Hiker Trailer 5x9 Offroad Build
- Thread starter Dana Ramos
- Start date
Influencer I
Good question hahaha. I had Hiker install the tank and am going to install the pump and plumbing myself. Will probably do this sometime over the next couple weekends. There will be a fill port and outlet located on the rear end of the driver's side near the propane tank. Eventually I'll add a Pelican case w/hot water shower mounted on that same side above the propane tank.
One of the best things about these trailers is that a lot of options can be added as needed or when you can afford to and can be done yourself if you have the time and are inclined.
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Influencer I
The 5x9 Offroad starts at 10k. We added a bit to the total mostly w/electrical/solar system. The awnings and all of the camping gear were transferred over from the truck. All in we're still under what any of the other offroad campers even start at.
On a side note, financing! Seems like a lot of folks think these are pretty far from reach. We definitely couldn't have afforded to buy it outright w/cash. We got quotes from several banks and credit unions including the bank my other half works for and the credit union I have had two different auto loans through before going w/an entirely different credit union that offered 2% for 5yrs. That makes payments pretty affordable.
Enthusiast III
Great trailer. We recently sold our pop up and our T@B and have been looking. You have created an ideal set up, especially with the couch version for usability. Looks great with your XK. What have you done to your Jeep or is there a build thread somewhere?
Were you going to mount the pump just inside behind where you mentioned mounting the ports (between the door frame and the drivers side wall)? This was my thinking as i am trying to setup mine in my minds eye as this area seems like it would be of little use if a drawer system was setup in the galley, as that seems like a dead spot. i just didn't know if there was enough room for the pump there.
Also is it easy to get a hole saw to go through the layers or diamond-plate and wood?
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Influencer I
Originally, I had planned to mount the pump in that dead space but Rob recommended placing it under the frame near the tank. He suggested this location over the interior so if the pump ever leaked it wouldn't get the floor and your mattress wet.
Also , I don't have the diamond plate on the sides, just the front, but I've found the the tin and wood is pretty easy to drill through. I would just suggest a new hole saw blade to make things easy.
So are you going to mount the hose connections to the wall or to the frame somehow so the water doesn't come inside at all??
Influencer I
Thanks, we've really enjoyed having it.
I've thought about starting a thread for the XK but it doesn't seem all that modified compared to some of the others I've seen out there. Still, I probably should have taken more photos to document everything I've done to it so far.
But since you asked, I bought it a little over a year ago to replace a WK that was falling apart on me (it needed around 5k in repairs). The Commander's original owner had blown the motor at 90k. A connecting rod had failed which appears to be a common problem with this engine. He replaced it with a new crate engine for a 2010 Ram (these supposedly have improved connecting rods) along with new belts, water pump, etc. While he had that out he rebuilt the transmission with new solenoids. He also added an aftermarket air intake, exhaust, a Superchip, a spacer lift, 1.5" wheel spacers, and a set of 255/75/17 BFG MTs. Overall, this seemed like a pretty good base to start with.
After I got it, I promptly ripped out the spacer lift and replaced that with a full OME HD kit and new coil isolators and strut mounts. I deleted the wheel spacers and bought a cheap set of KMC XD wheels with proper backspacing. I also replaced the BFG MTs with a set of 265/70/17 Goodyear DuraTracs which are better suited for the driving conditions here in NW WY (snow on the road 6+ months out of the year).
Then the front end started to fall apart. I replaced the upper control arms with JBA UCAs for 2+" lift. This is essential as the stock arms have non-serviceable ball joints which are angled badly after lifting. I then had to replace the lower control arms, sway bar bushings and end links (front and rear), tie rod ends. I think the only parts I haven't had to replace up front are CV axles and the steering rack. Both of which were necessary by 150k on my WK so I'm sure those are coming soon.
After all that I was just about ready to start on some real mods such as bumpers or skids. Then the exhaust manifold fell off. Well not completely, but a bolt sheared and the gasket blew. I've since learned that this is another common problem with this truck. So yeah, that was another expensive fix that set me back a bit.
With the larger sized tires the spare no longer fits under the truck unless you make some modifications to the hitch and keep the tire deflated. This didn't seem like a great option, and since a rear bumper with dual swingouts is still a little far out for me, I needed a roof rack to carry the spare tire. Originally, I bought a large Rhino Rack XTray basket. This fit the spare and left a little extra room for storing some miscellaneous items but wasn't quite big enough to carry everything we needed for long trips (we have two large dogs that take up the whole cargo area). Plus, there weren't any good options for mounting recovery boards or fuel cans to that.
So I decided to move the basket to the trailer, which has worked out great, and I purchased a Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform rack for the truck. The 76" x 54' size fits perfectly on top of the factory roof rails. There's enough room for the spare, two fuel cans, two Plano Sportsman trunks, and the MaxTrax mounted to the side with Rhino Rack's bracket.
The only other things I've done at this point is to replace almost all of the interior and exterior lights with LEDs. The only remaining incandescent bulbs are the high beams and fogs. The low beams took a couple tries to get right. In addition to the bulbs, which were plug and play, I also had to add load resistors in between the wiring harness and the bulbs to prevent flicker. I also bought a full set of the WeatherTech floor liners. Some genius at Chrysler decided white carpet was a good choice for this vehicle.
Going forward, I've been thinking about WAM bumpers. They look great and are reasonably priced. I think the rear would probably be more beneficial in terms of storage for spare and fuel. The front would probably be good to have for any unfortunate wildlife encounters (there are a lot of deer, elk, moose, beavers, bald eagles, etc. here), and to give the truck a better approach angle, especially considering that it's not lifted that much. Plus, a winch would be really sweet. But, I'm still on the fence about these items. The Jeep is my daily driver and not a rock crawler. The Pioneer rack already provides all of the storage I need and I haven't needed a winch... yet. I usually have a saw for downed trees and the MaxTrax have got me unstuck on a couple of occasions. That said, I still take it down some rough trails. At the very least, I'd like to add the 4xGuard Matrix and their skid plates to provide undercarriage protection and some proper recovery points. 4xGuard also makes rock rails but the ones offered by Rocky Road Outfitters or Steel Armadillo are supposed to be stronger and can actually support the weight of the truck.
Other than that, I'd really like to remove the 3rd row seat and have a storage box fabricated to put in its place. I will never have enough people in my vehicle to warrant seven seats.
Here's a shot of the rig on a recent trip through southern Utah where we spent 3 nights in Capitol Reef:
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Influencer I
Probably still go through the wall. Without the pump on, there will be no water in those hoses other than the time it takes to fill the tank.
Oh, and if I do go under the frame with the pump, I'll probably make a shield for the pump with some sheet metal or something.
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It looks like you kept the galley depth the same as on the 5x8. Can you confirm the dimensions of the sleeping area. At 6' 5" I am trying to see if a 5x9 would work for me. Also, what are the dimensions of the internal storage areas in the floor.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Influencer I
We actually went 2' deep on the rear galley. The top shelf is only 13" deep because we had it split across the width of the trailer so there's an 11" deep cabinet on the inside.which is separate from the galley.
The sleeper floor is 80" long with this configuration. You would fit fine! We could have gone a couple inches shorter on the sleeper, cutting that off the length of the mattress, and still would have plenty of room to lay down. This would've left room for a small fridge longways in the galley.
The in-floor storage box is 6" deep, 27" wide, 38" long on the bottom, 48" long at the top (tapered on the ends).
Influencer I
Curious to know what bike rack you are using. It's difficult to find a bike rack rated for use on the rear of a trailer. Do you have any concern that either the hitch or the bike rack will fail?
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Very curious ... why sell the T@B? I've been looking for maxi offroad trailers that I can afford; not the awesome but ubber expensive Aussie caravans. I went and looked at the T@B Outback. I've got a 4x4 pickup and think I could pull it laying on its side. So, its not a weight issue. I emailed the company and they say its good for dirt/gravel but I just have a hard time with that. Everything these days is ultra light and to me that means less material, fewer fasteners and less sturdy. Maybe if I visited the factory? Anyway ... wondering why you moved away from the T@B. I kinda like sleeping inside and having a coffee maker handy.
Apologies to the OP ... didn't mean to hijack. If only the Hiker was a bit taller.
I use a Kuat Sherpa bicycle rack and have traveled quite a bit with it. Just thought I'd throw it out there. Very expensive but very strong. I'd have no problems putting it on the back of an offroad trailer. However, I haven't driven many rough roads with the rack but like I've said, I've driven lots of miles with my rack. I think i'd worry more about hitting the bikes in tight spots or while backing up. I think I'd prefer putting the bikes on/in the tow vehicle or on an extended trailer tongue.
Enthusiast III
Influencer I
I've been using the same Thule T2 rack that I bought back in 2004. The ratchet grips on both arms have been replaced under warranty 2 & 3 years ago. That thing has been shuttling forest rds for years and is still holding up great. Not really worried about the rack failing. Even less worried about the hitch. The receiver on the trailer is welded into the frame. The receiver on the swingout is also welded into that frame from all sides. The tire carrier, which is rated for 300+lbs, would probably fall off before the hitch itself failed. For reference, the rack is 80lbs, and the bikes weigh less than 20lbs each. That said, I haven't been carrying the trailer spare and the bikes at the same time. That much weight on the rear of the trailer makes for a pretty light hitch weight on the truck.
Having the receiver in the tire carrier has been huge though. The design on almost all of these tray style hitch racks comes out of the receiver and then has another piece hinged above that extension. Like so (neither of these Jeeps are mine):
On an SUV or trailer with an upswing door this is not an issue. On the Hiker, the side opening door hits the top most tube of the rack even with the trays dropped down. Before we had the receiver in the swingout, we'd have to remove the rack entirely to access the galley. That sucked if you just wanted to load up groceries or stop for lunch. But now, the whole rack just swings out of the way to access the galley door:
We also requested the tire carrier open to driver's side specifically so the bikes would be in the unused space between the two awnings. This also hides them behind the tent when that is set up.
KUAT are also a great brand. The company I work for has a retail shop that sells them. I'd definitely recommend. The hitch rack is key for us though. We usually drop the trailer off at camp, move the rack/bikes over to the truck, and take a drive to the trailhead or top of the shuttle. Kind of a pain to move the setup back and forth but totally worth not having to lift a 20lb bike over the top of a lifted truck to load on the roof. Not to mention the clearance you lose having them up there. Too many low hanging branches around here. Putting the rack on a stacked receiver between the truck and trailer doesn't work for us either. A tight turn would definitely leave a mark somewhere.
But, I think if I had to buy another rack today, I might go with this one from Rocky Mounts.
In a nutshell they can't stand the "abuse". Driving 30 miles down the washboard road in Death Valley, for example, things would just rattle a part. I agree I don't want to mess this thread up! Start another one and I would be happy to provide additional opinions and other options.
Sent from my iPhone expect typos, grammatical errors, and any other invalid excuse.
