Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

Some weeks ago I wrote that OO had asked me to design a new Tactical First Aid/First Responder bag based on their Tactical Tool Bag. They made a prototype of the bag shell for me - it can hang on the seat back the same way their Tactical Tool Bag does. I think I posted this photo when the bag shell arrived:



With that in hand, I designed the inner compartments for medical supplies, sent them the design and they sent me the final inner "pocket pages" the other day. They're removable, held in place in the bag with Velcro, so all I had to do was stick them in the bag and fill them with medical supplies to see how everything worked out. I put everything in this photo in the pockets in the bag:








Project done.

The other day they asked me to design two more things, I'll post about them if and when I do them.

 

[jscherb]

At Overland West this year I picked up a design assignment - a carry bag for the Thunderbox folding toilet (https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/barn-door-for-jk-factory-hardtops.127687/post-3173471). I posted this image at the time:

The idea was that OO would manufacture these for the Thunderbox people, OO wouldn't sell them to customers, they would just supply them to Thunderbox and Thunderbox would sell them.

I did a simple design and gave it to the OO people to implement.

Here's the result from OO:





I think it's a little nicer than the burlap bag.

 

[jscherb]

About a month ago I posted that I was considering getting a Grenadier (https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/barn-door-for-jk-factory-hardtops.127687/post-3190363). I'm still thinking about it, and found one on the dealer lot that has most of the options I'm interested in - it's got the "Trailmaster" package - lockers, auxiliary battery, high load auxiliary switch panel plus a few features I don't want (don't want the snorkel but that can be removed). I've researched the dual battery option and it's a bit disappointing - it's set up as a parallel system, which doesn't appear to isolate the starting battery from the campsite load (fridge, etc), so it seems that a campsite load drains both batteries. The way I have the dual battery systems set up in my JKU and LJ, the house battery is isolated and the campsite load can never drain the starting battery. If my research is correct, and if I buy this Grenadier, I'll want to reconfigure the factory dual battery system to isolate the two batteries when the engine isn't running.

This one has a rear receiver but I would also want a front receiver, that's an option the dealer can install. I have receivers that "quick install" on the front of all of my Jeeps so I can use my receiver-mounted winch up front and I'd want the same capability on the Grenadier.

This is the one on the dealer lot:



If I do buy it, I'll "semi-retire" the JKU. Meaning, I'll keep it for now because I still do design projects for MORryde and Overland Outfitters and need it for measurements and testing prototypes, but I'll probably return it to stock - I'll remove the Safari Cab hardtop and flat fenders and see if anyone is interested in them.

I'm writing this from Denver, I'm on my way to Las Vegas for the SEMA Show. As I do every year, I'll post about interesting things I see at SEMA, stay tuned.

 

[Zeep]

Safe travels Jeff!

 

[jscherb]

From the point of view of innovative products for Jeeps, SEMA is a bit of a disappointment this year - I didn't see too many new products that I think will make a difference. I'll post a few products when I get a chance, but I'll start with the concepts in the Stellantis space...

 

[jscherb]

While there wasn't as much innovation in new products at SEMA this year as one might like, I did see a few interesting new products.

Yakima was showing two new things. Their "Ribcage" acknowleges that Jeep has never thought they should make a hardtop that's capable of supporting weight on top. Ribcage includes roll-bar mounted brackets that support tracks on top of the hardtop; drilling through the hardtop seems to be required. Shown for a JL, not clear if they plan to offer JK or TJ/LJ versions.



They are also showing cargo boxes they are calling GearCrates. They'd soft but stiff with corner reinforcements. They seem pretty sturdy and probably won't make any noise on the road or trail. I like them.



This spare-mounted fuel can was one display from Overland Fuel, a European company: https://overlandfuel.eu/. It holds 8.5 liters (a little more than 2 gallons) and fits nicely in this 17" spare. They come in other colors for different fuels and water, and they also offer "rotopax-style" containers. It isn't clear if they can be bought here, clicking on the "Where to Buy" link on their site returns blankness.



BTW the container was shown on a Grenadier, one of 5 at the show.




Chinese company Winbo was showing these accessory mounts that bolt to the door. They're not very large so probably limited to smaller gear as shown. Not sure how useful they might be.






Suction mount company SeaSucker was showing a new suction-mount table. It's quite wide but probably not deep enough to hold a stove or something similarly large, but probably a useful campsite accessory.



BTW MORryde is still working on finalizing the suction-mount table design they got from me, a few weeks ago they sent me this prototype; I posted this photo when I tested it:



Caliber, a company I have not seen before, was showing a new JLU hardtop with sliding roof panels.





Looks like a nice design, but why waste all that cargo space by making it a fastback?

More to come.

 

[jscherb]

If anyone is interested, I posted the Grenadiers and Quartermasters of SEMA over here: https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/ineos-vehicles-at-sema-2024.246435/#post-3194729

 

[jscherb]

ARB was showing several new compressors with brushless motors. They claim these have 50% better output than compressors with brush-type motors, and told me the single version with the brushless motor has a 3.1 cfm output at 36 psi. They also say there are sensors inside the compressor that monitor the compressor temperature and control a cooling fan. They say these will be available late January/early February and the single version will have an MSRP of $469.



A video from ARB on these new compressors:


Last year I worked on a 4-way air hose for airing up/down all tires simultaneously (https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/barn-door-for-jk-factory-hardtops.127687/post-3147386). I was actually doing it for a compressor company (not ARB) and when I finished the prototype I sent the details along to the compressor company. They moved ahead on it, and were showing this at SEMA:



It comes with the carrying pouch seen at lower right.

Nice to see that something resulted from my work .