My Expedition Trailer

[prime]

Hey All,

I love the site and got a bunch of great ideas when I started my expedition trailer project to be pulled behind my 2013 JK sport. I've wanted one for a long time and it wasn't until I came across a great deal on a RTT that I had to put my project in high gear to get it mounted and usable. If this thread helps only one person out there, I'll be stoked!

My trailer is 98% complete at this point, but I am going to start from the beginning and bring the thread up to speed......

This project started when I came across a Camp-N-Case RTT in the near local area:



This is a stock photo and lots more are available at www.camp-n-case.com. A couple thing about this specific unit:
1. It was an early prototype, but included lots of options that are no longer available.
2. It was an early prototype and includes several things I and/or the company probably did/would do differently on subsequent models.

Anyway, as I get time, I'll get more of the build process updated. *Disclaimer* My phone's camera was jacked up most of the time during the build process (it was stuck with a Sephia filter) so excuse the color tone of the images.

 

[prime]

Here are the goals I had in mind when I started designing the trailer:

1. Support this particular RTT
2. Include a 12V power system
3. Include integrated water storage
4. Provide enough storage for the rest of my gear
5. have near the same track as my JK
6. Be as light as reasonably possible

Other than that, I just started with some rough designs in software to see what would come out
*Disclaimer* - I am not a welder, graphic artist, CAD engineer, etc. by trade. Everything I build is for me, my use or for someone that is desperate enough to leverage my limited skillset in any of these areas. I build for my own personal satisfaction and use so unless your criticism is productive, keep it to yourself.

 

[prime]

After LOTS of research on dimensions, parts, etc., I decided on the following for the chassis, axle and springs:

2.5" 3/16 wall square tube for the tongue ( I used this instead of 1/4" wall for weight purposes, however, I had to shim for proper receiver operation)
2"x3" 3/16 wall rect tube for the chassis and rear bumper
1.5" 1/4" wall tube for the upper structure
3500lb Rockwall axle with 5x5 hubs (match the JK) in a 61" width (very close to the hub face-to-face on the JK)
1750 x 2 springs, hangers and shackles
2 16x7 stock steel JK wheels (removed from my Jeep when wheel and tire swap occurred)
2 used Dakota 285 65R16 tires (more rolling chassis and demo purposes. I will be going to the same size Duratracs before my first long trip at the end of July)

I decided on the Max Coupler has my towing apparatus of choice. Great reviews and got an awesome deal.

Once the part list was together to build a rolling chassis, ordering began:

 

[prime]

Chassis starts to take shape:

You can see here the difference between "receiver tube" and 2.5" 3/16 wall. I ended up using some 16ga sheet and created a sleeve to bring the receiver area to a more precise fit with the Max Coupler (shown later in the build)







And then just like, rolling chassis.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Your welds look a bit better than mine and they have held up so far, so you should be fine, a lot of welding success is all in the prep work. BTW, that RTT website turns a lot of buyers away by not having prices listed and it could use a bit more proofreading.

 

[prime]

Yeah it could.......to tell you the truth, the are not currently selling them due to a production issue and the prices are high. If i hadn't found this one, I would have gone another route.

 

[prime]

When I started to build the tent support structure that was the prime objective. Having the storage area below was a natural byproduct of that task.





I won't say that this was done on the fly, but the dimensions were very much a function of the size of the tent, and the initial ride height of the chassis. I wanted to make sure that the bottom of the tent was pretty close to the top of the tub of the JK so the lines looked right. From there, it was just the necessary calculations to get box dimensions.

 

[prime]

Before I got any further along, I needed to make sure I could tow the thing....

I started messing with the receiver tube and this is where I identified that the 3/16" wall tube is a bit slack for a hitch to slide into. Some further research indicated that a typical receiver tube is 2.5" 1/4" wall tube. I wasn't about to tear anything apart at this stage and I was happy with the stoutness/weight ratio of the 3/16" tube so I decided to just shim the receiver portion of the tube. Now, there could have been lots of ways to do this, but this solution worked best for me and has proven stable for now.

I took a piece of 16ga sheet (Really the difference in size between the wall thickness of the two tubes) and "massaged" it around a hitch tube creating the shim. I then manipulated it down the throat of the tongue until I was happy with the position. A couple test fits and I welded into place, ground the welds down to create a nice lip and viola!

 

[mizzle415]

I like what you did with that shim for the 2.5" x 3/16 tube. The tongue I have has the same dimensions and I've been wondering what to shim with. Thanks for posting this.

 

[prime]

I need to a reinforcing ring as well, but my time as been diverted elsewhere at the moment. I'll get more posted this week to bring this build closer to its current status.

 

[prime]

Wow, I forgot about this thread. I am in the process of rebuilding the box and tent rack on my trailer after a year's worth of use identified some things I wanted to change. Since I am swapping tents to the Tepui Kukenam Ruggedized, I figured it was a good time to do so.

I'll update that process here.

 

[biskit]

So we want the updates please.:Wow1:

 

[prime]

The tent should be here this week sometime and I'll start from there!

 

[prime]

Couple changes that I will be incorporating:

1. I originally used OSB (sealed with bedliner) as the sides of the storage box. Even sealed, the OSB strands are separating and it just doesn't look great and will eventually degrade. I have thought long and hard on this and while my first choice would be aluminum sheet, I am not willing to put that kind of money into the material. The next two options are steel sheet or plywood. I am really leaning towards a mix of thickness plywood (marine and/or sealed and painted). Plywood stands up to most environmental conditions and while there is some maintenance involved, the OSB has done fine (minus the strand separation) so ply should mitigate that problem.

2. I'm adding a 21 gallon fresh water (originally had an 11) that I never go installed. I was trying to work out a way to build some hangers to put under the box of the trailer, but the dimensions just didn't work out. I decided to take up some space in the storage area to install the tank, right above the axle, and will go from there.

3. Adding a slide out style rear kitchen. I've already flipped the tailgate to a swing gate and installed my rock-slide engineering flip out table to the inside of the swing gate. The slide out will likely be some drawer style storage for cooking implements on one side and a stove storage slot and food bin on the other. With the new tent, I'll be also moving my cooler to a rack just above this area for easy access.

4. I'll be adding a new top to close up the box with the removal of the tent and adding a more traditional roof rack style uprights to mount the Tepui. under the tent, I will have a space to slide my spare and have some space to store chairs or firewood, etc.

That's the start! Still waiting on the tent. They messed up the delivery zip code on the BOL so they are rerouting......

 

[prime]

Tent showed up! Currently still in the box until I get the trailer ready for it, but a big step!