Offroad / Camping Trailer Build

[Rubiconcruiser21]

You should have a common wire between the trailer and tow rig for nothing
more than a neutral for spikes and flares in the 12 v power system. Nice Job
though.

 

[daveyd]

Turned out nice. You surprised me with your creativity. Well done!! :ylsmoke:

 

[gordinho80]

Thanks!

Picked up the water tank today! 24 gal tank that was taken out of tow behind in order to upgrade to a larger tank. Works for me!!!

Going to mount it inside the trailer towards the front... or section off the tongue box and mount it in there. I'd seal the battery side in case of tank failure. I'm actually liking this idea as I could mount the heater on the lid of the box above the tank! MMMM

 

[gordinho80]

Should have the 4x6" angle this weekend.

 

[gordinho80]

Possible water tank location.

I'd have enough room on the other side of the box to mount the battery and fuse panel...

I would drill out the back of the box on the side to place the fill up location. Small piece of hose running inside to a 90* elbow into the tank.

I would mount the pump in front of the tank itself. Very little wiring required. The Eccotemp would mount to the lid of the box, so that when open, it is upright. Would just need to run a hose to the kitchen. I would probably put a spigot underneath the fill point, also on the back side of the box.

 

[gordinho80]

So I've been looking at this more and more... and I think I have it, finally!

Side boxes running the length of the trailer. They would start at the top frame and run all the way down to the top portion of the fender. I'm thinking 4x6 angle might be a little too much for a box frame, though. What about heavy duty plywood boxes? Would be a little easier to cut out and put together. Alternatively, I can get some smaller angle to make the frame out of? Only reason I'm doubting the 4x6 as a frame is because it would be about 13' on each side of 3/8" thick 4x6 angle! Thats a lot of weight.

So I've been talking to neighbor (who has been my steel supplier for this whole project)... Looking at the following...

Option 1:
4x6" angle ran along the top of the trailer frame front to back. I would run the 6" length horizontally to get a deeper box, more suitable for shovel, ax, hilift... Then, take the sheet steel I have which is like 3/16" I think, and cut 2 8" strips lengthwise. Notch and bend to make like a 6" C Channel, then bend and weld that to form a 16"x63"x16" U shape. This would be the sides and bottom of the box. I would use the rear flanges to bolt and weld it to the trailer frame. Then I would just need to make doors. The remaining piece of sheet steel would be enough to make 2 16" tall doors that I would get some smaller tube to frame.

Option 2:
He's checking to see if he can get me some thinner walled C channel, 6" wide, which I would make the entire box frame out of. It would be strong enough to support the cap, lighter than using the 4x6 all around, and less work than notching and bending flanges in sheet steel. I would still make the doors out of sheet steel and smaller tube.

I'm leaning toward option 2, to be honest. Hopefully I can get some thinner C to use.

 

[matthewp]

So I've been looking at this more and more... and I think I have it, finally!


Side boxes running the length of the trailer...

Nice idea! I just don't think cardboard will hold up!:elkgrin:

I like the way you're going with this trailer. very nice!

 

[gordinho80]

Thank you! The trailer sure has come a long way since I got it. But there is still SO much to do.

 

[Aspen Trails Trailers]

It NEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRR EEEEEENNNNNNDDDDS!

 

[gordinho80]

Started working on the side boxes.

I'm picking up these doors from Craigslist...

$50 for all 3 doors! Just have to figure out sealing and the latch... Once I have them in my possession, it should be pretty easy to figure out. Hoping to have them by this weekend.

With the boxes, I ran silicon along each joint before screwing the pieces together. I'm going to cover the boxes with the same material as I used on the wood on the trailer. The tails will be housed on the back panels of the boxes, keeping them out of the way and easily accessible in case of failure.

Once the boxes are completed, going to mount the cap, after I paint it, of course. The question is... what color do I paint the cap? Same color as the boxes(grey) or as the steel on the trailer(black)? Then I need to focus on water setup and tailgate.

 

[hidefxj]

Gotta respect the creativity and hard work!
People think building from scratch is hard work but we both know from experience, modifying to fit our needs is usually more difficult!
Keep up the great work!

 

[gordinho80]

Picked up the doors, working on getting them in place this week/weekend.

I also ordered my Camp Chef Triton, Flojet, and strainer!

 

[gordinho80]

Now I need to add a lip along the inside so I can seal the doors. I'm holding up a small piece of 1x2 as an example but I think I'm going to make it out of steel. I also need to add strikers for the latches. Sorry for the blurry pic...

 

[gordinho80]

Testing out the lip/striker...

It works GREAT! Just need to add side lips. I'm planning on putting a small Aluminum angle along the outside as a gutter to assist in keeping water out of the door. It will also act as a giant washer, spreading the load of the bolts uses to hold the lip in place.

I then checked to see if the stove will sit on top of the door properly... and it does. The stove is a little larger than the opening for the side box, but it fits inside just fine. Couple of bungees to hold it in place when travelling. Rest of the box will be used to store kitchen type products and propane hoses.