Thread: Project: Cub Drifter 6

Gday,
I've been a keen hiker, camper, swagger and 4wder my whole life. Done heaps in the Vic high country, a big trip to the Kimberleys via the Tanami, and 5 different trips across the Simpson Desert (absolutely love that place!) I now have a family and i'm looking for a camper to fit my requirements, namely;
1. Lightweight and strong 4wd capable camper trailer.
2. Able to sleep 2 little boys, my wife and I, all inside, off the ground.
3. Cheap - less than $4K.
4. Good design, flexible, easily modifiable.
5. Something my 80 year old father in law can use by himself as well.
6. A project.

Possible???

My tow vehicle is a 2010 D4 3.0 SE - monster tow tug (i'm excited too there are now some AT 19 inch tyres available or 18 inch rims that fit over the big brakes!). My father's vehicle is a 4 cyl Mazda Tribute. (he is worried about towing anything heavy)

Camper options:
- Hard floor camper trailers. Over budget.
- Jayco Camper or similar. Over Budget, to heavy IMO.
- Soft Floor camper trailer. Thought this was the answer but to my surprise it didn't work for me for the following reasons;
-- I didn't like the idea of having the boys sleep on the ground or having to bring extra beds,
-- didn't like having to bring seats, tables, semi outdoor cooking equipment etc. Seemed liked nearly the same amount of stuff to carry as when we took out the family tent.
-- didn't like the idea of shoes walking around inside a soft floored tent all the time, or having to make my boys take off their shoes every time they come in or out.
-- For my budget, couldn't find a camper trailer my father in law could operate by himself. Each one we tried was very heavy on the lift due to the sheer mass of canvas above your head.
-- set up time seemed to be long and required lots of bending down to the ground for Dad.

- My plan = modify an old Cub Drifter 6. Looks like a good Aussie company following two of my favourite principles; KISS (keep it simple stupid) and "If it aint broke, dont fix it".

On gumtree, trading post and ebay I found quite a few for sale inside my budget and landed on a 1988 camper with a complete chassis replacement for $2500. Needs some work, got it for $2000 from a great older bloke and his wife.

- I'm planning to repair bits, replace bits and modify bits to see if I can get it to meet all my requirements.
- Yearly Rego = $65.
- Original camper is very light weight (~500kg), new chassis is heavier but not sure how much. I cant feel it at all with the D4, and i think Dad's Tribute will be OK. Might have to fit a gearbox cooler for his auto.
- new chassis has some significant design features, very impressive. Extra long A frame (tows beautifully, can pull out the bed without disconnecting the tug, room for a big storage box and jerry holders). New chassis welded to old chassis (effectively two chassis, looks very strong, gives about 100mm extra ground clearance, larger ramp over angle. significantly larger departure angle.) (it doesn't match the angles a hard core camper trailer but i'll see what mods are needed to get it to all the places i want to go) Larger leaf springs (more clearance). 14 inch rims and LT tires (clearance and strong). Mechanical disk brakes (not connected, needs investigation of merit).
- can sleep 4 people comfortably (pull out double bed at each end), 6 with reconfiguration (table drops to make third bed).
- design is good IMO. All metal, non of that caravan plywood and stuck on aluminium stuff. Lots of rivets (can easily add more). Simple lifting mechanism (push rods and cables).
- uses a boat trailer winch to lift the roof, Dad can wind a handle. Or I can replace the hand winch with an electric boat trailer winch or small 4wd winch if needed.
- Lino floor. sweep and "moppable". No shoe removal.
- Can remove the bed ends easily and leave them at home, so Dad can simply raise the roof, roll up the extra canvas at the ends and camp in the main body of the unit when he goes away by himself. Sleep on the folded down table. Concept sounds really simple. Will see if it works. Pulling out the bed ends, holding the weight and getting the bracing arms in place is the bit i'm worried about for him.
- 4 seats and table inside. For comfort, will only need to bring lounger outdoor chairs. Maybe also a big plastic table for outside cooking or preparation ($50).
- small kitchen inside (sink, stove, fridge). Or cook outside on above mentioned table.
- little bit of storage. Not sure if it will be enough.


So far;
- Didn't come with a table, so i've made one from MDF ($24).
- Cleaned up the lifting mechanism and decided it needs new cable rollers. Filled the lines full of grease and just read its the wrong thing to do. Will clean them out shortly.
- Decided I'll run 99% of the unit on 12 volt. Done a preliminary wiring design and decided the control panel and batteries will be under the seat just inside the door. Will keep a 240V light in the roof and bring along a 4 way power strip if i go to a caravan park. KISS.
- Stove - I'm thinking of removing the LPG stove (keep the lines until idea is proven) and running just the butane portable units. They get nice and hot. Can buy a single ($15) and double burner unit ($35). Can cook inside or outside very easily. Easy and light to storage extra butane cans. How long does a can last? What are the negatives of this plan?
- Water - there is no water tank. I have lots of water jerry cans, so until i design a solution, i'll be carrying drums.
- Fridge - there is no fridge. But i have my 39L Engel and plan to install it inside the door on the left. Can run off the 12 volt batteries, or 240 V. Can move it from 4wd to van depending on situation. Can fit a large esky alongside the fridge to have two cold areas.
- Light - 12 volt Fluoro and / or LED. Got multiple portable lanterns now from my tent days. Looking to get some LED strip lighting for around the roof when i do the electrical system.
- heating - butane portable heater. Same pro's as the stove idea. Con's? Safety?
- camper already has a full annex and fly covers for the bed ends. Haven't put up the annex yet to inspect condition. The bag is very heavy. The bed end flys are plastic canvas stuff, totally water proof and look in good condition. Will look to have them semi permanently attached and rolled up like the Jayco ones. Any good or bad experiences with that idea? Thinking about a awning in the future, one which can have walls attached if i need an annex. Lighter than full annex? Fiamma look good. Any experience?

Wil post some photos shortly.

Any ideas, suggestions or questions welcomed.

Originally Posted by wombathole

What is the model name and year?

Is the "annex in a bag" unit only attached to the slide rail, or somehow else through the fibreglass? Can the bag be purchased separately and added to an existing annex or fly?

cheers.

Mine is a Jayco JayFlite - about a 92 model.

Not sure what an annex in a bag is - but the roof just folds out like an awning and the sides are stored in the rear storage area and have to to be connected up - I don't think I would ever use the annex as such unless stopped for a long period. The awning is attached to a fitting above the door that runs along the roof section. I assume the bag could be purchased at Jayco stores but with yours I would be tempted to buy a normal 4wd awning and get the sides that you can to fit.

Originally Posted by wombathole

D4 front track. 1605.
D4 rear track. 1625.
My Cub Drifter track. 1660.

Large enough delta to worry about?

Can I get different rims to reduce the trailer track by 35mm? Current rims are 14 inch ROH steel wheels with LT tires.

Or do I need to do something more serious? But what?

The general consensus is that when heading offroad - in particular in sand it is easier on the towing vehicle if the trailer follows in the wheel tracks of the towing vehicle. Not an absolute requirement but as you are making major changes then something to consider.

Garry