BLT Offroad Trailer

[border man]

HenryJ, PM sent.

[HenryJ]

The package from AZ arrived today. A little solder , drilling, riveting, wiring and I now have a ...


Solar suitcase

[HenryJ]

Got the protective case put together today:



A couple pieces of masonite, some 1/2" neoprene, a little webbing and some buckles.

The panel works great. I set it out for a quick test.



14.4V
Now all packed in the trailer and ready to go.

[fallvitals]

Sweet. Whats next? A bathroom? lol

[HenryJ]

Whats next? A bathroom?

It's in there

[HenryJ]

Some minor adjustments after the Moab trip.

A newly fabricated attachment / enclosure for the heater. A roll up table , cutting board and campfire grille added to the gear. Some reorganization of the front box and the addition of some magnetic shelving.
A new 3500# axle with brakes is on order and should be ready to pick up this week.

[HenryJ]

I have been thinking about a better way to dispense my water supply. I use four 7 gallon AquaTainers.



I already have enough things to efficiently drain my battery, so I'm not really thinking along those lines. What I have done in the past is to lift a container out and set it someplace. The hitch is not very convenient as there is not really room. The box works well, but inevitably it needs to be opened.

Sticking with the KISS principal. I began looking. The hand pumps are neat, but those look like work. I don't have the room for one under the lid and don't really want to open it any time I need water while at camp. There are many very nice water systems that I have looked through. It is very tempting to over complicate the project.

Here is what I came up with:



Using the spigot that comes with the AquaTainers, I added a 3/4" NPT female coupler and 3/4" NPT x 1/2 barb fitting attached to 10' of 1/2" hose. A line clamp over the coupler bolts it to an old speaker magnet. On the other end is a super siphon that drops into the water jug. The hose routes through the same access cover used to pass the fridges power cord.

Open the spigot, a few shakes of the super siphon to get water flowing and I am all set with running water. With the magnetic mount I can easily stow it inside for traveling and mount it where ever is convenient. The 10' of hose may be a bit much , but it allows me some flexibility. I may cut it down a little after I see what works for me.

Just thought I'd share the idea. I have less than $20 invested in it all together.

[HenryJ]

Just back from a little camping trip.
This was the first "long" trip with the TW200 on the back.



It pulled great. No problems with the hitch , rack, or weight distribution. The trailer grossed 2500# with the bike on the back and 32 gallons of water up front. The new axle performed nicely. The braking is subtle, just as it should be. There is no extra effort to stop this combination.



There was not enough sun to extend battery life very long. I did learn that I switched the power port and it must be on to charge. Duh...
I am still trying to get a handle on how well this is going to work. Right now I'm just not too sure it is the best way to go. running the truck a little bit charges things right back up pretty quickly.



The heater enclosure (red canvas) works great!



The little propane heater kept things warm and dry inside. Extremely comfortable. That is a perfect addition. I don't know how cold it got at night. No frost in the mornings but close I suspect.
I really thought the 12 volt heated mattress pad might be the best answer. My mind has changed. This was just too easy and we were all comfortable with the heat available. The added bonus of the dry interior added to our positive review.

The siphon spigot worked just like it should. We only used one container of water in three days. This was not a dry camp , so there was a water source that offset some of the water needs.

The Sailor's Solution breathable under liner is THE way to go. It adds just a little more cushion.



The picture doesn't show the condensation very well. I popped it open when we arrived home to find everything air dried just fine under there. No we mattress to deal with.

[F9K9]

Really well thought out, researched and built!

Ummmmmmm, I think that I am a tad behind in my build...............
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Wife Version 3.0 "MOVER"

[HenryJ]

That one has potential for sure!

[fallvitals]

I'm sure a gentleman wouldn't ask, but how much do you have wrapped up in that thing?

[HenryJ]

I'm sure a gentleman wouldn't ask, but how much do you have wrapped up in that thing?

I am probably nearing the $3500 mark with the new axle , wheels and bike carrier. That includes the fridge and tent, along with some other camping gear that we added.
Not too bad when you compare commercially available alternatives.

[fallvitals]

Wow. Thats a lot less then I was guessing.

[HenryJ]

Can you give more detail on this? I'm not familiar with this product.

Actually, it is called "Max Vent"
Skip that retailer and go directly to the source: Hypervent Marine Great stuff.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/s ... hp?t=29018

[HenryJ]

A new Diehard Platinum 34/78DT goes in the trailer tomorrow! All ready for spring.

[HenryJ]

Added a retractable dog cable to the side.



We are now taking both motorcycles and want a way to tie-out the dog while we are gone. She stays with us pretty well while in camp, but we didn't want her loose while we were out riding. This way she will have some room to wander a little and hopefully the retractable cable will be less likely to get caught on stuff.

We had to pick up a little higher rise hitch for the Avalanche. It is still down a little in the nose, but we are not loaded yet.

[F9K9]

[HenryJ]

[HenryJ]

Well just under three seasons on this trailer now. May of 2009 it rolled into our lives and in a week or so it will go to its new home.
We perfected it , all but the shower heat we never tried.

What happened?

A growing boy, washing dishes in the friends camper, A truck camper that followed us through some pretty rough terrain, neighbors watching us set up, a truck with power to haul more.
All of the above and the fact that we had been considering a larger camper for a little while now. I had eyed other options and our last trip we decided to do a little looking.
Some research revealed an option of which I was unaware. Fleetwood had built some "offroad" ready pop up campers. Nothing "hardcore", but great out of the way base camp ready.
A quick Crazedlist.org search of the northwest revealed one. A few emails later and his bottom dollar matched my top dollar.
A whirlwind 700 mile round trip and we Have an Evolution E1.

It will sleep six. King , queen and fullsize beds.

I can not say it is a step up. It is a side step.

I am making a few changes , adding a few items. It will not be as heavily modified as the last.

The BLT Offroad trailer goes to a good home. On our last trip , my brother-in-law said, "If you ever want to sell it...". I brushed off the idea as a bit of a joke.

He called to say they made it home safe , just after we found the E1. I asked if he was serious about buying our trailer. His response, "In a heartbeat!"
I feel a little sad that we are moving out of it, but happy it goes to a good home.

[14x4]

Very cool! Sounds like you and your brother-in-law both benefited greatly! Did you include all of the modifications on the trailer or did you remove them before you sold it?

[HenryJ]

The trailer is intact. I removed only our camping supplies and shovel. Top, fridge, electrical system, stabilizers, hitch, shower, water tanks, etc... all goes with it. Sleeping bag, food and a few clothes are all they need

We do have to wire her truck for the trailer, but nothing too difficult.

[border man]

Can't really tell from the pic, but does that one have room for your bikes on the front?

[HenryJ]

Can't really tell from the pic, but does that one have room for your bikes on the front?

It does have a rack for one bike. I think that I have it figured out to haul both bikes in the back of the Avalanche now though. We will see which is easier.