My Camping / Rooftop Tent Trailer Build

[JKChad]

I'm sure it's been posted but do you remember the part number for the 10 x21/2 electric brake with the parking brake? I just went through the Redneck Trailer catalog and can't seem to get the same number twice. 23-086-00, 23-087-00 maybe?

R and P Carriages had over 40 Pairs and stock when I called on Monday.


Axle-Tec Aftermarket*Replacement for Dexter 023-086-00* 023-087-00

Here's their eBay add for them. You'll still need drums with your lug pattern.
Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/291036783188

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[JKChad]

So, being the over thinker that I am. I've been brainstorming on a way to reduce the "potential" friction of the upper, smaller, rack post sliding into the lower, larger, rack post as the Rack cycles up and down. I want to be able to coat the metal with something to prevent it from rusting, but I know i'll have issues with any kind of paint getting worn off as the rack cycles up and down. I absolutely want to avoid any type of lubricant because of the obvious things like; getting grease on my clothing as I reach in the trailer, keep my toddler from potentially ingesting anything harmful, etc. I also don't want to go the powercoat route, at least not at this time. So, i've found a local plastics company that has UHMW strips with an adhesive backing. They will be cutting me 16(4 per post) 1" x 30" strips for the smaller upper post and 16 1.50" x 30" strips for the larger lower post. I will coat the metal with a primer and then line the inside of the larger post and the outside of the smaller post. The UHMW is super resistant to abrasions, and has one of the lowest friction coefficients of all the polyethylene plastics. They also have it in Black. So, aesthetically it should be less noticeable.
After talking with the plastic company, I've went with 1/16" thick pieces Which should be thin enough to keep all my tolerances in spec, but thick enough to last a long while. They said they should have it ready to pick up by the end of the week, which will be perfect for when my lift struts show up. Price wise, including them cutting all the pieces, i'm in for about $45. I'm super happy with that price and I hope to be able in incorporate more composite materials into my build as time goes on.

 

[Hoghead]

So, being the over thinker that I am. I've been brainstorming on a way to reduce the "potential" friction of the upper, smaller, rack post sliding into the lower, larger, rack post as the Rack cycles up and down. I want to be able to coat the metal with something to prevent it from rusting, but I know i'll have issues with any kind of paint getting worn off as the rack cycles up and down. I absolutely want to avoid any type of lubricant because of the obvious things like; getting grease on my clothing as I reach in the trailer, keep my toddler from potentially ingesting anything harmful, etc. I also don't want to go the powercoat route, at least not at this time. So, i've found a local plastics company that has UHMW strips with an adhesive backing. They will be cutting me 16(4 per post) 1" x 30" strips for the smaller upper post and 16 1.50" x 30" strips for the larger lower post. I will coat the metal with a primer and then line the inside of the larger post and the outside of the smaller post. The UHMW is super resistant to abrasions, and has one of the lowest friction coefficients of all the polyethylene plastics. They also have it in Black. So, aesthetically it should be less noticeable.
After talking with the plastic company, I've went with 1/16" thick pieces Which should be thin enough to keep all my tolerances in spec, but thick enough to last a long while. They said they should have it ready to pick up by the end of the week, which will be perfect for when my lift struts show up. Price wise, including them cutting all the pieces, i'm in for about $45. I'm super happy with that price and I hope to be able in incorporate more composite materials into my build as time goes on.

Please let us know how this idea works out for you. I have the issue of the paint rubbing off. Some of that is my fault as it was my first build and there is some binding that occurs. Something I plan on trying to fix. But this can be an issue with any design that has the pipes nesting inside one another. I have a question for you about the thickness though. If your product is going to be 1/16" thick, and you are going to put it on the inside of the larger pipes and outside of the smaller pipes, does that not make up 1/4" of thickness (an 1/8 on each side). Do you have that much tolerance. Mine fit a lot tighter than that. This product intrigues me though, but maybe just on the outside of the smaller pipe, or a thinner product.

 

[JKChad]

Please let us know how this idea works out for you. I have the issue of the paint rubbing off. Some of that is my fault as it was my first build and there is some binding that occurs. Something I plan on trying to fix. But this can be an issue with any design that has the pipes nesting inside one another. I have a question for you about the thickness though. If your product is going to be 1/16" thick, and you are going to put it on the inside of the larger pipes and outside of the smaller pipes, does that not make up 1/4" of thickness (an 1/8 on each side). Do you have that much tolerance. Mine fit a lot tighter than that. This product intrigues me though, but maybe just on the outside of the smaller pipe, or a thinner product.

So I purposely went with a looser tolerance to allow for coatings and to help try and reduce binding. I'm using a a 2" OD .120 wall square outer tube( just a fuzz over 1.75" ID) with a 1.5" .120 wall inner square tube. I can't say that I knew beforehand that I would go this exact route, I just knew I would have it built and work from there. I will be playing around with what tubes get the UHMW and what don't. Even if it's just applied on the smaller inner square tube, it should help a lot comparitively to metal on metal or even painted metal on painted metal.
I'm super excited to play around with it this weekend. Hope to get it sorted out and have my first night in my tent, Saturday night. Just to do a "dry run" in the driveway to figure out the what I like and don't like about the setup.

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[JKChad]

Finally was able to get some time in on the trailer this weekend and get the rack lifting on its own. It's not 100%, but very close. More importantly, it's functional! I still have a lot of finish work but my concept of hidden struts is now a functional reality.

Here's a quick video of my 2nd attempt off the rack lifting the tent. It doesn't go all the way to its high point lockout, needs slight assistance, but there's multiple factors that I will address. So, overall, I'm happy with the progress!

https://youtu.be/Manb83SD4Mo


Here's a few photos I snapped before it got to dark.

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[bigskypylot]

Finally was able to get some time in on the trailer this weekend and get the rack lifting on its own. It's not 100%, but very close. More importantly, it's functional! I still have a lot of finish work but my concept of hidden struts is now a functional reality.

Here's a quick video of my 2nd attempt off the rack lifting the tent. It doesn't go all the way to its high point lockout, needs slight assistance, but there's multiple factors that I will address. So, overall, I'm happy with the progress!

https://youtu.be/Manb83SD4Mo


Here's a few photos I snapped before it got to dark.

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Someone is having fun! Looks like the project is coming along nicely.

 

[colorado matt]

sweet .... I like the friction control idea but did not see any .... yet??? ... I also thought that dry chain lube would be a great thing to use... finish line makes a great product .... could you talk a bit about how you fastened the lift struts .... thanks ...Matt

 

[JKChad]

sweet .... I like the friction control idea but did not see any .... yet??? ... I also thought that dry chain lube would be a great thing to use... finish line makes a great product .... could you talk a bit about how you fastened the lift struts .... thanks ...Matt

Friction reduction will happen a couple of ways. I will avoid using any chemical lubricants if at all possible. Here's my current plan of attack.
Part 1: Scuff, prime, and paint tubes. This will help reduce surface friction but will have its short falls as the paint will likely scratch/wear over time.
Part 2: I'll be using thin, .060", UHMW strips that will act as a slip surface between the two tubes. I had a local plastics company make me 30" x 1" strips that have a commercial adhesive backing. The strip will be applied to the smaller upper tubes. This should definitely reduce the friction between the two tubes and also take up some of the slack, .250" difference between the 2 tubes, in the tubing size difference. I want a little bit of slack to allow the tube to slight raise up on each side when I release the lock pins. If everything has super tight tolerances, I would have to pull all 4 lock pins simultaneously to allow the rack to lift up.

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[JKChad]

Forgot to mention the struts.

I made some simple U brackets out of 1"x.125" steel that attach to the threaded rod ends of the struts. The struts are not log enough, only 42" overall. The rack top to bottom, while extended, is about 51". So, I also extended the strut rods using a 1.5" coupler and 5/16" rod that I threaded to match all the other hardware.

The only visible thing you see on the outside is the top and bottom strut bolt bolts

 

[colorado matt]

thanks for that .... I really like the hidden strut idea ... gonna steal that one ... and the reason I suggested finish line lubricant it bio friendly and non toxic ... I read your concerns about the little one .... any plans on skinning the trailer or a lid ... maybe I missed it ... thanks again ..Matt

 

[JKChad]

thanks for that .... I really like the hidden strut idea ... gonna steal that one ... and the reason I suggested finish line lubricant it bio friendly and non toxic ... I read your concerns about the little one .... any plans on skinning the trailer or a lid ... maybe I missed it ... thanks again ..Matt

I've gotten a ton of ideas from all the great people on here. Happy to contribute anything I can. The trailer has interior aluminum skins, I just have them removed to get all the metal serfaces refinished. Definitely working on a lid solution. Just want to get all the key aspects functional first.

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[JKChad]

Was able to sort out what type of lug nut would work best with the new Dexter axle/hub and my Chevy Silverado wheels. Since I wanted to match or at least be able to interchange my trailer wheels/tires with the Tahoe; I was able to figure out what gm vehicles use 1/2" - 20 open end external thread lug nuts. Found that the mid 1990's Chevy Astro van has the exact lug nut I need for all the different variables; thread size, pitch, seat face angle, and external thread that interface with the center caps. Counting my blessings that all the stars aligned and everything works. The 3 lugnuts in the pic where "borrowed" from a local auto parts store. At $6 a pop, I had to source them elsewhere for the bulk purchase. I was also able to find a set of 20 lug nuts on eBay for $23 shipped and they should be here by Friday.

Also, being a little overly cautious, I order a set of hub centric rings to eliminate the 12mm space between the hub and the wheel bore.

 

[JKChad]

Small update: I got a little over excited with the rack becoming functional and made A bit of an impulse buy.. lol.. I want rear stabilizer Jack's and always heard good things from other rv'ers who use the Adnik/Bal C Jack's. So I ordered the tallest pair they offered, 31". I wanted to run them along the back side of the frame but a slight oversight on my behalf will be preventing that. That oversight being my frame width is 52" and the jacks, end to end, is 62". Thankfully, I was able to quickly figure out that if I angle them about 45° the will tuck under the frame just fine and make contact with a main cross beam for proper mounting.

They showed up today and I'm excited to get them mounted. They are built very well and are made in the USA! I also ordered the square foot pads and the socket adapter to be able open/close them with my drill. The came with a nice hand crank also.

Here's a quick screen grab for reference. I'll try and get the mounted/mocked up this weekend.

 

[JKChad]

Another quick update.

Lug nuts and hub centric rings showed up Friday. Everything fits just right. I'm sure I would be ok to run the wheels with just the lug nuts, since the are the correct taper and seat properly. For $25, cost of 4 hub rings, it's just cheap insurance in my mind.

The hub's rings come from US Wheel Adapters. they are the plastic kind but are very solid. If the wheels were hub centric only, I would definitely have went aluminum. I ordered 66.1mm inside diameter and 78mm outside diameter. The 66.1mm measurement came from my cheapo digital caliper. If I ordered another set, I might spec 66mm. The 66.1mm has just a smidgen of play when slid on the hub without the wheel. With the wheel on the hub and lug nuts tightened. Everything fits just right!

Lugs nuts came from a mid 1990's Chevy Astro Van. They are 1/2"-20 open ended lug nuts with external threads for the center caps.

Now, it's time to head to the garage and get a little dirty. Starting back on the trailer resto. So lots of flap disc sanding and media blasting will be happening today.

 

[Grenade1]

Have a question about how you have the rack secured both in the up and down position. I can see from the pictures that you have a bolt on each post, I'm guessing it is used mainly in the up position but how does it secure? Did you thread both tubes to lock together? Or just threaded on the outer tube?