Anybody know this trailer? Bean Trailer | Mean Bean Teardrop Trailer I haven't seen anything here... They look pretty nice... all fiber glass. I'm thinking of it with my 17 Rubicon... with a universal hitch added.
Mean Bean Trailer experience?
- Thread starter juniorman
- Start date
and I forgot the mention the front storage boxes. It is always good to have a place to put gear. I leave my tongue box mostly empty so I can put full trash bags in there and sometimes wood. I have never had a trailer leak but I understand the attraction to the design. Similar to a Escape, Scamp, or Cassita. All being one piece exterior shell I believe.
Yes. One piece fiberglass shell. Good insulation...
They are recommending that I get this for power...
They are recommending that I get this for power...
Any experience with this? I was going to get a small gas generator. I'm not sure if this was in lieu of the AGM battery or to replace it.
Someone with an EE degree will probably chime in but Lithium batteries are much lighter than AGM and last longer. They are also 3 times more expensive. IMHO 2 batteries is overkill. Having a good solar panel 100 watt or better should keep one battery happy. If the only major power draw on the trailer is the fridge then one battery should be fine. The sales people and others can speak differently. This is just based on my years of having batteries in trailers and my truck. I would love lithium because you don't have to be as careful with draining them down vs a deep cycle AGM but there is the big cost difference. Buy what you can afford. None of this is required. It is a matter of comfort and personal taste.
I would be curious as to why they are recommending a portable power solution vs what is built into the trailer. I would rather spend more $$$ on additional solar panels then more batteries. I hate generators. With this setup I see no need for one but feel free to provide more details on what gear you need to power.
List what gear you already have and what you might plan on adding. That would be helpful. Regardless if you pick a Bean or not. I wonder if anyone in your are rents one or if the factory has a unit you can take out for a weekend. Lots of great camping near SLC.
Member III
In my area I have several trailer/motorhome sales lots. I pop in once in a while to see what's trending and what's new. I'm also looking for ideas on a new trailer build I'm getting ready to start.
I've noticed a huge upswing in small "off-road" capable trailers. Everyone is trying to get a piece of the market while it's hot.
The first problem I see here is you have used car mentality sales people who know nothing and tend to tell you what they think you need to hear in order to buy. Next is throw as many high tech items to impress the people with unlimited funds, no knowledge, who want to be part of the "cool" crowd. There was a NO-BO trailer at the one down the street. The sails guy tried to convince me that the equipped microwave and roof AC were absolutely necessary. Now the out door sound system was cool but I have a blue tooth speaker.
Now on to your question. Lithium batteries absolutely rock. Their smaller, lighter and more powerful. All you need is to keep them happy.
The statement about lasting longer (if I understand what you meant) is incorrect. If you draw 1amp an hour (1ah) you need a 12ah supply to go 12 hrs. Factor in how low you can run your battery add in solar, alternator and there you go.
To get you money out of a lithium, you want to have a good voltage controller with "smart charging". Their vry picky about their voltage (look at the Samsung phone a few years ago). If you store it somewhere hot (I live in California) you have the possibility of them catching fire when they reach a certain temperature. One of the guy's on the MUD forum posted a picture of his burned travel trailer after this happened in the storage yard. This was on a thread that started out as "watch out with the portable lithium battery jumpers"
I personally run a lead acid battery in my off road camping trailer. An AGM would be nicer but there's nothing the AGM does for me that the lead acid wont. Other than having to keep an eye on the water level.
I also run a solar panel. My last trip made me reevaluate my solar set up. My new build will have the panel built into the roof. My current set up, I place the panel on the ground. I've never had an issue. Last trip in the forest, I was shaded and my 30 foot cable on my panel wasn't long enough to get the little patch of sun for longer than 45 mins a day. My very small deep cycle lead acid had no problem keeping my 50qt fridge running with the little amount I topped it off each day. My battery was very low on the third morning but I was leaving.
Like you, I have had campers and trailers my whole life. Solar opened up a whole new world for me. On my last big camper (11.5 lance with slide outs) I had 4 batteries. We would conserve power over a week (led lights rocked) and use the generator if we wanted to run the microwave which topped off the batteries. I bought a 120 watt panel and was able to top off what I used each day. Ah yeah, they were lead acid. If I wanted to run a few thousand dollars in Lithium's, I would have had more power available for the size. Uhh no. I would have added 2 more lead acid than Lithium and charge controller.
About the charge controller. I'm starting to read threads where these are failing and either ruining batteries or almost stranding people. As @1Louder posted, save the money for things you really need.
The specs on the trailer you posted look nice. Just watch out for too many high tech things you probably don't need.
Well, unless you want bragging rights
I've noticed a huge upswing in small "off-road" capable trailers. Everyone is trying to get a piece of the market while it's hot.
The first problem I see here is you have used car mentality sales people who know nothing and tend to tell you what they think you need to hear in order to buy. Next is throw as many high tech items to impress the people with unlimited funds, no knowledge, who want to be part of the "cool" crowd. There was a NO-BO trailer at the one down the street. The sails guy tried to convince me that the equipped microwave and roof AC were absolutely necessary. Now the out door sound system was cool but I have a blue tooth speaker.
Now on to your question. Lithium batteries absolutely rock. Their smaller, lighter and more powerful. All you need is to keep them happy.
The statement about lasting longer (if I understand what you meant) is incorrect. If you draw 1amp an hour (1ah) you need a 12ah supply to go 12 hrs. Factor in how low you can run your battery add in solar, alternator and there you go.
To get you money out of a lithium, you want to have a good voltage controller with "smart charging". Their vry picky about their voltage (look at the Samsung phone a few years ago). If you store it somewhere hot (I live in California) you have the possibility of them catching fire when they reach a certain temperature. One of the guy's on the MUD forum posted a picture of his burned travel trailer after this happened in the storage yard. This was on a thread that started out as "watch out with the portable lithium battery jumpers"
I personally run a lead acid battery in my off road camping trailer. An AGM would be nicer but there's nothing the AGM does for me that the lead acid wont. Other than having to keep an eye on the water level.
I also run a solar panel. My last trip made me reevaluate my solar set up. My new build will have the panel built into the roof. My current set up, I place the panel on the ground. I've never had an issue. Last trip in the forest, I was shaded and my 30 foot cable on my panel wasn't long enough to get the little patch of sun for longer than 45 mins a day. My very small deep cycle lead acid had no problem keeping my 50qt fridge running with the little amount I topped it off each day. My battery was very low on the third morning but I was leaving.
Like you, I have had campers and trailers my whole life. Solar opened up a whole new world for me. On my last big camper (11.5 lance with slide outs) I had 4 batteries. We would conserve power over a week (led lights rocked) and use the generator if we wanted to run the microwave which topped off the batteries. I bought a 120 watt panel and was able to top off what I used each day. Ah yeah, they were lead acid. If I wanted to run a few thousand dollars in Lithium's, I would have had more power available for the size. Uhh no. I would have added 2 more lead acid than Lithium and charge controller.
About the charge controller. I'm starting to read threads where these are failing and either ruining batteries or almost stranding people. As @1Louder posted, save the money for things you really need.
The specs on the trailer you posted look nice. Just watch out for too many high tech things you probably don't need.
Well, unless you want bragging rights
Member III
One more thing to add, I'm moving from an RTT to a hard side like the tear drop. Mostly because of not sleeping during a very common here, wind storm. Inside, I'm going to make the bed turn into a small couch. I've seen pictures of this but haven't gotten the design down yet. I want to be able to sit in it and read or eat when the wind is blowing or heavy rain.
I didn't see if that was an option on the one you posted. If it is, its something to think about.
I didn't see if that was an option on the one you posted. If it is, its something to think about.
Enthusiast I
I considered the Bean. I think they are very well built trailers. I saw the “Black Bean” which I really liked but it turned out to be a limited edition which they no longer make. The mean is the same but has a different box configuration on the front which I don’t really care for. I think I have decided to go with the Off Grid Trailers Expedition 2.0. That is just a personal preference and not meant to take anything from the Bean. I think both are of outstanding build quality.
The front platform design on the Mean Bean won't work well. In theory looking at a bunch of FrontRunner boxes mounted to the front looks neat and innovative. Then hit some muddy trails and well have fun getting into those boxes.
The only thing I would improve on my Expedition 2.0 is the stove. I wish it had a Partner Steel stove. Oh well. Otherwise I love it. Anyway, sorry for the thread drift. There is a good thread on the Off Grid trailers so if you have questions hit me up there.
