Build Thread 194? Bantam trailer build

[Belizean]

I thought you would just be getting over from freezing up there, You guys get humidity up there ?

 

[CJ]

Still ridiculous humidity around here. ~~~

Are you having any problems with flooding as I have seen happening in PA?

On one of your recent posts I forgot to mention that I'm happy to see another US flag being displayed. I keep mine up 24 / 7, rain or shine (it is illuminated at night) and only comes down during hurricanes.

Your pic -->>

 

[Petescj]

I thought you would just be getting over from freezing up there, You guys get humidity up there ?

I wish we didn't have humidity , remember I lived in Arizona for a few years. Its been bad cause its been consistent. Wears you out or makes you focus on something else.

 

[Petescj]

Are you having any problems with flooding as I have seen happening in PA?

On one of your recent posts I forgot to mention that I'm happy to see another US flag being displayed. I keep mine up 24 / 7, rain or shine (it is illuminated at night) and only comes down during hurricanes.

Love it and thanks for noticing. Garage is in the back of my house so I had to add one there.

Outside flags

Front of the house.



Inside of the garage



Anytime one of my flags comes down Im going to hang it in the garage. Maybe its faded or torn but itll still get respect and stand tall on my property somewhere.

 

[Petescj]

Cj sorry I missed the question on flooding. My area is decent due to the higher elevation. Central Pa is where most of the flooding is.

Back to the last of the waterproofing. Please remember Im doing some things on the cheap and they'll be upgraded later. I got a harbor frieght tarp that should fit pretty well. Went with the camouflage to respect the trailers roots.



Unfortunately its going to cover my side reflectors so I grabbed some reflective tape to put in spots.

How do I keep that tarp on ? Some of you may understand the next pic and some may not.



That is used for winterizing an above ground pool. It really keeps a cover or tarp tight and sealed.

I found a really cool idea for some support bows but youll have to wait for that till at least tomorrow. Ill grab the battery tomorrow and start making sure the solar is situated. Added a little reflective tape in the rear as well. Hey if you got it flaunt it

 

[Petescj]

I pretty much love whats been going on with this project. Got my battery for the solar today and along with that I got a better idea of what this trailer will hold. I grabbed some wood for camping and was a bit depressed that it took up about a 1/3 of my trailer.




Usually I dont carry firewood with me but its cheaper than buying it at the campground. Best part of it is it made me think a bit more. I was going to put a pickup type tool box on the tongue but I think I won this one.




Im going to reuse this old harbor frieght reciever rack. Perfect for putting my cooler and another tote on. Definitely have to have enclosed containers in case of bad weather but it is going to work.

Almost forgot to post a pic of my suppot bows. I just ended up looking up while I was in the garage and saw a bunch of curtain rods. Have a plan for them.

 

[Petescj]

Well getting packed for the maiden voyage. Looks like Ill be able to test my waterproofing skills right off the bat. Supposed to be some thunderstorms Saturday. Go figure.

Looks like my daughter wont make it due to her new job which sucks but Ill take some wood out since she wont be there to keep the old folk up too late. I only used ratchet straps to secure the rack on the tongue for now. Id like to get some experience with it before I make it permanent. Overall Im happy , but it hasnt left the garage yet.

 

[Petescj]

Well this whole thing has been a learning experience for sure. Luckily a quick Amazon order has me a new solar inverter in time for the trip. I know how to use two things in the picture. Honestly though everything looks pretty straight forward.

Once I get everything assembled and get back from our trip Ill give an honest assessment of how everything worked and what I would or wouldn't do different. I am going to check everything out on Friday before we leave Saturday.

 

[Petescj]

Set up of this system is extremely easy. Im pissed at myself for waiting this long. Cant believe I let this project go dormant for 3 years.



I only set up one panel just to test everything but we're making power and replenishing the battery as we should.





A big shoutout to @CJ and @TSB8C for their help and input. Also to @Belizean and @gert for following along and encouraging me through my projects. It means alot when I need a push at times.

 

[Petescj]

Made it camping. Thunderstorms and a good deluge. Still a dreat time so far

 

[CJ]

Woo Hoo! Wet camping is better than no camping!!

 

[Petescj]

Woo Hoo! Wet camping is better than no camping!!

Agreed. Very odd our first camping trip is this late. No big deal though. Have another in two weeks then a little beach getaway.

 

[Petescj]

Agreed. Very odd our first camping trip is this late. No big deal though. Have another in two weeks then a little beach getaway.

 

[Petescj]

Ok so heres a quick recap and a review of the first trip. First everyone likes pics so heres what I started with:



And heres how it ended up so far , this was pulling in the campground.

 

[Petescj]

Looks great with the Jeep and works so well. Fully loaded plus more in the Jeep did slow the Cj down a bit especially on the mountain but not anything extreme. Before I even left the garage I had two issues. My idea about the pool cable didnt work as water tight as I thought it would. But what got me good before I left was just hooking up to the ball. Heres the setup I have.



When you tighten the bolt that bottom "C" shaped bracket snugs up to the bottom of the ball. It just didn't look right to me and I took it on and off again about 4 times tillI was satisfied it was on correctly. Bashed my head off one of the studs on the spare tire carrier just to test my cussing skills. I was quite flaunt in that area , the blood helped motivate me. Id like to swap this out for a more moder set up for next year.

 

[Petescj]

We got to our site and parked around 2:30 pm. Got the tent up in time for a nice ripping thunderstorm.



After the issues with the ball mount and the ample room at our site I never unhooked while we were there. After the storm passed I quickly realized I forgot to put my support bows in before I put the tarp on. Thought I could gather it all up and pull it off but ended up dumping it in the trailer. Luckily moving quickly nothing important got wet.

 

[Petescj]

The solar worked great. I had to hunt the Sun down a few different times but thats to be expected cause the sites we pick are almost always heavily wooded. We didn't really use it that heavily though. Just cell charging and plainh music. Didnt even have to run the fan after the storm ripped through.

Heres a pretty cool glacier deposit at our favorite camp. Rock crawling anyone? Not on 32s for sure.



Towing the trailer really magnified some of the issues I still have with Vader the Cj. Gotta bit of work to do on my Cyborg Cj this Fall and Winter but Ill address that in the Vader thread.