Tradgrans..trailer build. Its now is a pop top, We have a tent and AC

[high-and-dry]

Okay first the trailer is now named timberline, or in swedish Tradgrans. a play off the flat pack or ikea trailer joke. see page 3 for the graffic I will put on the side

Secondly it is inspired by sawtoothxl, which was inspired by the grasshoppers ( the shape any way i think ). It also draws on some designs from the uev 490 and 440, mostly the kitchen and door to get in. Over all body length is 12 feet, floor length is 10 feet. The sketchup I attached below is just a basic layout, there are a few things changed.

The frame over all is approx 17'6" from rear to tow ball, the body will be about 2 feet past the rear of the frame. Main frame is 2x3 14 gauge, A frame tongue is all 2x3 11 gauge. I still have to put the out riggers on it to get it to the final width, which 5' 6" inside measurement . It is currently just tack welded using my flux core welder, the new mig welder just showed up today... yippee.

The body will be fiberglass over foam vac laminated panels similar to sawthooth ultimate, infact the fiberglass is coming from the same place. Jess had to have it delivered, I am going to drive to get it, about 9 hours each way but I am saving a bunch over what he paid, ( Jess you dont want to know how much ). Dexter torflex axle 3500 lbs down rated to 2k, 6 bolt hubs with brakes, as you can see I dont have the axle yet so I gave it some wheels so I can move it.

 

[high-and-dry]

Just might have thought of a name for the camper. "Into the unknown" or maybe "fear the unkown"

 

[john61ct]

cool

have you got a detailed sketchup of the chassis framing, how the outriggers going to work?

Is the pod going to be detachable, or its framing integral to the chassis?

 

[high-and-dry]

cool

have you got a detailed sketchup of the chassis framing, how the outriggers going to work?

Is the pod going to be detachable, or its framing integral to the chassis?

No details, lots of paper sketches a few things on sketchup. And the body will be permanently part of the frame. As in bonded, rivited, screwed, a few stiffeners buried in the walls that bond to welded pieces of the frame.

the outriggers are just 7 inch pieces of tube welded to the frame, with an angle iron going around the perimeter. Stay tuned as the angle will have support and secure the wall panels

 

[john61ct]

look forward

 

[high-and-dry]

Okay frame is all welded from the top, side rails and outriggers are on.

My design for this is the side rails are a 1.5 angle on the top notched to fit the outriggers to give a surface to mount the floor to. Then there is another 1.5 angle with the leg on the out side of the trailer, this is for the walls panels to sit on and be bonded to. I will rivet them similar to sawtooth ultimate, but where he made his wall supports from 18 Gauge metal that he had bent mine is angle steel. I did this due to not wanted to have a bunch of steel bent, as well as it makes the panel support/side rail much stronger and less likely to be damaged from contact. His way is lighter, and probably better support to stop the panels from moving in and out at the top, I will be embedding steel tube in the wall panels at 3 places that will be attached to the side rails. This will give me some support in the walls to act like a frame. Not a full frame but extra support.

and a side pic with a wheel just because, dont look at then pile of stuff in the garage.

 

[old_CWO]

Dude, clean your garage..

 

[high-and-dry]

Dude, clean your garage..

I would but there is a car under there, its just a pile in front of the car actually. Looks worse on the pic that it really is.

 

[high-and-dry]

FYI I totaled the steel weight in another thread, just coping them here for records and easy info for others

The "frame" is .084 2x3 tube. The 3 tubes that form the tongue are .120 2x3 tube.

totals is around 330 or so
frame is 126 lbs
tongue 102
angles running down the side to support floor and walls is 71
various odds and ends probably another 20 to 30 lbs

 

[high-and-dry]

okay to get a scale and help with the layout of stuff I built a luan side panel. Its just for scale planning at this point. There will be no wood in the frame or structure, just cabinets.

There are two pics with the truck, they are taken at slightly different angles and it makes the trailer look larger over all in one and shorter in the other. The body tip to tip is 12'4" in side height will be 5'3" actual side wall height out side is 5'8" with a pop up on the rear so I can stand up and for ventilation if needed. Also I dont have my axle yet so it probably will drop over all height a few inches . I also put on of the window frame on it to show window position by the bed. It does fit in the garage as is with 3 or 4 inches of clearance.

 

[Hilldweller]

I like it a lot, sir.

And I have a name for it:

 

[high-and-dry]

Okay so I have epoxy and pond liner ( to be used as the vac sheet ) showing up next week, I have all the foam and the skins. So it was time to built the table to do the panel laminating so why not use the trailer as the table, its flat and big enough. I bought 3/4 melamine coated particle board and built the table 6.5 by 13.5 feet, largest panel I have to make is 5"8 but 12'. . The melamine coated board was actually cheaper than all the other plywood home depot had for the thickness. Plus it gives me a sealed air tight surface that I can wax so any "leakage" of epoxy should be easy to get off.
Tomorrow I am going to get a 7 cfm vac pump off of craigs list, if it works for 75 bucks, new its about 400.
I still need to screw it together at the joints, seal the joints and wax it but thats my week end. I guess I can have flash backs to the navy hand waxing a large area.

 

[high-and-dry]

Okay floor panel laminated, cured overnight. Jess makes it look easy in his videos, but getting the top skin on in the correct position covered in epoxy is a **********. Did not glue its self to the table, does not appear to have any voids. I will say the rollers I bought on amazon labels for epoxy worked great. I would mix a batch of epoxy, pour out a bunch, use a paint stirrer like a squeegee to spread it around some then use the roller to finish spreading it out. I swear I used more rubber gloves than a proctologist on 2 for 1 Wednesday. For a 11 foot by almost 6 panel used 1.75 gallons of epoxy


Also my axle shows up monday, not that I can put it on the frame as the frame is my laminating table right now.

 

[ajmaudio]

Pics!

 

[high-and-dry]

I will, when parts coming together. As for how I am doing everything go see the sawtooth unlimited thread. Jess is better at video and pics than I am. The general construction is similar, final layout and shape will be where its different so thats where my pics will come in.