My Backcountry Camper Trailer Build

richard cabesa

Adventurer
Glad to hear this. I'm just following along quietly and enjoying your build.

Just like in meat space, ignore the idiots

carry on :lurk:
 
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Outback

Explorer
I for one find this build to be one of the best and strongest trailers I have seen so far on this forum. Someone on here complained about the off road course at the Expedition expo in Arizona was to easy. The response by the powers that be (and accurately I might add) was that overlanding in all countries is over established roads. Some are good and some bad. I too agree with this and in fact most of the roads will be quite good. Some will be rough but you wont be rockcrawling for hundreds of miles! Some people have criticized the weight of your trailer. I find it fine. Its designed by you for a specific need. How many here can say THEY have built a trailer? Very few. Some have suggested a diffrent suspension system. OK.... But how many times have Toyota, Ford, Dodge and Chevy ect have changed there suspension designs after releasing there vehicles to the public market? To me your suspension makes perfect sense for what you have designed it for. If you find it not to your liking like Toyota has ect then you will change it. Simple. We all know you have the skills to build pretty much anything so changing your suspension "IF" you determine you need to would be childs play! Now in defense of some of the responses to you I have read. I believe they were just pointing out what they saw as potential problems in there minds for there needs. I totally understand your frustration especially after working all day then hitting the shop for another two to three hours every night. Then all weekend long. That makes for a long work week then to come in and post replies and read some of the remarks can be pretty discouraging. I dont have the time or skills to build my own trailer. I bought my Military trailer and a Comm shelter. I can do that. I love your build! Keep up the great work.

Mike
 
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slimtwo

Adventurer
I hesitate to reverse course here for fear of being accused of being a drama queen. I really was furious, and still steaming about some of this stuff. Maybe the drugs I was on after an outpatient proceedure on Thursday played a roll too, I dunno. But due to the surprising show of support, I will continue here. Also because I have not seen any better adventure off-road forum on the internet but this one. :26_7_2:

I'm not sure what a troll is (other than what you see in Lord of the Rings or something), and I guess I missed something somewhere, maybe from not being on the forum lately. But I have been following your thread as well, and may I say thoroughly enjoying it. I am going to build a trailer for my TJ from the ground up, and guys like you and others who have taken the time to post their progress, have been very helpfull to me as far as collecting ideas for my eventual build. So thank you for reconsidering, and I hope things get better.

Happy trails from Bruce Norris (Slimtwo)
 

R_Lefebvre

Expedition Leader
I'm really pretty surprised at all the support here guys, and very thankful. Before all the drama started, I was actually wondering how many people actually were reading this, or if I was only doing it for my own benefit. Thanks for justifying the extra time it takes to document it.

Now in defense of some of the responses to you I have read. I believe they were just pointing out what they saw as potential problems in there minds for there needs. I totally understand your frustration especially after working all day then hitting the shop for another two to three hours every night. Then all weekend long. That makes for a long work week then to come in and post replies and read some of the remarks can be pretty discouraging. I dont have the time or skills to build my own trailer. I bought my Military trailer and a Comm shelter. I can do that. I love your build! Keep up the great work.

As far as this part, I never have any problem discussing any well laid out constructive criticisms or questions. If my responses ever seem defensive it's just... hard to respond without sounding defensive I guess. There as been *nothing* in this thread which has caused me any heartache. The issues were things I saw on other boards, and I just have to keep in mind the source of the comments. There continue to be some issues in the LR forum, but I shouldn't let that affect this.

So, enough with the drama.

I spent yesterday and this morning cleaning up welds and things like that, and the frame is now ready for paint. I'll probably do that once I finish working this evening. I'm just working on the last 3 doors now, not sure they'll be done by tonight.

I keep on getting discouraged that I'm still working on this thing at the end of May but... frankly, the weather is so damn cold up here it's crazy. I almost want to close the garage door! My wife was out with my boy in the back yard, and after an hour or so, he started complaining about being cold. So... it's not like we'd be out camping anyway. It's 20F below the average temperature for this time of year. It's been like this all month. Crazy.
 

OverlandZJ

Expedition Leader
Glad to see you sticking around Rob. I'm another follower of your thread but havent spoken up. Keep up the good work.

:smiley_drive:
 

R_Lefebvre

Expedition Leader
Well, I didn't get any doors made because I have underestimated the number of screws I need for the 2nd time... ??? But I did get the frame and underfloor painted black. I'll try to do another coat tomorrow before work, then tomorrow night, get the suspension back on!
 

R_Lefebvre

Expedition Leader
Woke up early, put the second coat on. Might be able to have the wheels back on tonight.

I forgot to paint my tongue extension tube, but I'm not even sure if I should be painting that. Since it telescopes into the tongue reciever tube, I figure it'll all just scrape off anyway. Is there something else I can do? Looking for more like a surface treatment like galvanizing. I've seen something like "galvanize in a can". Does that work? Alternatively, there's a trailer builder nearby, and they seem to galvanize their trailers. Maybe I could have them to it. But... I can't imagine they're really hot-dip galvanizing their trailers? Maybe they're just using the same.
 

Outback

Explorer
I would paint it the same color. If they hot dip it then I believe it wouldnt fit anymore. Maybe have it Powder coated. BUT the best coating would be MP3. Look up ROBAR. But its expensive.
 

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