JohngQld's 16.49.1 Touring
- Thread starter JohngQld
- Start date
Hi @bigcol.
I'm still several years or one good lotto win away from retirement. Can you wait till then? Do you also want a modified table top to make the trip worthwhile? Either way, I would mind seeing Perth someday.
John
I'm still several years or one good lotto win away from retirement. Can you wait till then? Do you also want a modified table top to make the trip worthwhile? Either way, I would mind seeing Perth someday.
John
When I ordered the Expanda last year, I thought that Drop Jacks were the only way to go. Even with the 50mm of lift, it has never been possible to just drop them vertically and give then a couple of turns. The length they are supplied at, even the smallest model, , they went out at less than an ideal angle. As you wound them out, they tended to just push along the ground and not providing much in the way of vertical stability.
Took the foot off and after a bit of measuring, we have been able to cut 75 mm off them thanks to the drop saw. I would have liked to taken a bit more but the main screw prevents this. At least they now have enough clearance to make them function properly. There goes the warranty!!
John
Took the foot off and after a bit of measuring, we have been able to cut 75 mm off them thanks to the drop saw. I would have liked to taken a bit more but the main screw prevents this. At least they now have enough clearance to make them function properly. There goes the warranty!!
John
This week, the Expanda got it's permanent shelter in the way of a 5.1 metre by 4 metre carport. They represent a decent sort of an investment and as such, I think spending the extra dollars to protect it, is money well spent. Would have liked it to be a bit longer, but the post on the right couldn't be set back any further. I've lost nearly 150mm off my entry width, as I need to enter on an angle due to the driveway and trees. The next project is to fit it with vinyl roll up blinds to give further protection from sun and rain.
John
John
Thanks for the reminder John..... Fitting them to one side of ours when I get around to it!!!!
Expanda Blue. At the start of this thread, I mentioned fitting carpet over the vinyl floor. I was a bit apprehensive at first as there is a sticker inside the door stating not to leave rubber based products on the vinyl for any length of time. I put a piece of marine carpet in the back half and although not rubber backed, served well and no marks on the vinyl. While at Clark Rubber last week getting insertion rubber for a gasket. I saw this carpet and decided it had to be the one. Lots of measuring, drawing, lining up, squaring up, measuring and cutting, the Expanda now has a single carpet from front to back. Really happy with how it has turned out.
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As you can see from the picture below, we have a 3 piece fence in front of the annexe to keep our labby safe and secure without tying her up. The fence panels are from Bunnings and are the 2400 by 900 high. The have been cut back to 1900 for carting purposes with joiners to take them back out to 2400 when they are put up. The panel at the front has a gate cut into it to allow easy entry and exit.
Up until last weekend, we had been putting them inside the van, wrapping them in the bed quilts and securing them with straps in front of the fridge. Getting them in and out turned into a monumental pain especially when wet, trying also not to scape any of the interior as we went.
Having read much about bike carriers failing and not liking the idea of fastening anything to the Expanda lid, the idea of mounting the racks on the bumper seemed the way to go. The racks need to be removable otherwise the back lid can't be opened. Hence the two 32mm tube mounts bolted through the bumper with 8mm bolts. The uprights plug into the bumper mounts and for good measure, the tops are secured to the top ridge through the use of marine canopy fittings. These are bolted through the support beam in the back and if the bumper fell off, the top supports would support the rack and load. Four straps secure the fence panels to the racking and then there are two more straps which hold them in further using the grab handles. The bottom mounts have two horizontal sections to allow the uprights to be stored off the ground when the rear lid is up.
The welding was the dearest part of the exercise followed by the powder coating. Another project done and dusted and couldn't be happier with the outcome.
Up until last weekend, we had been putting them inside the van, wrapping them in the bed quilts and securing them with straps in front of the fridge. Getting them in and out turned into a monumental pain especially when wet, trying also not to scape any of the interior as we went.
Having read much about bike carriers failing and not liking the idea of fastening anything to the Expanda lid, the idea of mounting the racks on the bumper seemed the way to go. The racks need to be removable otherwise the back lid can't be opened. Hence the two 32mm tube mounts bolted through the bumper with 8mm bolts. The uprights plug into the bumper mounts and for good measure, the tops are secured to the top ridge through the use of marine canopy fittings. These are bolted through the support beam in the back and if the bumper fell off, the top supports would support the rack and load. Four straps secure the fence panels to the racking and then there are two more straps which hold them in further using the grab handles. The bottom mounts have two horizontal sections to allow the uprights to be stored off the ground when the rear lid is up.
The welding was the dearest part of the exercise followed by the powder coating. Another project done and dusted and couldn't be happier with the outcome.
Hey John,
Check out the thread I've started and feel free to throw in any comments because I still have a while before I have to confirm options etc.
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/jasmans-expansion-plans-2016-outback-17-56-2.8802/
I've been looking around on here and seems to a few more Jeep owners than over on Myswag so was hoping for some moral support but time will tell.
Cheers,
Jason.
Check out the thread I've started and feel free to throw in any comments because I still have a while before I have to confirm options etc.
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/jasmans-expansion-plans-2016-outback-17-56-2.8802/
I've been looking around on here and seems to a few more Jeep owners than over on Myswag so was hoping for some moral support but time will tell.
Cheers,
Jason.
The Porch Light: As we do all our cooking under the porch, I thought a fixed light outside would be the way to go. I could even use it while at home just to light the area around the van. Narva make a 300mm version of what's already on the van and comes in two models, one with Proximity sensor and one without a switch. There's about $30 difference between them but a PIR sensor didn't appeal at all. I wanted to be able to turn it on and off from outside the van so I got the no switch version and decided to fit a switch myself.
Sounds easy? Armed with the usual catalogues, I went searching for a latching pushbutton but couldn't find one shorter than 13mm which is all the depth I had to play with. I did get a momentary switch that would fit, just needed to make it latch. The PCB that runs the leds had all the tracking there for the PIR circuit including a 16 pin DIL IC. Fitted a few bits and pieces, cut a few tracks, added a couple wire links and now we have a latching circuit to drive the light. I had to drill the 13mm hole in the lens and also the top cover plate. Nervous times as one crack and it all goes down hill from there. After running a piece of conduit through the wall, the cable run to the existing lamp was easy. Not one of my quicker projects as it took all of May from start to finish. Works really well.
Sounds easy? Armed with the usual catalogues, I went searching for a latching pushbutton but couldn't find one shorter than 13mm which is all the depth I had to play with. I did get a momentary switch that would fit, just needed to make it latch. The PCB that runs the leds had all the tracking there for the PIR circuit including a 16 pin DIL IC. Fitted a few bits and pieces, cut a few tracks, added a couple wire links and now we have a latching circuit to drive the light. I had to drill the 13mm hole in the lens and also the top cover plate. Nervous times as one crack and it all goes down hill from there. After running a piece of conduit through the wall, the cable run to the existing lamp was easy. Not one of my quicker projects as it took all of May from start to finish. Works really well.
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On our way up to Maroochydore last week, some imbiscile tried to merge into traffic which was doing 70 kph at a speed of less than 20. The concertina effect was immediate and I was hard under brakes to ensure I still had a gap to the car in front. As we were just about stopped, the biggest bang I have felt in a long time pushed both the Jeep and Jayco forward. We managed to get over to the side of the road and in the rear view mirror, I could see a very sorry looking BMW.
With the size of the jolt I expected to see most of the rear caved in. A couple of guys behind the bimmer helped to push it off the road to allow the traffic to move. The tube bumper bar on the van took a lot of the force with the rear right corner copping most of the damage and the brackets seen earlier in the post took a fair amount of punishment also. All in all, no one injured and things could have been worse. We checked the lights and continued to Maroochy.
Lots of hamming to get the carriers off the back, the drop jack is bent, but at least I could get the back lid open. This morning while filling up, I looked at the tow ball and something just didn't seem right. No wonder, it's not as straight as it used be. In the process of insurance at present.
With the size of the jolt I expected to see most of the rear caved in. A couple of guys behind the bimmer helped to push it off the road to allow the traffic to move. The tube bumper bar on the van took a lot of the force with the rear right corner copping most of the damage and the brackets seen earlier in the post took a fair amount of punishment also. All in all, no one injured and things could have been worse. We checked the lights and continued to Maroochy.
Lots of hamming to get the carriers off the back, the drop jack is bent, but at least I could get the back lid open. This morning while filling up, I looked at the tow ball and something just didn't seem right. No wonder, it's not as straight as it used be. In the process of insurance at present.
