2017 CVT RTT trailer build (1 Viewer)

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80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
SILVER Star
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Threads
28
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3,793
Location
Eastern OR
Last month (April 2019) I found this trailer on CL in Bend, OR. Decided not to wait up to a year to have a hard side / teardrop style trailer built as I had originally intended and purchased it.


The Land Cruiser was just getting too full and impossibly inconvenient for overland trips. The object is to enjoy your time overlanding, not spending so much time unpacking at camp and then trying to creatively pack all the crap back into the rig in a timely manner when breaking camp.



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I had the PO remove the soft side RTT and awning, not only to reduce the price, but because I already had a tent and awning. So I've been modding the trailer to my tastes. First thing was matching the wheels and tires so my spare on the LC would work on the trailer. The LC has LT315/75 - 16s - 8" wide wheels with 0 offset. The trailer came with the correct lug pattern for me (5.5"/ 6 lug). I was expecting a 3500 lb axle, so I was amazed to find it's a 5200 - 6000 lb axle. The fender setup required me to use wheel spacers to run my tire/wheel combo, without rubbing the inner wall. I also repacked wheel bearings since you seldom know what the PO's maintenance was like and overlanding demands that you be sure of what you got and run. The hubs have the EZ Lube zircs, but research reveals to not rely on them in place of repacking. It's ok to add grease at times, but don't neglect the repacking, depending on use and environment - water crossings & such. I've moved the RTT, Shadow awning and Kinsman shower over from the LC. The modification I made to my Yakima bars to accomodate the Shadow appears to work well on the trailer.

This trailer was one of 7 that CVT built and is unique and different from the current ones that CVT offers. Along with the HD axle (5200-6000 lb) is an adjustable and reversible tongue, meaning it can be removed and installed in rear receiver (temporarily, of course) so if you get yourself into a tight spot that you can't turn around in. Sounds like an excellent idea in theory, but I hope never to have to find out practically...lol. I added a Max Coupler off road hitch for tough spots. The trailer has brakes installed, but PO had never wired them up to be used with a controller.
 
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Early May, I was signed up to do the ROF Rimrocker + Kokopelli run on Expedition Portal. So I headed out to Moab to join the group. But due to lingering deep snow in the high country, muddy roads from snow melt and wet weather hitting the route at that particular time, the group changed plans and we ended up meeting in Escalante, UT and running out to Alstrom Point via HIR to LHCC and Croton Road. I was thankful we didn't try messing with the deep snow, as our group leader, Ace Brown, considered that to be trouble. As a ROF I've come to find that trouble finds you often enough, the wise don't go looking for it. We just couldn't avoid the weather demons and serious wind and some rain hit us at Alstrom Point, since we were camped right near the rim. The roads had dried out by morning, so no mud back to Bigwater and pavement. From there the group disbanded pretty much as an organized trip. The trailer performs well and tracks well behind my LC both on and off road. It weighs right around 2000 lbs loaded with my gear and supplies, so it's a bit on the heavy side for my stock 1FZ engine on my 80 series, noticeably on long grades on the pavement. But, off road in low range, it follows loyally, with out 'complaints', wherever I point the LC & it's so nice to have the LC free of an attached RTT and awning/annex while camped. I still have some minor 'tweaking' to do on some things, but so far, I'm satisfied. I'll be adding interior and exterior pics of the wall kit setup from trip. Pics of trailer before trip with my mods:

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Currently the only electrical system is to the tail and clearance leds, plus 12v to brakes and 2 illumination lamps on top rear of trailer. I plan to add an aux battery with solar and inverter. My LC has an aux battery with isolator that runs the 12K winch, Puma air compressor, 2000 watt inverter and my National Luna Fridge/freezer. I like having the fridge in the LC for wheeling, but considering moving it to the trailer, or at least a hookup so I can move it temporarily for convenience. Maybe even a 2nd fridge for more capacity for longer trips.

All inputs, ideas and suggestions welcome.
 
Do not try to charge a trailer battery thru the 7 pin connector. You're limited to a 10ga. wire, which if you do the voltage drop calcs is not nearly big enough for any real amperage over the length of the whole circuit. I'd use an Anderson connector with a dedicated full length ground wire on both ends. An SB50 at the very least: Anderson Powerpole and SB Connectors | Powerwerx

If you use something like the BEP 710 VSR then any solar on or connected to the trailer can also charge your TR's battery while it is also connected to the trailer.
 
Thanks for the DVSR link, @ntsqd . Yeah, I was not satisfied with the AWG for the 12v supplied through the 7 pin connector. I believe I have an Anderson connector put back for just what you're suggesting. The DVSR would monitor the trailer system when connected to the tow rig and I like that idea. My Nat. Luna fridge is too tall to fit inside the cargo box of the trailer and that is the main motivation for a battery on the trailer, at this time. But, I'm sure I'll be finding other needs for power as the trailer gets more developed. Thanks for your input!
 
On the driver's side of the trailer is what looks like a very short awning enclosure and is in fact, a shower/toilet privacy enclosure made by Kinsmen. It's a nice option to have when camping with a group. It's extremely easy to deploy and works with a portable toilet and shower system. I have tried it as a toilet, but not a shower enclosure, yet. The privacy is good, provided the corners can be staked down. I had an issue at Alstrom point camped on solid slick rock with gusty wind conditions. Also, it's like being in a phone booth (with no windows), for those that can remember what a phone booth is.

All packed up for traveling:
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Unzip cover to start deployment:
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Pull cover back to expose rolled up enclosure:
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Unbuckle strap and let enclosure hang:
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Unfold brackets to form square upper support:
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Once it is squared up it's a good idea to stake the corners to keep it in place when the wind kicks up - loops are sewn in for the stakes. There are solid rods built in to the bottom and will help enclosure to hold its form at the bottom, but stakes are needed if any wind is experienced.


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Unzip to enter the enclosure. The enclosure can be re-oriented with the holding straps and buckles, to move the entrance if needed.
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To pack up just reverse the process.
 
My current water system is simple and consists of eight 3.5 gallon Waterbricks which calculates to 28 gallon capacity. I ordered a spigot with them and thought - wow, my only issue is going to be switching the spigot to the next Waterbrick as I drain them. Wrong......what I didn't realize is that setting on their side, with out tipping it, you can only drain out about 1/2 of the water. So.....back to the drawing board. Somehow I came to the conclusion that If I could hang the Waterbrick upside down, I could drain 95% of the water out through the spigot. At 1st I used a rope strung through one of the holes. Then I remembered the transport holding plate I had made out of plywood and threaded rods. I thought if I could find a spot to mount the rods vertically, it might work. Well, I didn't have to look far.....the same spot on my trailer had a vertical support to mount to. The following pics illustrate my solution.

Drilled & bolted on thread couplers.

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Add threaded rods with rubber hose and plasic caps to protect Waterbricks
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Remove transport cap from Waterbrick and replace with spigot
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Spigot installed. Nozzel can be rotated 360* after installation to point in direction needed.
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Waterbrick mounted on trailer for use.
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I've pretty much decided to set up the electrical inside the trailer on the left front, on the hinge side of the cover where access to pull out gear is limited anyway. It's not currently needed, but a fridge and for running/charging devices & lamps. I think a single AGM deep cycle/marine battery with an inverter/charger/contoller should work for my purposes. The batt will be charged from 3 possible sources. Shore (A.C.), solar or through a DVSR (thanks for the idea, @ntsqd ) 12 V from tow rig, while on the road. I intend to place a display easily visible from outside for battery voltage.

Location for power center

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Also had the idea today to build and setup a PVC solar shower tank mounted to the front of RTT rack. The outlet would be right behind shower to make it easy to setup in camp. A small air compressor could be added in power center to keep tank pressurized for other cleaning jobs. A similar project viewed here. This shower could work with gravity or air pressure with tank mounted on front of rack.

6" x 60" PVC pipe tank could be mounted here, on front of rack. That's roughly 5 gallons, sufficient for a reasonably effective shower.

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A voltage display really won't tell much about the battery's State of Charge (SoC) because you need to read it while the battery is at rest and has been for hours. Readings at any other time are going to be erroneous. You need a battery monitor to get this info. These use a shunt to monitor amps in and out. Victron Energy and Bogart Engineering are the two names that I'm most familiar with. I used a Bogart TriMetric on our old camper and I have another one yet to be installed in our new to us camper.
 
A voltage display really won't tell much about the battery's State of Charge (SoC) because you need to read it while the battery is at rest and has been for hours. Readings at any other time are going to be erroneous. You need a battery monitor to get this info. These use a shunt to monitor amps in and out. Victron Energy and Bogart Engineering are the two names that I'm most familiar with. I used a Bogart TriMetric on our old camper and I have another one yet to be installed in our new to us camper.
Thanks! Yeah, the voltage display was mainly for a quick check if charging connection made or not. Battery monitor would definitely be better and I want to implement. Also want to include this fuse block / distribution panel to organize connections.
 
I think I found a major component to my battery charging system. The Redarc Manager30. Kinda pricey ($1200), and probably overkill for most small off road trailers. Not needed if you don't want or need a shore power connection. This component has already been well tested in Oz and here's a video that's also kind of a review:

 
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So, as I mentioned earlier, the trailer came with brakes, however the PO had not wired them up to be used. I had a Voyager controller that I pulled out of another rig. Googled it and printed out the owner's manual and schematic for wiring it up. I had the brakes working for the trip to Utah and once adjusted, they work great. Plus, even though they're not required here in OR for this trailer, having brakes gives me more confidence having a ton of trailer behind me to get stopped when needed. I need to do some research on brake usage, both on and off road. A fellow off road trailer owner with a lot of experience, also a trip leader warned me that off road, it's best not to use the trailer's brakes. One example he mentioned was descending a steep slope and off camber, being hard on the brakes as well as in low range, trailer wheels could lock up. If that happens, the trailer might come around on you - obviously not the best of situations. Also on pavement, if brake controller is adjusted too aggressive and a sudden stop is required on slick roads - even rain soaked (hydroplaning), trailer could jack knife on you.

Any tips, experience or advice welcome.
 
Thank you, @joebattle1! Function is more important than looks, off road. I took off the kayak hooks for now, since I was only hauling 1. I tried snugging one up under the RTT and biased it to the driver's side to not interfere with the cargo lid. It worked well for me on my Utah trip. Only pic I have of kayak mounted like that:

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Pretty hard to spend too much money on a trailer brake controller, but you can easily spend too little.
 

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