O.D.D. Version 1.0 An off-road teardrop build.

[KTM_Guy]

Here is another little update. Needed a spare tire carrier. I had a few ideas and set off on this one.

I took so 2X2 square tube and cut a section out to fit the tire. Drilled some mounting holes and welded some nuts on the inside for the bolts.



Needed two of these. A long with the two metal straps in the background.


The base is bolted through the fender, The piece of unistrut on the wall has a 1/2" fine thread rod that is the same as the lug nuts,
it can adjust up and down to to line up with a lug hole on the wheel. The weight on the wheel is on the fender, the rod just holds the tire upright and so it doesn't wiggle in the wind.



The tie-down straps hold the tire in the holder very tight.



I wanted to see how well it works before I painted it. We have over 2,000 miles on it with out a hiccup. I think I'll get it powder coated, Just waiting till we have enough down time to get it in.



It works with the 32.5" tires I have on the trailer now, and I have a used set of 33.4" that will go on next. I am running 315's on the Jeep now and these run big it should be a 34" tire and they are 34.6". About 3/4" taller than my buddies BFG 35's. I carrier will hold the 315's but I'm not sure I have the fender room, maybe I will since I did the spring upgrade.


Todd

[tony.latham]

The base is bolted through the fender...

Sheeeeesh. I was impressed by your fenders.

Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

Here is another little update. ...

Looks good Todd!

Tom

[KTM_Guy]

I looked back at my thread and noticed I never posted anything on the tables. I got a few pictures in the driveway not the best but will due.

On the rear bumper on both sides I welded some 2X2 tube to be the receiver and used 1.5" square tube to make the stand the table sits on.

This is the passenger side where we put the table we use to eat at. So far about 75% of our campsites haven't had tables, and I really wanted to have a table that was easy to setup and solid. I can adjust the height on the table depending on the ground and which chairs we are using on that trip. It can also be moved up higher to the same height as the galley countertop which is quite high.



Here is the back side how it mounts.



This is at the low position that works good with our chairs.



And the high position. It's hard to tell from this picture but the table is just a few inches lower than the countertop.



We haven't been using this table much yet. The idea is good, the size is good. The problem is the size of the square tube. It is hard to find square tube that has a good fit inside another tube. It's either too tight or too loose. The ideal size for 1.5" tube is 1.75 12 gauge but it is impossible to find. I had a source for is back home but can't find it out here. So I can have trouble sliding the tube in and out. I could go to 2X2X3/16" but even short pieces of that is heavy. Which brings up another point is the table is heavier that I think it should be.

Lets move on to the other side that is for the stove. We use this table almost all the time. The only time we don't is if we get to camp late and are not cooking a dinner. Or if we are getting an early start in the morning and will just cook on the galley countertop.



I have been happy with this setup. It opens the countertop to prep food and plates. It is easy to level the table with the bolts to connect it to the stand. Just as long as the camper is level that is. And it is easy to level the camper with the four jacks. I really like the extra space on the side of the stove too. That said I'm going to try a few different sizes and see if we can get away with a smaller size. Two reasons for that, first is to cut down on weight and second is to cut sound on storage space. I designed to tongue box to fit the two tables and stands, it would be nice to free up some space in there.

On the end of the table is a pull out where we can hang a garbage bag. This has been great, the bag is secure from wind and it's hard for bugs and bees to get to.We have camped with 50 mph winds and no problem.





I've been thinking how I'll rework these but I'm in no hurry because it dose work well. I'm planning on getting a TIG welded for aluminum in the near future and this might be the first project once I get the hang of it. It's been over 30 years since I TIG welded, I hope it's like riding a bike.

Todd

[Louisd75]

Todd, I really like that trash bag idea! I'm going to have to see if I can incorporate something like that in my build

[twisted lines]

Thanks for sharing the spare tire carrier, I have one hole through the wall and the adjustable part may come into play.
The passenger side table looks like a must do!

[KTM_Guy]

Let me know if you need more details or pictures. I can get them posted.

Todd

[KTM_Guy]

We have had a little problem when we stop for the night to just sleep and not unhook the Jeep or level the teardrop. This has been happing a little more when we head out after work on Friday night and drive till dark or tired and want to get an early start in the morning.

Our trailer when hitched to the Jeep puts us in a bit of a head down position. My wife or I sleep well like that. So I thought about making a wedge. The wedge is under the mattress and provides some storage for lesser used items.






Todd
I don’t remember the numbers but it was something like 2.5”-3” drop in 60”. That is what I could cut out of some scrap I had around. I figured I could cut it down if the angle was to much.



We were up in Canyonlands a few weeks ago and got a chance to try it out. So far we really liked it. The quick stop nights were fine and the nights we leveled the drop were still good. My wife noticed she would slide down a bit but not to bad. We’ll give it a few more outings ( this weekend) before we call it a success.

Here are a few photos from Canyonlands and we did one night on the White Rim Trail, and like we always do we left for home a lot later than we should have and had to do a transit night in Valley of The Gods.





This is our campsite on White Rim Road.



We pulled into this site in the dark and I had an idea it was going to be great views in the morning. My wife had no idea where we were. The views were awesome.

[tony.latham]

We were up in Canyonlands a few weeks ago...

Damn, I'm jealous. It's white here and I've got my long-johns on.

Tony

[KTM_Guy]

We were up in Canyonlands a few weeks ago...

Damn, I'm jealous. It's white here and I've got my long-johns on.

Tony

Long-johns, I remember those. mine live in the camper but haven’t needed them yet.

We had a cold front move through a week or two ago, and I had to ask Meg if I had any long pants to wear to work. I can’t remember the last time I wore pants to work.

AZ has got two good snow storms so far this year. I can drive an hour and have all the snow I want. Then get back home to shorts weather.

Are you planning the spring desert trip yet?

Todd

[tony.latham]

Are you planning the spring desert trip yet?

We've got a rough date set of mid-April for departure and that's the extent of our planning so far.

Tony

[KTM_Guy]

We have been without curtains in the teardrop since we’ve been using it. Hasn’t been much of a problem till this weekend, we are hosting an Overlander Meet & Greet and Camp and we are going to have 25-30 rigs with 50+ people. So probably a good idea to get them up. I’ve been thinking of option and thought think this is a good way to go. We wanted to have the curtain open form the bottom so when the window is open we can still get air in. Good light blocking. And to be able to change them, lite set for summer and maybe a heavy quilted set for winter. We have only been to 19 degrees for a low but the doors wand window transfer a lot of cold compared to the insulated walls.

Here is what I came up with. I’m missing a few pictures but you can get the idea.

I made a pattered my cutting paper. Put that on some indoor outdoor carpet and cut to size.



I used carpet glue on the door but first painted around the edges so the white doesn’t show through. You can see the door in this picture.



Simple curtain with Velcro at the top and two Velcro tabs on each side that stick to the indoor outdoor carpet.
Don’t look at my bad sewing these were just to get something up for the weekend. I need more practice that’s for sure.









I hope this works out. The carpet might be a dust magnet. I also used a lighter to burn the fuzzy edges.

Todd

[ricky herbold]

Wow. Looks great. I’ve been trying to figure out curtains for a while also. I need to learn to sew too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Staryder61]

Todd just gets better and better...

The updates are all awesome, I enjoy keeping up with your posts.. Thank you for a great job documenting everything..
Will have to remember about the tables you have,, had the idea before about how to do it in my head,, then you posted your pics..

[KTM_Guy]

Well it's been a long time since I posted anything. it's been a crazy year and a half. Last year started out with you might have cancer, to you have cancer, to Covid shut downs, to cancer surgery is elective and we can't do elective surgeries (which I knew because my job supports spine surgeries), to having surgery, to recovery, to getting Covid, to finally getting out on a trip with the teardrop late fall. My wife's boss also suffered a stroke and she has a hard time getting much time off work.

That out of the way lets get to the teardrop. Everything has been working well, until our last trip). No big changes but a lot of small changes. The Timbren axles have been the biggest problem. From changing the rubber springs from 2,000# to 3,500#, to uneven ware on the tires due to the tire tilting in on the top (cant). I put shims in the end of 2019 and that fixed it for awhile. And am currently adding more shims after our last trip. We were in Death Valley in the spring and I noticed a grinding noise while backing up, so we headed to a town where I knew we could get parts and find a place to camp and when I took the drum off brake parts fell out and the bearings were on their way out. The people at the NAPA store were so helpful and we got everything back together and just unconnected the brake controller the rest of the trip. I just replaced the brakes and repacked the bearings, and added the shims for the axles. I was running a 1" wheel adapter and those came off also. I'm going to buy some new wheels with less backspace once they are in stock again. That has been another problem, you can't get anything it seems like. We are getting ready for a trip in a few weeks and have a few small things to take care of. I have some ideas I would do different and may do another post on them.

How about a few photos?

Pulling apart the hubs to see what is going on.


If you are going to breakdown, do it somewhere with a view.






Airing down getting ready for around 50 miles of washboarded roads.














Every now and then we find a tree to camp by.


The happy campers.