 | Home > Expedition & Overland > Sankey Trailer conversion to overland trailer. |
 
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| xpertoftheseas Member Since: 05 Jan 2016 Location: Salisbury, Wilts Posts: 164   
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At the risk of being shunned by this amazing community (I promise ... I will get another Defender some day soon!!), I now have a 2015 Land Cruiser V8 diesel (one of the last of the big ones before they stopped in the UK market)
As a tow car for the trailer, torque and power are phenomenal, and 4x4 capability alongside the reliability are amazing. I will admit that the economy is not so good (19mpg average, and towing - just don't ask), but maintenance costs are a 3rd of LR and the comfort and features are again top notch, although Toyota customer service and knowledge of the LC V8s is extremely poor! The only reason I changed the Defender for this was that I was under pressure from the family for a bit more comfort on the long treks we do and that this one came up for the right price and they gave me what I paid for the Defender after three years and 26k miles (I had Land Cruiser Amazons before, and no way was I going back to Range Rovers). Also, i think most will admit that the 2,2l is quite under powered fully loaded and towing (I really had to work that engine in the hills of Corsica and the Alps - but it did not miss a beat). If they had the 4.4l diesel V8 from the Range Rover in the Defender, I would still have it! I do want a 90 though... just as a daily driver. The LC is sometimes too big to use for short runs etc. My 10th Land Rover, but my first Defender. |
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27th Apr 2020 1:56pm |
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| GREENI Member Since: 22 Aug 2010 Location: staffs Posts: 10381
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I was watching 4WD Action about 20 minutes ago and i told myself to check the prices of them.
If you can live with the character-less vehicle, I’m sure it’ll last for ever. (My 100 series Cruiser was awesome, just too quiet, too comfy etc etc). |
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27th Apr 2020 5:07pm |
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| GREENI Member Since: 22 Aug 2010 Location: staffs Posts: 10381
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Just looked. Too much for my broke ass.
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27th Apr 2020 5:12pm |
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| L110CDL Member Since: 31 Oct 2015 Location: Devon Posts: 10742 
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Welcome back from the dead
Nice to see that you have the trailer and i'm thinking that it's a bit like a defender as it's never quite finished
Good to see that your persevering with this trailer build and starting on the alterations soon  1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.
Keeper. Clayton. |
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27th Apr 2020 7:58pm |
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| xpertoftheseas Member Since: 05 Jan 2016 Location: Salisbury, Wilts Posts: 164
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Good to see you are still active on here Clayton. Hope all is well. My 10th Land Rover, but my first Defender.
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28th Apr 2020 8:32pm |
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| L110CDL Member Since: 31 Oct 2015 Location: Devon Posts: 10742
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All is good this end so far thanks
Great place to be on this forum  1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.
Keeper. Clayton. |
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28th Apr 2020 9:12pm |
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| xpertoftheseas Member Since: 05 Jan 2016 Location: Salisbury, Wilts Posts: 164
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For those with a Sankey MK3 trailer, this information should be useful to you if you are overhauling the brake system.
Of all the issues I have had with the trailer the brakes are the one thing which have caused me the most grief. In hindsight, I would have replaced the calipers three years ago when I did the brake lines, but i chose to overhaul the original ones after the seized solid a couple of years ago. After they seized again two weeks ago when I started the clean up, I had had enough and purchased two new pattern calipers from ebay (£38 each). I remember looking a couple of years ago and they were a lot more expensive than this and they were on an exchange basis, but it seems prices are now reasonable. In case you need the details, calipers are for a Ford Scorpio 94-98 as are the pads (GBP684AF) of course. Discs are Ford Granada rears and need machining (will attach CAD drawings when I can find it!)... you can also go and see Wiggs write up on this over at the Disco3 forums. http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/sankey-trail...28542.html It is a straightforward job, remove wheel, remove two bolts for brake carrier (17mm socket), disconnect brake line (11mm spanner), remove hand brake cable (release hand brake and pull the cable sheath out of the caliper and remove the hook.  Click image to enlarge Change over guide pins (13mm Socket) and lubricate the pins (copper grease is best). Check bleed screw is in the right hole, and move old brake line fitting to new caliper. Install pads and top retaining plate (bit fiddly to keep the pads in place), and reinstall the caliper. Tighten the caliper bolts, slide in the handbrake line and connect, connect brake line and bleed. Voila... Click image to enlarge No more than an hour for both sides. Use a pressure bleeder (much easier!!) and then take the trailer out, but doing a couple of start stops first to get the pistons in the right position. Next job, gas lines and modification for the stove. My 10th Land Rover, but my first Defender. |
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3rd May 2020 2:39pm |
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| xpertoftheseas Member Since: 05 Jan 2016 Location: Salisbury, Wilts Posts: 164
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Having so much time on my hands (no commute or travel
 ), I have had plenty of time to finish off the detailed designs and settle on the modifications.
Click image to enlarge The side boxes will be brand new, considerably larger with much more functionality. I also needed to lose weight wherever I could, so the side boxes will be made with a thinner marine ply, as well as removing large sections of the side panels and limiting the internal separator weight as much as possible. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge The new set up allows the front portion of the side boxes to access a partitioned space inside the main box. This will allow much better access and organisation for the clothes and food etc. I am having the cabinets made by a local joiner as the original ones I made were never quite watertight and aged quite quickly. Some proper jointing and sealing by a professional is needed here. I have also designed a simple spare wheel carrier and swing out bearing with some standard bronze bushings. Just need to refine the drawings a little and then I can source the material and send to my local fabricator for manufacture. The frame for the spare wheel carrier will be pre-cut by me, and then welded together the same time the A-Frame is lowered. The gas system is modified and tested and holding pressure with no leaks. I finally got the Propex HS2000 working after many years of it never working correctly (or at all for that matter). Will start to install the ducting to the rooftop tent later on (not a priority right now). The gas system is like this... Click image to enlarge One high pressure feed for the Coleman grill, and the remaining consumers of a common 37mb regulator. I have written about this before in previous posts so will not go into any more depth - the drawings should give you a good idea. I stripped out the water piping, and the pump will be relocated underneath the trailer, and I am making provision for a hot water system (still under design - more details later). This is the cold water system anyway.. Click image to enlarge Ordered the 12v solenoid valves, and will have a simple mode selector switch to open and close the valves for each operation mode. I had manual valves and it was just a pain when you wanted to use the campsite hook up or drain the tank (which I did when towing long journeys to minimise the weight), and I also inadvertently managed to pressurise the water tank, and whilst it was not designed to handle full mains pressure (actually no pressure at all), no damage was done except for having to bend back the tank holding straps into shape. Solved the issue with the reversing solenoid (see previous posts). When the extension piece is made then this can be fitted as I need to extend the brake line from the master cylinder anyway. Moving on nicely. Just hoping the joiner can do the side boxes without issue soon as I need to get them installed so I can finish the water system. Ordered another solar panel and modifying the charge system cabling to have a remote socket on the trailer so that these panels can connect into, so this will allow the optimal positioning of the panels for max power, Lots to do. My 10th Land Rover, but my first Defender. |
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10th May 2020 1:11am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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There's some ingenious stuff in your trailer build but I can't help thinking that the water system is overly complicated for the application. Have you looked at the sort of systems used in campers and caravans? They take a lot of abuse, being constantly shaken and bounced around, and are very reliable. Filling from mains is typically accomplished via a float switch of some sort and so avoids the possibility of pressurising the tank. Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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10th May 2020 7:29am |
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| xpertoftheseas Member Since: 05 Jan 2016 Location: Salisbury, Wilts Posts: 164
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Thanks for the advice and idea. You are probably right where it is over complicated. The reason for this layout is to be able to do any mode easily, including suction from an outside source (for sanitising the tank and system), empty tank (for when towing long journeys), tank filling etc. I could have made it much simpler if I had ordered the water tank with three connections (instead of two), and I really like the versatility and simplicity of use for the family with this setup. As the tank is sealed I cannot add any level sensors or float switches, or even another tank connection. Lesson learned for next time.
I am just designing the hot water side of this also which will be more simplistic in layout as it takes a cold water feed from the tank through an LPG heater. I just need to decide if I go the route of a heating coil in a tank or an "on demand" system. My 10th Land Rover, but my first Defender. |
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10th May 2020 8:38pm |
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| xpertoftheseas Member Since: 05 Jan 2016 Location: Salisbury, Wilts Posts: 164
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Right... I have told myself now or never for the next phase. I have been dragging my heels with this phase as I was not motivated enough due to nowhere to go and no foreseeable plans to go anywhere for obvious reasons. The trailer is looking a little forlorn in its resting place, covered in twigs, mildew and bird crap, and my kids are starting to talk about a trip to France and Ireland, and Wifey commenting on the "horse" trailer making the place look like a Pikey's plot. So, starting bolt has truly been fired.
In this order; - Remove side boxes (Done!) - Make new side boxes (In progress) - Manufacture new box section for the draw bar to drop the NATO hitch 100mm (In progress) - Install new draw bar. - Install side boxes. - Modify internals to suit new boxes. - Install new lighting - Modify water system - Remove solar panel (moving this to be able to place them on the ground pointing at the sun for better efficiency) - Replace all copper gas lines with flexible line. Nice to have, if I have time. - Spare wheel carrier (design is done) - Install hot water boiler - Install tube carrier for all the tent poles - Replace roof! Showing signs of damage due to water ingress in the wood, so will need to be addressed at some point. Roof is still solid though). Side box manufacture. The original side boxes I made were functional, but looking at them now they are way too small, way too heavy, and way to poorly built (by me) to last. Massive design change, and they are over 100% bigger, and 72% of the weight and of course more functional. Now to cut the wood (if you read back in this thread, you will see that I am in no way a carpenter). I made my life easy here. I ordered all of the box wood pre-cut and sanded ready to go (this was actually only a little more expensive than my actually sourcing the material and the inevitable scrap wood that I would produce as well as uneven cuts making it look like crap. This arrived very quickly... Click image to enlarge First thing I did was to make it water repellent with some standard wood coating, which is then left to gas off for a couple of days. After a wipe down with a damp cloth, I then "wrapped" the wood panels in a high quality vehicle vinyl. I did this over painting as the vinyl can easily be replaced and it is also cheaper than a full paint job. Commandeering the dining room table was just the job (i lost some hearing doing this). Click image to enlarge It is quite an easy process once you get the hang of it. The outside of the boxes will be black, and the insides a gloss white which I am waiting delivery on. I can build these boxes in the house as there is not cutting required! I will have to machine out the holes for the latches, but that is it. More to come... My 10th Land Rover, but my first Defender. |
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19th Mar 2021 11:54pm |
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| Badger110 Member Since: 06 Feb 2018 Location: South hams Posts: 1039 
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Phenolic plywood would have saved you some work here, unfortunately the minimum thickness is 9mm so may not have suited your needs.
Nice to see some progress |
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20th Mar 2021 4:24am |
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| xpertoftheseas Member Since: 05 Jan 2016 Location: Salisbury, Wilts Posts: 164
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I used phenolic ply for the original boxes and the main structure of the trailer, and on the boxes it failed due to water ingress at the edges. This is why I have waterproofed standard hardwood ply and the covered in vinyl wrap. The vinyl is very hard wearing and bonded to the wood, so very little risk of water getting in this time. I could also have used marine ply but this is just ply with a water proof coating anyway!
The roof was also phenolic ply, and that has failed also. I will most likely remake that in aluminium. My 10th Land Rover, but my first Defender. |
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20th Mar 2021 1:29pm |
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| Badger110 Member Since: 06 Feb 2018 Location: South hams Posts: 1039
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Phenolic ply's achilles heel is the cut edge, the factory edge is sealed on decent products.
It is unfortunate it failed for you as it's hands down the best timber sheet material related product for moisture resistance ( Being a chippy I use it a lot! ) Using Aluminium for the lid will save you on weight |
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20th Mar 2021 8:00pm |
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