Questions about design for ultralight bed-on-wheels (codename: Siesta)

[Betonhaus]

yeah i should get the book. it seems that everything still largely works if i jump down to 8" tires, but I have to be careful to make sure i get ones rated for 80mph as most of them aren't

lowered the roof while i was at it, but I still want the luggage area in the front for a few reasons.

 

[billiebob]

is it fine to use longer bolts that go through the whole thing or should I cut access holes so that short bolts can connect the two faces that actually touch each other?

Short bolts definitely, or add crush tubes, You do not want the bolts to crush the tube, the bolts MUST have backing.

 

[billiebob]

Anytime I towed a really light trailer, they bounce all over the place on bumps. The trailer tires would get airborne sometimes.
I don't know if you could dial that out of them with custom suspension. It would suck to build something awesome and have it get torn apart on the roads.

there is a youtube of just what you say behind an ancient Jeep Cherokeee off road, thru stream and his foam framed canvas wrapped tailer out performs his buddies traditional trailers. Using the xorrect springs is the secret.

 

[billiebob]

canvas will be soaked with likely a urethan-based truck liner which should adhere to the foam fine

not sure about that, there are proven systems out there, if you must experiment have at 'er but....

Who in the world wrote that?

Tony

yep. so much of design is just about function. you sit in a chair, it is 16" high..... why is that?

 

[NatersXJ6]

yeah i should get the book. it seems that everything still largely works if i jump down to 8" tires, but I have to be careful to make sure i get ones rated for 80mph as most of them aren't
View attachment 651134
lowered the roof while i was at it, but I still want the luggage area in the front for a few reasons.

Are you planning to tow at 80 mph with a Fiesta? Is a Fiesta something different than the little Ford bubble I have in my head? Can they even go 80?

This is noted in some other threads here, but just because those little tires can hit, or are rated for, 80... doesn’t mean the wheel bearings behind them are. I’m guessing a super light trailer will get super squirrelly when a bearing seizes or a spindle breaks at speed!

It sounds like a fun challenge project, but not really my style.

Alternative thought, have you considered making a tent that pops up? Maybe just connect your wheels and frame to one half of a folded rooftop tent?

 

[Betonhaus]

not sure about that, there are proven systems out there, if you must experiment have at 'er but....

canvas soaked in paint is popular on the Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers forum as Poor Man's Fibreglass, I read dsomewhere else someoen using truck liner but I didn't find that again. I'll likely use it on the outside anyways as extras protection against rock chips and the like

Are you planning to tow at 80 mph with a Fiesta? Is a Fiesta something different than the little Ford bubble I have in my head? Can they even go 80?

This is noted in some other threads here, but just because those little tires can hit, or are rated for, 80... doesn’t mean the wheel bearings behind them are. I’m guessing a super light trailer will get super squirrelly when a bearing seizes or a spindle breaks at speed!

Alternative thought, have you considered making a tent that pops up? Maybe just connect your wheels and frame to one half of a folded rooftop tent?

80mph/130km/h is normal (unofficial) highways speeds here in the prairies so the tires should really be rated for them. Looking online as long as I'm fairly diligent about regreasing the bearings it should be fine.

And i have the Fiesta ST so yes it can go 80mph

probably won't be doing any fancy driving while towing tho
and I'd prefer something I don't have to mess with, as i don't want to have to worry about timing around rain showers.

 

[billiebob]

yeah i should get the book. it seems that everything still largely works if i jump down to 8" tires, but I have to be careful to make sure i get ones rated for 80mph as most of them aren't
View attachment 651134
lowered the roof while i was at it, but I still want the luggage area in the front for a few reasons.

What are you towing with ?
One thing I have done for the past 40 years is ALWAYS bought 15" tires on the trailer. I'll never buy smaller. Wheel wells and 15" tires are the best choice. On the road, 15" trailer tires are common everywhere, Waiting for an 8" tire might leave you parked for a week.

And where are you? Maybe add that to yer profile, it might improve the replies you get..... 80mph is moving.
Maybe 8" tires are the rage where you live.

 

[Smileyshaun]

This is just me and thinking and I understand the want for a quick bed to sleep in and the challenge of a project outside the box ...... butttt maybe just a quick set tent and a cot would work better , more room , you can stand up and if the weather is bad you have somewhere to hang out away from the elements.

 

[Smileyshaun]

It may also surprise you how quickly camping gear weight adds up , you should lay all your gear out along with water and misc item and add that to the trailer weight just to be safe .

 

[s.e.charles]

... tracking down marine grade plywood, one of the downsides of living in a landlocked province. i might as well use normal plywood then seal it myself

another possibility is MDO plywood. but if you have a real lumberyard available, you can order marine fir or mahogany and just offer up any shipping charges. or buy partial sheets and have it UPSed.

i just bought a sheet of 1/2 fir and with tax it was $105 + change.

amazon is a quartered sheet for $120. i had to drive 64 miles to get mine; they'll dump it on your doorstep. for the $16 difference, well you get the idea.

 

[Betonhaus]

Alright, I think i have the design basically figured out. Excluding screws and bolts and paint the trailer will weight around 200lbs and will cost me about $2,000 before shipping, well within the limits I want to stay within. I'm waiting for my request to join the tiny trailers forum to be approved so i can get a final sanity check but i should be good to go once I get some money set aside for it.

One thing I'm noticing is that with this width I'm just a little bit wider then a 4x8 sheet of plywood, any narrower and a double bed won't fit. right now I've just been intending to cut two sheets to 30" wide then mount them side by side with some extra support under the part that's not under the tongue to axle bar, but I'm wondering if I should be doing something different.

 

[Teardropper]

I'm just a little bit wider then a 4x8 sheet of plywood, any narrower and a double bed won't fit.

A 48" wide camper is fine for one person. If you bump up to your planned 54", it'll be more of a challenge to build because of material sizes.

Tony

 

[Betonhaus]

I mean yeah i did make a design that uses a twin/single sized mattress that's about 45" wide, but I was sorta hoping to make a double size that holds two people. but most of the parts bolt or screw together so i suppose if it comes to that i can make a new shell and transfer all the more expensive hardware to it. Or spoon.

I'm using .12" thick tube but I could probably drop it to .065"?

Anyways I'm towing it behind my Fiesta, so i figured a good name for it would be the Einzelschläfer

 

[Albatross]

Lightweight:

http://www.roehnert.de/piccolino.pdf

 

[s.e.charles]

.... waiting for my request to join the tiny trailers forum to be approved so i can get a final sanity check ...

just temper any advice with a bit of skepticism. some builders are very knowledgeable, but there are also folks building flush, hollow core door floored, units covered with roofing tar and foam insulation boards held together with cable ties and aluminum hvac tape. and everything in between.