Well today I got the electrical panel relocated to the face of the trailer. We also got the existing circuits ran to the control panel. I decided to remove the cigarette lighter plug and hardwire the 12 volt plug for the fridge to a switch. Last year I had several times when the cigarette lighter would work out a little bit and the freezer would become disconnected. Hopefully that will no longer be an issue.
Jevy's humble M-416 build thread
- Thread starter Jevy
- Start date
spent a couple hours out working on the trailer and the Jeep. I mocked up a rear tire on the back of the trailer. I really don't need a spare since the Jeep has one as well but since the fridge has been moved to the front of the trailer I'm a little concerned about not having any rear weight(specifically when traveling lightly loaded).
The dash for the trailer is installed and the fridge/internal lights are tied back in(temporarily). I want to use it on an outing before I make it all look right). I mounted a marine battery box to store the battery and we bolted an old gutted out dewalt drill box to store some misc handtools while out on a trip. Also moved the rear propane bottle mount and aded it to the drivers rear side of the trailer body.
Items left to do are:
install the wiring to the Jeep for it to charge the trailers battery while driving down the road
finish up my welds once I use the trailer to make sure it's going to work like I hoped.
possibly add a small inverter
I'm probably going to leave it more or less alone until the end of October because I'm hoping to use it a couple of times. I am considering a different style RTT though. Debating on a Magnolia Extreme roof top tent. I want something VERY quick and easy to take down or put up. That decision is probably a few months down the road though.
The dash for the trailer is installed and the fridge/internal lights are tied back in(temporarily). I want to use it on an outing before I make it all look right). I mounted a marine battery box to store the battery and we bolted an old gutted out dewalt drill box to store some misc handtools while out on a trip. Also moved the rear propane bottle mount and aded it to the drivers rear side of the trailer body.
Items left to do are:
install the wiring to the Jeep for it to charge the trailers battery while driving down the road
finish up my welds once I use the trailer to make sure it's going to work like I hoped.
possibly add a small inverter
I'm probably going to leave it more or less alone until the end of October because I'm hoping to use it a couple of times. I am considering a different style RTT though. Debating on a Magnolia Extreme roof top tent. I want something VERY quick and easy to take down or put up. That decision is probably a few months down the road though.
VanIsle_Greg
I think I need a bigger truck!
Busy guy!
Since I removed the RTT the struts have way too much pressure. Today I decided just to throw a spare up on top for now. I have a spare on the Jeep and really don't need to carry two of them but it did reduce the amount of effort needed to close the top. I also mounted the generator on the back of the trailer.
I also spent some time grinding/cleaning up the tongue from where I removed the generator box and repainted it.
I think I've made a decision on a Magnolia RTT but I'm going to wait until after the first of the year to pull the trigger on it.
Looks like my camping trip that I was planning on has been cancelled. Naturally now that I have it ready to go out. lol.....but the trailer is gonna have to sit for awhile. This afternoon I tore out the wiring in my CJ and am going to be updating all of the wiring and putting back in a new heater box set up so I won't be able to haul the trailer for a little while.
I also spent some time grinding/cleaning up the tongue from where I removed the generator box and repainted it.
I think I've made a decision on a Magnolia RTT but I'm going to wait until after the first of the year to pull the trigger on it.
Looks like my camping trip that I was planning on has been cancelled. Naturally now that I have it ready to go out. lol.....but the trailer is gonna have to sit for awhile. This afternoon I tore out the wiring in my CJ and am going to be updating all of the wiring and putting back in a new heater box set up so I won't be able to haul the trailer for a little while.
DonBeasley
Adventurer
CJ's and M416's!!!
Seems like they are never finished.
Great work. You are waaaay more energetic than I am. I am going to work on the trailer this winter:
But this will take me all winter and some may not get finished. Also going to add a second battery that is stored in trailer. I use it to run my electronics inside my ground tent. I run a laptop, hotspot, cell phone, Ipad, LED lights, and pump to hot water unit that sits outside the ground tent.
The shower is set up with a 25' coil hose and standard hose nozzle and I use it for kitchen setup inside front annex on OZtent and it still reaches the shower tent if I set it up as well.
Again great work and take it easy on the back.
Seems like they are never finished.
Great work. You are waaaay more energetic than I am. I am going to work on the trailer this winter:
- New control panel on box for outside lights
- New LED lights around frame of trailer for night time use.
- New LED inside lid
- New inside cover on tongue box that holds more plugs, battery monitor, and solar controller
But this will take me all winter and some may not get finished. Also going to add a second battery that is stored in trailer. I use it to run my electronics inside my ground tent. I run a laptop, hotspot, cell phone, Ipad, LED lights, and pump to hot water unit that sits outside the ground tent.
The shower is set up with a 25' coil hose and standard hose nozzle and I use it for kitchen setup inside front annex on OZtent and it still reaches the shower tent if I set it up as well.
Again great work and take it easy on the back.
Don....I'm interested in doing something similar to power up either in a ground tent or RTT. I have a nice ground tent but like the idea of being able to set up practically anywhere with the RTT.
Are you running it through an inverter or using 12v charging for all of the devices?
I'm still not sure if I'm going to do anything on a water system. If I end up getting bored over the winter I may do it just to have something to mess around with. We really don't go out long enough to justify a fully operational water system. For now I'm using Rotopax and they work fine.
Are you running it through an inverter or using 12v charging for all of the devices?
I'm still not sure if I'm going to do anything on a water system. If I end up getting bored over the winter I may do it just to have something to mess around with. We really don't go out long enough to justify a fully operational water system. For now I'm using Rotopax and they work fine.
DonBeasley
Adventurer
I put a Deka 105 ah deep cycle in the HF tongue box and I use it to power led strips in the RTT. I bought a kit at IKEA, cut of the cord in where it converts to 110v, wired a cigarette plug on it and run the cord out the end of tent and down to box. It is like daylight in there at night and I have to sometimes disconnect a few strips as it is too bright. We also run the ARB frig off of this battery. 3 days at Overland Expo and the battery never reaches 50%. Also run the hotspot and just set it on lid of box for reception. My son ran the Ipad and was even watching netflix at night in the RTT. He also ran his laptop to check emails and used this battery to recharge his Iphone.
I had an Optima yellow top that I charged and took with me but running the laptop for three days killed it. Not impressed with Optimas so far. I would pull the Optima out of trailer and set in tent annex. I would hook laptop, shower pump and charge my phone thru my laptop. Annex with small table serves as my "mobile office" and dining room for my son and I on windy. cold or rainy days.
I run everything including laptops on 12v as they have converter plugs. I have wired USB connectors into tongue box. On each side I have one cigarette plug, one hella plug (ARB frig-runs on either) and one dual USB plug.
I am very happy with Deka battery and will get another. Only down side will be weight so I may go smaller on mobile one. I am looking at setting up a solar panel that I store on top of trailer, below RTT and deploy to charge batteries on a daily basis. Small battery will probably need more often then larger one.
Still working out details of solar but I love the battery setup. I do not carry an inverter but may look at this later as another option. Math usually says it is better to run 12v versus 110.
I had an Optima yellow top that I charged and took with me but running the laptop for three days killed it. Not impressed with Optimas so far. I would pull the Optima out of trailer and set in tent annex. I would hook laptop, shower pump and charge my phone thru my laptop. Annex with small table serves as my "mobile office" and dining room for my son and I on windy. cold or rainy days.
I run everything including laptops on 12v as they have converter plugs. I have wired USB connectors into tongue box. On each side I have one cigarette plug, one hella plug (ARB frig-runs on either) and one dual USB plug.
I am very happy with Deka battery and will get another. Only down side will be weight so I may go smaller on mobile one. I am looking at setting up a solar panel that I store on top of trailer, below RTT and deploy to charge batteries on a daily basis. Small battery will probably need more often then larger one.
Still working out details of solar but I love the battery setup. I do not carry an inverter but may look at this later as another option. Math usually says it is better to run 12v versus 110.
Don would this be the rope lighting you bought?
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60192355/
DonBeasley
Adventurer
More like this one.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20119418/
I only used 3 of the leads and zip tied one strip to each of the tent poles in RTT (that is top and two angled ones) and sometimes this is too bright. I also installed an inline toggle switch from Home Depot that is near the splitter unit so that you can turn the lights off and on inside the tent.
I am looking at flexible and waterproof for under the trailer for ground light at night.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20119418/
I only used 3 of the leads and zip tied one strip to each of the tent poles in RTT (that is top and two angled ones) and sometimes this is too bright. I also installed an inline toggle switch from Home Depot that is near the splitter unit so that you can turn the lights off and on inside the tent.
I am looking at flexible and waterproof for under the trailer for ground light at night.
SamM
Adventurer
Jevy,
Your build has been very inspiring. I hope you are doing better and your health is improving. I understand what you are going through. On April 16th, I had a major motorcycle accident on my 2009 Ural Sahara Gear-Up. All the ligaments were ripped out if my left knee and the meniscus was torn. I also broke my right scapula into 4 pieces and cut a nasty gash into my stomach that was 19cm across my left side. It's been a real battle. Just had major knee reconstruction surgery 3 weeks ago and I'm weaning myself off the Percocets now. Hopefully, they let me go back to work in a couple of months.
Recently, I purchased a Schutt Industries LTT military trailer. There is a build thread here on it. I really like the idea of a Magnolia RTT. My thought is that the hardtop Magnolia will allow me to mount a large solar panel to the top of it. All of my support systems will be mounted into my trailer to keep my new Jeep JK MOAB as stock as possible. It gets great mileage and I'd like to keep it light for DD use. The only mods planned for the Jeep are a winch, AEV corner protectors and a Gobi roof rack. It came stock with AEV bumpers, skid plates and hood. The Jeep already has a 110V plug, so only a 12V electrical system will be added to the trailer. I can do everything with 12V. No generator is planned. I'm going solar all the way with no thoughts of charging the trailer batteries from the Jeep. My trailer is big enough for a bottom mounted 30 gal water tank. A hot water shower, refrigerator, stove and even a toilet are in the design stages. Just need to get back to work to be able to afford it all. Everything will go into my trailer. The only externals will be fuel tanks. The trailer box will be sized to work with a lockable hardtop truck tonneau cover. The extendable legs raise the tent to access the trailer contents. The trailer will also have a lockable tailgate. Thankfully, my trailer is aluminum as weight will be a primary concern. Quite lofty goals but my plan is to keep it simple. Nothing extra is going into it and the trailer must carry all my stuff for trips including food, gear and luggage. My kayaks will go under the Magnolia with the legs extended.
Again, thanks for the inspiration and you are in my prayers!
SamM
Your build has been very inspiring. I hope you are doing better and your health is improving. I understand what you are going through. On April 16th, I had a major motorcycle accident on my 2009 Ural Sahara Gear-Up. All the ligaments were ripped out if my left knee and the meniscus was torn. I also broke my right scapula into 4 pieces and cut a nasty gash into my stomach that was 19cm across my left side. It's been a real battle. Just had major knee reconstruction surgery 3 weeks ago and I'm weaning myself off the Percocets now. Hopefully, they let me go back to work in a couple of months.
Recently, I purchased a Schutt Industries LTT military trailer. There is a build thread here on it. I really like the idea of a Magnolia RTT. My thought is that the hardtop Magnolia will allow me to mount a large solar panel to the top of it. All of my support systems will be mounted into my trailer to keep my new Jeep JK MOAB as stock as possible. It gets great mileage and I'd like to keep it light for DD use. The only mods planned for the Jeep are a winch, AEV corner protectors and a Gobi roof rack. It came stock with AEV bumpers, skid plates and hood. The Jeep already has a 110V plug, so only a 12V electrical system will be added to the trailer. I can do everything with 12V. No generator is planned. I'm going solar all the way with no thoughts of charging the trailer batteries from the Jeep. My trailer is big enough for a bottom mounted 30 gal water tank. A hot water shower, refrigerator, stove and even a toilet are in the design stages. Just need to get back to work to be able to afford it all. Everything will go into my trailer. The only externals will be fuel tanks. The trailer box will be sized to work with a lockable hardtop truck tonneau cover. The extendable legs raise the tent to access the trailer contents. The trailer will also have a lockable tailgate. Thankfully, my trailer is aluminum as weight will be a primary concern. Quite lofty goals but my plan is to keep it simple. Nothing extra is going into it and the trailer must carry all my stuff for trips including food, gear and luggage. My kayaks will go under the Magnolia with the legs extended.
Again, thanks for the inspiration and you are in my prayers!
SamM
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