Expo Trailer Build flatbed, rooftop tent, teardrop style kitchen box on back

[bluebruin]

debated about posting a build thread. limited time these days. but, I like to pay it forward and put at least some info out there that someone else might find useful.

This will be my second offroad trailer build. This is my first:
http://offroadtrailer.blogspot.com/
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...e-II-Addition-of-Hardsided-Folding-Camper-Top

That trailer is now for sale. PM me if interested (I don't check this site all that often, please have patience). I have not set a price yet. You could complete the camper top (very little left to do, or use as is) or remove it and the lid and you have a great M416 trailer. Air bag assist on leaf springs, 37" tires with Jeep JK bolt pattern. Brand new bearings.

The reasons I am starting a new build are the following:
- M416 requires you to lift all your gear in and out of the tub (unless you add a tailgate). With the camper top, you have to unpack fully before deploying camper. Not sure I would try lifting the lid with the camper open. Once you take all your gear out, you have to setup your kitchen and camp. Took me about an hour previously. I am lazy and don't like the setup/take down process. With two kids under 5 years, I am looking for a quicker solution. I could build a slide out kitchen, but it would basically take up all the room inside the M416.

- Trailer is a bit heavy fully loaded. I am not strong enough to lift the tongue without a jack, so getting the trailer on and off the jeep is a pain. Maybe we just have too much crap with us. But the trailer is a bit on the heavy side, especially with the camper top.

- I like building things. This second trailer is a fun new project.

The things I know I am going to miss about the old trailer
- hard-sided camper with insulation in the walls. camp in any season.
- matching tire size to jeep. swap jeep spare with trailer, so you only carry one spare.
- dust tight, waterproof storage compartment. stuff anything in there, extra clothes, down jackets, pillows etc. all stays clean and dry
- M416's are cool. cool piece of history.
- my family of 4 can sleep in the same "tent"
- no other camper in the world like this one.
- the approximately $4000 and countless hours i have into that trailer.

Here is the new trailer. I bought someone else's project trailer. Too good a deal to pass up.
Deal included
- homemade trailer with two aluminum truck boxes
- offbrand Autohome Maggiolina style tent - small size with aluminum ladder
- large handicap scooter type hitch cargo basket
- foldable solar panel kit
- yellow top battery
- propane tank and propane fired water heater with water tank

Here is what it looked like:

My plan
- spring over axle lift
- 33" tires (mount undersized spare under trailer)
- remove overbuilt, non-functioning metal platform.
- remove truck boxes
- remove tailgate
- add custom kitchen box
-remount tent up high in fixed position. same height as my jeep RTT that I recently purchased.
- permanently mounted awning. (hoping to devise awning with no legs) awning covers kitchen area.
- all sleeping bags, pillows etc will be stored in RTT's. so, no air mattresses to blow up or bedding to setup. RTT's deploy with hand crank in about 30 seconds each.

Kitchen Includes
- permanently mounted and plumbed stove
- sink with gravity fed faucet. Drain to bucket or hose
- drying rack
- permanent prep counter
- drawers for all kitchen utensils, cups, pots, plates, etc.
- shelves for things like spices, cooking oil, sunscreen, etc.
- paper towel dispenser

Camp Setup - goal time 15 minutes.
- unhitch trailer. put down tongue jack
- deploy stabilizers in back? (not sure what these will be yet or if they are needed)
- deploy RTT's
- take bags of clothes from back of jeep, toss up in RTT's.
- open door on kitchen.
- deploy awning
- take camp chairs out of bin in trailer cargo area.
- move dry food boxes and cooler from front of trailer to ground by kitchen

this is what my RTT on my jeep looks like:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...NOT-the-pickup-toppers)?p=1677592#post1677592


Here are my design sketches

Here are the drawings for all the panels to build the kitchen box by CNC routering it

I cut out all the panels tonight from 12mm baltic birch plywood. Next step is to screw together the box. After that, paint and build crates that will slide into compartments for storage.

 

[bluebruin]

her is the trailer as it sits now.
- removed platform
- removed small tires.
- spring over axle lift
- removed truck boxes

Suspension before the spring over lift:

Leaf springs after the spring over lift:

The deck sits 32" off the ground after the lift.

I put my max coupler from my other trailer on this one.

 

[bluebruin]

kitchen box

Cnc kitchen box is all cut and routered out. Assembled it tonight. I used a tab system to interlock all the panels. All screwed together, no glue necessary.

I'll take some more photos next time I work on it.

 

[Quiero_acampar]

I enjoyed the originality and ingenuity on your last build. Looking forward to seeing this one shape up too. I need to gain some building skills before I attempt one of these.

 

[bluebruin]

nahh.... just go for it. you learn along the way. Research, plan, go for it. You make mistakes, but you adapt your design as you go. It won't turn out perfect but you will have a lot of satisfaction in the end result anyway.

 

[bluebruin]

more progress

set the kitchen box on the trailer for a test fit. wheh, just fits snug between the wheel wells and the two tail light metal boxes.

Painted the box with a base layer of oil based paint. Plan to put epoxy resin on the whole thing for extra water resistance. Will be keeping this trailer under a canvas tarp to protect the wood while sitting outside.

Here are some detail closes ups of the interlocking tab joint system that the box construction uses

Here is the same joint detail on the shelves in the door section of the box

Cutting the drawer crates out of 3/8" (9mm) baltic birch on the cnc

Finished drawer crate panels

Covered the inside of the wheel wells with aluminum sheet metal.

Painted kitchen box on trailer, screwed down.

Here is a look at the door section of the kitchen box. Includes pantry shelves and a prep counter. The board on a hinge will separate the drawers from the shelves during transport to keep things in their places and not flying around in there. I tried using a piano hinge to attach the whole door assembly, but it didn't hang square. Not sure if the box is slightly out of square, or the weight of the door assembly is causing droop. Will try again once the box is mounted on the trailer.

Cut the whole in the bottom of the kitchen box, through the wood deck of the trailer, for the stainless steel sink. I just picked one up on craigslist for $10. It was a double sink, so I cut it in half.

Added aluminum to the bottom of the box, for ease of cleaning , water resistance from sink splashes, and also heat resistance since the camp stove will sit to the right of the sink at this same level. Will be adding a backsplash of aluminum also. Glued sink in with 3M 340 seam sealer. Screwed everything down with stainless fasteners.

 

[CodyY]

Cool

 

[TwinStick]

Wow !!! Must be GREAT to be able to use a cnc machine for cutting all those intricate pieces. This is a way cool build !!!

 

[bluebruin]

Wow !!! Must be GREAT to be able to use a cnc machine for cutting all those intricate pieces. This is a way cool build !!!

yeah! have one at the place I work so might as well take advantage!

 

[bluebruin]

more progress made.

Rehung the door with 10" heavy duty strap hinges. still sags about 1" on opposite side of the door. Its the birch side of the box that's warping under load causing sag Went 12mm birch to save weight, but in retrospect should have gone 18mm (3/4") on outer walls. oh well. I plan to install a draw latch at the top of the box. So, when you close you just lift the door up into position and flip the latch. That will allow the seals all to line up properly during transport.

I could add a reinforcement rib to stiffen that wall, but the pantry on the inside of the door will interfere when closed.

Assembled all of the drawers. These are made from 9mm (3/8") baltic birch. same tab system. Just need to add screws for long term durability.

Here is the compartment for the propane tank. Just realized today, you need to access it to turn off the gas at the handle on the tank between uses/trips. I was just thinking it would be permanently plumbed and neglected to realize this detail. so, i'll have to add an access hole to the panel that covers the tank so you can reach your arm in there. To fill the tank, you'll remove the access panel and pull the tank.

Hope to make more progress this week and weekend. More to follow.

 

[elmo_4_vt]

Nice progress. I've always thought that if I ever get an self-contained camper like a Van or slide in, that I would tow a trailer like this for the extra "stuff" like motorcycles and for an outside kitchen area. Nice ideas.

Don

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[Ozarker]

Good ideas, keep them coming! Looks like you're starting with my trailer too. Nice to have the cnc in your shop, doubt my stuff will be that precise.

How high is the top platform going to be off the deck and ground? Being in the Old Goats Club I'll probably want the top to telescope up and down, carry the bike in a higher position and lower it after unloading. Great job!

 

[bluebruin]

Good ideas, keep them coming! Looks like you're starting with my trailer too. Nice to have the cnc in your shop, doubt my stuff will be that precise.

How high is the top platform going to be off the deck and ground? Being in the Old Goats Club I'll probably want the top to telescope up and down, carry the bike in a higher position and lower it after unloading. Great job!

yeah. wish the cnc was mine. its at work. but great perk to have access after hours. if you are careful in your designs you can make a great finished product. but if you overlook one small detail, the whole thing can turn out wrong and not fit together, and you just wasted $150 in wood. You don't' get to fit each piece together as you go and make adjustments as you normally would build something by hand on a table saw. Its all or nothing in some cases.

Anyway, the tent will be the same height off the ground as my jeep tent. 84" if I recall correctly. pretty high. not the most fun to climb in and out but that's the way it goes. Hope its not too top heavy. I can always shorten my rack I'm building and mount the RTT directly to the top of the kitchen box if needed to reduce height about 8". But I am hoping that if they are at the same level, I can park the jeep next to the trailer, and we can get close enough to open side doors and talk or pass a water bottle/diaper back and forth etc. We will see. Maybe even put a board up in the tent to act as a bridge between the two.

I have considered the whole top telescoping up and down thing. Its not easy to build something that moves. I learned that on my last trailer. Moving parts don't usually work out like you hope. They always seem to stick or bind, or not line up etc. After all, your trailer is basically a hand made prototype. A one-off. And those don't usually turn out perfect. Plus everything always ends up weighing more than you think. The guy who I bought this trailer from had a platform that theoretically moved up and down. But it was nearly impossible to lift due to weight, and the fact you have 4 sleeved tubes in 4 corners. How do you lift evenly? If you lift a corner, only that corner raises a bit till the sleeved tube binds. Anyway, I looked into a bunch of things to lift a tent/camper top: gas springs, hydraulics, a winch system with cables, jacks, etc etc. Can't find much out there that works well, or that doesn't' cost a fortune.

my motto on this build is keep it simple. If I can make it all simple, I hope it will be more enjoyable to use since I won't always be struggling with some part of the trailer setup that's overly complex and time consuming. Its not fun camping for a weekend when you spend 2 hours setting up friday night in the dark with grumpy kids up past their bed time.

Things like folding campers, lift systems, corner jacks, electric water pumps, battery systems, gas spring assist lids and on and on just make it that much worse.

I am going with fixed tent position. Gravity feed water. "open" cargo area without doors/compartments/latches/seals etc. hopefully no under carriage stabilizers or jacks. Only a couple things will need to operate or be deployed: open door on kitchen, crank open RTT's, unfold awning, set camp chair by fire, have a beer.

my RTT's are professionally built (unlike my homemade camper), so I hope the work reliably and smoothly. Kitchen is pre-setup. Propane plumbed to stove. Water tank plumbed to sink. All gear washed at camp and stored in organized kitchen box. Nothing to lug in and out of house before/after each trip to wash. All bedding ready to go sitting inside RTT's.

anyway.. back to building. I have to put a coat of paint on the kitchen box as soon as the fire in my garage wood stove heats it up enough. Its dumping snow and 25deg here in the rockies....

 

[bluebruin]

cut a hole to access the valve on the propane tank

solved the droop problem. just added a small aluminum ledge. screwed it to the underside of the 1" of the kitchen box hanging off the back of the trailer. use the handle while closing, provide a little lift, and the door sits on the ledge. door is now aligned for latches and door seals.

Drawers are fully assembled with wood screws now.

 

[Ozarker]

Looks great!

I'll be shooting for versatility and having options to fit the trip, time at a camp or just pulling over for a few zzzz's.

I am thinking along the same lines incorporating the trailer with the truck, having a "bridge" between the two.

As to lifting a top platform, a swing out bar frame or boom from one side to the other side would allow a pulley in the center and just use a come-along at the front with a pulley when needed, detach it after pinning the top in place. An X frame can be under the platform with a small hole to hook the lift or let it down giving a smooth surface on top of the platform. The "guides" don't need to fit tightly, some play can keep it from binding, but when locked or pinned in place support is there with gravity resting on a good pin. Might consider a round pipe riser in a square box tube, tight but not too tight. Then swing the boom frame from the sides.

I may try to put the boom on the front and it can be raised and lowered as well. It would be handy if you deer hunt. Running a winch through a boom can be handy when the trailer is in the utility mode, pull a dead load up a ramp as my trailer tilts too. I don't care to push a riding lawn tractor up a ramp if it's not running.

By all means, go with the KISS method. I'm not going to rely on complex machinery to do a job. BTW.

Your rig does seem high to me with its size, Think I'll keep it at 74 inches from the top of the trailer floor, even that is high. Hope to walk into the trailer without getting a headache, but I also don't want to go higher than my truck. Pulling a brick in windy conditions isn't fun.

Your kitchen looks great, keep at it, subscribed as they say!