Building an OUT (Overland Utility Trailer) from Anchor Mountain Overland

[Greg@RME]

It's the little things that make it great.

Got the gas assist struts mounted to the lid today, they're rated for 250#'s each. I built a 2"x 2" square mount on the tub and aluminum angle iron on the lid. I wanted to mount the RTT, but I think I'll need to build a bracket to space it off the lid of the trailer, because the bolts for the hinge mount are perfectly in the way of the RTT mount. I think I'll have some 1/8" sheetmetal bent up in a 3" x 4" x 3" C-channel an bolt the RTT to that.

I set the lid to open at about 80 degrees, so I have easy access to all corners of the tub. If it ends up being too much, I can move the strut mount on the lid end for a little less. I'm hoping with the weight of the RTT this degree of opening will be fine.

 

[dytrdr5]

Very awesome build, your build has inspired me to start building my own. Hopefully I can get the funding to order a tub soon and go from there

 

[Greg@RME]

Very awesome build, your build has inspired me to start building my own. Hopefully I can get the funding to order a tub soon and go from there

Thanks, it's been a very worthwhile project! Buying the tub is the biggest step, after that it's just a whole bunch of little things!

 

[Greg@RME]

More progress, but it's still not 'ready' for a trip yet but it's getting close. I ended up with a new spare Duracell AGM battery, rated for 70Ah and 760 CCA. It's more than enough to run the water pump and anything else I add to the trailer! I built a battery mount out of some square tube, the battery flares out on the bottom and it's captured on all 4 angles. The battery mount has nuts welded inside the tube and bolts thru the tub to secure it.

I then built a simple mount for the RTT, kind of similar to a roof rack. It spaces the RTT up 4 1/2" over the trailer lid and makes it easy to access the bolts to the RTT. With the tent deployed, I'm able to duck and access the entrance without too much effort.

There was a discussion on FB about the location of the solar panel, at the front of the trailer is the easiest solution. If it ends up there, I'll cover it with plexiglass so it doesn't get damaged from rocks kicked up. The other suggestion from @BoxRocket was to put it on slides, under the RTT and pull it out when needed. I love that idea, but don't think I have enough wire length to make that work.

 

[Greg@RME]

So I've been making a mad dash to get this thing ready for a Baja trip.... that's happening in 2 days. I've had to plumb and wire the water pump, add a switch panel with a volt gauge and 2 USB inputs, add bump stops, build a mount for the Camp Chef Triton hot water heater, mount the propane tank, etc, etc etc. After all that, I put 20 gallons of water in the fresh water supply tank and went for a test drive to see how it handles! It has been a roller coaster and I have a lot going on, but it's getting there!

For this trip, I'm NOT going to run the solar panel.... the battery is rated for 70 amp hours and a 20 hr rate.... the pump pulls 3.5 to 7 amps max. I think I'll top the battery off before the trip and run it without solar. If I have to charge it, I'll hook up jumper cables from the truck for 30 min.

And a video of running, hot water.... and it is awesome!

 

[wvtradbow]

Great looking trailer, a very clean build.. I really like the simplicity of this trailer.. The roof racks are awesome!

 

[Greg@RME]

Great looking trailer, a very clean build.. I really like the simplicity of this trailer.. The roof racks are awesome!

Thanks, I appreciate that! I'm a fan of the KISS principal, just the basic needs for this build. I'm very happy with how it's all coming together, I think it will be a great trailer for many trips in the future.

 

[AnchorMTN]

The build turned out great, Greg!! Post pics from Baja!!

 

[Greg@RME]

The build turned out great, Greg!! Post pics from Baja!!

I really need to take more pics with the OUT, will work on that.

The trip from Colorado to San Felipe, 950 miles one way, was uneventful. The trailer pulls perfectly, on road and in the dirt. It gets attention all over, people love seeing the pressurized hot water!

 

[ripperj]

Great clean build, nice write up... thx for posting


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Xbcasey]

Why don't you just wire your battery to the charge circuit on your trailer plug? Then your truck will charge the trailer battery anytime it's running, and there's no way you'll drain that battery overnight intermittently running the water pump and charging phones etc. But very nice build, you have far more attention to detail than I do!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Greg@RME]

Why don't you just wire your battery to the charge circuit on your trailer plug? Then your truck will charge the trailer battery anytime it's running, and there's no way you'll drain that battery overnight intermittently running the water pump and charging phones etc. But very nice build, you have far more attention to detail than I do!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I thought about it, but decided against it as the trailer was already wired up. Before our trip to Baja, I simply charged the battery before leaving and had plenty of power after the trip. We didn't need the pump much, but when I left I had 12.6 volts and when I returned after emptying the 20 gallon tank and 9 days later, I still had 12.4 volts. I think I'll just leave the battery on a trickle charger when it's not being used. I will probably add a suitcase solar panel and just carry it inside the trailer, just in case I do run low on power while out & about. Set it up on a sunny day and top off the battery.

 

[dytrdr5]

Hi Greg, do you remember about how much Eastwood chassis paint you used up? Thanks

 

[Greg@RME]

Hi Greg, do you remember about how much Eastwood chassis paint you used up? Thanks

I used 2 quarts, it went quicker than i thought it would.