Early Bronco Expo Trailer Build

[Miguel Sanchez]

Looks ************** man! How much does your planned RTT weigh?

It will be a CVT Shasta - supposed to be 150 lbs. I'm giving thought to tube-in-tube compression springs, as I need the force to be max when compressed and minimal when extended. As the rack reaches the top of it's arc, I don't want to be fighting the assist.

That, or possibly a small hydraulic jack or a cable/crank setup like a popup.



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[Mushin_Noshin]

I like your setup, looks great. If you have not already bought the rtt, I would stay away from cvt. Very poor customer service every time I have tried to deal with them. First when I tried to get a rtt, then again when I ordered an anti condensation mat. Placed order 2 months ago and can't get them to even call me back to tell me whats up. Try Tempui rtt love mine and great customer service.

 

[yj4trails]

Really like your idea of the tent mount hinging forward like that. The lid on my trailer opens from the rear also. Great option I will have to keep in mind if I ever get a roof top tent.

 

[Demo1986]

Like everyone mentions, the lift platform for your RTT is one I'll have to keep in my back pocket for when I get to that stage in my trailer build. What's the highest speed you've reached with your trailer?

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Like everyone mentions, the lift platform for your RTT is one I'll have to keep in my back pocket for when I get to that stage in my trailer build. What's the highest speed you've reached with your trailer?

Thanks! So far, max speed has been about 5 mph in the driveway ;-D. I need to at least get my lights wired up before the maiden voyage - maybe in a week or two.

I don't really foresee any issues at Bronco speed (low gears and 40 yr old technology = about 65 mph max), but we'll see. It has plenty of tongue weight and the extra tongue length ought to help. The suspension is pretty soft and wobbly however, so I may dual shock it before even trying it out.

Trailer brakes were installed to help straighten out any of those "oh sh@t" moments!


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[Demo1986]

I'm thinking I'll have to extend my tongue a couple feet and add quite a bit if weight up there. The sport trac beds have the wheels in the front half of the bed which is not what you want in a trailer. The legal speeds for a trailer here are 55 but I want to test it at 65-70 to make sure it's well balanced.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

I'm thinking I'll have to extend my tongue a couple feet and add quite a bit if weight up there. The sport trac beds have the wheels in the front half of the bed which is not what you want in a trailer. The legal speeds for a trailer here are 55 but I want to test it at 65-70 to make sure it's well balanced.

I agree. One thing I did not count on when designing mine is the radical balance point shift (fore-aft) that occurs when going uphill/downhill. Because of the high CG, you can have adequate tongue weight when level, but if you lift the tongue very far it will take over and fall back onto the rear bumper. When shortening my pickup box, I just centered the axle in the box length and figured the tongue and stuff would give enough weight forward. Were I to do it all over again, the axle really ought to be moved rearward by 6" or so.

I discovered this when I had it sitting on the tongue jack in my shop and I sat on the tailgate without thinking. I popped a huge wheelie and took off across the shop, nearly cratering my Ducati in the process! This is the reason for the spare tire location and forward bias of the tent rack when lowered...

A Sport Trac bed will make a cool trailer! Post a link to your build when you get to that point.

 

[Demo1986]

here's my build thread http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/122414-My-Matching-Sport-Trac-Trailer

 

[highlandercj-7]

Nice fab work!

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

98 degrees outside, hard to get too motivated... Empowered with cold beer, I pulled the rack, tonneau, and body off the frame in preparation for paint.

I'll weld in another set of shock mounts tomorrow night, then start prepping the frame for paint. Hope it cools off soon!


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[Xtreme XJ]

I'll weld in another set of shock mounts tomorrow night, then start prepping the frame for paint. Hope it cools off soon!

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Another set... the angle not working well or ?
Also... what happened with the batt. location ? I need you to guinea pig this part out... then I'll be able to figure out what I need to do... or not do: ylsmoke:

Looks great...

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Another set... the angle not working well or ?
Also... what happened with the batt. location ? I need you to guinea pig this part out... then I'll be able to figure out what I need to do... or not do: ylsmoke:

Looks great...

Yeah, with the angle those shocks ended up being mounted in (material on hand, had to work within their length and stroke), there is very little real shock piston movement; and thus very little damping. I put the rack and some simulated tent weight (hold on, honey!) on top and wiggled it around. Pretty darn floppy... I ordered a set of Monroe Gas Magnum RV shocks in the correct length to allow for nearly vertical mounting, and will mount those in addition to the first set.

I'm still on board with your battery location idea - just running a bit short of time right now. The maiden voyage camping trip is now only 4 weeks away, and I have to focus on just getting this thing useable by then. Basic trailer wiring (lights and brakes), paint or primer on the bare metal parts, and RTT clamped on the rack are top priorities. I'll finish the body and paint later, along with the custom wiring features, battery mounting under the front bed corner, etc.

I pick up my RTT tomorrow!:luxhello: In spite of what some have posted, I have found CVT's customer service and communication to be top notch. Sure, they had a few missed dates due to unexpected response to the group buy, but Bobby's communication and honesty have more than made up for it. I would order from them again anytime.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Getting closer!

Got my second set of shocks mounted up this morning, then started painting the frame and rack system.

Setting the bed back on the frame, with 1/4" rubber cushions between the frame and body mounts.

Ready for the tonneau and rack system (freshly painted) to go back on.

My RTT is in the back of my pickup, waiting to be mounted on the trailer :luxhello:
By next weekend, it'll be ready for the maiden highway-speed voyage!

 

[Delmarva]

Looks amazing...

 

[Mushin_Noshin]

Sweet build. It's gonna awesome when you get it all together n get to use it. Great job.