Preparing for my first trailer - enclosed utility trailer <16' / mobile workstation/gear hauler

[clintium]

This post got a lot longer than expected! It pretty much turned into my initial build concept. Really hoping for some insight from the community. The trailer world has so much information and compared to anything else I've tried to build/assemble it seems a bit like the wild west - very few consensus opinions and an unbelievable number of products to choose from.

I am thinking my best bet is going to be to purchase a second-hand trailer and slowly build it out. I'm posting in this forum because I feel like anyone who reads this has gone through all of the questions I'm asking and more. I would be super grateful if someone is able to point me to a build thread that's similar to what I'm trying to do.

Why:
My main purpose is to create a workshop for my personal DIY projects (wood working, some wiring/electronics, some plumbing). I live in a big city and rentals with a garage/workshop space are about $4k minimum. Makerspaces are like $1,000/year and have a lot of downsides (i.e., inability to leave projects between sessions). Workshop rentals are like $600/month for 200 sq ft. Meanwhile... I can park a ~20' trailer in an RV lot with 24/7 access and freedom to work as I want for under $200/month. Plus, my workshop is mobile this way!

Long term I would like to build this out to be something I could camp or even semi-live in off grid. My big goal is to buy land one day and slowly build my own home type of place. In that dream this trailer would be basecamp.

Short term I have friends in the music festival industry and routinely help out with setup/take-down. I anticipate I could use the trailer I build to help out with hauling and further increase my involvement and fun levels.

Tow Vehicle
2016 Toyota Tundra 5.7L - 35" tires with a ~2.5" lift (coilovers up front, OME leaf pack in the rear)

So what are the specs I'm really looking for in the trailer? Here's what I've identified so far:
Dimensions:

• Length - 14 - 18 ft, depending on registration rules. As I understand it, in California, length of the trailer is a factor in registration. Specifically, I've been told by trailer owners that if your trailer is greater than 16' long, you have to take it back in for re-inspection/registration at the DMV every year. If it's 16 ft or less, this is only required every 5 years. However, I cannot find any information online to back up this claim. Anyone know the source for that rule?
• Internal Height - greater than 6'
• External Height - ideally less than or equal to 9'6" - I have a camper shell on the back of my truck that gives me similar aerodynamics to a brick. That in mind, if I keep the external height of the trailer below the height of my camper (9'6"), I'll experience minimal increased drag at the front of the camper (though my understanding is the primary drag force on a trailer is actually the pocket of low pressure air created at the rear of the trailer).
• Width - I haven't thought of any criteria that are really going to impact me here. My initial thought is go for the 8.5' width because more space is better. And I doubt I'm sacrificing much in terms of maneuverability in my already turtle-like Tundra (no offense to turtles).
• Clearance - I don't really think I need to take this trailer on any serious offroading. I'll probably not make special considerations for the clearance at this time.

Hitch:

• Definitely want to upgrade the trailer hitch. My current front runner is the Hitch-ezy. Seems super easy to use, safe, and reliable.

Suspension:

• I probably don't really need anything special here, but I have a strong desire to get some variation of an independent trailing arm suspension. I haven't seen this installed on a cargo/utility trailer yet. Makes me wonder if I'm taking my desire to optimize the mechanical components too far.
• The Timbren Silent Ride seems pretty awesome and is advertised as a bolt-on product. I haven't found a price listed for these yet. I imagine they're not cheap.
• Airbags seem like a good option.

Axles:

• Leaning towards tandem, primarily for better weight distribution among wheels and bearings. I think single axle can handle my loads but I'm a huge nerd on my preventative maintenance and value engineering.

Wheels:

• I would like to be able to install 33" tires on the trailer, but that's not an immediate need.

Finish:

• aesthetics are not important.
• water resistance and 'oil canning' are important - I don't want to fight leaks for the life of the trailer. From an aesthetics perspective I'm ok with oil canning, but I think it's a precursor to water incursion.
• Want lots of tie down points.
• A window would be nice - presumably this isn't too difficult to DIY in myself. Careful cutting, prep, and lots of sealant/sikaflex.
• Epoxy floor would be cool but definitely not critical

Electrical:

• Simple 12v system to power LED lights and water pump for faucet

Plumbing:

• Sink fed from a 5 gal jug with a 12v pump on top
• wastewater to a 5 gallon jug for dumping

 

[eatSleepWoof]

I don't understand how you're envisioning using a trailer as a wood working workshop and a travel trailer at the same time (not to mention the third use case of festival-gear hauling). Vastly different activities that need vastly different setups. And unless your wood working will be limited to a single mitre saw, I think you'll find that having an unstable surface underneath you (even with stabilizers) will not help with precise cuts.

I also suspect that you'll be evicted from that $200/month RV lot the very minute someone catches wind of you doing wood working inside. Noise pollution, sawdust pollution, hauling tools/projects in/out... it's just not going to fly in an RV park. You might get away with it in some sort of industrial area long-term parking thing.

 

[clintium]

I don't understand how you're envisioning using a trailer as a wood working workshop and a travel trailer at the same time (not to mention the third use case of festival-gear hauling). Vastly different activities that need vastly different setups. And unless your wood working will be limited to a single mitre saw, I think you'll find that having an unstable surface underneath you (even with stabilizers) will not help with precise cuts.

I also suspect that you'll be evicted from that $200/month RV lot the very minute someone catches wind of you doing wood working inside. Noise pollution, sawdust pollution, hauling tools/projects in/out... it's just not going to fly in an RV park. You might get away with it in some sort of industrial area long-term parking thing.

I didn't go into great depth on what I envision as a workshop but I'm not filling the whole trailer up with benches and tools. I also tried to convey the general timelines I'm aiming for. Up front it's a place to build and work on things. At first it's probably just my tools on the floor of the trailer. I'll be taking all of the tools from the storage spaces in my apartment and putting them in the trailer. First I'll build some cabinets and storage. Make available some surfaces (i.e., convertible surfaces that fold out of the way when not in use). Over time it becomes something that I could use more to camp out of. I already have a camper on my truck. Let's say I plan to go spend 3 weeks off-grid. I could bring the trailer with all of my tools and stuff still in it just as another indoor living space that isn't in the back of my truck. It doesn't need to have enough space for a dinner party. Maybe I use the work surface to hold my laptop and use it as a business office.

I have already contacted the lot I'm talking about. I guess I wasn't totally clear. They have an RV lot that people live in. They also have an RV/trailer storage lot next door. They confirmed that there's no issue with people working in their trailers in the storage lot. I'm also not building a house or anything. These are small projects. There are a lot of times I spend hours working on little 12v DC projects - no one would ever know I'm there. If I'm doing anything with woodworking we're talking about like 5-10 cuts an hour. These are just personal projects.

Even if, for some reason, I couldn't use the RV storage lot as the location in which I do my work (which I've already verified is allowed), I could just tow the trailer near my house and work from street parking. I see people do it all the time. This is a lot more convenient than my current options.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

It sounds similar to the enclosed trailer setup I have, I thought I’d done a build thread on here awhile back but can’t find it now.

My criteria was everything I did had to benefit both my woodworking business as well as camping.

I used rolling toolboxes attached to the wall with E-Track, easier than building cabinets (we are literally a cabinet shop), and take out when you want more space.

I have a dual golf cart battery setup with charger, lights, fan, and small inverter. I’ll try to post some photos and a brief write up when I’ve got the time.

 

[clintium]

It sounds similar to the enclosed trailer setup I have, I thought I’d done a build thread on here awhile back but can’t find it now.

My criteria was everything I did had to benefit both my woodworking business as well as camping.

I used rolling toolboxes attached to the wall with E-Track, easier than building cabinets (we are literally a cabinet shop), and take out when you want more space.

I have a dual golf cart battery setup with charger, lights, fan, and small inverter. I’ll try to post some photos and a brief write up when I’ve got the time.

Thanks! Would love to see your build and read more about it. So far my “wood shop” is a job site table saw and a 12” sliding compound miter saw. Along with a decent assortment of hand tools (powered as well as non powered).

I feel like the best strategy in my case is find a good deal on a used trailer and build it out into what I want one step at a time.

I’m really eyeing this deal on craigslist. I feel like it’s almost worth the price in solar panels alone. I’m not sure what kind of trailer maintenance I’m going to run into though… it looks like it’s been through its paces.
1996 Carson 16' Trailer with Solar and Brine RO System - some trade ok
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tro/d/1996-carson-16-trailer-with-solar-and/7587087936.html

 

[Mashurst]

Sounds like a great project to me. I could see starting with a toy-hauler-type trailer being less costly than building from scratch especially given your lack of workspace.