Unique mini Toy Hauler build NEED HELP!

[Never_Dwell]

SO, I am a young (recently turned 20) ambitious kid. I am an avid adventurer and a active & CREATIVE kid!

I bought a mini toy hauler to use for backcountry ski trips which normally includes sleeping at high elevation in cold weather. I live in the bay area and bought the trailer simply stated as my home away from home to ski up in tahoe for the winter. As opposed to getting a ski lease for 600+ per season I decided to buy a mini toy hauler that I found on craigslist for 800$ I took the trailer out a few times this season but since I was in school there were not too many alterations done to it.

ABOUT THE TRAILER



It is a mini toy hauler. I tow it with a 2006 2.5 subaru outback wagon.
about 6x7 ft interior floor space (including 1x2 wheel well space on each side of the floor, with a 5 x 5 raised platform by the gooseneck.
it has to wheel tie down spaces meant for dirt bikes.
The guys I bought it from turned it into a 5th wheel trailer frame by adding the extension you see underneath the gooseneck.



It used to be used by the O'Neal Motocross team back in the day to drive out to the dunes in southern california.
It also has reminisce of a service trailer, you can see painting, building, hauling, etc adverts underneath the red & blue paint.

I HAVE NO IDEA THE BRAND, NOR CAN I FIND ANYTHING EXACTLY ALIKE IT ONLINE (MAYBE YOU CAN HELP> :smiley_drive:


Here is what I have done so far since the purchase.

I Do not know if this was overly ambitious or not but I decided I wanted to completely overhaul the trailer upon purchasing it.

There was some nasty mold so I decided I would rip everything up!




I replaced the insulation with plastic inbetween the metal shell/ frame and insulation

Then I layed in R13 insulation because I was going to be using it for winter!



Now I want to chop off the roof to make some sort of pop top conversion so I can stand up.

I would also like to be able to use the utility door as an extension of the floor space, by using an awning like device that interfaces with the drop down utility door. I will most likely do this before I do anything with the roof.

It kind of dawned on me that I would be pretty much making a simple diy pop top tent that somehow interfaces with the hole in the roof to allow standing and more movement !

Please let me know what you think This is an uncommon trailer in my eyes (maybe not yours of more experience) so all of the DIY guides out there do not really adhere to either my trailer, experience, or what I am attempting to do.

 

[Titanpat57]

Some interior dimensions would be a nice start...as well as a budget number.

I certainly admire your enthusiasm and vision....with a little patience, planning, and elbow grease you may have a great little camper.

FWIW.....ditch the fiberglass and think foam.

Good luck!

 

[brian90744]

great trailer for mods

Keep the front bed area. It appears about 6ft floor to ceiling= no need for a pop top. build a nice kitchen area and a fold out couch along the passage side. keep it simple for now, use it to see what more mods you want.
Nice buy.
brian

 

[country_guy]

Like TitanPat57 says, ditch the fiberglass for insulation board and maybe even a layer of foil coated bubble insulation. Also, don't forget to insulate the floor as once wind is blowing around and under will really chill it down.

On the pop up portion, maybe watch free sites or Craigslist to find maybe an old free pop up or hybrid camper of even a VW micro camper with a pop up roof. You might be able to scavenge the tent/ roof section from something like that.

 

[cwm]

As mentioned, the fiberglass batt insulation is not a good idea. You say it is R-13 but installed the way you are showing it will not give R-13. I am guessing that you plan to compress the insulation to install the inner wall panels.

The wall studs look like they are only 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch depth. R-13 batts in house construction require a 3 1/2 inch cavity, the normal depth of a 2 x 4 wall stud. Also the batts might sag over time and can soak up moisture. Compressing batts decreases the insulation value.

Dow Chemical's Styrofoam brand of extruded polystyrene is R-5 per inch. Polyisocyanurate foam is R-6.5 per inch . Those batts are R-3.71 per inch. I would add additional depth to the studs, and roof. 2 inches of Styrofoam would be R-10. 2 inches of polyiso R-13.

And floor insulation is also important.

The foil insulation, like Reflectix, per manufacturer instructions, require a 3/4 to one inch air space to get the claimed R value.

 

[Waygoner]

You could cover the walls with some indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot. It will give you an extra layer of insulation.

 

[Never_Dwell]

UPDATE!

SO ITS BEEN SOME TIME, BUT I am out of school and into work...

I got a nail gun and circular saw and have been doing a pallet wood wall interior, just making it pretty!

I have been doing some designs in which I intend to paint

Been sanding down the sides

after completing the interior paneling I intend to start fabricating interior seats/ bedding like these

http://deepredmotorhome.com/bed.php

I then Intend to start working on a pop out (Use the back utility door as a platform for standing which I will make a conduit piping structure for coverage)

or

A pop up system taking inspiration from the truck bed pop up campers

I need information about the type of latches that are used to clamp down the pop up system when closed and information describing what is used to make the top "POP" WHAT SUSPENSION SYSTEM in other words!!!

LET ME KNOW PLEASE