ctechbob
Well-known member
Hi all. Wayne invited me over here. I thought I'd registered a while ago, but apparently not. Posting up a writeup I did over on BITOG about some modifications and additions I did to our 2022 Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DJSE.
The trailer: Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DJSE 'Stick and Tin' Construction (IE it has studded walls covered by paneling, this makes some things easier.)
Listed in no Particular order:
1. Morryde CRE2-3000 Suspension and Wet Bolts
Why - The factory shackles, bolts, and bushings are garbage. The bushings are plastic and had already started wearing through by the time I did this upgrade earlier this year with less than 3000 miles on the trailer. Wet bolts allow you to inject grease into the bushings.
Difficulty - Install 5/10 (Lifting and securing the trailer? 8/10 unless you have a some really nice jacks and stands) The actual install is easy. The hardest part is putting the trailer in the air with all 4 wheels off the ground at the same time.
Cost - $179 for the suspension $80 for the wet bolts
Old (right) New (Left)
Before:
After:
2. Tire Upgrade - Carlisle Radial Trail HD
Why - The tires that come with the trailer are rated for 65mph and are, ehh, not great. The Carlisles are not quite as nice as the Goodyear Endurance's, but they're a little more affordable and are probably 90% the tire the GY's are.
Difficulty - 1/10 - I had Tire Rack's Mobile installer stop by. They will not remove the tires from a trailer, but it is super simple to put one or two wheels in the air at a time and let him mount the tires while you shuttle them up and back to his van.
Cost - $89/Tire and $120 for the install
3. Dimming overhead lights
Why - Sometimes you want less light and would prefer to dim the overheads instead of turning them off. Especially useful for the lights over the beds.
Difficulty - 1/10 (For me) - Cherokee uses WAGO connectors for everything, so you just pull the old lights down and put the new ones up. Super easy in my trailer.
Cost - $40/4 Lights - I replaced a total of 8 (Out of 10 that are inside the trailer)
4. New USB Charging Ports
Why - The ones they put in the trailer are SLOW, and sometimes wouldn't even charge our phones properly. The new ones also have a USB-C PD port that the others didn't. New ones to the left and right of the master bed. Also some plug expander style ones in a few other places. We now have probably 20 fast charge/high power USB ports in the thing. If you can't charge your device in our camper, it can't be charged.
Difficulty - 3/10 - I had to 3d print some plates to cover the wider screw holes of the old in wall plates.
Cost - $6ea for the new charging ports $12ea for the plug expanders.
5. Shower Curtain Rod
Why - The factory one runs straight across and doesn't give you a lot of room in the shower. The new one is curved outward and gives some more space so the curtain isn't sticking to you.
Difficulty - 2/10 - Wall inserts and screws
Cost - $35 for the new rod and curtain. You can just get a residential curtain and cut it to fit if you're not picky.
6. Hanging Storage
Why - You need a place to hang things and this trailer came with none.
His and her 4 post coat racks, one on either side of the bed.
2 Posts attached to the back of the bathroom door.
4 Post key rack at the entrance.
Towel rack in the bathroom.
Difficulty - 2/10 - Screws/Screws+Anchors. This is where the 'stick and tin' trailers are an advantage. There are studs in the walls 16 inches on center. If you don't mind the alignment, you can sink your screws into the studs.
7. Gas assist struts for master bed and cabinets.
Why - Holding up cabinet doors and the storage access under the bed is a pain.
Difficulty - 4/10. Mainly just for the bed. You'll have to fabricate some mounting brackets if you want to do it cheaply and not spring for one of the expensive kits. I just needed a couple of chunks of 2x4 and long screws as well as some scrap pieces of wood and wood glue. All stuff I have laying around.
Cost - $25 for the bed shocks and $18 for the cabinets
8. Fridge switch.
Why - My camper has a 12v compressor fridge. These are new within the last few years and work just like your fridge in your house, except the compressor motor runs on 12v. My model year has no way to pull power to the thing except by pulling a fuse in the fuse box. So every time you turn on the battery, the fridge would start unless you pulled the fuse. I felt like that is not great for the compressor to be starting and stopping all the time if I turned the battery on and turned the fridge right back off, so I added a switch to the power line. I'm lucky in that all my power is right near the fridge and all I had to do was interrupt the positive wire with a heavy duty switch. I've noticed that some trailers are coming configured like this from the factory now, so someone must have the same thoughts I did.
Difficulty (For me) - 2/10 - Mainly for having to lay on the floor to do it.
Cost - $5 Switch
9. Water filter
Why - The camper came with an under-sink pump soap bottle that we never used because the soap would dry out and get yuck between trips, but it leaves a nice hole next to the faucet for something. How about an under sink filter so we can quit carrying the Brita pitcher around. This filter takes the same 2.5x10" filters we use on the countertop unit in the house, and there are a wide selection of filters for them.
Difficulty - 3/10 - Crawling under the counter again
Cost - $80 for the Filter, faucet, line, and tap for the water line.
10. Quick connect fittings everywhere
Why - Why? They're just better. No screwing around screwing hoses together. I have many many sets on all my water lines, pressure regulators, and outdoor filters. When we get to the campsite, the only thing I have to screw on is the one fitting on the campsites water faucet. Everything else just clicks together. I did 3d print TPU caps for them to keep the crud out between trips.
Difficulty - -10/10 they make life that much more simple
Cost - $10 - Set of 6. I'm not sure how many sets I've bought, I really do have them all over the place, both on the camper and at home.
11. Stinky Slinky Storage
Why - I don't like storing them in the bumper. My bumper caps are always threatening to fall off and this is slightly more secure.
Difficulty - 2/10 - Just self tapping screws into metal.
Cost - $54
I just realized I need to get under there with some paint this upcoming weekend.
12. Cargo rack tie downs - These are just simple U Bolts drilled into the cargo rack to give me a place to hook tiedowns. I put 6 of them in the rack. 2 on each end and 2 in the middle.
Why - I don't like attaching tie-downs to expanded metal
Difficulty - 4/10 - Lots of metal drilling, locktite, etc.
A Note on Build Quality/Attention to Detail
As shipped, my cargo rack was attached to the bumper with the attachment bolt fully rearward. This was putting more strain on the bumper than it should have. It was installed this way, because if you slide it the whole way forward, as it should be, it interferes with the licence plate. My temporary solution to that is to flip the tail light upside down (The license plate holder is part of the left tail light) so that the plate is out of the way of the cargo rack mount. This should take a lot of the leverage stress off the bumper. You can see in this picture where I've moved the U-bolt fully forward. You can also see that I've flipped the right tail light to match the left. New tail lights are on the way. Sealed LED units to replace these incandescent ones.
13. Asus Chromebox
Why - I'm well aware that camping is about getting away/unplugging. But sometimes you need to look up local restaurants, or pay some bills while you're on the road, and I'm one of those people that think using a phone to do 'real' computer work SUCKS.
Difficulty - 1/10 - More screws in the wall
Cost - $20 (+$30 in wireless keyboard/mouse) from Ebay. It is a few generations old, but it is Chrome OS, so it gets the job done.
It's peeking out from behind the TV. HDMI Switcher right below, and a FireStick below that. I had everything but the ChromeBox and the TV only has one HDMI input, so I used a switcher I'd had on hand for some reason.
14 - Hanging basket storage. See picture above
Why - I needed a few places to shove some things. Came in a pack of 3 so I hung all 3 of them up.
One holds the TV/Firestick remotes (Above) a bluetooth speaker, and wireless keyboard/mouse.
One is mounted on the back of the couch near where I sleep. I put sunglasses and random crap from my pockets in it.
One is mounted close to the floor by the door on the back of the dinette. Currently holding plastic bags for dog poo pickup.
Cost - $15
Difficulty - 1/10
15 - Renogy solar controller
Why - Not only was the factory controller some off brand thing, it was mis-wired from the factory and nearly cooked my battery. They had the panel essentially wired straight to the battery, so that when the battery was full and the sun was out, the voltage would climb to 18V+ on the battery terminals. Also, there was no way to pull the converter or panels from the circuit. Now I have a disconnect built in via the fuse block.
I didn't need to use a 4 position block, but I had one, so that's what went in.
Cost - $20 for the controller
Difficulty - 1/10
Of course, if anyone has any questions or would like to know where I got anything (Mostly Amazon), feel free to yell, always glad to help.
The trailer: Cherokee Grey Wolf 26DJSE 'Stick and Tin' Construction (IE it has studded walls covered by paneling, this makes some things easier.)
Listed in no Particular order:
1. Morryde CRE2-3000 Suspension and Wet Bolts
Why - The factory shackles, bolts, and bushings are garbage. The bushings are plastic and had already started wearing through by the time I did this upgrade earlier this year with less than 3000 miles on the trailer. Wet bolts allow you to inject grease into the bushings.
Difficulty - Install 5/10 (Lifting and securing the trailer? 8/10 unless you have a some really nice jacks and stands) The actual install is easy. The hardest part is putting the trailer in the air with all 4 wheels off the ground at the same time.
Cost - $179 for the suspension $80 for the wet bolts
Old (right) New (Left)
Before:
After:
2. Tire Upgrade - Carlisle Radial Trail HD
Why - The tires that come with the trailer are rated for 65mph and are, ehh, not great. The Carlisles are not quite as nice as the Goodyear Endurance's, but they're a little more affordable and are probably 90% the tire the GY's are.
Difficulty - 1/10 - I had Tire Rack's Mobile installer stop by. They will not remove the tires from a trailer, but it is super simple to put one or two wheels in the air at a time and let him mount the tires while you shuttle them up and back to his van.
Cost - $89/Tire and $120 for the install
3. Dimming overhead lights
Why - Sometimes you want less light and would prefer to dim the overheads instead of turning them off. Especially useful for the lights over the beds.
Difficulty - 1/10 (For me) - Cherokee uses WAGO connectors for everything, so you just pull the old lights down and put the new ones up. Super easy in my trailer.
Cost - $40/4 Lights - I replaced a total of 8 (Out of 10 that are inside the trailer)
4. New USB Charging Ports
Why - The ones they put in the trailer are SLOW, and sometimes wouldn't even charge our phones properly. The new ones also have a USB-C PD port that the others didn't. New ones to the left and right of the master bed. Also some plug expander style ones in a few other places. We now have probably 20 fast charge/high power USB ports in the thing. If you can't charge your device in our camper, it can't be charged.
Difficulty - 3/10 - I had to 3d print some plates to cover the wider screw holes of the old in wall plates.
Cost - $6ea for the new charging ports $12ea for the plug expanders.
5. Shower Curtain Rod
Why - The factory one runs straight across and doesn't give you a lot of room in the shower. The new one is curved outward and gives some more space so the curtain isn't sticking to you.
Difficulty - 2/10 - Wall inserts and screws
Cost - $35 for the new rod and curtain. You can just get a residential curtain and cut it to fit if you're not picky.
6. Hanging Storage
Why - You need a place to hang things and this trailer came with none.
His and her 4 post coat racks, one on either side of the bed.
2 Posts attached to the back of the bathroom door.
4 Post key rack at the entrance.
Towel rack in the bathroom.
Difficulty - 2/10 - Screws/Screws+Anchors. This is where the 'stick and tin' trailers are an advantage. There are studs in the walls 16 inches on center. If you don't mind the alignment, you can sink your screws into the studs.
7. Gas assist struts for master bed and cabinets.
Why - Holding up cabinet doors and the storage access under the bed is a pain.
Difficulty - 4/10. Mainly just for the bed. You'll have to fabricate some mounting brackets if you want to do it cheaply and not spring for one of the expensive kits. I just needed a couple of chunks of 2x4 and long screws as well as some scrap pieces of wood and wood glue. All stuff I have laying around.
Cost - $25 for the bed shocks and $18 for the cabinets
8. Fridge switch.
Why - My camper has a 12v compressor fridge. These are new within the last few years and work just like your fridge in your house, except the compressor motor runs on 12v. My model year has no way to pull power to the thing except by pulling a fuse in the fuse box. So every time you turn on the battery, the fridge would start unless you pulled the fuse. I felt like that is not great for the compressor to be starting and stopping all the time if I turned the battery on and turned the fridge right back off, so I added a switch to the power line. I'm lucky in that all my power is right near the fridge and all I had to do was interrupt the positive wire with a heavy duty switch. I've noticed that some trailers are coming configured like this from the factory now, so someone must have the same thoughts I did.
Difficulty (For me) - 2/10 - Mainly for having to lay on the floor to do it.
Cost - $5 Switch
9. Water filter
Why - The camper came with an under-sink pump soap bottle that we never used because the soap would dry out and get yuck between trips, but it leaves a nice hole next to the faucet for something. How about an under sink filter so we can quit carrying the Brita pitcher around. This filter takes the same 2.5x10" filters we use on the countertop unit in the house, and there are a wide selection of filters for them.
Difficulty - 3/10 - Crawling under the counter again
Cost - $80 for the Filter, faucet, line, and tap for the water line.
10. Quick connect fittings everywhere
Why - Why? They're just better. No screwing around screwing hoses together. I have many many sets on all my water lines, pressure regulators, and outdoor filters. When we get to the campsite, the only thing I have to screw on is the one fitting on the campsites water faucet. Everything else just clicks together. I did 3d print TPU caps for them to keep the crud out between trips.
Difficulty - -10/10 they make life that much more simple
Cost - $10 - Set of 6. I'm not sure how many sets I've bought, I really do have them all over the place, both on the camper and at home.
11. Stinky Slinky Storage
Why - I don't like storing them in the bumper. My bumper caps are always threatening to fall off and this is slightly more secure.
Difficulty - 2/10 - Just self tapping screws into metal.
Cost - $54
I just realized I need to get under there with some paint this upcoming weekend.
12. Cargo rack tie downs - These are just simple U Bolts drilled into the cargo rack to give me a place to hook tiedowns. I put 6 of them in the rack. 2 on each end and 2 in the middle.
Why - I don't like attaching tie-downs to expanded metal
Difficulty - 4/10 - Lots of metal drilling, locktite, etc.
A Note on Build Quality/Attention to Detail
As shipped, my cargo rack was attached to the bumper with the attachment bolt fully rearward. This was putting more strain on the bumper than it should have. It was installed this way, because if you slide it the whole way forward, as it should be, it interferes with the licence plate. My temporary solution to that is to flip the tail light upside down (The license plate holder is part of the left tail light) so that the plate is out of the way of the cargo rack mount. This should take a lot of the leverage stress off the bumper. You can see in this picture where I've moved the U-bolt fully forward. You can also see that I've flipped the right tail light to match the left. New tail lights are on the way. Sealed LED units to replace these incandescent ones.
13. Asus Chromebox
Why - I'm well aware that camping is about getting away/unplugging. But sometimes you need to look up local restaurants, or pay some bills while you're on the road, and I'm one of those people that think using a phone to do 'real' computer work SUCKS.
Difficulty - 1/10 - More screws in the wall
Cost - $20 (+$30 in wireless keyboard/mouse) from Ebay. It is a few generations old, but it is Chrome OS, so it gets the job done.
It's peeking out from behind the TV. HDMI Switcher right below, and a FireStick below that. I had everything but the ChromeBox and the TV only has one HDMI input, so I used a switcher I'd had on hand for some reason.
14 - Hanging basket storage. See picture above
Why - I needed a few places to shove some things. Came in a pack of 3 so I hung all 3 of them up.
One holds the TV/Firestick remotes (Above) a bluetooth speaker, and wireless keyboard/mouse.
One is mounted on the back of the couch near where I sleep. I put sunglasses and random crap from my pockets in it.
One is mounted close to the floor by the door on the back of the dinette. Currently holding plastic bags for dog poo pickup.
Cost - $15
Difficulty - 1/10
15 - Renogy solar controller
Why - Not only was the factory controller some off brand thing, it was mis-wired from the factory and nearly cooked my battery. They had the panel essentially wired straight to the battery, so that when the battery was full and the sun was out, the voltage would climb to 18V+ on the battery terminals. Also, there was no way to pull the converter or panels from the circuit. Now I have a disconnect built in via the fuse block.
I didn't need to use a 4 position block, but I had one, so that's what went in.
Cost - $20 for the controller
Difficulty - 1/10
Of course, if anyone has any questions or would like to know where I got anything (Mostly Amazon), feel free to yell, always glad to help.
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