Triple-purpose JK Build
- Thread starter jsmoriss
- Start date
XXXpedition
Explorer
i had no problems with sharing a container, but you can't drive it in yourself.
only odd thing was that they took off the license plate...
it all worked out.
just read our temporarily importing the vehicle
. shouldn't have changed much...
jsmoriss
Explorer
Bitter sweet...
We're picking up the trailer tomorrow morning, but it'll be a bitter / sweet moment for us because I've just lost my job. We were already stretching the finances to buy this trailer, so it couldn't have happened at a worse time. We'll be ok, but all home improvement projects will be put on hold, along with simple things like wine, beer... I just thought I'd share. Hopefully I'll look back on this post in a few months and have a chuckle (fingers crossed).
js.
We're picking up the trailer tomorrow morning, but it'll be a bitter / sweet moment for us because I've just lost my job. We were already stretching the finances to buy this trailer, so it couldn't have happened at a worse time. We'll be ok, but all home improvement projects will be put on hold, along with simple things like wine, beer... I just thought I'd share. Hopefully I'll look back on this post in a few months and have a chuckle (fingers crossed).
js.
getlost4x4
Expedition Leader
i've been laid off for almost a year. i can't find anything for a decent job like i had.
soooo
going back to school this fall to finish my bacholers degree in Business Administration.
it sucks. i even tried making a living with my own business, it started well, but its dead.
soooo
going back to school this fall to finish my bacholers degree in Business Administration.
it sucks. i even tried making a living with my own business, it started well, but its dead.
JRhetts
Adventurer
js
I'm sure you will land on your feet. You are skilled and motivated. Those are key to any endeavor/success.
Thanks for all the imagination, planning and detail on what you've done with your JK. We have one we drove stock (with the exception of new shocks and springs to accommodate too heavy loads and too many potholes and 'topes') to Panama last winter, and I admire what you've done. I might argue that an awful lot can be done in a stock Rubi Unlimited, but I would also say yours has class way beyond a stocker. great job.
John
I'm sure you will land on your feet. You are skilled and motivated. Those are key to any endeavor/success.
Thanks for all the imagination, planning and detail on what you've done with your JK. We have one we drove stock (with the exception of new shocks and springs to accommodate too heavy loads and too many potholes and 'topes') to Panama last winter, and I admire what you've done. I might argue that an awful lot can be done in a stock Rubi Unlimited, but I would also say yours has class way beyond a stocker. great job.
John
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
If you get down this way, the potables are on me, sir.
I'd really like to look at that pair of Hi-lifts as stabilizers closer; I've been thinking of doing something similar.
jsmoriss
Explorer
Good news - we picked up the trailer and customs was no problem. So far so good.
Chris spent several hours with us going over all the features, and doing a few backing-up / jack-knife scenarios, etc. The trailer itself is perfect. The tent... well, I'm not sure yet. It depends on how it works during rainy days. It's canvas, which I didn't expect. I probably should have done a little more research on the tent. Anyway, it looks like I have to hose it down & let-dry 3-4 times to make sure it's properly watertight. If not, there's a product called Canvak which can be applied and is very effective. Mildew could also be a problem - we'll see. Chris has offered to trade-in the tent for one of his if I don't like it, but I expect there'll be a small fee, which I can't afford right now (not to mention the cost of shipping the tents). I could always drive over though - now that we have a trailer, that would be a lot easier. I also have the time to spare... :-D If I had known what I know now, I would have chosen the Campa tent, even if it's a little narrower.
For those of you thinking of importing a trailer, here are the documents I needed at the customs counter:
- Manufacturer Statement of Recall Clearance. This states that there are no outstanding recalls on the trailer and must from the manufacturer. Customs keeps a copy to send to RIV with the Form-1 they fill out.
- US Certificate of Origin.
- Bill of Sale.
- A paper copy of the VIN sticker with manufacturing date, weights, etc.
- Letter from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, stating that trailers from Campa do not require a Certificate of Title because of their weight. Customs also kept a copy of this document to send with the Form-1.
Although customs didn't ask / need the following, I also had:
- The Invoice.
- The Certificate of Insurance. Campa had to arrange temporary insurance since Canadian insurance companies won't touch it before it's properly registered in Quebec.
- Print-out of the RIV import process and contact numbers.
- The Certificate of Registration (aka "Temp Tags") made out to my name.
Here's few pics from the morning's training session, and going over the trailer again once we got home...
Chris and Anne drove 9hrs from Ohio to meet us at the Duty Free in Champlain NY...
Chris had each of us hitch and un-hitch the trailer...
Sway bar, hand-brake, etc.
The kitchen... I have to mount my Partner stove onto the table to finish the kitchen installation...
Going over all the features, top to bottom...
Checking maximum angle...
Practicing back-up scenarios...
Setting up the tent...
And squaring it away...
Myself, Melanie (my wife), and Chris (Anne is taking the picture)...
js.
Chris spent several hours with us going over all the features, and doing a few backing-up / jack-knife scenarios, etc. The trailer itself is perfect. The tent... well, I'm not sure yet. It depends on how it works during rainy days. It's canvas, which I didn't expect. I probably should have done a little more research on the tent.
Anyway, it looks like I have to hose it down & let-dry 3-4 times to make sure it's properly watertight. If not, there's a product called Canvak which can be applied and is very effective. Mildew could also be a problem - we'll see. Chris has offered to trade-in the tent for one of his if I don't like it, but I expect there'll be a small fee, which I can't afford right now (not to mention the cost of shipping the tents). I could always drive over though - now that we have a trailer, that would be a lot easier. I also have the time to spare... :-D If I had known what I know now, I would have chosen the Campa tent, even if it's a little narrower.For those of you thinking of importing a trailer, here are the documents I needed at the customs counter:
- Manufacturer Statement of Recall Clearance. This states that there are no outstanding recalls on the trailer and must from the manufacturer. Customs keeps a copy to send to RIV with the Form-1 they fill out.
- US Certificate of Origin.
- Bill of Sale.
- A paper copy of the VIN sticker with manufacturing date, weights, etc.
- Letter from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, stating that trailers from Campa do not require a Certificate of Title because of their weight. Customs also kept a copy of this document to send with the Form-1.
Although customs didn't ask / need the following, I also had:
- The Invoice.
- The Certificate of Insurance. Campa had to arrange temporary insurance since Canadian insurance companies won't touch it before it's properly registered in Quebec.
- Print-out of the RIV import process and contact numbers.
- The Certificate of Registration (aka "Temp Tags") made out to my name.
Here's few pics from the morning's training session, and going over the trailer again once we got home...
Chris and Anne drove 9hrs from Ohio to meet us at the Duty Free in Champlain NY...
Chris had each of us hitch and un-hitch the trailer...
Sway bar, hand-brake, etc.
The kitchen... I have to mount my Partner stove onto the table to finish the kitchen installation...
Going over all the features, top to bottom...
Checking maximum angle...
Practicing back-up scenarios...
Setting up the tent...
And squaring it away...
Myself, Melanie (my wife), and Chris (Anne is taking the picture)...
js.
Last edited:
jsmoriss
Explorer
Just after we'd left customs...
Backing up the driveway... I had to backup 90 degrees from the roadside - it was pretty easy thanks to the different scenarios we'd done with Chris...
Going over everything again, cleaning seals, stowing stuff in the right places, adding jerry cans, etc.
Inside the tent...
Checking out the kitchen panels...
js.
Backing up the driveway... I had to backup 90 degrees from the roadside - it was pretty easy thanks to the different scenarios we'd done with Chris...
Going over everything again, cleaning seals, stowing stuff in the right places, adding jerry cans, etc.
Inside the tent...
Checking out the kitchen panels...
js.
jsmoriss
Explorer
For the past couple of days I've been getting to know the trailer. The canvas tent was a bit of a surprise, so I did a little research on canvas tents. It seems that you need to give them a shower & let them dry a few times to tighten up the material and make it really waterproof. So I took the trailer out and hosed the tent down a few times. The light brown roof material appears to be very waterproof - the green sides, not so much. I have to call Autohome and ask them if I can / should apply some Canvak to their tent. It leaked a little, but I _was_ spraying it rather hard, and from some odd angles.
This test also revealed a little problem with the rivets used on the two center lids of the trailer. Some water got through. Chris has spent the last few days running tests on his own trailers, to find out where the leak is, and how to fix it. A bead of silicone on the underside of those rivets should do the trick, and Chris will be adding a bead between the hinge/top on future builds. So far the build quality and attention to detail has been excellent, so I'm putting this down as a minor tweak for now.
On the import process side of things... I received my RIV inspection form by e-mail. It comes with a full list of authorized centers I can choose from. There's one not too far that I'll call tomorrow. Once the inspection is done, I can get the license plate (and pay QST on the trailer).
As some may remember, I moved recently. Although the Jeep doesn't fit in the garage, the trailer does. I can lift the rack and even open the Zarges cases (if I lower the tongue just a bit). :victory:
This will allow me to pack the trailer during the week, and then take it out ready to go for the week-end. I'm looking forward to our first outing, but there's still a few mods I'd like to do...
I picked up some 'Multy-Tile' and did the whole center storage bin:
Along with the propane tank holder, and the bottom section of the side storage bins:
I picked up some lightweight PP storage containers at Wallmart, in a variety of sizes. Here's a few in the center storage bin:
I ran a 'BatteryMinder' to a 12V outlet to keep the battery topped-up and conditioned.
I taped off the location for the Partner stove, which I'll drill later this week.
And finally here's a shot of one side bin with the small sink.
js.
I have to call Autohome and ask them if I can / should apply some Canvak to their tent. It leaked a little, but I _was_ spraying it rather hard, and from some odd angles. This test also revealed a little problem with the rivets used on the two center lids of the trailer. Some water got through. Chris has spent the last few days running tests on his own trailers, to find out where the leak is, and how to fix it. A bead of silicone on the underside of those rivets should do the trick, and Chris will be adding a bead between the hinge/top on future builds. So far the build quality and attention to detail has been excellent, so I'm putting this down as a minor tweak for now.
On the import process side of things... I received my RIV inspection form by e-mail. It comes with a full list of authorized centers I can choose from. There's one not too far that I'll call tomorrow. Once the inspection is done, I can get the license plate (and pay QST on the trailer).
As some may remember, I moved recently. Although the Jeep doesn't fit in the garage, the trailer does. I can lift the rack and even open the Zarges cases (if I lower the tongue just a bit). :victory:
This will allow me to pack the trailer during the week, and then take it out ready to go for the week-end. I'm looking forward to our first outing, but there's still a few mods I'd like to do...
I picked up some 'Multy-Tile' and did the whole center storage bin:
Along with the propane tank holder, and the bottom section of the side storage bins:
I picked up some lightweight PP storage containers at Wallmart, in a variety of sizes. Here's a few in the center storage bin:
I ran a 'BatteryMinder' to a 12V outlet to keep the battery topped-up and conditioned.
I taped off the location for the Partner stove, which I'll drill later this week.
And finally here's a shot of one side bin with the small sink.
js.
jsmoriss
Explorer
That part is pretty cool. There are plenty of clever things on this trailer, but the rack feature is pretty impressive to see.
There are small spring loaded shocks in each upright. When you release the retaining pins, the rack raises by itself and the pins click into place. Very easy. Lowering it is a bit more work - you have to offset the pins, pull one end down, center the pins, and then pull it down the rest of the way, until the pins click into place. The shocks are pretty strong, so you gotta put some weight into it. It's a very nice feature, and allows you to have full height enclosed areas, like the attached kitchen / changing-room on the OverZone tent.js.
jsmoriss
Explorer
An update on the trailer registration, and a few more pics...
This morning I had the trailer inspected for the RIV -- no problemo. Then I went to the SAAQ (Quebec's Automotive Agency) to register the trailer and get a plate. That didn't go as smoothly... Since the trailer is more than 900 KG, it has to be inspected. All the paperwork has to be faxed to another department, which will review it all, and give me a call for (I would guess) the inspection, and/or next steps. They didn't like the US Certificate of Origin either -- they expect it to be printed on somekind of special currency-like paper or something. They harped on about this quite a bit, but really, it's up to the manufacturer to print it on whatever they want.
Dealing with the Federal and Quebec governments is always like this -- on the Federal side it goes smoothly, and on the Quebec side it's always soooo complicated, slow, and downright painful. Why they couldn't accept the inspection I had done for the RIV that very morning is beyond me...
Anyway, so now I wait for their phone call...
Meanwhile, no post is complete without a few pics, so here ya go.
Sealing the hinge rivets with silicone:
In the end I changed my mind though. I'm going to drill-out the rivets, lay down some silicone between the body & hinge, then bolt it back on. I ordered some low profile bolts which should make for a more elegant solution.
After driving the trailer back from the US, I noticed the front diff spit out some oil. Good thing I installed a small de-oiler on the breather a while back. :-D
The 7-pin socket on the bumper was a bit far for the trailer wiring to reach -- without having the harness pulled tight or dragging low when turning right or left, so I fabbed up another socket on the ball-mount.
js.
This morning I had the trailer inspected for the RIV -- no problemo. Then I went to the SAAQ (Quebec's Automotive Agency) to register the trailer and get a plate. That didn't go as smoothly... Since the trailer is more than 900 KG, it has to be inspected. All the paperwork has to be faxed to another department, which will review it all, and give me a call for (I would guess) the inspection, and/or next steps. They didn't like the US Certificate of Origin either -- they expect it to be printed on somekind of special currency-like paper or something. They harped on about this quite a bit, but really, it's up to the manufacturer to print it on whatever they want.
Dealing with the Federal and Quebec governments is always like this -- on the Federal side it goes smoothly, and on the Quebec side it's always soooo complicated, slow, and downright painful. Why they couldn't accept the inspection I had done for the RIV that very morning is beyond me...
Anyway, so now I wait for their phone call...
Meanwhile, no post is complete without a few pics, so here ya go.
Sealing the hinge rivets with silicone:
In the end I changed my mind though. I'm going to drill-out the rivets, lay down some silicone between the body & hinge, then bolt it back on. I ordered some low profile bolts which should make for a more elegant solution.
After driving the trailer back from the US, I noticed the front diff spit out some oil. Good thing I installed a small de-oiler on the breather a while back. :-D
The 7-pin socket on the bumper was a bit far for the trailer wiring to reach -- without having the harness pulled tight or dragging low when turning right or left, so I fabbed up another socket on the ball-mount.
js.
jasonL_031
Adventurer
damn that looks good. giving me bad bad ideas for my jeep.