My "New" Willy's II Trailer Build

[slimtwo]

More progress on the trailer. I have been working on the plumbing, getting the manifold glued up, and the service line sort of laid out. Then yesterday, and today, I have been measuring and planning on how I want to lay out the electrical compartment.



I started cutting material for the actual compartment, which will house the fuse/breakers, the CETEK solar controller, and the switch panel and 12 volt cut off switches. I had to interrupt my progress however, when it started to rain. I had to see if the trailer would actually fit in the garage like I had designed it, and what do you know, it fit.





I did have to air down the suspension though, but I new that would be the case.

More later.

Happy Trails!

 

[slimtwo]

More progress on the trailer today. I worked on the electrical compartment, and the face plate/hatch for the accessory switches, and the battery and solar cutoff switches.

The shelf is for things like the phone or tablet to sit while charging.





The battery and solar cutoff switches were made to mount on the surface. However. I wanted them to be flush with the surface so they wouldn’t stick out so far. In order to do that, I took a 2” hole saw, and drilled two holes, then took my router, and a straight cut bit, and removed the amount of material needed for it to seat flush.







I am going to use 30- or 50-amp breakers on both the batteries and solar cables after the cutoff switches before the fuse panel for added protection. I was not originally going to use them, however, almost everyone of the wiring video’s I found were using them. So, I figured they must know something I don’t. That’s it for the day.

Happy Trails!

 

[slimtwo]

More progress on the trailer today. I got the wiring for the solar panel, the batteries and the alternator wire connected to the CTEK solar charger.





Now I can start connecting all the accessories to the panel. I still have the laminate to glue down to the counters, some touch up paint, finish the plumbing, and finish the kitchen… there is still a bit to do. All for now.

Happy Trails!

 

[slimtwo]

Well, after a week of being sick with a bad cold, I managed to get something done on the trailer yesterday, and today. I mounted the light fixtures I made,



and installed the filter for the water system.



I put some water in the tank to check for leaks in the lines or fittings (had a few). Then I pumped it out to test the pump, and the pressure side (another leak).



All in all though, it worked great. I kinda figured I would have some leaks at the fittings I used. I'm told you are not supposed to use Teflon tape on plastic or nylon fittings. Is that really the case? Maybe I can use a touch of silicon. If there is someone who knows about this, I could use some input.
all for now, the dinner bell is ringing.
Happy Trails!

 

[slimtwo]

Hello everyone! I know I haven't posted in a while, But I have been working on the trailer. I am going to take it on it's first adventure this next week. We are going up to the Sierra Nevada Mountains around Sherman Pass for 4 days. so, I have been trying to focus on getting the crucial systems up and running. Today, I was working on the countertops, installing the laminate. Got two done, and have one to go.







I have the cable for the counter supports, and I will be working on that tomorrow. I'm using 1/16" cable, I just have to come up with a length, and figure out how best to install the cable.
I don't have pictures, but I permanently mounted the fridge, and got the motor and air filter mounted, and painted the latch plates. I will get some more pictures posted next time. I will of course have some pictures from the camp trip to post next week.
Happy Trails!

 

[slimtwo]

I haven't posted for a minute, so I guess I should get caught up. I have taken the trailer on it's maiden voyage. We (some jeep buddies) went up over Sherman's Pass, via the Kern valley, and stayed at the Troy Meadows camp ground. While we were there, we went in to Manache Meadows for a day trip. There was another trail that we took while there, which took us through some awesome landscape.











The trailer is by no means complete, my buddy posed the question; "are our trailers ever really complete?", to which I answered, "no, I spose not". There does seem to always be a change, or an up grade to make. I have added a water heater, which unfortunately, I didn't have on our first outing, but will enjoy on the next one.



Temporary spot to try it out.



Where it will live when camping.







And, I still have to finish setting up the kitchen and cargo compartments. To make it for the sierra Nevada's, I just through everything into the trailer, and would make notes for the future transformation of the kitchen and other areas. More later.
Happy Trails!

 

[slimtwo]

We had a great trip to Idyllwild this weekend. I was colder than projected. I did not properly drain the water heater out, and it froze, and cracked something inside. Didn't even get to use it. Oh well, I will take the cover off, and see what gave up, then see if they can sell me the part I need to fix it. No one to blame but me. It is all part of the adventure. It was gorgeous up there though. We checked out some yellow post sites up there for future outings, and found there to be some really nice sites. Gonna wait for warmer weather though. We did this on Saturday, and all the sites were occupied. from the rain first of the week, there was snow above 5000 feet, and a lot of mud. We took the Thomas mountain trail out yesterday, which was the first time the trailer had been off road. It exceeded my expectations. The suspension worked great. There were some deep ruts on the road coming out, however, on the rocky, and uneven sections, the trailer barely moved. Well, off to do surgery on the water heater. Have a great day all.

Happy Trails!