Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby BURNSIDE468 » Fri Oct 02, 2020 9:10 am

That's a new one for me. I think you could contact Coachmen for a recommendation. Good luck.
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Bigdumbhick » Tue Feb 16, 2021 3:29 pm

We gave this a test run in the yard. It snowed that night, but we stayed toasty warm. I am a REALLY big guy and I seem to take up a LOT of space and seemed to always be where it was she was trying to get to. We made it through the night without having to file for divorce, but I'm not impressed with that mattress.

I am seeing some of the Mods you have all made and I am impressed as well as a little jealous of your skills. I'm a little apprehensive about even touching the interior walls too hard for fear that they will give way since they feel to be made out of cheap cardboard, I wonder how this thing is framed? I'm willing to bet it's not 12" or 16" on center 2x4's>

If anyone has a wiring diagram or schematic, I'd love to see it.

I saw reference to a built in charging station, but didn't see one in my 2020 unit (I don't have the V option)

I am really interested in the charging station one of you (Big Bad Barty?) installed, I would love to know the source for it. I looked around but didn't see that one.
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby PCO6 » Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:01 pm

Bigdumbhick - The interior walls are what a lot of trailers are made of these days ... light weight wood, fairly nice to look at but not great quality. If you look under your bed at back side of the wall that separates your interior from the storage area you can see the wood that is used. It's pretty basic stuff that they just skin with what probably amounts to wall paper.

As far as I can tell by knocking on the exterior and having removed a few things the framing is located where it needs to be and that's it (around windows, doors, basic structure of the corners, lid, etc.). I have not seen a wiring diagram but have made a few sketches a long the way of what I have found and modified. The wiring is a mess underneath but that seems to be an industry standard. I'm relocating things and putting the wiring in split loom while I go.

In ours there's a charging station on the end wall of the right side cabinet. It's between the bed and the cabinet which is a terrible location. I made some changes in the area of the radio above where the AC was. I included a charging station and can reach in to the trailer through the back door without having to get into the trailer to use it. It's also handy to check the voltage.

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I didn't do much work it during 2020 other than to add a porta-potty tent set up. We did get to use it several times though despite the pandemic. :thumbsup:

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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Lockdown » Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:43 pm

Image

Glad to find others that own this trailer. We bought ours last year and have only used it twice so far. We're going to a Jeep-only event called Jeepin' with (Sheriff) Judd in Bartow, FL this coming weekend and look forward to using it again. As a matter of fact, last year's Jeepin With Judd event at 32 degrees with 30mph winds was why we bought this trailer (after spending the weekend tent camping and loosing equipment due to weather)!

I've made a few minor additions, and am looking to do a few more. If anyone has obtained (or made) a wiring diagram it would be very helpful if you could share. ;)

PCO6 wrote:
And the spare wheel under the tongue …
Image


What spare tire setup did you use to mount the spare tire under the tongue? Thx.
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Lockdown » Sun Feb 21, 2021 3:18 pm

BURNSIDE468 wrote:162340
The rod we added to allow hanging of coats, etc.


I've done something similar, but used 2" PVC pipe "T"s.... I thought I read somewhere someone used a "T" clip purchased directly from Coleman for this purpose. Anyone know where that part could be bought? I'm assuming online somewhere....

Does anyone know of a good 12V small fridge that could be dropped in the same place of the small 110V one that came with the trailer? Ideally, I'd like one of those that use either 12V or propane. We had a larger one in a 27' RV we had a few years back, but don't know if they make them this small.
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby PCO6 » Sun Feb 21, 2021 3:56 pm

Lockdown wrote:And the spare wheel under the tongue …
Image


What spare tire setup did you use to mount the spare tire under the tongue? Thx.[/quote]

I made it out of a couple of hinges and mainly 2" x 1/8" flat bar and 2" x 1/2" tube and a pair of latches. The hinges bolt to the front cross member of the frame and the straps swing up to meet a tube I welded to the frame just in front of the utility box I added to the tongue. The tire fits snuggly in the "V" of the tongue frame rails. I lock the latches so they won't spring open while I towing and so the tire can't be stolen (un likely that it would be).

Here are a few more pics ...

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Image

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I notice that you have a few stickers on yours (rear door for example). Did you add them? I thought would be difficult given the rough texture of the body panels. I see that Coachmen made a lot of changes to the 2021 model. One is a smooth body material.

btw ... nice tow vehicle! :thumbsup:
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Lockdown » Sun Feb 21, 2021 6:08 pm

PCO6 wrote:I made it out of a couple of hinges and mainly 2" x 1/8" flat bar and 2" x 1/2" tube and a pair of latches. The hinges bolt to the front cross member of the frame and the straps swing up to meet a tube I welded to the frame just in front of the utility box I added to the tongue. The tire fits snuggly in the "V" of the tongue frame rails. I lock the latches so they won't spring open while I towing and so the tire can't be stolen (un likely that it would be).


Thanks. Nice work; I was hoping for a bolt-on option I could pick up somewhere... However, that's a great idea you had. I noticed on some of the new 2021 units they are now offering the under tongue spare tire option
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I notice that you have a few stickers on yours (rear door for example). Did you add them? I thought would be difficult given the rough texture of the body panels. I see that Coachmen made a lot of changes to the 2021 model. One is a smooth body material.


Yes, I had those logos made from a custom kind of family crest my wife and I have been using for years (same as my avatar here). The logos were made of the same vinyl used for vehicle graphics. Yes, they were a bit*h to put on; I had to use the normal application method and then let them sit in warm sun for about an hour before removing the backing.

I just ordered a suction-cup U shower curtain and expect it won't work because of the rough wall texture.

btw ... nice tow vehicle! :thumbsup:
Thanks! Gotta advertise our business every chance we get! ;)
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby PCO6 » Sun Feb 21, 2021 6:39 pm

That's the first factory model I've seen with an under tongue mount.

Here's what the 2021 Clipper Express 9.0 looks like. Note the difference in exterior wall finish and that the front wall is basically flat. Not sure I like it but I guess it provides for more storage.

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The new Clipper 12.0 model is bizarre. It has a side "bike" door. We just walk ours in through the back door and lay them on the bed.
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Lockdown » Sun Feb 21, 2021 7:11 pm

I noticed that too. I guess that short door on the side could be useful. I did notice that the dry weight was over 2000 lbs. Then again, I guess that would be the price for having more interior room and options (like the new microwave).
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Lockdown » Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:25 pm

BURNSIDE468 wrote:Locking/sliding drawer for the Alpicool fridge
162334


Which model did you use? How has it worked out?
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Lockdown » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:56 am

Instead of going with one of those portable 12V cooler/freezers, has anyone thought about changing out the "dorm" mini 120v fridge that comes with the V-pkg units to something like a Engel SR70 AC/DC Front Opening Fridge-Freezer (12/24/110/120 volt)? I'm at work, so haven't measured the opening, but I'm thinking this Engel (or something similar) may fit the exact existing cutout.

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Yes, these are pretty pricey... Here's more info on this specific unit: https://engelcoolers.com/products/sr70- ... ing-fridge

Thoughts?
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby PCO6 » Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:56 pm

The 12V ability of that fridge will be a nice improvement. Those things seem to be built according to a size template so I'd be surprised if it wouldn't fit in the Clipper "cavity".

We jump from trailer to trailer (2 on the road and a project underway) and are 12V only. We currently use a cooler but want to upgrade to a fridge (Dometic?). The cooler travels with the tow vehicles (Jeep XJ & LJ) and comes out when we get where we're going. At camp we run it off of the trailer battery which is backed up by a solar panel. The nice thing is that if we don't go with a trailer or if we take a day trip exploring the cooler works well with the Jeep only.

The other thing about having the fridge in the Clipper is that if you stop while travelling for lunch or to reload it's a bit of a hassle to access as you have to lift the lid. The problem is a bit worse for us as we have the kayaks on top of the trailer.
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby Lockdown » Thu Feb 25, 2021 4:52 am

PC06, although we're not carrying anything on the camper's lid, those are exactly some of the issues I'm weighing.

I did some minor mods yesterday while prepping the camper for this weekend's trip:

Added a spare tire under the tongue:
164427

And added a removable shower curtain setup:
164428
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby PCO6 » Thu Feb 25, 2021 7:05 am

Nice job on the spare tire location. That will free up some good space for you on the tongue. :thumbsup:

That's where I put our shower enclosure (3 sided) too. We use a shower curtain as one wall and a privacy tent as another wall. We can stretch the shower head into the tent if we have to. The curtain rod is a pipe that telescopes into the top tube of the roof rack. It's what I use to lift the bow of the kayaks up on to the rack. The pipe is the full width of the trailer and I can pull it one side at a time as I load up the rack.

Image
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Re: Coachmen Clipper Express 9.0TD V-PKG

Postby davidl743 » Sun Feb 28, 2021 9:15 am

Just bought a Clipper 9.0 express and while I haven't had a chance to take it out yet am already starting on the mods. Moved the tank forward on the tongue, added a spare tire under the tongue using this clamp "https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IV8I80/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" it worked great. Ordered a tongue box to go behind the tank and will place the battery and solar controller there. I'm also adding solar panel to the top. I'll post photos once I am done with that.
Tire placement_cr.jpg
Tire placement
Tire placement_cr.jpg (202.06 KiB) Viewed 3740 times
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The clamp I used to hold the tire
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