Building a small camper trailer

[wdwerker]

Lookin good so far! Weight and balance are a a consideration, make sure one side is not heavier than the other.

[jeff0520]

Thanks The A/C on the back will be balanced by the batteries out on the tongue box. That should give enough tongue weight for comfortable towing. The area from the door forward will also be filled with cabinetry where we will be storing the majority of our camping gear, including the cast iron cookware. That should counterbalance the weight of the bed/couch behind the axle. I think I've got it right, but time will tell

[ChetlovesMer]

Keep us posted. This is fascinating.

[jeff0520]

Today's progress, One coat of white enamel, and the long-awaited bumper assembly completed, checked for fit, and waiting to be fitted with temporary tail light brackets and painted. I'm in a rush and a budget crunch to get the camper ready for the trip next week, So I'm going with cheapie tail lights for now, and upgrading to good ones mounted to the place halfway up the back of the camper I designed in for them. When the final tail lights go on, I'll replace the cheapies with some LED clearance lights down there

[wdwerker]

Think about side to side as well. Great looking project so far.

[jeff0520]

Keep us posted. This is fascinating.

Thanks, I will I am really looking forward to getting the outer shell completed so I can move on to the interior woodworking. I'm really not very good at automotive paint and body. Some of my fiberglass work was UGLY. I was hoping paint would hide it, but just the opposite happened. Most people don't seem to notice much though, so I guess it's all good

[jeff0520]

Think about side to side as well. Great looking project so far.

The side to side balance is achieved by putting the really heavy stuff, specifically the A/C, Batteries, and cast iron cookware right on the center line. The only moderately heavy thing that is not planned on the center is the dorm room sized fridge. That's not supposed to be too heavy though, and I'm hoping all the lead and iron right on the center line will pull the center of gravity in towards the middle

[Mike Frank]

hey man this is cool keep up the good work

[butcherer]

Great project and a super job.  I know that on fibreglass, you don't need corner guards, so I'm hoping they are very strong. 

 

I've been watching this thread and can hardly wait to see the remaining pics including inside.  You should be very proud of your achievements.

[jeff0520]

Thanks Mike Frank and Butcherer.

Today I got the back bumper painted and permanently installed, mounted tail lights, and wired them. I also installed the roof vent, door, and windows. Tomorrow will be A/C unit install, caulking, and paint touchup. After that, I'll be ready to move inside and get that shaping up.

[jon1023]

Hello Jeff, 

 

I have been searching the web for a good way to extend the tongue on a HF 4 x 8 trailer, and saw the images of your trailer. I didn't know this forum existed until now.  Anyway, do you mind sharing how you went about extending the tongue?  I am trying to build an inexpensive kayak and paddle board hauler and the HF trailer's tongue is too close to the car.

 

Thanks for your time!

[jeff0520]

Sure, No problem. here's a picture of the factory tongue:

As you can see in the picture, the coupler is attached to a piece of raised tubing welded to the triangular plate. The first thing you do is remove the coupler, and set it aside. Then cut that raised piece off the triangular plate with a cutoff wheel or an angle grinder. Once that's done, put the upper plate back on and measure the opening between the upper and lower triangular plates. On my trailer it was exactly 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. I went to my local steel dealer and got a piece of 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 3/16 tubing. The length will vary based on how long a tongue you want to add. you'll also need 4 pieces of 2 inch by 2 inch by 3/16 angle iron cut 2 inches long as brackets. Loosen the bolts for the upper and lower triangular plates, and slip your tubing into that space. You want it to extend to the second crossmember on the trailer.

Harbor frieght was kind enough to include predrilled holes on the crossmembers that will allow you to drill holes in the little pieces of angle iron and use them to bolt the tubing right in exactly the right place. Then I drilled 3 holes through the upper triangular plate, through the tongue, and bolt it up solidly. If you are a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy, you can weld it up once it's bolted solidly in place. I didn't bother. I just used grade 8 bolts, lockwashers, and a generous helping of locktite threadlocker and didn't worry about it.

The technique is covered in a lot more detail in another forum I use. Just go here: http://www.tnttt.com and recearch the topic. Most camper builders extend the HF trailer tongues. The big thing to remember is the more you extend it, the beefier you need to make the tubing you put in there.

 

 

[jeff0520]

Hello all,
Well, the maiden voyage for The Command Post will begin Monday. Last night I left her parked in the driveway overnight in the pouring rain, and no signs of leakage, so she seems weather tight. All the insulation is done, A/C is mounted and sealed in, the interior ceiling is done except for trim on the seams, and there's even a few pieces of interior wall skin put in here and there
There is no cabinetry, no bed frame, and no electrical system installed. Our 120v AC power system will consist of an extension cord running up through the port in the floor that will someday connect a conduit to the tongue box, and a multi-outlet plug strip. She will keep us dry and comfortable on this trip despite having to sleep on an air mattress on the floor. Wish us luck

[jeff0520]

Well, the maiden voyage for the camper begins tomorrow. It's far from done, but it's done enough to use.

[ChetlovesMer]

Have fun, Good luck.

Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

 

[jeff0520]

Trip went smoothly. worst problem was that the ticks in Bankhead National Forest seem to have become highly resistant to DEET based repellant

 

It was REALLY nice to have A/C to sleep in

 

[Eric.]

Looking good so far!  Even if you never do another bit of work on that thing...you still have portable air conditioned shelter.  Awesome.  

[calblacksmith]

That is a lot of work.

I'm glad it worked out for you and that you had a good trip!

 

I wish I were here a year ago, to give you advice. My family used to own an RV repair shop, I have been in the structure of a whole lot of RVs. You could have saved a LOT of weight by using stapled 2x2 s and an alum skin. that is how they are all made, well that and square tube, both steel and alum by a few manufactures. The walls are just paneling, 2x2 "studs" and an alum skin, no plywood etc but with insulation between the skin and panel.

 

Airstream and Boles Arrow both use hard rivet construction to Z frames but that is beyond most back yard projects as they require two people to drive the rivets.