JKChad
Observer
Well, as camping season approaches, the trailer build/evolution continues. I've been tinkering with it a little over the last few weeks, I moved the rack legs back to better support the majority of the weight. That prompted me to finally bite the bullet and order some 150lb/lift linear actuators!! That has snowballed, with the wife's approval at that!, with the buildout of the first phase of a dedicated 12v system for the trailer. You know, because you can't run a linear actuators without it. Lol.. That's snowballed some other projects as well.
The 12v system will be comprised of the following:
- Qty= 2 - 6v GC2 (golf cart) batteries w/215ah capacity - I opted for the sam's club, Duracell, $89.98 versions.
- Victron blue smart 120vac to 12v/15amp dc charger with bluetooth monitoring - this will be my shore power charger, a dc to dc will be added at some point as well.
- Blue Sea: Battery cut off switch, 12 circuit fuse block, bus bar (for grounds), 12 position terminal
- 1 Bussman 80 amp circuit breaker
- 1 premade 4 switch panel with voltage display
- 1 Fergelli 4 channel RF controller, this will allow the actuators to be controlled by remote
- 1 Fergelli 30 amp spdt rocker switch - this will be the specifically for the actuators.
- Temco 2awg wire for the bridging the 2 6v batteries in series
- Temco 4awg wire for the power/ground to the circuit breaker and ground bus bar
- Temco ring terminals for all the heavy gauge connections
- Amp double crimp ring, spade, and splice connectors for all the 10awg and up wiring
- various brands of 3:1 adhesive lined and double walled shrink tube
- appropriate relay's for powering the actuators
- I picked picked up a sheet of .125" ABS plastic to make a mounting surface for all the main electronics to mount to.
- 2 Battery boxes for the batteries, with acid absorption matts.
- There will also be a secondary electrical box that I mount to the rack, under the tent, to feed power to the inside of the tent, a full length awning led, leds in the rack that light up the cargo area, and LED strips I will be installing into the tent base that overhangs(where the annex connects to)
So as of yesterday, I have pretty much all the parts in. So, this is what I'm trying to accomplish by the first week of April.
-Finish rack leg relocation; just need to finish drilling some holes to get them 100% secured
-Rework the rack legs to accept mounts for the linear actuators. I'll be removing the spring loaded pop pins to give clearance and remove the need to hold the pins open during usage. I'm also going to potentially leave the gas strut in place, since they're not in the way. That's still TBD.
-Build out the 12v system. I'm still on the fence of weather I will put this all in the front storage box, batteries in the cargo area and electronics in the front storage area, or build out an enclosure in the front of the main cargo box, on the drivers side, to house the batteries and electronics, with an access door coming through the side panel of the trailer..
-I will be converting the trailer hubs to 5x5 bolt pattern. I already have the new hubs, matching wheels for our Jeep and spidertrax 1.5" wheel spacers to allow the matching wheels to clear the grease caps. I'm doing this for a few reasons; free up room for the batteries/electronics, try and cut some weight, and eliminate the need for a trailer spare(i'll be able to use the spare from the jeep). I Just need to get some tires, going with 285/70r17 to match the jeep size,but likely not the same exact tire. I also will also being ordering a new axle tube, I need it to be roughly 3" narrower to make up for the wheel spacers. I'm doing this to keep the trailer track width matching the Jeep.
-Install new leaf springs and shackles, current springs are the originals from 30+ years ago. They're a little worn out.
If time allows,
-build side steps for the trailer
-install all the appropriate side marker lights, need the steps to do that.
-Install xprite leds rock lights under the trailer for easier night time setup, which happens more than we care to admit, and to give some night time ambient lighting.
The 12v system will be comprised of the following:
- Qty= 2 - 6v GC2 (golf cart) batteries w/215ah capacity - I opted for the sam's club, Duracell, $89.98 versions.
- Victron blue smart 120vac to 12v/15amp dc charger with bluetooth monitoring - this will be my shore power charger, a dc to dc will be added at some point as well.
- Blue Sea: Battery cut off switch, 12 circuit fuse block, bus bar (for grounds), 12 position terminal
- 1 Bussman 80 amp circuit breaker
- 1 premade 4 switch panel with voltage display
- 1 Fergelli 4 channel RF controller, this will allow the actuators to be controlled by remote
- 1 Fergelli 30 amp spdt rocker switch - this will be the specifically for the actuators.
- Temco 2awg wire for the bridging the 2 6v batteries in series
- Temco 4awg wire for the power/ground to the circuit breaker and ground bus bar
- Temco ring terminals for all the heavy gauge connections
- Amp double crimp ring, spade, and splice connectors for all the 10awg and up wiring
- various brands of 3:1 adhesive lined and double walled shrink tube
- appropriate relay's for powering the actuators
- I picked picked up a sheet of .125" ABS plastic to make a mounting surface for all the main electronics to mount to.
- 2 Battery boxes for the batteries, with acid absorption matts.
- There will also be a secondary electrical box that I mount to the rack, under the tent, to feed power to the inside of the tent, a full length awning led, leds in the rack that light up the cargo area, and LED strips I will be installing into the tent base that overhangs(where the annex connects to)
So as of yesterday, I have pretty much all the parts in. So, this is what I'm trying to accomplish by the first week of April.
-Finish rack leg relocation; just need to finish drilling some holes to get them 100% secured
-Rework the rack legs to accept mounts for the linear actuators. I'll be removing the spring loaded pop pins to give clearance and remove the need to hold the pins open during usage. I'm also going to potentially leave the gas strut in place, since they're not in the way. That's still TBD.
-Build out the 12v system. I'm still on the fence of weather I will put this all in the front storage box, batteries in the cargo area and electronics in the front storage area, or build out an enclosure in the front of the main cargo box, on the drivers side, to house the batteries and electronics, with an access door coming through the side panel of the trailer..
-I will be converting the trailer hubs to 5x5 bolt pattern. I already have the new hubs, matching wheels for our Jeep and spidertrax 1.5" wheel spacers to allow the matching wheels to clear the grease caps. I'm doing this for a few reasons; free up room for the batteries/electronics, try and cut some weight, and eliminate the need for a trailer spare(i'll be able to use the spare from the jeep). I Just need to get some tires, going with 285/70r17 to match the jeep size,but likely not the same exact tire. I also will also being ordering a new axle tube, I need it to be roughly 3" narrower to make up for the wheel spacers. I'm doing this to keep the trailer track width matching the Jeep.
-Install new leaf springs and shackles, current springs are the originals from 30+ years ago. They're a little worn out.
If time allows,
-build side steps for the trailer
-install all the appropriate side marker lights, need the steps to do that.
-Install xprite leds rock lights under the trailer for easier night time setup, which happens more than we care to admit, and to give some night time ambient lighting.
