jscherb
Expedition Leader
If it would help, I'd he happy to do a concept drawing for you to show her, just tell me how you'd plan to build your Dinoot, how you'd outfit it, what color, etc., and I'll work up a quick drawing and post it here.
"TrailTop" modular trailer topper building components
- Thread starter jscherb
- Start date
If it would help, I'd he happy to do a concept drawing for you to show her, just tell me how you'd plan to build your Dinoot, how you'd outfit it, what color, etc., and I'll work up a quick drawing and post it here.
screwball48
Explorer
Thank you so much for the offer. A few months ago I discovered sketchup. Now I am hooked. Currently I have a rendering that is close to what i would like that shows both a closed door and open view that I can explore in a 360 deg 3D environment. I would be happy to share it with you either in this thread or through pm. She still is not impressed.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Please post your drawings - I'm sure lots of people would be interested in seeing them.
screwball48
Explorer
I will as soon a I can. I would like to add that this community is excellent at providing information and support. Many of the sponsors/companies that are involved here provide a level of customer support like I have never seen. Each is open to discussion of products and quick to remedy any issues. Then there are the people like Mr. Scherb who provide unprecedented support for items that are not even a product! Thank you once again.
screwball48
Explorer
Ok here are some screen shots of my rendering of a Double Decker Dinoot. Input and critiques would be appreciated.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Ok here are some screen shots of my rendering of a Double Decker Dinoot. Input and critiques would be appreciated.
I especially like how you've combined an awning with a ground tent to provide covered access to the chuck wagon - very nice!
That would be pretty straightforward to build with a Dinoot tub and TrailTop parts for the chuck wagon top. It's very similar to this concept I drew back when I was designing the TrailTop parts. I draw concepts like this to serve as a guide when I'm working on the detailed parts design - I want to ensure that the concepts can be built, so I draw the concepts early in the design phase and then I make sure I design components to implement the concepts.
compactcamping
Explorer
screwball48, Love the Dinoot SketchUp's, great Awing and 26 Second Tent integration. Like the barn door and all the counter space
jscherb
Expedition Leader
One more quick sewing test before I sew the side panels for the tilt-up camper - I wanted to test sewing in the plastic retainer strip that secures the bottom of the panels to the tub.
When I built my yellow trailer, I put Wrangler soft-top retainers on the top edge of the tub, they're done in black bedliner in the photo below. A plastic strip sewn into the bottom hem of the panel slips under the retainer, the same way the Wrangler soft top side windows work:
The plastic strip was cut from lawn edging I picked up at Lowes.
And one more sewing test below... the photo shows the inside of the piece I was testing above, you can see the plastic strip sewn in, but also on the other edge of the fabric I've sewn some 1" wide webbing inside the hem. The upper edge of the panels will be secured to the inside of the flip-up top with snaps; the webbing ensures the fabric edge has plenty of strength so the snaps will never pull out.
I have a couple of other sewing tests I want to do with the window screens, but since my first step will be sewing the side panels without windows, and then adding the windows as a second step, I'll do those tests when I'm getting ready to do the windows. For now I've done all the testing I need in order to sew the side panels.
When I built my yellow trailer, I put Wrangler soft-top retainers on the top edge of the tub, they're done in black bedliner in the photo below. A plastic strip sewn into the bottom hem of the panel slips under the retainer, the same way the Wrangler soft top side windows work:
The plastic strip was cut from lawn edging I picked up at Lowes.
And one more sewing test below... the photo shows the inside of the piece I was testing above, you can see the plastic strip sewn in, but also on the other edge of the fabric I've sewn some 1" wide webbing inside the hem. The upper edge of the panels will be secured to the inside of the flip-up top with snaps; the webbing ensures the fabric edge has plenty of strength so the snaps will never pull out.
I have a couple of other sewing tests I want to do with the window screens, but since my first step will be sewing the side panels without windows, and then adding the windows as a second step, I'll do those tests when I'm getting ready to do the windows. For now I've done all the testing I need in order to sew the side panels.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I was going to begin sewing the side panels for the pop-up camper today, and I did something I rarely do - I decided to make a design change at the last minute, so I put off the sewing for a few days. I was thinking about the space in side the pop-up, and decided it would be really nice to have a bit more headroom. So I swapped out the gas struts I was using for a pair that's a few inches longer. The extra height provides enough room so that the mattress could be on a raised platform at the same height as the inner fenders, and still have enough room to sit up comfortably on top of the bed. Raising the bed 15 inches off the floor would provide tons of storage underneath.
The new struts provide an additional 10" of headroom at the peak. A few photos with the new struts:
Here's a video of the new struts in operation:
I'll begin sewing in a few days, I've got to do a little replanning on things like zipper lengths first.
I'll do some drawings of the canvas redesign, also a drawing showing the bed on a raised platform, stay tuned.
The new struts provide an additional 10" of headroom at the peak. A few photos with the new struts:
Here's a video of the new struts in operation:
I'll begin sewing in a few days, I've got to do a little replanning on things like zipper lengths first.
I'll do some drawings of the canvas redesign, also a drawing showing the bed on a raised platform, stay tuned.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
An xray view of what the space inside the tilt-up camper will be:
In the next view, I've drawn a bed platform roughly at the top of the inner fenders. There's about a foot of storage underneath. Because the sleeping platform is above the inner fenders, the sleeping area is the full width of the tub - almost 5'.
In the next view, I've drawn a bed platform roughly at the top of the inner fenders. There's about a foot of storage underneath. Because the sleeping platform is above the inner fenders, the sleeping area is the full width of the tub - almost 5'.
Mark Harley
Expedition Leader
That poor guy, sitting there full monty and his lady friend seems to have no interest!
jscherb
Expedition Leader
They are not locking struts. They do have in total about 50-pounds excess capacity over what's needed to keep the cover up, so I don't think the cover will be coming down by itself. Locking struts wouldn't be a bad idea though, but I haven't seen any in my local U-Pull junkyard yet
.