2018 Three Feathers Mfg. 'Trail Head'

[80t0ylc]

So been home for a couple of weeks and got time and weather to work on the heater. It's working out better than I thought that it would. Wanted to hang the heater on the wall under the passenger side window, near where the LPG hose portal that I fabbed. I need to get a scrap of plywood and not rely on the paneling for strength. This little heater really warms up the cabin fast. I believe I'll be able to also use it under my AluCab awning with the wall kit setup.

The hose is a very useful length. With the tank outlet pointed towards front of trailer, it gives options of where I can set heater in cabin. If I wall mount the heater I can leave the tank outlet pointed rearwards which is the same config for running my cooking stove. It's long enough to reach the ground and point the heater toward the galley or to the space by the fender.


There's a real pucker factor when drilling a 3" hole in the side of your trailer hoping you don't hit anything in the walls such as wiring. Luckily it was just a ground connection. The insulation got damaged, but there was enough slack to be able to cut out the bad and install a butt splice fix.



Weather stripping and silicone on outside and fabbed up redneck trim on the inside. Cut a piece of foam rubber to sit inside the portal to keep out dust and small insects when traveling. Cut a slit in the foam and it can be crammed around hose to provide a seal during use of heater in cabin.

You can see foam piece inside black

 

[80t0ylc]

I got to thinking when figuring on how I was going to hang the heater on the wall that the small plywood trim piece would be better if I just removed it and cut a bigger piece that would also support the heater, so that's what I did. The paneling is as thick as the plywood (3/8") so the section of wall under the window is now twice as thick and IMHO, beefy enough to support the heater when in use. Hose will reach propane tank in it's mount with no problem, whatever direction the fitting is facing.



Originally on the wall under the window there was a net pocket that I had removed and was going to relocate. Turns out it would still work fine except when heater was hanging on the wall. Just have to remove whatever was stored in it. Heater is above the mattress if I ever put the original queen size back in.

What it looks like finished with out heater.


I'm pretty pleased with the results. The heater doesn't impose too much into the sleeping area. Not as convenient or efficient as a forced air furnace, which is what I originally was leaning toward, but I think the Buddy is totally adequate and I think, more versatile since I can bring it out in the annex if I want.

 

[80t0ylc]

Just noticed an issue with the tires on my Ark XO750 Jockey Wheel tongue jack. On one the tread has actually broken and both have what I consider to be premature wear. The rating on the jack is 750 KG which is 1653 lbs and my tongue weight is no where near that. The only use the tires have seen is being pushed around my concrete driveway occasionally, so nothing out of the ordinary. I've emailed Ark and waiting for a reply. Here's a pic taken tonight, but shows the wear and broken tread.

 

[80t0ylc]

Ark was founded in Australia and I mistakenly contacted them 1st. They were ready to ship me new wheels 'free of charge" until they realized I was in the USA. Turned over to Ark USA and their reply was "Please send some images when possible and I will see what we can do for you." So should find out soon if Ark USA will honor the "home team's" intention.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Disappointing to see such problems on ARK products. There's another thread here with a person whose ARK jockey wheel bent while being moved in a slightly raised position, too.

I've had two of their XO750 jockey wheels and had great experience with both, but admittedly, didn't use either for all that long.

 

[80t0ylc]

Disappointing to see such problems on ARK products. There's another thread here with a person whose ARK jockey wheel bent while being moved in a slightly raised position, too.

I've had two of their XO750 jockey wheels and had great experience with both, but admittedly, didn't use either for all that long.

Did they bend a wheel or the post? The post is marked for the height you should use during any movement. It makes sense if you think about the stress involved, especially on rough terrain. But even on any smooth surface, it's common sense to lower it just to keep the stress to a minimum. The tread on the tires is the only disapointment I've had with the jack. Flat hard surface must be really hard on it because my concrete driveway is where it gets moved the most and that is only occasionally.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Did they bend a wheel or the post? The post is marked for the height you should use during any movement. It makes sense if you think about the stress involved, especially on rough terrain. But even on any smooth surface, it's common sense to lower it just to keep the stress to a minimum. The tread on the tires is the only disapointment I've had with the jack. Flat hard surface must be really hard on it because my concrete driveway is where it gets moved the most and that is only occasionally.

They bent the post. Yes, I agree it makes sense to lower the jack before rolling.

 

[80t0ylc]

Ark eventually got the wheels in stock and shipped replacements, back in August I believe. I installed them and kept one of the original wheels as a spare - the least worn, of course. The one with the chunk out of it got pitched. Looking at the construction of the wheel, I think I figured out what is happening. Grabbing the tongue to move the trailer causes the jack to rotate on both axis', - tires and jack shaft. On a hard surface (like my concrete driveway), the jack shaft rotation puts tremendous stress on the tires. The tires absorb this stress, especially if there is significant tongue weight. And with the design of my trailer's, axle location, there is at least 300 - 500 lbs of tongue weight, even empty. The more traction the jack tires have, the more stress they have to deal with during the jack shaft rotation. And these tires have a tread built into them for off road traction. This works negatively on them on a hard, dry, high traction surface. After study, it is obvious why the tread chunked like it did. The rubber is relatively soft and it's just pressed on to the steel wheels. The concept is very similar to turning the steering wheel in your rig, while it is standing still. On a hard surface, it wears rubber off the tires. On a softer surface, it leaves a divot in the tire marks.

So the verdict is: The tires on the Ark tongue jacks hold up much better on soft surfaces, like dirt or sand, than they do on solid rock or pavement. Despite this, I still highly recommend the Ark X0750 on an off road trailer!

 

[80t0ylc]

I've not been able to rely on my roof vent for keeping dust out of the trailer while towed on dirt. The vibration, gravity and wind have combined to close the vent past the point where the fan is operable. I even tried cutting wedges of foam rubber and stuffing on the edges, but they vibrate out and the lid comes down and shuts off the fan. So, I came up with a mod that hopefully will allow the fan to suck in relatively clean air and keep a positive pressure to keep dust from entering around door and window seals.

Rubber piece was cut off an air dam removed from my FX4


A filter to help keep air entering as clean as possible


Tuck rubber piece under rear edge of vent lid and adjust knob to tighten the grip to keep lid from vibrating


When not in use, it will not interfere with normal vent usage.

 

[80t0ylc]

One other change that I've made recently was to retire the wall kit for my Alu Cab awning. It was just too much of a hassle to use, unless camped for multiple days in one spot. Even then it took over an hour to set up and almost that long to pack up. I'll still use the awning for shade, especially for desert camps and hot weather disbursed camping when I'm solo and privacy is not an issue. I've replaced the wall kit with 2 Kelty Backroads Shelters. One for the galley and one for the P.S. door. Much quicker to set up and seals out rain better. The Kelty is very versatile and works well for many vehicle applications. They're sold out for awhile but available again on Amazon.



Some pics for clarity

 

[80t0ylc]

An update on the mod I made for my top vent after a group trip to the WYBDR - it works great, with one exception. Crossing Idaho on I84 and I86 on my trip I hit significant winds that caused the vent to close and shut off fan. I may not have cinched the lid down tight enough thinking that I was on paved roads and that is probably why. Once I got it cinched down tight, the vibration of the Northern trails on the WYBDR had no effect and the interior remained dust free, despite the dust that was kicked up.