25 replies to this topic

[Harold]

I bought 1968 Alaskan NCO and was going to put it on the back of my PU truck. But changed my mind and decided to put it on a trailer. Looked at many utility trailers but they all seemed to be a bit on the wimpy side so I started looking for a 1 ton military generator trailer. Reason being that I bought an 1984 Dodge Ramcharger and want to be able to drop the camper and go explore. 

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Edited by Harold, 11 March 2019 - 06:23 PM.

[Harold]

Did the 12 volt conversion to the wiring. Had them install a swivel tongue jack also along with longer safety chains. Trailer came equipped with surge brakes so I had them check to see if the system was still operable and to my surprise it was. Last thing was the axle bearing that were in good shape but very dry so had them cleaned and repacked. Stopped by the tire shop and ordered three new 17X9 steel wheels as those 37" Humvee tires are crazy expensive to replace. Going with a 10 ply 33X70R-17 all terrain truck tire.

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Edited by Harold, 13 March 2019 - 05:07 AM.

[Harold]

Trailer is over at the welders having a spare tire carrier fabricated. Found a nice secondhand 48" Hi Lift jack in Craigslist for $35 and also my neighbor gave me a receiver mount BBQ grill. Going to mount it on the passenger rear side of the trailer on a swing arm of some type. Definitely going to have be built stout as it will be at the rear of the trailer. Got the new tires and wheels for the trailer. Like the look over the 37" Run flats that came with it. Best part is I recouped some dollars by selling them off to  Humvee enthusiast.  

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[huskyrunnr]

Looks like it will be a very nice platform for the Alaskan.

 

Will you have to widen the gap between the wheel wells? I had to do that with my M101-A1.

 

Someday I will lose the Budd wheels and heavy axle on mine.

[Harold]

Just found that out tonight. Those surge brakes are crazy touchy. I step a little hard on the brakes and the trailer starts bouncing down the road.  Hoping the weight of the Alaskan will mellow them out.

Edited by Harold, 23 March 2019 - 02:40 AM.

[Harold]

Ran into a little snag. Space between the fenders on the trailer is 45 inches. The width of my camper is 48 inches, fudge. No worries though going to take 2 inches total out of both inboard trailer fenders so that will give an inch to spare on clearance. If it was easy everybody would do it. 🙃

The spare tire rack I had built is very stout.

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[Harold]

Got most of the trailer modification done. Took two and half inches out of each inner fender so to widen the deck so the Alaskan camper will fit between the fenders.Welded brackets to hold the horizontal propane tank and a place for two 7 gallon water jugs. Have on order a aluminum lock box that will be fitted ahead of the right fender for tool storage and a pair of telescoping stabilizer jacks for the rear of the trailer.Also brackets to for my folding steps on the rear of the trailer.Tow vehicle has undergone a re manufactured engine replacing the 318 with a 360. Doing my best to get this finished before the end of July as I am to meet up with family near Bridgeport, CA. for a camping trip. 

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Edited by Harold, 22 May 2019 - 03:20 PM.

[Bigfoot Dave]

If I remember right you can get different size orfices that go where the brake line leaves the surge unit. These adjust for the load size and sensitivity of the surge brakes. Have a great weekend, Bigfoot Dave

[PackRat]

You mentioned the trailer bouncing around going down the highway and you hoped the Alaskan plus gear would mellow that out. I am not familiar with that trailer but if it does not have shock absorbers it might  still continue to bounce around on uneven roads. You have modified the trailer pretty well, have you considered adding shocks if it does not have them or replacing them with a pair designed for the weight of the trailer plus the Alaskan plus your gear?

 

By the way, securing the Alaskan to the trailer can be done many ways but all put some strain on the plywood at some point. Using a trailer with no shocks on it would be like removing the shocks from your truck and driving around with the Alaskan in it....not recommended at all!

 

What about using some angle iron bolted to the deck with the vertical angle towards the camper? Adding some kind of some rubber snubber before you secure the angle iron to the side so some slight cushion is provided when the rig hits uneven, rutted, washouts. Then you can add the turnbuckles to keep it from bouncing out of the angle iron. Put some slats crossways to keep water off the bottom of the camper and a couple ways for water to drain from the angle iron frame and you would be good to go.

 

The rig looks pretty cool.... I'd consider permanently mounting a couple levels so you can check that BEFORE you disconnect the truck. Having a jack on all four corners then lets you fine tune the rig to LEVEL....Alaskans are very particular about being dead flat level to avoid binding the tracks when the top is being raised/lowered. It also makes your bunk dead flat also so you aren't trying to sleep on a slope...

[Harold]

Yesterday morning myself and a couple other guys loaded the Alaskan on the trailer. In one of the pictures you can see it was a tight fit. 

 

Bigfoot Dave

Behind the lunette is a small heavy duty shock that controls the pressure to the master cylinder. If that shock is worn out it will cause the surge brakes to over brake causing the problem I had. I found out what the problem was by joining a military trailer group on Facebook and asking questions. I bought and replaced that shock and now the trailer brakes smoothly. 

 

PackRat

I read all that you said and agree with all of it. I am going to use 2x3 angle on either side of the fenders to secure the camper to the trailer deck. Originally Alaskans were bolted through the floor and the truck bed. I may also do that just for an extra precaution. The trailer has leaf springs and shock absorbers from factory. 

And for the landing legs I will have two out back for now but will add a couple up front at a later date.

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Edited by Harold, 08 July 2019 - 02:31 AM.