so - LC by itself is 6900 lbs. Trailer was 1400lbs and LC was now 7200 lbs. This trailer appears to be about 500 lbs lighter than the CVT. The CVT will be up for sale soon, I just haven't listed it yet.

 

[80t0ylc]

The trailer came with a Mr. Heater BOSS (battery operated shower system), model XCW20 which was top of the line. However, and I was warned by the PO that it had some freeze damage. He had taken a quick look inside and saw a hole in the main heating manifold. But when disassembled, it was revealed that the visible hole was only part of the problem. Talking with their tech support on the phone, it was not repairable. Well, that was dissapointing. So I started looking at lesser models on line. I had an idea to get the middle model (XW18) and see what I could salvage off the XCW20 to use on it. That's just what I did and it turns out, quite a few things could be used to improve the XW18.

> The shower head with an on/off switch. So now I have a spare shower head.
> The intake/pump is the same so I have a spare pump.
> The XCW20 comes with a carrying bag, which I can still use.
> The propane regulator is the same so I have a spare.
> The AC charger is the same so I have a spare.
> A 12v cable comes with the XCW20, but not with the XW18 since there is no jack to plug it into. Mine is now modified to use the 12v cable.
> Misc parts can be used if needed....screws, handle, faucet, & some electronics.

In testing it out in my back yard, I've learning some things that are good to know ahead of time - instead of pulling it out of the box when I'm camped and trying to figure it out.

> Don't install the propane regulator with the connection pointing up - the burner will not light - even with an extension hose from a 11 lb tank.
> The heater will only raise the water temp 40*F, so if using cold water from a creek or other source, use a 5 gallon can and run the output from the shower head back into the 5 gallon can (recycle) at least once, to heat up the water. When the "Overtemp light" lights up, you have 5 gallons of water to shower with and that's plenty for a camp shower.
> If water stops, burner shuts off.
> On the XW18 if the burner shuts off for ANY reason, the main power switch needs to be recycled to restart the burner. I was hoping that using the shower head from the XCW20, that when shutting water off to soap up and then turning water back on to rinse off, that the burner would relight to keep heating the water. It worked that way on the XCW20, but not on the XW18. If I want to relight burner while in the shower, I'll have to reach outside shower stall and recycle main power switch. Not a big problem, but a little inconvenient. One reason why the XCW20 is top of the line.

My 23 Zero shower stall (not deployed) and 5 gallon shower can. I can set the heater & propane bottle on the fender. Hoses will reach with no problem.





You can see in this pic from my testing that I'm running the water back into the 5 gallon can.

 

[80t0ylc]

Took a short drive with the trailer in tow and decided to take some pics. Trailer and LC weren't loaded for a trip but some exterior pics were in order. Tongue appears to be riding almost perfectly horizontal, which is good. Looks like the hitch jack wheel might help keep the tongue off the ground in knarly terrain.



A couple more:




The trailer wheels track with the outside edge a couple inches outside of the LC's track. I'll have to keep that in mind offroad.

 

[80t0ylc]

I'm satisfied with the tongue and Maxcoupler clearance at almost 90*. The spare tire might contact the tongue on an extremely tight RH maneuver in rough terrain.





The Anderson connector is for trailer battery charging from LC while traveling.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Looking good TOM, when and where is the first outing?

 

[80t0ylc]

Looking good TOM, when and where is the first outing?

Thanks, Phil! I'm hoping before summer hits. I'm still looking to take a short shake-down cruise into the Owyee backcountry for several days. I imagine most of us are suffering from an extreme case of cabin fever about now....?

 

[billiebob]

Nice trailer, looks very simple and solid. And a LandCruiser to tow with, should be bulletproof. Enjoy !!

 

[80t0ylc]

Looking good TOM, when and where is the first outing?

Nice trailer, looks very simple and solid. And a LandCruiser to tow with, should be bulletproof. Enjoy !!

Thanks, guys!

 

[potatofire]

Wanted to see how you feel about the build of the trailer. We are looking at purchasing one. we were going to use it for trails and Forest service rd camping and were unsure of the wood structure holding up to the trails. Does it feel solid and does it seem like it would handle medium trail roughness? Any thing that would just need to be changed to make it better? Yours has almost sold us on the trailer. Thanks for posting and it looks good.

 

[80t0ylc]

Wanted to see how you feel about the build of the trailer. We are looking at purchasing one. we were going to use it for trails and Forest service rd camping and were unsure of the wood structure holding up to the trails. Does it feel solid and does it seem like it would handle medium trail roughness? Any thing that would just need to be changed to make it better? Yours has almost sold us on the trailer. Thanks for posting and it looks good.

Thank you! Yeah, the wood has me concerned, but I think the main frame (of the cabin) is metal. Because of the "shelter in place", I haven't made it out on the trails yet. But soon I think. Rural Oregon is more lax on traveling than the I5 corridor. There's also "noise" that Eastern OR will be soon open up in phases, starting as early as next weekend.

It has the fan vent in the roof which is bi-directional. I mention this because I'm concerned that on dusty roads, the interior might leak dust in. What I plan on trying is cutting a piece of foam rubber to use as a filter and set the fan to suck air in from the roof through my "filter" and provide a positive pressure that should keep the dust out.....I hope. The kitchen is completely sealed from the front sleeping area, so I don't know what I'll be doing about that. I've noticed though, that when closing the kitchen door, it resists which tells me that the seal is pretty tight.

I had the opportunity to meet the owner of the company the day I picked up the trailer. I purposely came home through La Grande, OR - which is where these are built. Talking with him, he sounded pretty savvy with off road trailers and their requirements. Their plant is right next to the Arctic Fox plant - a little smaller of course. He worked for them in the past and has built trailers on his own for several decades. He wanted me to send him pics of the trailer being used, which I thought was a good sign. To be totally honest with you, I'm wondering myself, how it will hold up off road. I've not got any feedback from other owners, because I don't know any. But you can bet that I'll be giving plenty on this thread. It may just be an optical illusion, but it seems like the trailer could use a little more ground clearance - we'll see! Adding brackets or mods to the body of the trailer is very limited because of the materials and their structure. There is a thin aluminum skin with some foam insulation under that and paneling on the inside. I was discussing adding a hanging organiser on the inside of kitchen door when talking with the owner. That door is a sandwich of 2 sheets of aluminum with foam inside with a frame. He made sure I was aware that care needs to be taken when drilling any holes, possibly drilling all the way through the door, using a nut and bolt arrangement for strength. But, when you think about it, it needs to be light. I'm just hoping that it's durable, too. I'll be finding out about that soon, I hope. I'll be on a group ROF run in late May or June doing the RimRocker in Colorado and Utah. One party in the group has a Hiker 4x4 Extreme, so it'll be a good comparison. I'll definitely give a report how that went. Thanks for your inquiry! I hope this helped.