5x8 Cargo Trailer Conversion
- Thread starter davidshourd
- Start date
davidshourd
Adventurer
Figured i would keep the battery bank charged while its sitting around. Not sure if i am getting much charge on this snowy day. 
Stouttrout
Adventurer
I love mine. Have used it more than any other camper. Stayed in it for 14 days this year.
Looks like a fun project.
I wired in some backup lights so I can run them manually with a switch in the trailer, or when I hit reverse with any of my tow rigs. his way I can use them as loading lights and backup lights.
Spokane area... KLR...
I am in Spokane and have a KLR and a DRZ400.
I wired in some backup lights so I can run them manually with a switch in the trailer, or when I hit reverse with any of my tow rigs. his way I can use them as loading lights and backup lights.
Spokane area... KLR...
I am in Spokane and have a KLR and a DRZ400.
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BigAl
Expedition Leader
On mine, on the outside, I put a pad lock on the door latch so that no one can lock me in. On the inside, I just use a cheep sliding bolt latch to keep it shut.
davidshourd
Adventurer
The side door will have an RV style door latch. lockable from inside with a thumb turn. lockable from the outside by key only. the back barn doors are only lockable from the outside. thinking we would primarily use the side door to access when shut down for the night.
davidshourd
Adventurer
Spokane area... KLR...
I am in Spokane and have a KLR and a DRZ400.
nice! need to meet up on a ride when this snow and freezing rain business stops! nasty out here today.
were you able to run the reverse lights purely off of the trailer plug power or did you run a relay to have them pull power from a battery in the trailer? I want to do that but also want all 4 exterior lights to pop on when I toss it in reverse. all LED but still don't think I want to suck that much power through a trailer harness.
trail-explorer
Adventurer
Check out www.ledtrailerlights.com/rv/ for some LED interior lights. My brother did that on his cargo trailer conversion. Battery conservation is good for back country travels.
davidshourd
Adventurer
I ended up getting a bunch of these guys (link below). 4 interior and 4 exterior. master switch for interior and master switch for exterior. then each has its own on/off switch to dial in lighting needs or turn off excessive lighting.
http://www.amazon.com/Green-LongLif...s_auto_10?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QH306AFNZEMXADTZ90E
Not sure. it was hardly anything when adding it to the overall trailer order. like 130$ a window. the side door was part of the base option, I just upgraded to the RV style latch instead of the exterior bolt latch. But probably easier to add when building from new then retrofitting on existing. some great builds and how-to's on this web site: http://www.tnttt.com/ I bet you find some good write ups on how to do that stuff yourself if your into self-performing the work.
davidshourd
Adventurer
took possession of the trailer yesterday on the way home from work! about a week and half early. what a nice surprise. somehow I got so excited I failed to get a picture of it before I stowed it away in the garage and started pulling off the interior plywood walls to begin insulating the walls.
-first impressions: again, this is a Mirage 5x8 trailer.
-construction seems very solid and quality.
-removing the plywood walls is a pain, they use barbed nails that have a Philips head on them. they do not back themselves out, just spin. really just a nail with a Philips head. so had to strategically "pry" the plywood off and pulls the heads through then pull the nails out with a pry bar. all the plywood came off in tact so I will just use some slightly larger diameter screws with a nice pan head on them to re-attach.
-RV side door is really quality. all aluminum framed with good seals all around.
-interior has a LED light in it that has a switch next to the RV door and a switch on the lamp. of course this only runs when the trailer is hooked up to the truck and the lights are on. I will rewire this to the on board power this weekend.
-roof vent is a little flimsy and sticks up probably 4 plus inches above the roof line. not nearly as low profile as the ones used on FWC. probably run power over to it and replace with a powered vent in the future.
-the trailer has fold down stabilizers in the back. when full extended the trailer sits really level when the front jack is all the way out. really stable.
pictures to come in the next few days as the mod's begin. really need to pull it back out and get a "before" shot.
-first impressions: again, this is a Mirage 5x8 trailer.
-construction seems very solid and quality.
-removing the plywood walls is a pain, they use barbed nails that have a Philips head on them. they do not back themselves out, just spin. really just a nail with a Philips head. so had to strategically "pry" the plywood off and pulls the heads through then pull the nails out with a pry bar. all the plywood came off in tact so I will just use some slightly larger diameter screws with a nice pan head on them to re-attach.
-RV side door is really quality. all aluminum framed with good seals all around.
-interior has a LED light in it that has a switch next to the RV door and a switch on the lamp. of course this only runs when the trailer is hooked up to the truck and the lights are on. I will rewire this to the on board power this weekend.
-roof vent is a little flimsy and sticks up probably 4 plus inches above the roof line. not nearly as low profile as the ones used on FWC. probably run power over to it and replace with a powered vent in the future.
-the trailer has fold down stabilizers in the back. when full extended the trailer sits really level when the front jack is all the way out. really stable.
pictures to come in the next few days as the mod's begin. really need to pull it back out and get a "before" shot.
davidshourd
Adventurer
Some long hours this weekend. Insulated the walls, ran all the power, mounted all the lights, mounted the solar panels, awnings on, control panel all set, E track in, tongue box mounted with dual blue top optimas, and made a once over on all seams joints with some sealent. Couple pics here (EDIT, SEE NEXT POST) , i will try and get a couple more this week. Note i had to pull thr tires to get it in the garage. Riding on a couple heavy duty carts. Made it pretty nice for moving around when working on different areas.
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davidshourd
Adventurer
davidshourd
Adventurer
Couple more. Pulled it out of the garage to check the solar panels and the side awning set up. Everything works. Even on this cloudy afternoon the panels were reading a charge on the controller. Plenty of awning shelter around the trailer, should be great on those wet camping days.
