I joined the Cult
- Thread starter teotwaki
- Start date
Titanpat57
Expedition Leader
Very nice!
I bet you must have spent a little extra time explaining to folks walking by.."What is that?" questions....lol
How did the trailer behave after the suspension drop?
Looks great!
Pat
I bet you must have spent a little extra time explaining to folks walking by.."What is that?" questions....lol
How did the trailer behave after the suspension drop?
Looks great!
Pat
teotwaki
Excelsior!
It was about ten folks a day who wandered up to ask.... I kid you not. Lots of comments about it being like a kid's treehouse. Some folks really got it and you could see the gears turning in their heads. I tiold them that if they didn't want to fab their own to go look up Adventure Trailers in Arizona and this forum's trailer sections.
It was strange compared to being with other overlanders who already know about RTTs, M416s, multi-axis hitches and so on.
On the last day the folks next to me were trying to take down tents and pack everything in their SUV. They watched as I put things in the Action Packers, threw those in the cargo box, folded up the tent, rolled the awning and hitched up before they were halfway done.
So.... I've not modded the suspension yet. When I go by my local shop to have some brackets for gas cans welded on I'll talk to them about some of the axle and shock and spring bracket welding I might need.
It was strange compared to being with other overlanders who already know about RTTs, M416s, multi-axis hitches and so on.
On the last day the folks next to me were trying to take down tents and pack everything in their SUV. They watched as I put things in the Action Packers, threw those in the cargo box, folded up the tent, rolled the awning and hitched up before they were halfway done.
So.... I've not modded the suspension yet. When I go by my local shop to have some brackets for gas cans welded on I'll talk to them about some of the axle and shock and spring bracket welding I might need.
nwoods
Expedition Leader
Jim, if you ever wanted a second option for fab stuff, I use a guy near John Wayne Airport that I am really impressed with, and suspension is one of his specialties. He's very talented and very creative. F
Franks Fab Shop
(714) 957-1869
3918 Airport Loop Drive
Suite L
Costa Mesa‎ CA
Franks Fab Shop
(714) 957-1869
3918 Airport Loop Drive
Suite L
Costa Mesa‎ CA
cbradley
Adventurer
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Franks Fab called me to say that I can pick up the tank. I'll snap some pictures of it before I reinstall it. I may add a sheet of rubber on the bottom to help absorb a little of the off-road vibrations.
On my to do list for the trailer I have a number of "nice to have" and a few necessary mods planned:
On my to do list for the trailer I have a number of "nice to have" and a few necessary mods planned:
- Gas (5 Gal A/T) can mounts (Franks Fab)
- Reinforcement rings around receiver tubes (Franks Fab)
- Shear the sheet of aluminum diamond plate to fit the inside of the tailgate (Franks Fab, if poss.)
- Possible modification of suspension to lower overall height of trailer (Franks Fab, if poss.)
- Possible modification of RTT rack to lower overall height of trailer (Franks Fab, if poss.)
- Spare tire mount/carrier (not sure which way I want to go on this one)
- Tailgate lock hasp inside the tub
- Mount one or two 6" LED floodlights, possibly as combo flood/work/backup lights
- Possibly add another grab handle on the opposite side of the lid (Franks Fab, if poss.)
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Titanpat57
Expedition Leader
Seems to me you and friggin' Frank really hit off.....:ylsmoke:
Nice "wishlist".....
Nice "wishlist".....
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Frank's Fab is better equipped than the place that was closer to me. The one close to me disappeared so another victim of the economy I guess.
How much business I give to Frank's will depend on the pricing.... :elkgrin:
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Got the tank back. He charged $100 to reinforce the two lower mounting studs and reweld the lower seams, then pressure test.
The area that was reinforced is right at the lower mounting studs
The original build just had simple nylon washers on each of the four studs, not much support and might have helped to crack the seam.
Here is the trailer's frame that the tank bolted down to. This area is between the main tub and the nose box
So I decided to replace the washers with some dense rubber sheet of the same thickness as the nylon washers
Some material on all three frame sections to help mount things a bit better.
So the tank is now back in, the nose box bolted down, the batteries reconnected and the water tank filled.
The area that was reinforced is right at the lower mounting studs
The original build just had simple nylon washers on each of the four studs, not much support and might have helped to crack the seam.
Here is the trailer's frame that the tank bolted down to. This area is between the main tub and the nose box
So I decided to replace the washers with some dense rubber sheet of the same thickness as the nylon washers
Some material on all three frame sections to help mount things a bit better.
So the tank is now back in, the nose box bolted down, the batteries reconnected and the water tank filled.
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nwoods
Expedition Leader
sounds like about 2 hours worth of work.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Ha! You're "speshul"! :elkgrin:
I prettied up the list and printed it out and brought pictures of everything. He did not seemed inclined to take much of it on or bargain at all. Funny thing was that he mentioned that he was slow right now AND he had his own project truck up on the lift.
So, I might still bring the trailer by his shop so that he can see it in person but I'm not going to spend another $1000+ on these mods if they can be done for less.
Hmm, $1000 would buy you a TIG setup and some classes. . . then you could weld stuff for us! :sombrero:
edit: But seriously, with welding and fab, it seems like you can get cheap or good, but not both.