Under Construction

03/28/09

 

 

      Why do retirees with unlimited time take fancy cruises with cocktail parties and formal wear and see very little of the real Alaska?

Imagine traveling from San Francisco to Chicago on a gravel road with only a couple of gas stations along the way.  That's what it will be like by the time we've done both.  As much as 240 miles between services of any kind at all--and no cell phone coverage--means we have to be prepared and as self-sufficient as possible.  To get prepared, we did a lot of research on what travelers on the roads needed, and then researched how to best prepare both our truck and trailer.  We practically had to rob a bank to buy all the stuff we did.  Now we're spending the next couple of months installing the stuff and working out the details. 

bulletPullRite trailer hitch.  A massive 20,000# trailer hitch that pivots under the truck just like 5th wheel trailer pivots over the truck.  Beefed up further with a solid billet ball mount in lieu of standard welded ball mount and 17,000# HD trailer ball in lieu of standard 12,000# ball.
bulletLifted truck 3".  The PullRite hitch ate up a bunch of our ground clearance, so we had to lift the truck 3" to get it back.  We also upgraded to Bilstein shocks and a Firestone air bag system on rear axle with remote control & gauge in cab.
bulletAuxiliary fuel tank.  With nearly 300 remote miles between gas stations, we need to carry enough fuel to make the distance.  A 50-gallon aluminum tank in the bed of the truck gives us around 800 mile range while towing on a regular highway.  We'll find out later what our MPG is on primitive roads of the north.
bulletAlcoa forged aluminum wheels for the truck.  7" wide in lieu of 6.5" OEM wheels for oversize tires; the super strong forged wheels instead of the much more common cast aluminum wheels.
bulletSteel wheels for the trailer.  The trailer came with pretty aluminum wheels, but they're Chinese cast aluminum wheels not suitable for 2,000 miles of primitive roads.  So, we're putting the off-road tires on much more rugged steel wheels.
bulletSerious expedition capable off-road tires.  Firestone "Destination M/T" tires on both truck and trailer are built extra rugged to shrug off the sharp rocks and pot holes that frequent the Dalton and Dempster highways.  Well also carry several mounted spare tires--like 6 spares. 
bulletDexter E-Z-Flex suspension upgrade on the trailer to smooth out the bumps a bit.
bulletTD-EOC: Turbo-diesel engine oil cooler with a cold air intake system.  The Duramax tends to get a bit hot on long, steep grades while puling a heavy load at slow speed, so we added a huge engine oil cooler & cold fresh air intake system to keep the engine temps normal.  We've got a 4,800 foot pass to go over on the Dalton Highway that's a steep 12% grade. 

 

This photo was taken the day after we installed the Hensley Hitch

 

 

 

 

Memaloose State Park

Memaloose State Park on the Columbia River, Oregon

 

 

Sitting in our driveway

 

The day we took delivery.  Note that we hitched up using an old hitch without connecting the weight distribution spring bars.  First, we drove directly to the Washington State Police weigh station to weigh the new trailer completely empty with absolutely nothing installed.  Second, we installed the Hensley Hitch the following day.

 

  A photo of the receiver installed by Northwood.  The installation included the 1/4" thick rectangular tubing and channel welded to the rear of the trailer frame rails, plus the two 1" square tubing side braces on each side of the receiver.  We requested that the receiver be mounted as close as possible to being flush with the license plate portion of the rear cap so what ever we connect to the receiver reduces our angle of departure by the absolute minimum.

How to build an Arctic Fox 29V

An annotated photo essay on the construction of an Arctic Fox 29V

Under Construction

    Chassis with holding tanks being plumbed Another view of the chassis with the holding tanks being plumbed
       
  Getting the last touches of the interior done before the exterior walls are installed    
  The roof being wired    
       
       
       
       
       
       

Weight Chart 

     

 

This site was last updated 03/28/09