SomedayAdventure's "Bear" Build Thread

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So, everything at the expo went interestingly this year. I went on behalf of our sponsor Buggy Whips and were put in a far off booth location. Eventually we move to our friends at the Fuel Wheels booth and eventually start to see some people that I knew.

This was also the first time I’ve ever towed a trailer (toy hauler). It was an arduous task getting the appropriate license just to pull it legally and pulling it it’s self was an interesting experience. We didn’t have it fully loaded down but sheer mass and volume was something to consider.

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I was pleasantly surprised to find that the new BFGoodrich KM3 mud terrain tires were outstandingly adept at hauling a trailer of the size. I still need to work out the tow hitch sway control thingy. And of course the trailer came with the problems that always happen when you first buy a trailer. Definitely need to add another battery and solar panels. But, it served it’s purpose and the boys had a good time and space that was safe for them to play in during a busy expo type environment.

Craig, aka @Palmofthewild , got a chance to experiment and take out the black series camper trailer. Ill let him talk about it. It definitely looked cool.

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So, one of my takeaways… I’m definitely getting a bigger fuel tank. 37 gallons of Diesel turned out to be painfully inadequate . I had to stop about three or four times on the way home. One of which being a bathroom break by itself. Thanks Chelsea.
 
Replacing the fuel tank in a diesel is no big deal, even in CA. I'm not a fan of the Titan tanks, the ones I've seen all seem to sag on the ends. They are plastic, or whatever it is, construction. There may be a pan that can be installed under them for support to prevent this. I went with a Transfer Flow replacement tank on my Dmax and have never looked back. I got a little less volume from the Transfer Flow tank (45 gal vs 53) but prefer the aluminized steel construction.

https://www.transferflow.com/fuel-tanks/replacement-tanks

Looks like they have a 57 gallon replacement tank for your truck if I guessed right on the year/options.
 
Ok,

So I've finally gotten around to addressing one of the issues with my truck that I've been less than thrilled about.
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When I originally started putting the truck together, one of the best improvements I made was putting in the VIAIR 444C dual air compressors. The system came with a 2 gallon tank, two full duty cycle compressors, and some ...tubes. The problem I had came in three parts...

1- I went to Off Road Warehouse to have the work done. They did not wire the system appropriately and the wires eventually got fried along with the relay etc. I had this fixed with AdventureWired. It cost me more than I wanted to spend as it had to be done twice (over all).

2- Off Road Warehouse decided to mount it to my frame...next to my right side rear passenger door. Not the biggest issue until you realized that the compressor was directly in the way of the AMP step board and made it so they never closed all the way and rattled hard on rougher roads.

3- The compressors were completely exposed and the tank was mounted upside down....I could not bleed it off or drain any water that built up from the atmosphere. So, it was unserviceable.

My fix:

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I went to SRD in Vista CA and had them put together a solution. Since I carry my spare on the rear Buckstop Truckware bumper, I decided to use the old spare area to have the take and compressors mounted. Also, I had them fab up a simple skid plate to protect the tank from rocks and splashes.

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Now...just a few more mods to go.
 
So it’s time for an update.

I’m going to be frank. There’s no point in avoiding it. I’ve been MIA ever since Chelsea’s sister died in a car accident a little over four months ago. My first priority went to taking care of Chelsea and secondly I lost a bunch of motivation afterwards. When she lived with us, Chanel was a big part of us getting out and about as a big family. However, I’ve slowly gotten back into it and now have more time since I made the decision to retire from the sheriffs department.
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So what’s new?

Well, as some of you may remember, Chelsea and I got a 37 foot toy hauler because we love to travel and see the United State’s nature and backcountry. However, because Chelsea and I are writers and photographers, we need a moving workspace. I still plan on taking out the military trailer but for longer travel and poor weather it just can’t hold up to our work needs. Especially with four boys under seven years old who need a place to stay while we work.

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What is staying, however, is my CVT rooftop tent on the truck. This way we can just set up in our region and then use that to explore for a day or two where the trailer just can’t go.

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One thing that greatly reduced after pulling a trailer like this was my fuel economy and Range. I thought about doing it before even having a trailer like this but this definitely solidified my decision to get a larger fuel capacity. So, I finally decided, and convince Chelsea to let me, to install a 65 gallon titan tank. This increased my fuel capacity by nearly 30 gallons. Nearly.

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What I did notice, other than taking way longer to need to go to the gas station…I still haven’t gone yet since getting it installed…but a single fill up is way more expensive. Right after getting the tank I believe it was $230 at the four dollar something rate. Fuel is fuel and miles are miles so it’s just relative and I get that. But what I do know is that I can drive north from San Diego a.k.a. the Mexican border and I won’t be getting fuel until I’m out of this shitty tax ridden state. And that’s a plus.
 
Some states require a non-commercial, or commercial class A, B license if the total weight and/or length exceeds 26,000 lbs, tandems (fifth wheel + boat for example) or XX ft. Varies by state.
In California you need a class A non-commercial if your travel trailer is over 10,000 pounds or 5th wheel is over 15,000 pounds. A lot of the dealerships sell trailers to people that don’t have a licensed drive them. Technically, “technically”, If you were pulled over this with make you an “unlicensed driver” and your truck and trailer could be impounded (12500 cvc). Local cops or deputies would never pull you over for this. He would probably only ever get caught by CHP and even 10 to 20% of those guys know this section.
 
In California you need a class A non-commercial if your travel trailer is over 10,000 pounds or 5th wheel is over 15,000 pounds. A lot of the dealerships sell trailers to people that don’t have a licensed drive them. Technically, “technically”, If you were pulled over this with make you an “unlicensed driver” and your truck and trailer could be impounded (12500 cvc). Local cops or deputies would never pull you over for this. He would probably only ever get caught by CHP and even 10 to 20% of those guys know this section.

Thats crazy that they can sell one to someone knowing this, seems a requirement should be in place. For example, when I bought my motorcycle in CA I needed to show a motorcycle endorsement before I could ride away on my new bike.
 
The "tell-tale" for the CHP is 3 axle trailers. Generally if a trailer has 3 axles (bumper pull or 5th wheel) it's going to need a non-commercial Class A license in CA. When the law first went into effect a few years back, a buddy of mine was on his way to Glamis and got tagged. He ended up calling a tow truck, paid the driver to haul the trailer the rest of the way to Glamis!
 
Hey guys. My life has been a goat rope of a cluster lately. If you ever have questions and want direct immediate answers, please feel free to reach out to me on Instagram at SOMEDAYADVENTURE. Not sure if the link will fully work here, but since I use my phone to post there and always have my phone... here it is.
https://www.instagram.com/somedayadventure/?hl=en

So, with a little help from God, friends, my family...I hope to be posting on here again more regularly.

Thanks so much.

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