Jumping Jack Trailer Destroyed...

[MojaveSidecar]

The damage to the trailer happened 5/5/11.

It took a while to deal with the insurance company for both the house and the trailer.
The house was repaired good as new. The trailer is still at the shop and should be completed any day now

On 7/16 my wife and I decided to sell our house in Burbank and move to Wrightwood.
Long story short escrow on the sale of the house closes 9/13, so we have been exceedingly busy trying to get the move completed.

Once I get the trailer back, I will post some pics and details of the repair.

Randy from Wrightwood.
PS. I did change my forum name from MrInvisible to MojaveSidecar.

 

[slimtwo]

Well I hope they get everything repaired/replaced as necessary on your trailer. It sounds like it will be just in time. If I just got done with home sales, purchases escrow and moving on top of all that, I would definitely be ready for a vacation.

Happy trails!

 

[wyojoe]

The trailer is still at the shop and should be completed any day now...

Once I get the trailer back, I will post some pics and details of the repair.

Randy from Wrightwood.

Randy,
I'm eager to hear how the repairs went with the trailer, and even more so to hear about your first outing with it (besides taking it to the shop to be repaired). Hopefully you'll get a chance to get out with it soon.

I've used mine quite a bit this summer, and have been very pleased with it. I've now camped in CA, NV, UT, and WY with it, and have also towed it through CO, though I didn't stay in the trailer while I was there (I stayed at my sister-in-law's house).

I've even been tempted to set it up in the driveway to camp out, which I did back in December when it was still almost new. With the thunder and lightning we've had today, it would have been interesting to see from out there, but I never got around to setting it up today, and now it's waaaaay past my bedtime.

-Joe

 

[MojaveSidecar]

I can't believe it

I finally got the call from the trailer repair place that my JJ Trailer is finally ready to be picked up this coming Wednesday...

It's been a year since I first bought it .... and I've never been able to use it.

Pics and follow up info coming.....

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I can't wait for you to get the opportunity to use it... they really are awesome!!!

 

[wyojoe]

I'm so glad to hear your trailer is finally ready. Since I bought mine (about the same time you bought yours), I've used it quite a few times, and have even taken it through six states. I'm bummed that you haven't even had the chance to take yours out yet.

I hope it's ready early on Wednesday, so you can pick it up and get it home before traffic gets bad, seeing that it's the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. If I'm not mistaken, the repair place is in Burbank, so towing it home to Wrightwood could be a nightmare in holiday traffic.

I wish you all the best in your future adventures! Since you'll probably want to camp in it soon, you might wish to buy a Mr. Heater Big Buddy propane heater for it. It's a good choice for the JJ, because it has a low oxygen shut off in addition to a tipover shut off. I bought one last year, and used it in my JJ trailer last December when I camped out in my Driveway. The temperature at night was in the mid to upper 20s at the time, so the heater was very much appreciated. I did that at the time because I just didn't want to wait any longer to use my new trailer. I got the propane rack for the trailer tongue, and can use a bulk tank with my heater. If you get one of these heaters, I would advise you to do the same, since even on the low setting, a 1 lb. propane cylinder won't last through the night.

 

[MojaveSidecar]

Trailer Update

I was so glad to finally get my trailer home..... but... close but no cigar yet.

I got a call from the trailer repair place on Wednesday before Thanksgiving that the trailer was ready... and they wanted to go home a little early... and could I come by a little earlier than agreed to pick it up.... I said yes.

I drove the Wrangler over to the shop and we hooked it up to the Jeep no problem..... except for the wheel on the trailer jack was missing... it was on back order they said and they would get it to me in a week..... humm.... I thought.... seems to me the original jack had a foot and not a wheel... I mentioned that and they gave me a foot for it right then... great. Otherwise, the repair on the trailer looked great. I have a new toolbox with a battery mounted on the tongue plus they installed my optional bulk propane tank mount from JJ.

The ride home with the trailer from Glendale to Wrightwood was the first time I had the JJ on the freeway.. I was really impressed at how well it tracked behind my 95 Wrangler.... had to keep checking to make sure it was there. I did hear an occasional metal pinging sound, but no problems towing the unit at all.

When I finally got home, I went to open the tail gate on the Jeep..... and ... what the heck.... ?? It turns out that the tongue jack they installed was a fixed A frame style? Jack which was so tall that it interfered with the spare tire on the back of the Jeep preventing the tailgate from opening.. The next thing I noticed was the bottom of this fixed jack was hanging down pretty far.... far enough that any mild off roading would contact the jack. And lastly, one of the pins holding the tailgate up was missing... that must of been the pinging sound I heard as it hit the ground. the other side pin was barely hanging on... the metal ring which prevented the pin from sliding though the fitting and on to the ground was replace by bailing wire for some reason??

I called the trailer repair place and explained my problems with the jack they installed .... and much to my surprise and their credit... they will replace the jack with the proper folding one as specified by Jumping Jack... a 2000 lb top winding folding RAM. I take the trailer back this Wednesday and should be able to get it back the next day.

Wyojoe... I'm glad to hear your positive recommendations about the Mr Heater Big Buddy.. I got that same unit with the propane hookup stuff for a 20lb tank from my kids for Christmas last year for use with this trailer. Its been in storage for the last year with all my other JJ accessories.

Hopefully, I will finally have this trailer on the road in another week or too. I can't wait to see how my URAL will look loaded on top of this rig. I have several trips in mind for it in the first quarter of the coming year.

Sorry for no pics .... my wife has our only camera... I have one on my XMAS list for this year.

Randy from Wrightwood

 

[wyojoe]

Randy,
I'm sorry to hear of your woes with the trailer jack. You are correct that the original only has a foot on it, not a wheel, but it is a folding style, as you mentioned. The jack they installed sounds like a bad choice for this application, so I'm glad they are replacing it for you.

I'm glad to hear the trailer towed nicely. That was pretty much my first experience with mine, too. My first freeway experience was on the day I (finally) picked it up at the ABF terminal, since I had to tow it on the freeway to get it home. Since then, mine's seen plenty of miles of interstate and two-lane highways, as well as a few backroads, in six different states. I'm looking forward to plenty more in the future. In all the miles I've towed it, it has been a pleasure to tow, and is hardly noticeable behind my truck, except when it's heavily loaded and I'm climbing a grade, such as the I-70 approach to the Eisenhower tunnel in Colorado. My truck didn't like that climb too well, but pretty much everywhere else I took it, I could keep up with traffic, and maintain the speed limit. When it's lightly loaded, I'm able to climb either direction of "the Grapevine" on I-5 at the legal limit easily. This is with my 2005 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab Z71 4x4 with the 3.5L I-5.

I've got some new ideas for my Jumping Jack that I am hoping to implement in the near future. When I get it the way I want it, I'll post a write-up. It should make loading and using the trailer even easier than it is now, at least for my uses.

 

[Team Ball's Out]

I would have them buy a new trailer... Than kick the kids *** so bad he won't do anything stupid again!