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Off Road/Grid Comanche Camper Project


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Put on a pair of used Bilsteins.

 

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I'm going to pull the spare for now. The weight balance is off to where I can lift the tongue with one hand. 

 

Added some more marker lights to be more "trailer-compliant".

 

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She's getting there! Tested out the trailer lights and they work fine, just need to wire up the new marker lights, put the flares back on, run a breather for the axle and fill it with fluid. Then a stop to a weigh station to see how fat she is.

 

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looking good :thumbsup: I never would have dreamed the tongue would have been that "light" with the work you did out front though:dunno:, do you have plans for the diamond plate like tanks or a toolbox? 

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16 hours ago, M.T.Hands said:

looking good :thumbsup: I never would have dreamed the tongue would have been that "light" with the work you did out front though:dunno:, do you have plans for the diamond plate like tanks or a toolbox? 

 

Yes, I think I'm going to buy one of these tool chests:

 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tractor-supply-46-in-texture-black-tool-box-chest

 

I want something long enough to stow spare axle shafts in, spare fluids, and of course camping gear.

Then plan to put a 20-40lb propane tank mount next to it the chest. Should have enough room for both on the platform. 

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image.jpeg.7d2811836db75f70d1ce86bc94bb4996.jpeg

 

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Maiden voyage complete, nothing fell off! I'm still dialing in the proper height of the hitch set up, it is a little high here. Took her to the power wash station to get cleaned up, then went to a CAT Scale to get weighed. 1150lbs, well under the 2k limit. Next step is to go get her titled and registered, wish me luck!

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I have to wait until December to get trailer registered due to schedule conflicts. In the meantime I got the camper shell on with a friend, which was a total pain because of how high the bed sits!

 

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The camper shell needs a good hose down and paint job.

 

I think my next step is to take the trailer over to Maaco and have them do the bodywork for me, pulling all the dents, straightening the sheet metal, removing all the rivets, and putting down a coat of primer. From there I think I am going to use that Raptorliner spray-on bedliner and shoot the entire bed myself....

 

 

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Man every time I see another MJ trailer with a cap on it I like it more. You've done a great job with this build. 

 

The weight balance on mine is also skewed to the rear and I can get it almost vertical by lifting the tongue. I currently have my generator living on the tongue and it helps a lot. 

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Thanks! Generator is an idea. I'm definitely putting a 40" wide tool box up front but I'm playing around with idea in regards to heat. I was going to use propane for heat and mount w 20lb propane bottle on the platform, but I'm worried about the fumes inside the bed. Considering maybe a diesel heater...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/13/2024 at 5:28 PM, Airborne Janitor said:

Thanks! Generator is an idea. I'm definitely putting a 40" wide tool box up front but I'm playing around with idea in regards to heat. I was going to use propane for heat and mount w 20lb propane bottle on the platform, but I'm worried about the fumes inside the bed. Considering maybe a diesel heater...

Either should do fine, just remember to position camper/personnel with consideration of wind/prevailing wind, My wife's nephew bought one of the "cheapo" diesel heaters and the thing has worked flawlessly so far, he is using it to heat a small 12' X 16' cabin/hunting shed, some concerns I'd have from reading about them would be with a diesel heater if you extend the exhaust, some (on FB) are saying the added restriction makes for a dirtier operation and malfunctions, there is a group for the diesel heater on FB, lots of info, I am intrigued by them for sure:wink:

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/13/2024 at 6:28 PM, Airborne Janitor said:

Thanks! Generator is an idea. I'm definitely putting a 40" wide tool box up front but I'm playing around with idea in regards to heat. I was going to use propane for heat and mount w 20lb propane bottle on the platform, but I'm worried about the fumes inside the bed. Considering maybe a diesel heater...

Well, my generator is only there because it's a fairly large/heavy one and I haven't put wheels on it yet. So, that ends up being the best interim storage place lol. Once I get wheels on the gen I'd like to either buy or build some storage up front.

Diesel heaters are looking much better these days as alternative to propane. I've read up on them some and it seems to pay to get the smallest one that meets your needs. People are saying if you run them on lower settings all the time that they build up soot and need more maintenance than if ran on WOT all the time.

 

Also, it only weighed in at 1150#? With the idler axle and c-channel tongue on mine it might clock in under 1000.

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