Light offroad Casita
- Thread starter wesel123
- Start date
DirtDawg
New member
An interesting project...
A link to this thread was posted on casitaforum.com, so I had to check it out. Its been a long while since I visited here.
Several years ago, I owned this Casita Patriot Deluxe (same as topic, except 13' vs 16') towed behind my TJ. After several trips down rutted BLM access roads to dry camp sites (nothing a motorhome couldn't handle), I found "spiderweb" stress cracks adjacent to roof rivets for interior overhead cabinets caused by chassis flex. You might want to watch for that. I'm picking up a new Casita 17SD at the factory in a few weeks, but this time will be pulled by my 4wd Frontier. Its all good, enjoy your adventures!
A link to this thread was posted on casitaforum.com, so I had to check it out. Its been a long while since I visited here.
Several years ago, I owned this Casita Patriot Deluxe (same as topic, except 13' vs 16') towed behind my TJ. After several trips down rutted BLM access roads to dry camp sites (nothing a motorhome couldn't handle), I found "spiderweb" stress cracks adjacent to roof rivets for interior overhead cabinets caused by chassis flex. You might want to watch for that. I'm picking up a new Casita 17SD at the factory in a few weeks, but this time will be pulled by my 4wd Frontier. Its all good, enjoy your adventures!
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wesel123
Explorer
Cracking of the fiberglass is a concern but I’m hoping to mitigate it by airing down as much as I can to help with the stresses. That's another reason why I went with bfg's the triple side walls should help support the weight.
I took the Casita to the local truck scale and fully loaded with water (decent amount of food and other essentials) and she sits at 2986 +/-. Not too bad. I'm not sure where else to cut weight, As time goes on I'm sure I'll add to this weight in adding structural support where it seems fit. First off-road test is in about 3 weeks when the annual raft trip with the family comes around. I'll post up some pics after that trip and specifically look for stress fractures.
I took the Casita to the local truck scale and fully loaded with water (decent amount of food and other essentials) and she sits at 2986 +/-. Not too bad. I'm not sure where else to cut weight, As time goes on I'm sure I'll add to this weight in adding structural support where it seems fit. First off-road test is in about 3 weeks when the annual raft trip with the family comes around. I'll post up some pics after that trip and specifically look for stress fractures.
DirtDawg
New member
Likewise, I had BFG A/Ts (the smallest 14" size offered then) but my trailer was otherwise stock. My thinking is the relatively light duty Casita frame causes flex rather than tire load rating. Anxious to read your own experience later on. Maybe order a spare rivet kit from Casita if you haven't already?
I sold my previous trailer several years ago for two reasons;
1) A need to provide eldercare, no travel at all for a few years
2) Concerns about what happens on anything other than light duty trails and I break my Jeep.
Fix it on the trail, you're good. Nurse it back to camp and fix it there and you're good. No fix possible and you have two problems - a broken vehicle and a stranded trailer.
But at least you have a comfortable place to hole up!
BTW, members of my offroading club dubbed that old trailer "The Porta-Potty on Wheels"...
Jeff
wesel123
Explorer
Hahahaha...love it porta-potty on wheels. But I bet they were all jealous of the shower/hot water, ac, heat...the list goes on.
My over all plan is not to drag it though trails for long expeditions, more of take down a fire trial or dirt road and set up as base camp.
And nice base camp for the long weekend dirtbike rides.
My over all plan is not to drag it though trails for long expeditions, more of take down a fire trial or dirt road and set up as base camp.
And nice base camp for the long weekend dirtbike rides.
Were these spiderweb stress cracks a major structural failure or did they end up just being cosmetic? I've owned a couple of fiberglass boats. Spiderweb stress cracks occasionally pop up at stress points but I don't recall any of them being anything more than cosmetic. I considered them flaws of the gel coat or clear coat, not the fiberglass structure.
DirtDawg
New member
They were very visible on top but not "open", i.e., I could just slightly feel them dragging a fingernail across. When I sold the trailer I would call them cosmetic although I was concerned they would worsen with repeated exposure to longer stretches of rutted dirt roads. It would have been interesting to find out, but my time with the trailer was cut short. Other than pulling into dry campground sites, my new trailer won't be exposed to those conditions other than short distances.
@ Wesel123: bsdctx is the one who posted a link to this forum thread on http://www.casitaforum.com.
I sent you a PM yesterday regarding that forum - did you get my message?
Jeff
wesel123
Explorer
Yes I got it thanks for the info. I will plan on doing that mod for sure.
In regards to the cracks I was thinking of supporting the cabinets from the counter top up. Like they are in the Scamps. They are kinda hooky un unfinished looking but may give enough to not pull on the rivets. On the rear upper cabinet I only keep cloths in so I’m not so worried about the weight. But the cabinets above the Sink I keep food and such so its a little heavier. I've already relocated the pots pans and dishes to the lowest cabinet to keep weight and stress down.
toyotatruckjunkie
Adventurer
Isolating body stress issues is one of the reasons I had designed a whole new chassis to use for mine. Replacing the axle like Wesel did appears to be easy and affordable, and may be what reality dictates, but it doesn't really do a lot to fortify the whole structure.
If you build a whole new chassis, you could include lots of cool offroad goodies like many of the trailers buiilt on this site. Not only could you extend the tongue for mounting generators, extra water storage, extra batteries, allow for swing out tire carriers, adjust tongue weight, and fortify the rear for spare carriers, 2" recvr, gas can mounts etc and mount a serious suspension for the axle under it.
All these are desirable to most of us, but I also thought about building some sort of extra suspension for the body. One could leave the factory frame under the coach body and have an outrigger type system to the new frame to isolate the load.
If you look at cement trucks, they have a system similar to what I thought about using that seems to allow some movement of the spinning tank section seperate from the vehicle frame. Basically a small, stiff coil spring thru bolted thru two L shaped plates with the flat sides of the L's laying on each other to allow some lateral movement or some twisting (lifting on one side and not on the other).
Just things I daydream about, every day lately. If I can scan my drawings, I'll post them. Thoughts?
If you build a whole new chassis, you could include lots of cool offroad goodies like many of the trailers buiilt on this site. Not only could you extend the tongue for mounting generators, extra water storage, extra batteries, allow for swing out tire carriers, adjust tongue weight, and fortify the rear for spare carriers, 2" recvr, gas can mounts etc and mount a serious suspension for the axle under it.
All these are desirable to most of us, but I also thought about building some sort of extra suspension for the body. One could leave the factory frame under the coach body and have an outrigger type system to the new frame to isolate the load.
If you look at cement trucks, they have a system similar to what I thought about using that seems to allow some movement of the spinning tank section seperate from the vehicle frame. Basically a small, stiff coil spring thru bolted thru two L shaped plates with the flat sides of the L's laying on each other to allow some lateral movement or some twisting (lifting on one side and not on the other).
Just things I daydream about, every day lately. If I can scan my drawings, I'll post them. Thoughts?
I can't wait to see somebody build that!
wesel123
Explorer
I re-reading some of this thread I looked into doing I think the same thing your talking about here to the Scamp I just sold.
I was about to pull the trigger until I got a final cost. I can't weld to save my life so to get this done was about $1800 in material and about $2500 in labor. I just couldn't justify putting $5K into a trailer thats only worht $2k. All in all I'm glad I got the Casita. Not only do I have the shower and such they really are much better built. With the 17' you just got Im sure you could do something way better than I could think of. Wating to see!!!!!!:ylsmoke:
toyotatruckjunkie
Adventurer
yes, Yes, YES !!!That is exactly what I've got in my head. And I can't get it out! I think it would be so cool.
"Pcampbell" (posted in this thread earlier) and I have been mind-engineering this for months. No way around material costs nowadays, but we have a buddy with a metal fab business that may save us some on the labor.
Seriously, I'm not trying to brag, but we only paid $6k for our 17'. I see them (newer models) selling for $11k in stock form, so I don't think I'd be putting too much into it. This was another reason I needed an older one.
While total investment/cost was the reason I didn't convert the Class B motorhome I bought last year to 4x4, I don't usually build stuff with that concern in mind. I want it for us to use. If we were to sell it down the road for something more than a stock one would sell for, then I'm ok with that. I've found you rarely if ever get all your money back on something custom. IMO, you have to get the value back out by way of the enjoyment it brings.
I've also found out that older Casitas like mine have welded in axles. So mine won't be a simple unbolt/bolt in process anyway. In your experience, since I need to reweld the new axle in, if I moved it, backwards I think?, would it allow for more suspension flex w/o rubbing the wheelwell? and/or would it allow a larger tire?
Wesel, can you post some pics (or send them to my email) of your whole rig; 100 and Casita. I'm dying to see them both together. Do they sit pretty level? What mods to the 100 suspension?
Thanks for your input/opinion/ideas.
"Pcampbell" (posted in this thread earlier) and I have been mind-engineering this for months. No way around material costs nowadays, but we have a buddy with a metal fab business that may save us some on the labor.
Seriously, I'm not trying to brag, but we only paid $6k for our 17'. I see them (newer models) selling for $11k in stock form, so I don't think I'd be putting too much into it. This was another reason I needed an older one.
While total investment/cost was the reason I didn't convert the Class B motorhome I bought last year to 4x4, I don't usually build stuff with that concern in mind. I want it for us to use. If we were to sell it down the road for something more than a stock one would sell for, then I'm ok with that. I've found you rarely if ever get all your money back on something custom. IMO, you have to get the value back out by way of the enjoyment it brings.
I've also found out that older Casitas like mine have welded in axles. So mine won't be a simple unbolt/bolt in process anyway. In your experience, since I need to reweld the new axle in, if I moved it, backwards I think?, would it allow for more suspension flex w/o rubbing the wheelwell? and/or would it allow a larger tire?
Wesel, can you post some pics (or send them to my email) of your whole rig; 100 and Casita. I'm dying to see them both together. Do they sit pretty level? What mods to the 100 suspension?
Thanks for your input/opinion/ideas.
wesel123
Explorer
Sure Ill post some pics but It'll have to wait till next week when I take the Casita out for her maiden dirt voyage.
My Hundy suspension wise is OME Nitro Sports all around with OME T-bars and 864's on the rear. With the lift on the Casita they together sit almost level. I need to get a new 1" rise ball and I'm good to go. Kinda waiting to get all the mods done before I mess with ball and hitch configurations though.
If you can get a good deal on labor go for the mods, but really think about how long your gonna keep it. And remember that most Casita buyers are old folks not looking for a modded rig.........oh crap I'm 34 and just called myself old....but hey I drive a Burgman 650 Scooter to work everyday to.......:ylsmoke:
Oh and moving back would all depend on axel your getting. If you go with the Torflex again there are SOOOOOOO many different configurations its crazy, e.g. different arm lengths, degrees up and down, axle loads, full half or no camber.. the list goes on and on. Leaf spring you could put it where you want but keep in mind the tire size and flex. The only real benefit to moving the axel back is increasing you tongue weight and decreasing rear sway. But the wheel well is finite....you can change it without cutting the fiberglass which I would not do unless you put a gun to my head.
My Hundy suspension wise is OME Nitro Sports all around with OME T-bars and 864's on the rear. With the lift on the Casita they together sit almost level. I need to get a new 1" rise ball and I'm good to go. Kinda waiting to get all the mods done before I mess with ball and hitch configurations though.
If you can get a good deal on labor go for the mods, but really think about how long your gonna keep it. And remember that most Casita buyers are old folks not looking for a modded rig.........oh crap I'm 34 and just called myself old....but hey I drive a Burgman 650 Scooter to work everyday to.......:ylsmoke:
Oh and moving back would all depend on axel your getting. If you go with the Torflex again there are SOOOOOOO many different configurations its crazy, e.g. different arm lengths, degrees up and down, axle loads, full half or no camber.. the list goes on and on. Leaf spring you could put it where you want but keep in mind the tire size and flex. The only real benefit to moving the axel back is increasing you tongue weight and decreasing rear sway. But the wheel well is finite....you can change it without cutting the fiberglass which I would not do unless you put a gun to my head.
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