Tom & Shelly's build

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:25 pm

crpngdth2001 wrote:I’ve had two Optima Yellow Tops fail at roughly 18 and 24 months, with the warrantied replacements lasting just under 2 years. Never again!


My Yellow Top came from one of our Jeeps, which had the winch. It was supposed to be a combination starter/deep cycle battery, which is a compromise to better operate the winch. After about two and a half years my mechanic said it was on the verge of failing , so I took it out. Also swapped the winch with the other Jeep and bought a Tacoma to pull the tear all about the same time. We'll sell the first Jeep, so it has the cheapest starter battery I could buy now.

So the Yellow Top is essentially surplus, and I'm using it to test the electronics, etc. Unless it fails completely first, we will use it for our weekend trial runs before buying either a 12 v or two 6 volt true deep cycle batteries. (A colleague of mine, who builds remote radio systems, says the 6 volt deep cycle batteries seem to last longer--something about the way they are built.)

I agree, two and a half years is not long enough to be satisfied with the Yellow Top. Never owned one before, so I can't say whether they are worse than they used to be, but I'm not happy with them, and sure don't think they deserve their good reputation!

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:28 pm

tony.latham wrote:
Gotcha. Your attention to detail is great.

I'm still mentally building #4. Gotta get the new shop built first.

T


Thank you Tony.

Bet building the shop is fun! :)

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:33 pm

Staryder61 wrote:Maybe consider Linoleum on the floor.. durable, inexpensive, easy to lay... and comes in many colors and textures..


Hmm, seems like it might trap moisture between the linoleum and epoxy coat. I dunno, might just be a prejudice on our part against the cheap kitchen floors we grew up with... :thinking:

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:39 pm

KTM_Guy wrote:You really want to think about not building on the frame and build a sort of cart out of 2X4's and some good casters, I started with 4" but had to switch to some better 5" one have way through the build. Unless you have good knees and back, I sure don't. It is so easy to get in and out of the cabin when it is only 8-12" off the floor. I have a little rolling stool from HF I had inside. Worked great, I have seen Tony say this a few times and I can say it is the BEST tip I have seen in this forum. On my next build I will build the floor and put the walls together while on the frame and then everything will come off and the rest will be built on the cart.


I hear you, Todd. But right now we have trouble lifting just the floor between the two of us, so I'm not eager to try and maneuver the whole shell on top of the trailer. I know it can be done with pulleys and a winch, etc. The other issue is unique to us--we live on the side of a hill, so our driveway width is limited, and our garage is long but narrow. We would have to leave the trailer outside, and carefully plan which way we build the shell and how we would get it on the trailer right from the start. We may regret it, but decided to build it on the frame. We will see...

KTM_Guy wrote:You might want to read current reviews on the Optima batteries. They are not the batteries of a few years ago. I needed a new battery for the Jeep and was going to get a yellow or blue top which ever is the hybrid deep cycle and starting battery. Went to auto zone and the guy there didn't want to sell me one, a few more questions and and he said they have been getting screwed on warranty clams. they will only take clams on Optima batteries they sell, buy one at the Auto Zone across town they won't take it. He also said count yourself luck if the battery dies at 18-22 months, and you can get replacement, most die just pass 24 months. He and a few others that work there are switching to Odyssey batteries in their diesel pickups and have been very happy with them. They have to special order them. A lot of the overlanders are using Odyssey in their Jeeps and trailers now.

Todd


Agree! I wouldn't buy another Optima. I'll look into Odyssey.

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby tony.latham » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:34 pm

But right now we have trouble lifting just the floor ...


Image

Image

Build the dolly so you can get a car jack under the cabin. If you peek inside any of the commercial builders on Youtube such as Camp-Inn or So-Cal, none build on the trailer.

It's easier.

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby KTM_Guy » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:55 pm

Tom&Shelly wrote:
I hear you, Todd. But right now we have trouble lifting just the floor between the two of us, so I'm not eager to try and maneuver the whole shell on top of the trailer. I know it can be done with pulleys and a winch, etc. The other issue is unique to us--we live on the side of a hill, so our driveway width is limited, and our garage is long but narrow. We would have to leave the trailer outside, and carefully plan which way we build the shell and how we would get it on the trailer right from the start. We may regret it, but decided to build it on the frame. We will see...

Agree! I wouldn't buy another Optima. I'll look into Odyssey.

Tom


No pulleys or winch involved. I removed my cabin from the frame last nigh by myself just using some 3/4" pipe from some pile clamps. Took all of 15-20 minutes. I take the wheels and drums off get the frame about 1/2" higher than the cart, use a floor jack to jack up the cabin and put the pipe between the cabin and frame at four point and it takes one finger to push the cabin off, then be ready to put pipe under on the cart as it rolls onto it. With the Timbren axles it is very easy to take off the drums and get the frame low enough.

Do what works best for you.

The Odyssey are spendy but you can discharge them to 80%. And will charge at 50 amps if you need to.

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Wed Sep 26, 2018 6:13 am

OK, thank you Tony and Todd. We will think about building on a pallet. :)

So much to do this Fall! Looks like it might be Christmas break before we can think about building the walls. Oh well, no hard deadlines...

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby tony.latham » Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:08 am

Tom&Shelly wrote:OK, thank you Tony and Todd. We will think about building on a pallet. :)

So much to do this Fall! Looks like it might be Christmas break before we can think about building the walls. Oh well, no hard deadlines...

Tom


Your deadline is spring camping season.


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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:45 pm

tony.latham wrote:
Your deadline is spring camping season.

T


LOL! Sounds about right to me, but Shelly is shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

Meantime, I've been back at work since August and spending many lunch hours planning trips on the internet (and in my mind). Discovered it's now possible to drive (on a public highway) to the Arctic Ocean: https://spectacularnwt.com/destinations ... uk-highway

Won't be our first trip in the teardrop, or our first long trip. But we're adding it to our list (for a Summertime trip someday). It's motivation to build the teardrop well!

Started sanding the epoxy coat we put on the floor Sunday. Coming out real nice! I'm now confident we can make the walls smooth enough to look good with regular paint. (Was thinking about using hammer finish, or bed liner, partly to cover flaws. May still do it anyway, but now we have some options to consider.)

Next challenge will be to coat the back of the floor with epoxy. Our first attempt at a vertical surface.

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby KTM_Guy » Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:21 pm

I have a few friends that ride their motorcycles to the Arctic Ocean. Have done it 3-4 times now. One of the pluses you don't need to stop driving when it gets dark. :lol: It would be a long trip pulling a camper. Their trips will have daily average speeds in the 90+ MPH. That is crazy to me. And the mosquitos are thick which is a motivator to keep you moving because you don't want to stop.

It would be a fun trip though. Maybe a TnTTT Arctic circle and beyond trip? :lol:

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:31 pm

KTM_Guy wrote:I have a few friends that ride their motorcycles to the Arctic Ocean. Have done it 3-4 times now. One of the pluses you don't need to stop driving when it gets dark. :lol: It would be a long trip pulling a camper. Their trips will have daily average speeds in the 90+ MPH. That is crazy to me. And the mosquitos are thick which is a motivator to keep you moving because you don't want to stop.

It would be a fun trip though. Maybe a TnTTT Arctic circle and beyond trip? :lol:

Todd


Our plans for the longer trips are to drive 6-8 hours a day max, and not often two days in a row. (We learned tent camping that following those ground rules does wonders for our relationship!) Usually, we will stay at a camp site for a few days and try and explore everything we want to see within an hour's drive or so. So, for that direction, something like New Mexico to Arches NP, to Grand Teton NP (only drove through there before, on our way to Yellowstone), to Glacier NP, to Banff and/or Jasper NP Canada. We'd plan a few more way points in Canada on our way to Tuk. It's a long trip, but in another way, a series of interesting reasonable length trips. Probably take a different route back.

Back when I was single, I wanted to do that sort of thing in my Jeep and a tent, after I retired, staying out for a year at a time, moving North or South with the seasons and as the mood struck. Plans evolve! The idea of living out of a teardrop for months at a time appeals to us both. :)

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Sun Oct 07, 2018 5:32 pm

We've been experimenting with phenolic in our epoxy to thicken it for a filler, and used it to fill some small voids and gaps in the side of our floor. First attempt, right after putting a base coat over the entire back, the filler tended to run, so I sanded it down smooth, and the second time we just filled, and used clear packing tape to hold it in. Seems to have worked!

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We did this Saturday morning, and I'll wait until at least tomorrow evening before sanding. I feel a little tack, but am confident it comes from the tape, not the epoxy. The reason for the confidence is that we preceded adding the phenolic by putting some of the batch over a few portions of the top I wasn't satisfied with yet, and they're now hard. Mostly I feel really good how the rest of the top came out after sanding with 120, then 220 grit sand paper. Hopefully, the new stuff will sand down as well and will blend right in. :worship:

We'll add two or three more coats to the back and then sand it down. The phenolic makes it look ugly--wouldn't do it with a woody--but it should take the right kind of primer and paint and give us the look we want.

We sure are taking our time on the floor, but we are learning a lot about the characteristics of the epoxy, and I'm confident now we'll have little trouble when we use it with fiber glass on the sides and later the roof. However, we have wasted a lot mixing larger batches than we need, and may have to order more before this is through. I've heard experienced folks save small tasks for those left over batches, and no doubt we'll start looking for things like that to do.

We don't plan to build out the galley until after a few camping trips, but Shelly was looking for water bottles, and we found these

156321

Just the size we want--2.5 gal--in the shape container we wanted. Should fit well to the left of the galley, to the right of the battery hatch.

156323

We'll probably store pots and pans, or dry food, over the hatch.

We wanted two 2.5 gal bottles simply for ease of handling over one 5 gal bottle. We plan to keep 5 gallons in the galley, which should be fine for camps with a water supply. For dry camps, we can take more in the truck. I used 5 gallons in the galley for the weight and balance spread sheet.

Shelly was also shopping for a better portable propane stove than our Coleman. The Coleman goes from nothing to high in about an eighth of a turn, and getting it to simmer was an issue. Shelly found a Camp Chef with good reviews, but it's 23 inches wide--two inches wider than our galley counter. (The Coleman is only 21.25 inches wide, enough to fit with just a little hanging out, but still small enough to close the hatch.) I really didn't want to store the stove width-wise; just not an efficient use of space, so I asked her to keep looking. I even wondered if anyone had replaced the valves in the Coleman with something better. We didn't find that, but someone had taken them apart and wiped the grease. That makes them adjust easier, without so much back-lash. Worked for us too! So we'll try it camping and see if that isn't good enough.

And while on the subject of the galley, we are thinking about making our own cooler someday. (Using our regular camping cooler in the truck in the mean time.) The idea might be to use 1/8 inch Baltic birch for the inside and outside, and several inches of blue foam in the middle. We could make it a custom size to fit in the galley (to the right of the battery box). We would also like to have two drawers, one for the ice, with sodas, etc. and another for other cold storage. And we would like the entire unit to be movable, so we could put it in a bear box or truck when in those areas. should be some interesting engineering!

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby tony.latham » Sun Oct 07, 2018 7:20 pm

Shelly found a Camp Chef with good reviews, but it's 23 inches wide--two inches wider than our galley counter.


With the build I'm working on in my head, I'm planning on utilizing a 12" x 18" Partner stove. They're spendy but bulletproof. :frightened:

https://partnersteel.com/cook-partner

I'll install it sideways --over a 7-gallon Reliance that is also 12" wide-- on a slider.

Image

:beer:

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby Tom&Shelly » Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:31 pm

tony.latham wrote:
Shelly found a Camp Chef with good reviews, but it's 23 inches wide--two inches wider than our galley counter.


With the build I'm working on in my head, I'm planning on utilizing a 12" x 18" Partner stove. They're spendy but bulletproof. :frightened:

https://partnersteel.com/cook-partner

I'll install it sideways --over a 7-gallon Reliance that is also 12" wide-- on a slider.

:beer:

Tony


Nice! Made in Pocatello, I see. :thumbsup:

I've priced enough professional "metal bending" by small companies that the price doesn't surprise me. Probably almost a craft business, whereas Coleman contracts out to overseas factories for something like ten thousand units at a time. I saw someone's comments on Amazon that they called Partner Steel directly and were able to have a stove custom made.

One of their stoves may be a future upgrade for us, when we're travelling enough to justify that cost.

Of course, it might be fun to buy the burners, valves, etc. and build one out of sheet metal too, but I'll bet I couldn't beat their price with the materials, and I don't have the tools or skill to make one that nice.

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Re: Tom & Shelly's build

Postby KTM_Guy » Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:20 pm

I have a 22" on order. I look at the price and look like this :? Then I add up how much I've spent on camp stoves up till now and it's well over what one of these cost. And everything I've read is that these stoves will last a lifetime. And you can pass it down to your grandkids. And you can get rebuild parts.

The best story I read on these stoves was on Expo Portal. Some guy was saying people are nuts spending that much on a stove and bought a Camp Chef or Colman. Some point in a 3 month long trip he ended up ordering a Partner stove and paid for FedEx overnight shipping. And said it was still a deal. I guess some people really need their morning coffee. :lol:

This is the best prices I've seen on the stoves. http://www.elementoutfitters.com/Grills-Stoves-Fuel-s/3318.htm?searching=Y&sort=5&cat=3318&show=30&page=1&brand=Partner%20Steel

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