Fender Mounted Axe and Shovel on JK? Your vote counts!

[tdesanto]

the flipover roof and tent are history. I have a new roof setup that lifts the front edge pneumatically to provide headroom and you sleep in the cabin rather than in the tent.

Wow, I guess I missed this. This completely changes the function of the ER setup. I'm curious about what led you to the transformation. If it's posted elsewhere, I apologize for hi-jacking the thread.

As for your original question, the first thing I thought of was one on each side. I'm anxious to see what you end up with. Good luck.

 

[mhiscox]

Wow, I guess I missed this. This completely changes the function of the ER setup. I'm curious about what led you to the transformation. If it's posted elsewhere, I apologize for hi-jacking the thread.

It was mentioned in the course of discussing rooftop tents in the JK/J8 Flippac thread, so no special reason you would have caught it. There isn't a separate build thread on my mods yet, largely 'cuz the thing looks like hell bein' half ripped-apart.

Anyway, in that thread I wrote:

The tent had some areas where it leaked. I suspect most foul weather users XV-JP have devised/will devise some sort of rainfly to solve this problem.

THE BIG--and unsolvable--PROBLEM for the ER tent and any tent like this is that when you've deployed it in the rain and then it's time to move on, you are folding up fifty-plus pounds of wet tent and storing it wet. Not any different than you have to do with a backpack tent; you just dry it out first chance you get. The problem in the Oregon winter was getting it dried out. You could put the backpacking tent in your garage to dry, but drying the big flip tent meant putting it up on a nice sunny day, and we don't have them on a regular (or even occasional) basis much of the year. And even though I am fortunate enough to have a shop big enough to park the XV-JP with the tent deployed, it was still cold and damp enough that the wet areas took many days to dry out. This resulted in mildew on the tent and some surface rust on metal in the cabin.

So, yeah, it is way different from the EarthRoamer design. It's actually more like the AEV prototype:

but hinged at the opposite end.

 

[rynosurf]

I vote no on the front fender. I think that if you want them easily accessible and out of the way, over the rear fenders against the body would be sweet (one on each side).

 

[AFSOC]

Mark another hash in the "NO" column. It's nice of you to let us vote but who among us is qualified to critique your rigs. I have never found use for an axe and don't carry one but I like the idea of hanging the shovel above the sliders, under the door.

I like what you're doing to address tent issues on the ER. I can't wait to see more. I'll be interested to see your execution and hear your impressions.

It looks like you got a set of GC spare wheels to replace the Rubi's. I really liked it when those Jeep boys put them on the JK Overland. I'd like to see a photo of yours in black.

 

[Momrocks]

On the fence here Mike. Gotta have more pics...lots of 'em. You're doing a lot of work and kinda holdin' out on us. Keep up the good work. How do you split time between all your rigs? You're garage is like a harem.

:Wow1:

 

[UNI]

Just a thought. If you can't find a good location to bolt your recovery tools,
you might want to check out the Hi-Lift Handle All (4-Tools in One #HA500)

Click Here: Info On HA500 Hi-Lift

 

[mhiscox]

On the fence here Mike. Gotta have more pics...lots of 'em. You're doing a lot of work and kinda holdin' out on us. Keep up the good work.

Yep, holding out some.

The pictures will show up eventually. As it sits now, I'd be likely to get more "What have you done to that rare and expensive EarthRoamer?!" comments than "Nicely done improvement in functionality."

How do you split time between all your rigs? You're garage is like a harem.

That is a seriously clever line. Actually, the situation is very much improved from last winter when I still had Camper Mog, the Sami, an LC100, The AdventureDuo's LC80 and AT trailer and six more motorcycles. That was just silly. Life is pretty straightforward now, with just the Sprinter and the not-yet-ready ER Jeep. (Of course, that was before last week's acquisition of the ex-Expeditions West/Trail Monkey Tacoma. Now I'm back to borderline silly.)

 

[mhiscox]

It looks like you got a set of GC spare wheels to replace the Rubi's. I really liked it when those Jeep boys put them on the JK Overland. I'd like to see a photo of yours in black.

Yes, indeed: Grand Cherokee "winter" steelies with Goodyear Duratrac ATs. I left the alloys with the Goodyear MT/Rs until I see how I like the Duratracs. May even keep the MT/Rs as a second set of tires to swap on for the mud months.

Here's your picture:

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Wow, that must be horribly disappointing that the tent leaked on that thing? Unreal. It's kind of a reinforcement of my thinking that so much of this stuff is designed for Africa/Australia/SouthWesternUS.

 

[TrailTrackers]

Here's an Example

With all due respect, I hate the way it looks on the fender. I think that over time that fender would get weak and possibly fail; if a branch didn't rip it off first. Also, have you thought about changing fuses or having to check the battery?

Here's an example of what they look like on a JK:

They are as solid now as the first day I mounted them, and I hope you can tell that it ain't no mall crawler. I can raise the hood with no problem as well. And, they don't block my vision at all. Hope this helped.

 

[ersatzknarf]

Looks great ! ! !

Neat, tidy, subtle...

No stickers

Yes, indeed: Grand Cherokee "winter" steelies with Goodyear Duratrac ATs. I left the alloys with the Goodyear MT/Rs until I see how I like the Duratracs. May even keep the MT/Rs as a second set of tires to swap on for the mud months.

Here's your picture:

 

[mjmcdowell]

Pioneering tools, fender mount....

Mike, Another "no" vote here, now the "Hi-Lift" handle all, I have one and tested the tools around the house/yard/ garden. the are not quite full sized but they work, I split some wood w/the axe head (sharpened it beforehand), used the pick/mattock head to dig out some winter kill rose bushes, and the shovel, well.. to shovel. I did not have any job's for the 6# sledge and decided not to carry it, also have (will have to check brand) shovel head/handle/hoe head, the handle which I changed out to my H/L jack and it works fine. The shovel head is almost flat to the handle,(no curve) and better to get under a buried rig, and the hoe head is much better to drag material out from under the rig also. I have used the hoe head to fill ruts, I like it much better than a shovel in some cases. Storage? in the bag! in the truck! reasonably safe from prying eyes and sticky fingers. I'll post the name of the shovel/hoe when I find it, just some more input for you , stay safe, mjmcdowell

 

[Christian P.]

THE BIG--and unsolvable--PROBLEM for the ER tent and any tent like this is that when you've deployed it in the rain and then it's time to move on, you are folding up fifty-plus pounds of wet tent and storing it wet. Not any different than you have to do with a backpack tent; you just dry it out first chance you get. The problem in the Oregon winter was getting it dried out. You could put the backpacking tent in your garage to dry, but drying the big flip tent meant putting it up on a nice sunny day, and we don't have them on a regular (or even occasional) basis much of the year. And even though I am fortunate enough to have a shop big enough to park the XV-JP with the tent deployed, it was still cold and damp enough that the wet areas took many days to dry out. This resulted in mildew on the tent and some surface rust on metal in the cabin.[/COLOR]

just catching up here...

funny I was just on the phone with Luis (lostworldexpedition) and he was telling me that they had to wait an extra day at their campsite because it had been raining for a week and the tent wouldn't dry...

I think that's one huge downside to a roof top tent that is not discussed very often.

 

[mjmcdowell]

Shovel/hoe/H-L jack handle

Baja Buster by Garagemate

 

[SeaRubi]

I think the key here is that the shovel is neatly tucked inside the lines of the (hard) fender on the defender.

After several thousand miles of off road driving in various conditions, my JK flares have pushed away their fair share of branches, and even kissed the occasional rock at times. Aesthetic concerns aside (and they are not insignificant), had I mounted my axe and shovel in that spot I would have found them lying on the side of the trail -- no doubt still attached to the flare -- a long time ago.

Of course, as far as functionality goes, it's all about how and where you drive. Stay out of brushy areas and tighter trails and you may never have a problem. As far as the aesthetics... well... I can't really help you there :ylsmoke:

the clips on the JK flares break rather easily ... mine did. there are a couple of bolts that are holding on to the front, as I recall. the clips keep it tucked up to the bodywork starting at the top and working rearward. A brush with a tree on an incline just about took mine off. it surely would have been ugly with a shovel attached to the top ...

-Mr. B0dyD@m@g3