Off-Road Ranger I
VRV Flyer Teardrop Intro and Build Thread
- Thread starter 1Louder
- Start date
Thanks! I finished the awning install today. That was a very easy mod. On board 16 gallon water tank, pump, plumbing etc is next. The trailer won’t have a sink. My kitchen will be a table version on the driver side of the trailer.
Off-Road Ranger I
Let me preface that most of my design plans include items which can be used with or without a trailer whenever possible. For example, I have considered adding an ARB drawer system to the trailer for additional storage. However, anything stored there would not be easily transferable to a truck only trip. This is why a lot of my gear is in FrontRunner boxes. Not quite as convenient but very portable.
Ok now on to my water system design. In a nutshell it will be very similar to other trailer setups but will not have a built in hot water heater. I could always add one of the hanging style heaters. I can say in the 4 years I have had trailers, 2 with hot water heaters built in, I rarely used them to take showers.
I purchased a table style hot water heater with a faucet and a shower head. It is similar to the Mr Heater Boss setup but much less expensive. Hopefully it works well. It can easily be moved from the trailer to my FJ. It has its own water pump so it will be fed with a 5 gallon jerry can mounted to the side of the trailer. When I don' t need hot water I can either turn that unit down to its coolest setting or use what the trailer will have.
The plan for the trailer is the 16 gallon tank, a 12 volt pump, and a shower connection with detachable hose without a heater. That will give me water for a tub style sink which will sit on a table, take cool showers, or whatever else I need. I can also use the shower setup without the shower head to refill the jerry can if need be. Anyway, it will make more sense once I have acquired all of the parts and can show what is involved. The one challenge with the tank being in a drawer vs hard mount might be the drain line. Can I create something that can move back and forth but still drain the tank as required.
Member III
Assuming that white block in the above pic is what you're planning for your water tank I likely wouldn't muck with a drain line. I'd use a hole saw and cut and round opening in the bottom of the drawer and install a standard drain plug in the bottom of the tank. In addition, I'd make the hole the size of plastic plug that can be placed in the hole when the water tank isn't in there. You might also need to create a small platform for the tank to sit on so it doesn't rest on the plug when out of the drawer. If you mount the plug far enough back you could even use the tongue jack to incline the trailer slightly for complete draining while in the trailer. Just throwing an idea out there for you to chew on.
-Curtiss
That is the tank. The ports for everything including the drain line are on the other side.
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A few more mods happened this week. I added a Bluesea fuse block, an SAE power port to the driver side of the trailer, a 12volt power plug inside the exterior storage compartment, added a jerrycan mount, and repurposed a tapered awning panel and OZ Tent Caravan Connector to the driver side of the trailer. I had the required rail to mount on to the trailer from a previous project.
I just need black screws
Wavian Jerrycan mount
Bluesea Fuseblock. Wiring has been cleaned up since installed
Glamping in the garage/4XOA design lab
With a center pole and properly staked this will look a lot better.
I just need black screws
Wavian Jerrycan mount
Bluesea Fuseblock. Wiring has been cleaned up since installed
Glamping in the garage/4XOA design lab
With a center pole and properly staked this will look a lot better.
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Member III
A few more mods happened this week. I added a Bluesea fuse block, an SAE power port to the driver side of the trailer, a 12volt power plug inside the exterior storage compartment, added a jerrycan mount, and repurposed a tapered awning panel and OZ Tent Caravan Connector to the driver side of the trailer. I had the required rail to mount on to the trailer from a previous project.
View attachment 51622
I just need black screws
View attachment 51623
Wavian Jerrycan mount
View attachment 51624
Bluesea Fuseblock. Wiring has been cleaned up since installed
Glamping in the garage/4XOA design lab
With a center pole and properly staked this will look a lot better.
I also added an SAE power port to my trailer using the Zamp solar connector. I made a little SAE to 12 volt socket dongle for it so I can easily plug in any 12 volt accessory I might need. Will most likely be used for the Snomaster Fridge/Freezer I keep in the back of the truck normally.
I'm liking that other awning. How are you attaching it to the trailer? Center pole for it is what I really like the idea of. We spent a little over a week in Colorado last summer and it rained every day. Even with our CVT awning tilted fairly steep it still collected water that had to be "pushed" off constantly.
Is that table part of your camp setup? If so what is it and how does it break down? I got tired of the flimsy "camp stove" tables a few years back and bought a folding dog grooming table for that same purpose. It's a little heavy but folds flat. I haven't regretted that decision at all even though I don't use it for camping anymore. It makes a great extra work surface in the garage.
-Curtiss
OZ Tent Caravan Connector $34.00 and a 1/4 Aluminum Awning Rail. CVT sells something similar but its plastic and the awnings don't slide in as well. Mine was 2 years old and I don't remember who I ordered it from. They can be found for under $20 if you search for them. This is similar to what I have but mine has pre-drilled holes. https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Awning-Rail-90-degree-p/vts-876.htm
I think this is the one I have, https://parts.rvwholesalers.com/products/insert-gutter-awning-rail-pw-20-6956?variant=34952101768
Ha.. thats an Ikea table! I do use a Lifetime table from Costco for my trailer which is very similar. Same size 2'x4'.
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Pioneer II
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- Kent
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- Reynolds
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Enthusiast III
A few more mods happened this week. I added a Bluesea fuse block, an SAE power port to the driver side of the trailer, a 12volt power plug inside the exterior storage compartment, added a jerrycan mount, and repurposed a tapered awning panel and OZ Tent Caravan Connector to the driver side of the trailer. I had the required rail to mount on to the trailer from a previous project.
View attachment 51622
I just need black screws
View attachment 51623
Wavian Jerrycan mount
View attachment 51624
Bluesea Fuseblock. Wiring has been cleaned up since installed
Glamping in the garage/4XOA design lab
With a center pole and properly staked this will look a lot better.
Nice looking garage - lots of room!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks! 4 Car or in our case 2 cars and a trailer. We have tall doors so it makes it easy for the trailer to fit. It's a dream garage sort of... has a big sink and 220 if I ever decide to learn how to weld. Very nice to not have to work in the AZ sun.
Here’s a silly test setup with most of my gear. VRV Flyer, ARB Awning and room, OZ Tent RV-5 with the Caravan connector. It’s silly because I’m the only one in my setup but shows a smaller trailer and tent setup can easily sleep lots of people.
Enjoying the Mogollon Rim.
Wherever you go, there you are. Sent from my phone.
Enjoying the Mogollon Rim.
Wherever you go, there you are. Sent from my phone.
I wrote another blog post. It is pretty much a recap of my posts here but I wanted to consolidate all of the info.
https://www.4xoverlandadventures.com/our-vrv-flyer-modifications-april-2018-update/
https://www.4xoverlandadventures.com/our-vrv-flyer-modifications-april-2018-update/
Anyone at the Expo my trailer is in the day parking area west of the Q5 and Q6 and A11 A10. I will be there at 3:30 to hang out and show the trailer. I won’t be going into town to show it.
There is a small corral next to the grass area where the trailer and my FJ are.
Thanks,
Chris
There is a small corral next to the grass area where the trailer and my FJ are.
Thanks,
Chris
Sweet setup, i really like how you guys have a huge bed in it. Many have the kitchen in the back instead.
Yeah, everything is a trade-off. I see a lot of manufacturers going to side slide out kitchens. Hiker had a prototype. Of course with the nice slide out kitchen you lose some interior storage. Again see trade-offs.
While I like the traditional teardrop style rear galleys I don't like how in many teardrops your legs have to fit under cabinetry.
This was a potentially cool option, https://expeditionessentials.com/collections/camping-and-expedition
They don't have more info on their website yet. But this can either be hard mounted or with quick release brackets. So it has the potential to be used on the side of my trailer and then with another set of the quick-disconnect plates I could use it on the rear door of my FJ. It all folds up and looks like a metal briefcase. They had one mounted on the rear door of a Jeep.
We saw it at the last minute at the Expo.
Great mods, I’m excited to know thru some pics just how all is turning out specially the water tank? I have a a VRV Flyer as well and would like to know how you bolted the hangers to side walls for your awning thanksThanks! I finished the awning install today. That was a very easy mod. On board 16 gallon water tank, pump, plumbing etc is next. The trailer won’t have a sink. My kitchen will be a table version on the driver side of the trailer.
Drilled through with self tapping screws and butyl tape to seal holes. I will get the exact size when I can. I may do a different design which would make it easier to move the awning forward or aft but waiting for it to cool down in AZ before I hang out in the garage.
