Maiden Voyage completed!

zgfiredude

Well, we got out for the first trip to shake things down and see how we work with the camper. We ran over to Moab, Ut hoping it would be warmer......and it was during the day, but a passing front made it windy and cold at night. Oh well, many more trips to come.

Observations from the outing:
1. The stupid 5 cent hinges on the floor compartments ripped out on virtually the first use.
2. The "thermostat" plug for the Crane heater needs to be paired to the remote, and doing that prior to leaving would be smart.
3. The draw bar/hitch/jack relationship when towing with a Jeep Wrangler is less than ideal.
4. It sure is easy to orient the trailer however you want in the campsite!
5. @JamesDow has awesome recommendations, pay attention to his posts!!
6. We are going to like traveling with the T@G.

In order to fix #1, I ordered a 4' long and 3" wide stainless steel piano hinge. I'll attach it with through bolts and washers and solve the issue. Pretty cheap of Nucamp, I'd expect better.

Got the remote to talk to the outlet for the heater the next morning. And have tested it now to show that the remote stays paired to the outlet after traveling. Hint, do this at home prior to traveling!!

The clearance here are just too tight between the jack and the spare tire on the Jeep. Currently you have to be perfectly straight in order to crank the jack up or down......I'll figure this out soon, as I sort of wanted to go with a Max Coupler set up anyway.

The camper is super maneuverable at the campsite to orient away from wind, or for privacy or whatever.....nice. This will come in handy once we figure out the awning choices.

I followed James' suggestions for the long 15 amp extension cord and dog bone set up. 50 feet of 10 gauge cord and a 10 gauge dog bone connecter ( 30 amp to 15 amp) makes life perfect!

Anyway, observations from the outing....mostly good!

LuckyJ

This could help you with number 3. The adjustable lenght even allow sus to fully open tge tail gate. Beter for us since with also have an ARB fridge in a drawer setup in the back of the jeep.

But I also can remove the adjustable bar so it is short when I take a difderent TV.

The full 2" hitch tube that goes from front to back might be a bit overkill, but I like overkill. 😉

@LuckyJ said:
Tongue mod, full back bone tube from front to back with a multi axe coupler.

This is before I realized that since I fabed a tongue extension, i could keep the primary tube short.

Had to relocate the liscence plate on the rear hatch, but still have to connect electricity to the light.

Had to relocate the jack, took the occasion to lift it about 6" so the leg would be even with the frame once it would be fully raised. Also make it much easier to i stall remove the jack wheel.

Spare tire bracket that is attache to the corner of the frame, under the living quarter. Nothing touch the walls or floor.

rich67

I ran into the same issue with my Wrangler, especially when I upgraded to 35's. I ended up putting a longer hitch extension on there and that alleviated the issue. I recently ended up getting a slant-back tire carrier to use with my soft top, and that kind of moves the tire out of the way enough to where I can actually get in there with a standard length shank and still turn the crank. Eventually I think I will go with one of the mods I have seen on here that some others have done, specifically the pintle hook setup, since it seems a lot more forgiving off road.
FYI: the extender in the picture is for my bike rack, not the trailer.

zgfiredude

Thanks for the input......I am wondering about how extending the Jeep side effects the "pivot point" of the trailer/TV when off pavement. I feel like when the TV goes up a hill before the trailer that the extended length there creates a lower point of possible drag.....I hope I explained that well enough. Thoughts?

LuckyJ

@zgfiredude said:
Thanks for the input......I am wondering about how extending the Jeep side effects the "pivot point" of the trailer/TV when off pavement. I feel like when the TV goes up a hill before the trailer that the extended length there creates a lower point of possible drag.....I hope I explained that well enough. Thoughts?

Well good and bads!

A good side to tye longer shank, is that the turning point of the hitch ball will make tge trailer follow more in the tv tire track when turning

A bad side is what you've just said that it can affect departure angle, on the TV and trailer, depending on when tge TV is on an obstacle.

An other bad side is creating more leverage on tge back of the jeep by having the pivot point further back away from the bumper, also putinng more stress and load on the back of the jeep, lightening the front of the jeep at the same time.