2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Converting Cargo Trailers into TTTs

Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby AZ_Desert_Rat » Wed Jan 28, 2015 8:13 pm

Hi Hank,
I can understand the coin set back ... I had the gears changed in my old Blazer before heading this way last May ... that's a 4x so both ends were re-geared ... The old truck pulls the High Top CT through the mountains now, but it sure put a dent in my wallet :NC

Hey, I hope to be heading out west in a couple months, when I get the dates locked in, I;ll send you a PM ... I gotta fire up my detector and see if there is any gold left out there ... those guys may have found it all :vroom: :lol:
Happy Camping & Building,
John (JC)


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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:25 pm

I do all of my camping off road. Literally off the edge of the road and out into a field or boondock campsite. Sometimes the incline or the drop can make it difficult to maneuver the CT in without hitting the rear. So we got a Dexter Axle kit to move the axle to a position under the springs.

It went smoothly and didn't take but about an hour to do. I thought it would raise it about 3 inches. I was forgetting about the thickness of the axle. It raised it about 6 inches. For my needs that was a good surprise. Because of the added height we also needed to turn our receiver over to raise the ball height. Previously it was a tad too high, now it is just barely a tad low.

I took it camping for three days this week to test it out. It tows well on both freeway and mountain roads. I am waiting to see if I take a hit in the miles per gallon department.

Here is a picture from last fall and one with it raised.

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It is a bit more of a step to get in now. I am considering a rv fold out step. Not sure if it would be more of a hindrance or a help.

And I can't go camping without a couple of fish pictures. Their colors are so amazing this time of year.
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Gonefishin » Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:31 pm

Looks like a nice spot. Aren't you glad its finally May? Good fishin' for the next 6 months! You can go anywhere with that lift set up.
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Fri May 01, 2015 2:37 pm

Yes! I am excited for this summer of camping. This wasn't my very first outing for this year, but it was certainly my warmest April camping. Amazing weather. I forgot my gloves the first day out this week, and I burned the backs of my hands. Go figure... in April!

The lift really made it less of a problem in finding a campsite. Even if it cuts my mileage back a little, I think it will be worth it.
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Tue May 19, 2015 12:35 pm

I had hoped to finish some things on my CT this spring, but some health issues have delayed that. I can't lift more than 5 lbs, so building and drilling and all of the other fun stuff is out. So I thought I would show my second edition temporary shower. My first edition shower used a pvc frame suspended from the ceiling. I used the pvc because I didn't have my ceiling done yet, and had nothing to attach anything to. It worked, but it was a bit of a pain to use. Mostly due to the frame coming down on rough roads.

Edition 1
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Edition 2
After I finished my ceiling (I haven't finished the ceiling trim yet), I put 2 small cup hooks into the ceiling to stretch my shower curtain to. This is what I have been using for the last year. There is elastic threaded through the top seam fold that allows the curtain to stretch from the back wall out to about midway on the door. Giving a shower area that is about 36 inches by 36 inches. The bottom isn't that big because it actually tucks into a mortar mixing tub that isn't as large as that.

Here it is stretched out to the cup hooks in the ceiling:

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In the bottom of my mixing tub I use a wooden grate to keep my feet above the water and to allow for a dryer dressing area. Sorry, I can't move the porta potty to show how it looks in use.

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And here is the curtain stowed for travel on the cup hooks in the back wall:

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Edition 3 coming next year!
I had started on what will be my Edition 3 bathroom, but only got as far as mounting the drawer slides on the right wall side and began building one of the walls. I didn't get very far yet, and it will probably have to wait until next year. :( Oh well Edition 2 works, is compact, and light.

You can see the drawer slides on the right side in the picture above. My final walls will extend to just beyond the middle of the doorway and retract to the edge of the doorway. Again giving an area that is about 36" X 36" for use. Here is a picture of the slides extended.

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Here is a brief sketch of what I have in mind:

Retracted for space:

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Extended for use:

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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Tue May 19, 2015 12:43 pm

I forgot to mention that when I do my final Edition 3 version, I plan on doing a slightly sloped floor area clear across the door way and under the shower area. Leading to a floor drain. So shower won't be in a tub to catch the water any more. It will also facilitate mud and even drippy wader issues in the doorway. A removable wood grate will keep the illusion of a level floor in the entry way and shower area.
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby hankaye » Tue May 19, 2015 10:05 pm

Rainier70, Howdy;

Like what you are doing, How do yo plan on doing the sloped floor bit?

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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Thu May 21, 2015 3:31 pm

Right now I am still weighing options and am not sure which I will choose.
My first thought was to go with a low lipped wash machine pan covered with a wood grate and plumbed through the floor. That is probably the easiest and quickest besides the mortar pan that I am currently using. I think with a nice wood grate cover it wouldn't even be seen, but it would stick up about an inch.

Second thought is to do a custom fiberglass pan with a half inch high by one inch wide lip. Very little slope or no slope except close to the drain. I think I would put the drain at one end so that it is easy to off bubble the level of the trailer a little in that direction. I usually do that anyway as I like my head a tad higher on the bed.

Third thought is to do a custom fiberglass pan with more slope, by reinforcing the floor from underneath then routing/cutting out more of a slanted area with little or no lip above floor level.

I have plenty of time to think about it. Plus I can change my mind many times over between now and when I will get a chance to work on it! :lol:
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Gonefishin » Thu May 21, 2015 3:57 pm

Hope you can still get out, walk the streams, and cast a line, as long as the fish are under 5 pounds.
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Thu May 21, 2015 6:58 pm

Thanks, Jim. I am healing up quickly. I just get impatient.

About the time some of this rain/runoff is done, I'll be ready for a little "stream side rehab"! I am sure that by then we could fudge on the 5 lb thing.... :D
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby AZ_Desert_Rat » Sat May 30, 2015 3:03 pm

Hi Cindy,
Be careful hoisting that 6 lb. trout out of the water...
;)

I am sorry to hear that you have suffered and injury, but glad to hear that you are getting better...
:applause: :applause:
Happy Camping & Building,
John (JC)


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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:03 pm

I moved my solar panel to a permanent mount position on the roof. I have a radius roof and I mounted the panel the long way down the center of the roof behind the vent. My wires enter through the side of the vent and then go across under the ceiling paneling to my controller. They don't show at all behind the vent trim.

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The angles that I used to mount it with are glued to the roof with VHB tape. There are the side angles as seen in the picture as well as an additional angle on the front and the back. So far after 650 miles (most at freeway speeds) the panel is holding just fine and working even better. My battery is always topped off and full.

One less thing to mess with when setting up and stowing for travel!
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Rainier70 » Thu Jul 16, 2015 4:39 pm

I found a gallon of Henry's Solar-Flex at a local Ace Hardware Store for a reasonable price. I put two coats on my roof, and I have used less than half a gallon. Two coats makes a pretty good covering, but I can still see some color variation in it, so I will put another coat on when these two have had time to cure more. I debated on the value of coating my roof here in the mountains of Idaho, but some days can get plenty warm. Especially this year.

This is the first year I have seen it 106 degrees in June or anytime of year for that matter. My elevation is over a mile high here, and it almost never goes into the high 90s much less the hundreds.

The difference in the temperature of the roof though is amazing. When I started this morning at 10am the air temp was 76 degrees but the metal was too hot to leave my hand on it. Now at 2pm and 85 degrees, the roof is cool to the touch. What an amazing difference!
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby Gonefishin » Thu Jul 16, 2015 4:55 pm

You've made a Caddilac out of that thing! Top, bottom, inside and out. I had to run my furnace the past two nights up in Island Park where it dropped into the mid 40's. Now I'm in the warm, windy Silver Creek valley. No fires or smoke yet! Hope you're getting in some fishing.
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Re: 2013 Mirage XPO 6x12- Mt Air Express

Postby desertrat222 » Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:21 pm

Looks great! i should just do this. im planing on mounting to the side of the drip rail then have a bunch of tubing suspending the panels over the roof. it wont look as clean as yours but im really worried about compromising the roof structure. So bummed i didn't buy a sq roof =( maybe next time.
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