My latest creation...

[Makwa]

Howdy folks...

Rather new to OB. This is my 3rd off road / overland trailer build project. The first being a small M416 style cargo trailer with a RTT on it. The next - a fully custom designed bonded structure lightweight off road camper I called the Terrapod. The latest from my little basement shop - A fully custom outfitted CVT off road trailer.

Features:
Custom designed / CNC aluminum RTT rack
Custom designed aluminum fridge / electrical enclosure
Upgraded LED lighting (bin and exterior floods)
Added backup LED flood
Custom designed modular onboard water system
Custom dual charge electrical system with 50 Ah LiFePo4 battery
Modified (for LiFePo4) solar charging system
Custom designed gas spring assisted awning lift
Side mounted stowable table
Custom spare tire mount (in work)
Misc custom built components, etc...

Purchased / Installed items:
CVT Off Road Trailer
Tepui Kukenam RTT
Rhino Rack Foxwing Eco
Indel B 41qt Fridge
LED mini's rock lights & spots
50Ah EWS LiFePo4 battery (with internal BMS)
LiFePo4 compatible Bioenno Power charge controller
Powertank 5lb propane mount
5b propane bottle (w/ extension line)
Renogy portable 100w solar panel
2x Scepter water cans
Rigid mini LED's
Tongue mounted bubble level
Toyota 4Runner SR5 wheels with Cooper ATP Load E tires


Been a fun project. Particularly the challenge of developing the electrical system to handle charging the LiFePo4 battery. Looking forward to getting it out there and testing. If anyone has any questions, happy lend some knowledge help where I can.

Cheers,
C


Photos:

 

[FireMedicPQ1]

Wow! Sweet rig. Nicely done and very professional finish throughout.

 

[Kent R]

You my friend are a craftsman! what a nice trailer.

 

[Makwa]

Thank you, gents. I appreciate it. Firm believer in designing/building things properly.
Here is how it sits as of this last weekend. (added the spare tire mount and Toyota tires to match my rig).

 

[SeattleBeardo]

Nice build! I was curious about the fridge enclosure. Is that aluminum housing ventilated at all? If not, won't that put a fairly heavy strain on the fridge in warm weather?

 

[Makwa]

Nice build! I was curious about the fridge enclosure. Is that aluminum housing ventilated at all? If not, won't that put a fairly heavy strain on the fridge in warm weather?

Thank you. The enclosure is indeed aluminum. The top, down to the front of the interior is lined with 1/2" reflective / high-temp automotive insulation. To aid in ventilation, two 10" x 4.5" marine vents are located where the fridge needs the airflow the most. I am confident that it will do the job. This summer will test my theories...

C

 

[SeattleBeardo]

Thank you. The enclosure is indeed aluminum. The top, down to the front of the interior is lined with 1/2" reflective / high-temp automotive insulation. To aid in ventilation, two 10" x 4.5" marine vents are located where the fridge needs the airflow the most. I am confident that it will do the job. This summer will test my theories...

C

Nice! Very cool set up!

 

[Road]

Thank you, gents. I appreciate it. Firm believer in designing/building things properly.
Here is how it sits as of this last weekend. (added the spare tire mount and Toyota tires to match my rig).

Slick slick slick! Nicely done, @Makwa. Messing with trailers and gear can get about as addictive as getting them out on the road. I love messing with mine and tweaking things to be more efficient, quicker to set up and tear down, letting everything tell me where it wants to live, and just enjoying how much more fun I have out there with a trailer than without. I wake up in the morning sometimes in camp and can't wait to organize and set things up in new ways, experimenting with this set-up or that combo to see what works best.

You've got a really nice, experienced, slick set up man. Very nice to see.

I'm envious of your 3bay garage, too, and miss my big shop/studio.

 

[Makwa]

Slick slick slick! Nicely done, @Makwa. Messing with trailers and gear can get about as addictive as getting them out on the road. I love messing with mine and tweaking things to be more efficient, quicker to set up and tear down, letting everything tell me where it wants to live, and just enjoying how much more fun I have out there with a trailer than without. I wake up in the morning sometimes in camp and can't wait to organize and set things up in new ways, experimenting with this set-up or that combo to see what works best.

You've got a really nice, experienced, slick set up man. Very nice to see.

I'm envious of your 3bay garage, too, and miss my big shop/studio.

Cheers bud. I know exactly what you speak of. Simplicity is by far and away my preferred method. And the constant search for the best solution is indeed an addiction.

C

 

[Captain Chaos]

Nice! I’m interested in your electrical setup. I think I saw some of the components on Amazon last night while I was shopping for my build.

 

[Makwa]

Nice! I’m interested in your electrical setup. I think I saw some of the components on Amazon last night while I was shopping for my build.

What can I help you with? A lot of the general controls are available on Amazon. Some of the charging components were pieced together.

C

 

[Captain Chaos]

How many amp hour battery do you have? I see you’re connected to shore power in the photo, is your fridge running on 120v? Does your tow rig charge the battery when connected to the trailer?
I just ordered the beginnings of my electrical today. I’m going to run a extension cord into my tent to power whatever we need. I’m thinking Anderson power poles and a usb charger on the side of the box. Plug in to the power poles and build another small box to power off of in the tent.
I have beeen scouring build threads looking for ideas. There’s a wealth of information on forums like this one and Expo.

 

[Makwa]

How many amp hour battery do you have? I see you’re connected to shore power in the photo, is your fridge running on 120v? Does your tow rig charge the battery when connected to the trailer?
I just ordered the beginnings of my electrical today. I’m going to run a extension cord into my tent to power whatever we need. I’m thinking Anderson power poles and a usb charger on the side of the box. Plug in to the power poles and build another small box to power off of in the tent.
I have beeen scouring build threads looking for ideas. There’s a wealth of information on forums like this one and Expo.

No shore power. I wanted it completely self sufficient. The connection you see is to the 100w solar.

The battery is a 50Ah LifePo4 (LFP or Lithium Iron Phosphate). It has the equivalent use of a 100Ah SLA or AGM. The exception being, with the LFP, you can drain it practically down to zero and then recharge. The one I have has a built-in BMS (battery management system) that automatically cuts off the power when it gets too low and cuts off the charge current when it reaches full charge.

Charging: I have a master switch (located next to the battery monitor), that allows me to select vehicle charge input or solar charge input. With the LFP battery, it prefers a specific input charge current of 14.6v. Since my 4Runner runs on average around 13.6v to 14.1v when running, I added a boost converter to bump the voltage to 15. It then runs to the Bioenno charge controller that knocks it back to 14.6v @ 10amps (car) and about 5 amps (solar) to charge the battery.

Overall, it was a bit complex due to the LFP battery and sorting out the charging scenario. But once done, it has worked great so far.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I bet it does work great! There isn’t a lot of people running LFP yet. I’m to cheap, myself. I’m planning on a AGM and a ctek charger/maintainer. But most of our trips are short.
I would like to add solar after a while. I want to get the bugs worked out, and get some experience before taking that step.

 

[Makwa]

I bet it does work great! There isn’t a lot of people running LFP yet. I’m to cheap, myself. I’m planning on a AGM and a ctek charger/maintainer. But most of our trips are short.
I would like to add solar after a while. I want to get the bugs worked out, and get some experience before taking that step.

I previously ran an AGM with solar charger. Very easy to setup and quite efficient. A good starting point is the Renogy 100W portable / foldable unit. All you do is connect the gator clips to the battery and let the sun do the rest.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I previously ran an AGM with solar charger. Very easy to setup and quite efficient. A good starting point is the Renogy 100W portable / foldable unit. All you do is connect the gator clips to the battery and let the sun do the rest.

That’s good to know! Thanks!

 

[xoomi]

Wow, that is one of if not the nicest builds I have ever seen! The fenders look amazing seamless and rugged design. Your attention to detail is second to none.

 

[Dakota Houligans]

Wow. Very nicely done. Looks like it should provide years of reliable fun!

 

[Kris022]

Absolutely stunning. Still drooling over the electrical stuff.