Jevy's humble M-416 build thread
- Thread starter Jevy
- Start date
Stabilizer question
Jevy, how are those four corner trailer jacks working out as stabilizers? I was considering doing the same thing as I have a rtt on the way and will have 4-5 people in it. It looks really stable but they sure are big and seem to be in the way. Anything you would do different on the stabilizers now that you have used them?
Jevy, how are those four corner trailer jacks working out as stabilizers? I was considering doing the same thing as I have a rtt on the way and will have 4-5 people in it. It looks really stable but they sure are big and seem to be in the way. Anything you would do different on the stabilizers now that you have used them?
This was the only way that I could come up with that I felt like I could install myself and not cost a fortune. The jacks are drop leg jacks and have the most travel that I could find. They were purchased from etrailer.com. The jacks haven't been in the way at all so far. We've had the tent out three times and two of the times the trailer was in an un-improved campground which was not anywhere near level. We just opened the pintle hook and took the jacks down to where the trailer was close to level front to back and left to right. Sure I would have preferred to use something like a scissor jack on the corners but couldn't come up with something that had anywhere near the travel I wanted. I wanted the jacks to be higher than the frame of the trailer for clearance just in case I ever got into something tricky with it. In all honesty the trailer jacks were probably one of the better moves I made on the trailer that I did. I'm not likely to be doing any crazy offroading at least at this point.
Couple things I would have done differently with the trailer are:
1. I should have extended the tongue another 8-12" to better accommodate my sea kayak. I haven't tried it and it will probably work but another 8-12" would also have helped with backing up the trailer. Even with the tongue extended it's still pretty sensitive to changes when backing the trailer.
2. RTT....I should have probably done a little more research. Lately I've seen a few folks build a platform on top of their trailer to set up an elevated conventional tent. This would have probably been a better option for me. Plus being able to not always have the tent on top would be a bonus for me. I'm very hesitant to leave the tent/trailer parked at a boat ramp for kayak trips....I live in a high crime area so that's always on my mind. IDK I still have some bad karma with the RTT since that's what I was messing with when my back blew out.......I may end up taking it off and selling it to go with a platform like some others have used. The tent quality of the CVT seems good overall but there are a few areas where there are some openings where the tent pivots and will probably be a problem for letting in bugs and a few of the brass grommets have popped off where the tent poles go through. I haven't treated the tent rough or anything. I guess they weren't pressed right at the factory or something.
3. I would also mount my battery towards the rear of the trailer and under the trailer to help take away some tongue weight(I may do this later on)
4. I bought some latches off of ebay and both sets wouldn't work for the way I had built the frame/top. I would definitely spend more time trying to figure out what a better solution would be. For now I'm using racheting cargo straps to keep the top closed.
Couple things I am still planning or considering on:
1. charging the house battery while traveling(just waiting to order the wire....everything else is ready to go. Already charging the winch battery now but the cables for the rear charging is going to run a couple hundred bucks and I just keep putting it off)
2. Small inverter maybe 1000w or so
3. I need to figure out a way to run some power up to the tent when deployed for say charging an iPad,iPhone,or small fan/light etc. This won't take but a few minutes. I just need to figure out what/how I'm going to do.
4. I do plan on eventually adding some LED lights under the trailer for use at night when camping. The interior lights I put in are awesome at night.
small but important update....
Yesterday I got up off the couch to make dinner and my back popped. It looks that I may have ruptured my disc in my back again. I've talked to the surgeon and have to go see him tomorrow. I can only walk with the aid of a walker and I'm in poor shape. For those of the praying kind I could surely use it. It will have to be fused so that will complicate things. That being said I've decided to really simplify life. If in fact I do have surgery I think my kayak days will be over as well as riding conventional bicycles. Probably will spend a little $$$ on a recumbent trike bike and sell all the bikes/kayaks. From here out we'll be "car camper based" so most likely camping in National Forrests, State Parks, and Nat'l Parks. I really prefer camping in hammocks so I will probably end up going that direction. Lately I've been thinking about trying fly fishing......that may be something I'll try since it's low impact. Since I'm going to be tied up for the next few months with plenty of time on my heads I think I'm going to also start re-thinking a few things with the trailer.
I think I'm going to:
remove the rtt and sell it(it just adds too much weight to the trailer and is a pain to deal with.......just not worth the frustration)
remove kayak carrier brackets and sell them
purchase a couple bike carriers to go on the roof of the trailer
move the fridge to the outside rear of the trailer
add a small water tank under the trailer with on demand hot water
add a couple of boat hatches on the sides to access the inside of the trailer when loaded and tied down
I'm going to make some sort of a caster wheel that I can bolt or slip on the two front jacks so I can dolly it around without having to physically pick up the tongue of the trailer
inverter
on board battery charger
solar charger
seeing as how I'm going to have plenty of time on my hands coming up I'll get to figure it out. As it sits empty it's a tad too much for me to handle to push around so I'm going to try to lighten the load a little by taking off some weight off the tongue.
Yesterday I got up off the couch to make dinner and my back popped. It looks that I may have ruptured my disc in my back again. I've talked to the surgeon and have to go see him tomorrow. I can only walk with the aid of a walker and I'm in poor shape. For those of the praying kind I could surely use it. It will have to be fused so that will complicate things. That being said I've decided to really simplify life. If in fact I do have surgery I think my kayak days will be over as well as riding conventional bicycles. Probably will spend a little $$$ on a recumbent trike bike and sell all the bikes/kayaks. From here out we'll be "car camper based" so most likely camping in National Forrests, State Parks, and Nat'l Parks. I really prefer camping in hammocks so I will probably end up going that direction. Lately I've been thinking about trying fly fishing......that may be something I'll try since it's low impact. Since I'm going to be tied up for the next few months with plenty of time on my heads I think I'm going to also start re-thinking a few things with the trailer.
I think I'm going to:
remove the rtt and sell it(it just adds too much weight to the trailer and is a pain to deal with.......just not worth the frustration)
remove kayak carrier brackets and sell them
purchase a couple bike carriers to go on the roof of the trailer
move the fridge to the outside rear of the trailer
add a small water tank under the trailer with on demand hot water
add a couple of boat hatches on the sides to access the inside of the trailer when loaded and tied down
I'm going to make some sort of a caster wheel that I can bolt or slip on the two front jacks so I can dolly it around without having to physically pick up the tongue of the trailer
inverter
on board battery charger
solar charger
seeing as how I'm going to have plenty of time on my hands coming up I'll get to figure it out. As it sits empty it's a tad too much for me to handle to push around so I'm going to try to lighten the load a little by taking off some weight off the tongue.
So today I removed the RTT and sold it to a friend of mine. I am now going to have to figure out what to do about the struts for lifting the top. Without all that weight on there the struts take a fair amount of pressure to close it up. I am planning on either buying a basket for building one but I'm thinking about putting a wire mesh basket of some sort on there to strap down gear when on a trip or carry my recumbent bicycle.
Sorry to hear about your back man. That sure changes things for you. I am going to steal your idea of the four trailer jacks on the corners. With 5 people in my rtt I think that will be the most stable for me. I also like your idea of modifying a jack leg to accept a wheel. That may eliminate the need for me to put a fifth jack on the tongue. I thought about putting a water tank under mine but think I am going to stick with one mounted on the front. Easier to fill, easier to fix if needed and I can drop in a hose for the hot water pump instead of adding a connector to the tank. Again I hope your backs heals up quick.
TheThom
Adventurer
yeah at this point I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. I have been recently getting back into riding bicycles and think having the ability to take one with me on a trip would be a benefit. I'm going to start looking at the various basket racks available and go from there. I will still need to add one bike mount for a conventional bike so my wife/kids can bring theirs along as well. I really do enjoy the hammocks though so I think I made the right decision. I debated on removing the jacks on the corners but still think they could be of benefit for leveling out the trailer. I want to make it so on the top I can put a multitude of items. We also have a fairly nice ground tent so we do have the option of going to ground if necessary but I really don't see me using it unless 100% necessary. I'm going to start my research on the various options available. Thanks guys!!!
Aaaaand that means you get to plan and make more mods to your trailer
VanIsle_Greg
I think I need a bigger truck!
Hey man, really sorry to hear about your back. I crushed a disk about 9 years ago, not enough to pop it but bad enough that I can sympathize. I like your ideas about your trailer, and thinking realistically about how you are going to use it now and going forward. If you are interested in selling your lid lifter struts, let me know, I need some stronger than what I picked up cheap here. I really need to get mine installed for this season too.
Looking forward to your new mods man...get better soon.
Greg
Looking forward to your new mods man...get better soon.
Greg
still haven't made any decisions on the trailer. I thought about removing the top but think I'm going to stay with it like it is for now. I'm going to end up building a roof rack to mount a couple bicycles on but just haven't had the motivation to do it. Still kinda bummed about having to ditch the kayaks. First thing to fab up is going to be a hitch mounted rack for the fridge. If we're going camping with just a couple of us then I'm going to put the fridge on the back of the Jeep and not deal with towing the trailer just to have the fridge. That way it can be used multiple ways.
Still trying to figure out how to implement the Jeep/trailer into another activity and so far I've only come up with possibly trying my hand at fly fishing.
Still trying to figure out how to implement the Jeep/trailer into another activity and so far I've only come up with possibly trying my hand at fly fishing.