The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

I had the HD leaf pack which sagged after one year, I added another leaf and it lasted for another year. I ended up swapping to the Dobinson's HD leaf pack and couldn't be happier. The OME Dakars loose their shape way too fast and turn into a W

 

Anyone have a somewhat specific weight on a 6' Drifter with one gullwing door?

 

With stock mattress, rear window (not the ArcticTern rear panel/door with no tailgate) and no other options... I'd guess 360lbs.

 

You're making me happy that I preemptively installed the Dobinsons HD leaf.

 

How much lift did you get with the Dobinson's HD leafs? According to the Dobinson's site they give 2" lift? I'm looking more of a 3" lift.

I been happy with my Heavy Heavy OME Dakar's. I added an extra leaf and they have not sagged.

 

Can someone with a 1st gen and drifter tell me how wide the lip of the camper is? And like how much of it sits over the edge of the bedrails on the inside.

Thanks

 

It is the same aluminum size and shape for all gens.

It doesn’t overlap much on the 1st gen bed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3zx2oQloXa/

 

Not sure how much of a lift I got, maybe 2.5" but I dont fit in my local carwash anymore. I used to fit with the W shaped Dakars though.

 

Hey all,

many one with Merlin solar panels. Do you have a good contact for them?

I had a tree branch really mess one of mine up and need to find a contact.

 

Also,

I have a 5ft truck bed drifter. Does anyone else’s drifter shake their truck on certain type of cement?

sometimes while I’m driving my entire truck will shake. I tightened all my bolts but still happens sometimes.

 

Yes, it was terrible in my 1st gen. Get it on certain concrete highways in my 2nd gen with better suspension. The issue is that the weight of the overhang of the drifter causes more frame flex between the cab and bed at certain speeds combined with the wheelbase and standardized spacing of the concrete on highways/interstates finding a resonance frequency of the truck.

So, cheap fix - change your speed or tap the brakes to interrupt the frame flexing like a trampoline.
More expensive fix - expensive suspension with adjustable rebound, compression and all that. And/or boxing the frame, but even then it still appears to happen, just not as bad.

https://youtu.be/5b1AbR8gkDA

https://youtu.be/iiuoDRd-JXs

https://youtu.be/7IfwNI25v5I

 

The stock Tundra suffers from bed bounce on concrete freeways with expansion joint timing as well. JasonLee is correct... slow down until it goes away. Some have resorted to adding weight in the bed. I have an Icon 3.0 coilover stage 2 and still have some slight bounce. At the time of install added an extra leaf in the back anticipating the weight of the Nomad. Problem is I'm now 16 months more driving than planned with a springy rear but I'm hoping the camper weight will get the slight rhythmic bounce completely gone.

 

So having some issue with power getting from my panel to my battery. Tested the panel today and I was reading 23 volts and 2.5 amps in the cloudy weather. However when I plug the panel in and measure at the Anderson input connector for my battery, I'm reading 0.

I now want to test from the top down, and this seems like the first internal place to do so, but can't quite figure out how to disconnect what I assume is the solar on the left. Also any ideas what the wires and connector on the right is? Also any ideas on how to troubleshoot this as it's my first time doing anything like it.

Thanks

 

My guess would be fan and/or light if you have either on your ceiling

 

Oh true that's right, fan has been wired.

 

If I understand your question correctly you are asking how to disconnect the Anderson plug on the left? Pull the retainer out from the middle and it will unplug.

 

Ahh yeah. I couldn't tell if it was a lever or what, and have a propensity to break things trying to mess with them so figured I'd ask.

Curious to see what the issue is here. The solar in is nice and isolated so I can't imagine it'll be hard to find

 

Good luck with the search! I would have guessed a fuse or loose wire/connection being zero at the battery. Please share what you find.

 

Just spotted on hwy 191 north outside Moab.
White 2nd gen. White drifter, driver side frontrunner door, steel front bumper with hoops.alpha Rex tail lights.

 

Probably me