Hey Everyone, introduction & project post-in-one!
///WARNING: Way too much info below///
File this part under: How Bad Do You Want It”?
Last year, I finished a Coleman Pop Up trailer “restoration”. [link:] https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/1974-coleman-valley-forge-complete-gut-job.204401/
It came out pretty good, but is basically a shell. I didn’t completely finish it, as I had used it a few times and decided I wanted to tow my drift boat or dirt bikes WITH a camper. Yes, I could’ve put the bikes in the back of the truck, but the one thing the camper needed was a strong axle and more user-friendly tires and wheel bearings. Use the wife’s FJ to tow the boat???
I was on the verge of ordering what I needed and my oldest son informed he was in the market for a cheap camper. “Buddy, do I have a deal for YOU!” A deal was struck and off it went.
After scouring the internet for a cheap project, I found a (rough) Grandby in northeast Colorado. The price was right, and I contacted the seller.
https://imgur.com/MtBsCUj
https://imgur.com/lgmvMqg
https://imgur.com/OFDqSoS
Now that I found The One, I needed to get it home. The early Grandby’s don’t fit in newer trucks, and I knew my 2015 F250 was no exception. I need a trailer.
I couldn’t rent a U-Haul utility trailer, as they are “local use only”. Most other trailers I saw were very expensive and I couldn’t justify buying a trailer, just to go get a camper, then turn around and sell the trailer, likely for a loss. Plus, these trailers where for highway use only. Living in Montana, I need a trailer I can hook up and load dirtbikes, ATV, snowmobiles and head to the hills. While watching YouTube, I saw a high-end Overland Trailer. Then it hit me: find a military trailer. M1101, M116, etc. I found one about an hour west of where the camper was located.
The plan: get the trailer, then go get the camper & haul them home.
About 6 days after returning from deployment, I went 800+ miles with my son to get them. Yes. 800+ miles…
Before departing Montana, the CAMPER seller & I had a good discussion about how to go about loading the camper. He has access to a huge shop and forklift, so we both felt this would be a fairly easy task.
I figured things would not go as planned, so I grabbed as many tools and materials as I could think of, threw them in my F250 and hit the road. We didn’t press too hard. Stayed the night in a hotel in Sheridan, WY, then on to Ft Collins, CO for the trailer.
The Trailer.
It’s a 2008 M116A2 flatbed trailer.
The good: it is 8-feet long & in pretty good shape.
The bad: the space between the wheel wells is NOT 48-inches wide, so I need to put the camper on pallets. The tires were sketch, and the seller hesitated when I asked about the wheel bearings & tail lights. He had us follow him to where he worked, and he gave me a set of magnetic tail lights. Five minutes later, we were headed for Sterling, CO to pick up the camper.
Loading the camper.
After getting some sleep, we met the seller early the next morning and got to it. To the inventor of The Forklift: thank you! We quickly moved the camper over the trailer and slowly lowered it into place, just above the wheel wells. I thought about cutting the floor pack to have the camper sit flat on the trailer bed, then drill holes into the trailer so I could just bolt it down and go. But, the floor pack is in real good shape, so I opted to NOT cut it up. Instead, we’ll set it on pallets.
Realizing the CG is much higher and the trailer has some articulation, I was pretty hesitant. We screwed the pallets to each other, then laid 2x4s down flat and screwed them to the pallets. I put another 2x4 at the very front, and screwed it into place, as to alleviate any forward travel of the camper during hard braking.
From here, two 16” 2x4s were screwed to the floor pack, one on each side, sticking out about 2 inches in front of the camper. These were used to put a strap over and also help hold it from sliding forward.
After this, 2”x27’ straps went over the top, and several 1500lb ratchet straps were utilized to keep it from moving in any direction. Being a former SOF helicopter gunner, we were trained proficiently on how to tie down cargo, and our methods have resulted in Toyota Tacomas that remained tied down, even if the helicopter flipped over (long story). I wasn’t worried about my methods as much as I was worried about the straps lasting the duration of the trip.
The seller was a solid guy and I thanked him profusely & we pointed it north. But first, I was mentally struggling with the integrity of the 8+ year old tires. I decided to make a trip to the only tire shop in Sterling, CO open on a Sunday: WalMart.
How NOT to do it...
https://imgur.com/b6XXEJb
Walmart.
They didn’t have truck tires in stock, so I had them mount the only thing they had in my size: 10-ply trailer tires. We basically took off one wheel at a time & took it to the tire shop. While they mounted and balanced it, I was out in the parking lot packing the wheel bearings. As soon as I finished the driver’s side, they called and said the tire was ready. Put the wheel on, and repeated the process on the passenger side. The new tires dramatically helped out with the lateral swaying, so I felt a lot better about it.
Since the magnetic trailer lights didn’t fit on the top of the bed, they needed to be mounted underneath. Fortunately, the trailer has D-Rings right where I needed to mount the lights, so I secured the lights to the D-ring via ZipTies to prevent loss, and hit the road.
The Journey.
I was pretty nervous at first, but the trailer rode perfectly and the camper didn’t move at all. I made Sharpie lines in certain areas to determine if there was any movement. After analyzing the Sharpie lines at City Limits, I fueled up and hit the highway. (Note: When I got to MT, it didnt move AT ALL). We made it to Casper, WY (The C’Mon Inn hotel is pretty cool).
The previous day, it was 66 and sunny. The next morning, we woke up to snow, icy roads, and a northern head wind. Great.
https://imgur.com/g9XmtvU
I limited myself to 60 MPH, but as the head winds increased, I slowed down to 55 MPH. I’m sure the camper would’ve been fine and higher speeds, but I couldn’t stop imagining a Granby flying off the trailer at speed. Ever notice how it always seems like you only travel uphill into a headwind only when towing? LOL
Anyways, an 8-hour trip turned into about 11. Fuel stops, food, etc. We made it home and parked it.
Since the trailer has a rigid “tongue support”, I had to get a swivel-mount with wheel. After putting it on, I pushed the trailer into the garage. As a bonus, the trailer has a rear stand. I dropped the stand and actually leveled the trailer in the shop. It’s supported on both ends, so I can enter and exit the camper while on the trailer. Downside: I can’t pop-up the camper until I get it off the trailer.
I couldn’t find a loaner or rental set locally, so I went to eTrailer.com and bought some. I actually paid more for the jacks than the camper itself. I purchased four total. Oddly enough, the 1500 lb jacks were slightly more expensive than the 3,000 lb jacks, so I bought the bigger jacks: Brophy Cable Camper Jacks - 67" Max Lift Height - 3,000 lbs - Qty 2.
The camper.
I bought it from the son-in-law of the original owner. The owner used the camper in the Steamboat, CO area for elk hunting. All said, it appears to be fully intact, fairly “non-Bubba’d” and is in pretty decent shape, compared to many older (1980s) FWC’s I’ve seen online.
My intent. Use while restoring/modifying for my needs. I really like the Woolrich Package that FWC is making thee days, so I might just restore it along those lines. But cheaper. Much much cheaper.
I just restored a 1974 Coleman Pop Up camper.
That was an easy process, but took a while due to work, etc. My oldest son (25) expressed interest in the camper, so I’m giving it to him in exchange for a concrete patio. (He’s a concrete guy). Win win.
Now I must get to work...
///WARNING: Way too much info below///
File this part under: How Bad Do You Want It”?
Last year, I finished a Coleman Pop Up trailer “restoration”. [link:] https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/1974-coleman-valley-forge-complete-gut-job.204401/
It came out pretty good, but is basically a shell. I didn’t completely finish it, as I had used it a few times and decided I wanted to tow my drift boat or dirt bikes WITH a camper. Yes, I could’ve put the bikes in the back of the truck, but the one thing the camper needed was a strong axle and more user-friendly tires and wheel bearings. Use the wife’s FJ to tow the boat???
I was on the verge of ordering what I needed and my oldest son informed he was in the market for a cheap camper. “Buddy, do I have a deal for YOU!” A deal was struck and off it went.
After scouring the internet for a cheap project, I found a (rough) Grandby in northeast Colorado. The price was right, and I contacted the seller.
https://imgur.com/MtBsCUj
https://imgur.com/lgmvMqg
https://imgur.com/OFDqSoS
Now that I found The One, I needed to get it home. The early Grandby’s don’t fit in newer trucks, and I knew my 2015 F250 was no exception. I need a trailer.
I couldn’t rent a U-Haul utility trailer, as they are “local use only”. Most other trailers I saw were very expensive and I couldn’t justify buying a trailer, just to go get a camper, then turn around and sell the trailer, likely for a loss. Plus, these trailers where for highway use only. Living in Montana, I need a trailer I can hook up and load dirtbikes, ATV, snowmobiles and head to the hills. While watching YouTube, I saw a high-end Overland Trailer. Then it hit me: find a military trailer. M1101, M116, etc. I found one about an hour west of where the camper was located.
The plan: get the trailer, then go get the camper & haul them home.
About 6 days after returning from deployment, I went 800+ miles with my son to get them. Yes. 800+ miles…
Before departing Montana, the CAMPER seller & I had a good discussion about how to go about loading the camper. He has access to a huge shop and forklift, so we both felt this would be a fairly easy task.
I figured things would not go as planned, so I grabbed as many tools and materials as I could think of, threw them in my F250 and hit the road. We didn’t press too hard. Stayed the night in a hotel in Sheridan, WY, then on to Ft Collins, CO for the trailer.
The Trailer.
It’s a 2008 M116A2 flatbed trailer.
The good: it is 8-feet long & in pretty good shape.
The bad: the space between the wheel wells is NOT 48-inches wide, so I need to put the camper on pallets. The tires were sketch, and the seller hesitated when I asked about the wheel bearings & tail lights. He had us follow him to where he worked, and he gave me a set of magnetic tail lights. Five minutes later, we were headed for Sterling, CO to pick up the camper.
Loading the camper.
After getting some sleep, we met the seller early the next morning and got to it. To the inventor of The Forklift: thank you! We quickly moved the camper over the trailer and slowly lowered it into place, just above the wheel wells. I thought about cutting the floor pack to have the camper sit flat on the trailer bed, then drill holes into the trailer so I could just bolt it down and go. But, the floor pack is in real good shape, so I opted to NOT cut it up. Instead, we’ll set it on pallets.
Realizing the CG is much higher and the trailer has some articulation, I was pretty hesitant. We screwed the pallets to each other, then laid 2x4s down flat and screwed them to the pallets. I put another 2x4 at the very front, and screwed it into place, as to alleviate any forward travel of the camper during hard braking.
From here, two 16” 2x4s were screwed to the floor pack, one on each side, sticking out about 2 inches in front of the camper. These were used to put a strap over and also help hold it from sliding forward.
After this, 2”x27’ straps went over the top, and several 1500lb ratchet straps were utilized to keep it from moving in any direction. Being a former SOF helicopter gunner, we were trained proficiently on how to tie down cargo, and our methods have resulted in Toyota Tacomas that remained tied down, even if the helicopter flipped over (long story). I wasn’t worried about my methods as much as I was worried about the straps lasting the duration of the trip.
The seller was a solid guy and I thanked him profusely & we pointed it north. But first, I was mentally struggling with the integrity of the 8+ year old tires. I decided to make a trip to the only tire shop in Sterling, CO open on a Sunday: WalMart.
How NOT to do it...
https://imgur.com/b6XXEJb
Walmart.
They didn’t have truck tires in stock, so I had them mount the only thing they had in my size: 10-ply trailer tires. We basically took off one wheel at a time & took it to the tire shop. While they mounted and balanced it, I was out in the parking lot packing the wheel bearings. As soon as I finished the driver’s side, they called and said the tire was ready. Put the wheel on, and repeated the process on the passenger side. The new tires dramatically helped out with the lateral swaying, so I felt a lot better about it.
Since the magnetic trailer lights didn’t fit on the top of the bed, they needed to be mounted underneath. Fortunately, the trailer has D-Rings right where I needed to mount the lights, so I secured the lights to the D-ring via ZipTies to prevent loss, and hit the road.
The Journey.
I was pretty nervous at first, but the trailer rode perfectly and the camper didn’t move at all. I made Sharpie lines in certain areas to determine if there was any movement. After analyzing the Sharpie lines at City Limits, I fueled up and hit the highway. (Note: When I got to MT, it didnt move AT ALL). We made it to Casper, WY (The C’Mon Inn hotel is pretty cool).
The previous day, it was 66 and sunny. The next morning, we woke up to snow, icy roads, and a northern head wind. Great.
https://imgur.com/g9XmtvU
I limited myself to 60 MPH, but as the head winds increased, I slowed down to 55 MPH. I’m sure the camper would’ve been fine and higher speeds, but I couldn’t stop imagining a Granby flying off the trailer at speed. Ever notice how it always seems like you only travel uphill into a headwind only when towing? LOL
Anyways, an 8-hour trip turned into about 11. Fuel stops, food, etc. We made it home and parked it.
Since the trailer has a rigid “tongue support”, I had to get a swivel-mount with wheel. After putting it on, I pushed the trailer into the garage. As a bonus, the trailer has a rear stand. I dropped the stand and actually leveled the trailer in the shop. It’s supported on both ends, so I can enter and exit the camper while on the trailer. Downside: I can’t pop-up the camper until I get it off the trailer.
I couldn’t find a loaner or rental set locally, so I went to eTrailer.com and bought some. I actually paid more for the jacks than the camper itself. I purchased four total. Oddly enough, the 1500 lb jacks were slightly more expensive than the 3,000 lb jacks, so I bought the bigger jacks: Brophy Cable Camper Jacks - 67" Max Lift Height - 3,000 lbs - Qty 2.
The camper.
I bought it from the son-in-law of the original owner. The owner used the camper in the Steamboat, CO area for elk hunting. All said, it appears to be fully intact, fairly “non-Bubba’d” and is in pretty decent shape, compared to many older (1980s) FWC’s I’ve seen online.
My intent. Use while restoring/modifying for my needs. I really like the Woolrich Package that FWC is making thee days, so I might just restore it along those lines. But cheaper. Much much cheaper.
I just restored a 1974 Coleman Pop Up camper.
That was an easy process, but took a while due to work, etc. My oldest son (25) expressed interest in the camper, so I’m giving it to him in exchange for a concrete patio. (He’s a concrete guy). Win win.
Now I must get to work...
