My Backcountry Camper Trailer Build

[sinuhexavier]

Rob-

You need to lighten up and get the sand out of your underpants.
You have admitted that it was a poor packing job.
You have admitted that it will not be safe until you have a cargo barrier.
You are building a trailer in lieu of other systems.

So would you advise people to pack like that?

Would you get this defensive if a traveling partner poked fun at your packing job?

The thread on EE serves as an informational guide as to what not to do across a broad spectrum, guns, rovers and motorcycles. I believe I am in that thread 3 times. Not just my truck, but me and some dumb **** I've done. Your name was not mentioned, there was no link to a thread, you are again playing the victim.

It's not okay to point out a poor packing job with no reference to the original poster but it is ok to bash me, my packing style and the equipment I use?

Please... Nice double standard...

 

[Funrover]

Can't wait for the camping/action shots.. Trailer looks great!

 

[kjp1969]

As for tie downs, I think people must be delusional if they think they are any real safety benefit. They prevent things from shifting, nothing more. Maybe in a low speed flop, they'll hold things secure, but in a violent roll (likely caused by an overloaded rack...) or heavy frontal, forget about it. I've seen what a medium suitcase does to a rear seat in a collision, and it's not pretty. A strap looped through a handle will do NOTHING. That's a joke. I find it really amusing that the same guys who make fun of cargo drawer systems are the same ones who think that thing a strap around a Pelican case will hold. There's a reason professionals spend so much money on cargo systems.

Wow, something I have real world experience on. Around 5 years ago I had the misfortune of losing control of a fully loaded camping trailer at around 55mph. The trailer swayed, jacknifed, and rolled over onto both sides. The interior was absolutely trashed, with appliances ripped out of their cabinets and thrown around like trash. There wasn't a straight panel left on the trailer after they righted it and towed it off.

The trailer was equipped with 2 6v batteries on the tongue (probably 60lbs apiece), both held in place with the meager little straps that come with a marine battery box. You know the ones, cheap fabric webbing with plastic friction buckles. Surprisingly, both of those batteries stayed put- they didn't budge at all. When the trailer came to rest, both were actually hanging upside down from those straps

So after that, I'm a believer in proper ratchet straps over everything, and especially through the handles of things like tool boxes and suitcases. A guarantee? No, of course not. But its pretty good insurance, and a reasonable alternative to some kind of bionic storage box system.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

That is pretty surprising. Did the trailer coupler stay connected the whole time?

I'm mostly concerned with front collisions when I don't think straps will do much. Again, I've had the misfortune of seeing what a heavy frontal does to things. A 30 lb suitcase almost came through the back seat. The frame of the seat was twisted and about a 6" gap opened up.

 

[milpigjk]

Only a suggestion but why don't we start a new thread with packing as the focus. That way is pointed at no one and this thread can get back to the intended subject.

You are more than welcome to continue this but why not open it to every one in a specific thread and focus on the trailer here?

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Good idea.

So back to the trailer, pretty shortly I have to decide on how to do the kitchen slide. I have yet to decide on using rollers, or a simple skid slide system like the Drifta kitchens. Rollers are significantly more compicated to set up, expensive, and take more space to execute. Skids are easy and pretty much fool proof, but require lifting the end of the box after you pass the half-way point. I think they'd make the trailer more stable after you flip the legs down on the end, whereas rollers will place a huge torsional load on the trailer, trying to tip it. But then rollers will be easier for the wife to use.

Hmmm...

 

[Titanpat57]

I think I would like to try to make my own slide system..using 1" crush bearing rollers and a nice heavy c channel....kinda like an Acuuride slide on steriods. I don't think it will extend out all the way..but more than 3/4's.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Actually, I don't want all the way, just 3/4 at the most anyway. Crush rollers?

 

[kjp1969]

That is pretty surprising. Did the trailer coupler stay connected the whole time?

I'm mostly concerned with front collisions when I don't think straps will do much. Again, I've had the misfortune of seeing what a heavy frontal does to things. A 30 lb suitcase almost came through the back seat. The frame of the seat was twisted and about a 6" gap opened up.

Nope- the hitch popped off the ball, otherwise it would have dragged the truck over on its side, too. I was also surprised that the straps held, ditto the safety chains. I would have preferred that the trailer and truck part ways at that point, but I understand the purpose of keeping them together.

I don't put anything weighty in the cargo are of our SUV without a strap around it. Even if it just tethers it down to keep it from going airborne in a crash, every little bit helps.

 

[Titanpat57]

Sorry..I always called them crush bearings. I guess the technical name is track bearings..here's a link with a simple idea drawing

http://www.mcmaster.com/#stud-mount-bearings/=2g1zaz

Anyhow ...finally got the picture to load....look at the pic, you'll see what I mean

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Ok, that is what I was planning on if I go with rollers. I'm just still not sure if it's the right thing here. Seems like a lot of weight I'll have cantilevered off the side. I can imagine a large cooler weighing 100lbs, 4 feet out from the side.

 

[ntsqd]

Somewhere around here I posted a SW generated picture of a drawer using those rollers. I turned the rollers around and put them into a slot in the surrounding structure to save lateral space.

 

[socaljeeper]

Somewhere around here I posted a SW generated picture of a drawer using those rollers. I turned the rollers around and put them into a slot in the surrounding structure to save lateral space.

I think you are referring to this thread, post #33: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25201&page=4

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Somewhere around here I posted a SW generated picture of a drawer using those rollers. I turned the rollers around and put them into a slot in the surrounding structure to save lateral space.

Yes, I remember that. I don't think it will work out for such a long slide however. Too much weight on the slide will try to open up the slot. I think it's a good idea on a drawer that has a lot of depth, but on a thin rail for a slide out platform, not idea.

I'm thinking I might use an aluminum C-channel bolted to the frame and a row of rollers mounted to the platform that will roll in the channel. That way I get the verticals in both directions with a single set of rollers, and the C channel will be stiffer than an L-angle.

I also have to figure out what to do in the kitchenette, because something I missed in the design phase is that the fold down door was supposed to be the counter, but at 30" it's too deep, and my wife couldn't reach the cabinets. So it will have to fold down all the way, we'll have an 18" countertop with a clear space , and then some upper cabinets only. It's a bit of a waste of volume, but I think we'll have more than enough anyway. I'd still like to do something with the dead space when the door is folded up. I'm thinking maybe something like small lower cabinets mounted on the door for utentsils that will fold up into the space above the countertop when you lift the door.

I don't even know if that's necessary anyway, as maybe I'll have more than enough storage anyway. I'll have one set of upper cabinets, 12" deep, 12" high, and probably 48" long.

Lastly, I need to figure out... I don't know that I can get any "fancy" plywoods around here. Just the standard stuff from Home Depot. So, I can get standard exterior sheeting 1/4" to 3/4". One Side Good like for flooring. And I know I can get Birch ply, but I think it's for interior use. That's what I'd like to use for a lot of it, but will it be OK when varnished.

 

[ntsqd]

I think you are referring to this thread, post #33: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25201&page=4

Funny, I went to the source and didn't find that picture. Must have looked right past it. :doh:

Success of the design would depend on the amount of structure on the top side of the slot. If the roller were turned around and made to run between two tubes in the surrounding structure then it could pick up considerable strength of the slot, but would put a single point load on the drawer.

I started out thinking to just have the bottom roller bear against the bottom of the drawer and the top roller bear against the top of the drawer, but quickly realized that a third pair of rollers at the mid-span of the bottom would be needed. The slot eliminated that need. In that design effort I was looking to minimize the number of rollers, but assuming the cost of the third pair isn't unreasonable it wouldn't be bad to have them and do away with the slot altogether. I was also looking to minimize the volume lost to any roller specific support structure that wasn't buried within the greater structure.