Skersfan's New Shuttle Pod Trailer Build...
- Thread starter SWITAWI
- Start date
Fantastic build, you have some great talent!
A couple questions:
1. How are the vertical aluminum (or are they fiberglass) walls attached to the metal frame, did you you use a specific type of cement?
2. What is the width (hub to hub) of the axle you used?
One of the best looking campers I've ever seen
A couple questions:
1. How are the vertical aluminum (or are they fiberglass) walls attached to the metal frame, did you you use a specific type of cement?
2. What is the width (hub to hub) of the axle you used?
One of the best looking campers I've ever seen
Thank you for your comments.
The fiberglass is laminated to 2 sheets of luan (made by Eclipse RV manufactureing) and then glued to 3/8inch plyood. A combination of 3M and Gorrila Glue is what the RV manufacturer recommended. I also used tech screws and bolts. If I continue to make the walls this way I will build the whole wall and compress the glue to the plywood or have the walls made with 4 sheets of luan. Would save weight and could be finished on the inside. Looking at several things right now.
The axle is a Dexter Torflex 2700 pound with electric brakes. It is 72 inches face to face. That gives me 3 3/4 inches between the tires and the frame, using 16 inch Moto Metal 951 wheels, and 35 inch tires. The trailer to the outside of the fenders is 80 inches wide.
Hope that answers all your questions, if not do not hesitate to ask.
I see a lot of people are looking at the trailer. I really am looking for comments, positvie or negative. It helps me know what you guys want and need in a trailer. Too big too little, design, quality. Any comments are appreciated.
This is a prototype. Things will change on it and the finish of it will be a lot better in production. This is just to get my ideas out there, searching for answers to make it better and more well rounded.
Thanks again to all that have looked. I had never planned on it being on this site. I am sure glad that a friend put it here. Many good ideas for this trailer and for future trailesr design.
This is a prototype. Things will change on it and the finish of it will be a lot better in production. This is just to get my ideas out there, searching for answers to make it better and more well rounded.
Thanks again to all that have looked. I had never planned on it being on this site. I am sure glad that a friend put it here. Many good ideas for this trailer and for future trailesr design.
Heat (propane) and AC are a must. "Happy Wife, Happy Life"
Would like interior to be about 10-12" wider, this would give just enough room to fit the wife, daughter, and myself more comfortably.
To gain the extra width, somehow incorporate boatsides into the lower portion coming up over the fenders a few inches on each side. This would help keep the axle width the same and get more room.
May loose some head room in doing this but could also gain some storage under the mattress by raising the floor.
Would like interior to be about 10-12" wider, this would give just enough room to fit the wife, daughter, and myself more comfortably.
To gain the extra width, somehow incorporate boatsides into the lower portion coming up over the fenders a few inches on each side. This would help keep the axle width the same and get more room.
May loose some head room in doing this but could also gain some storage under the mattress by raising the floor.
Amp,
I have been working on that. My number one problem with doing it is the door opening area. I would have to change the length of the box and also the angle of the front, which will be slightly different on the production trailer. I will play with it a little more and see what I can do.
It would increase the build cost of the trailer and the weight considerably I think. Give me a couple of days on it.
I have been working on that. My number one problem with doing it is the door opening area. I would have to change the length of the box and also the angle of the front, which will be slightly different on the production trailer. I will play with it a little more and see what I can do.
It would increase the build cost of the trailer and the weight considerably I think. Give me a couple of days on it.
indiedog
Adventurer
Hi Bob. It's great to see something a bit different. The trailer looks a total beast. A couple of comments for you.
1. 7/8th ply sounds like total overkill. You've got a steel frame so the ply is really only supporting the skin and adding some torsional stiffness. I would have thought 3/8th or 1/2 max would have done the job. That alone would save you a lot of weight. If you want to use the ply as structure you could probably do away with some of the steel ribs internally but one or two ribs will be a lot lighter than the increased ply thickness.
2. The external finish looks great and very eye catching. The internal finish doesn't match the perceived quality of the exterior. A thin lining of ply or something to give a smooth finish would make a big difference. Could also give some space for wiring etc for a few well placed LED's to sparkle up the inside?!
3. Lift the bed? In pretty well 100% of trailers over here we max' the storage under the bed. If you could lift the bed by even 200mm/8inches, this would give a lot of storage, make some of it accessible from outside with a suitable hatch? If you could I'd go for 12inches. What's your clear height inside from top of mattress to the ceiling? Looks generous enough. If you did that the bed base should sit level abouts with the top of the wheel arch so then there's a chance to make the body wider (for the desired bigger bed) and incorporate wheel wells into the body. That's a big change I know but seems there's a lot of people who want bigger beds.
4. Two doors? I hate having to climb over my wife to get up in the middle of the night.
Hope that's of some use/value. As I said you've done a great job. :victory:
The wall thickness is 3/8 plywood, with two 1/8 sheets of luan and 1/8 inch fiberglass. Production will be a little different. 1/8 luan will be the base glued to 1/4 plywood and 1 /8 luan to 1/8 fiberglass. If I go the aluminum walls it will have a finished interrior . I am hesitant about doing it as it require bolting the trailer together. Bolting the walls to the frame just scares me. I have trailers that I built this way that have been on the road for over 25 years.
The frame is welded completely around making it virtually impossible to get finished wood on the inside. I actually tried to do it and did not like the look. Most likely due to my lack of woodworking talent. Finishing the inside to the level of the wood tear drops would increase the cost and I am trying to keep mine far below their prices.
I will be doing the frame differently and it will be powder coated and linex before applying the outside walls. There will be a coating on the luan, but not sure what I will use.
On the underbed storage, I have thought about it. I actually was going to do it on this trailer, and about 8 inches is the limit. I will be changing the front angle some and that will allow the door to be higher and farther forward. It is still something I could do on this one, and I still may.
Unfortunately there really is not away for it to have outside openings I am afraid. I will check on doors, I could mount them directly to the wood and not frame them, if framed with steel it cuts down on the opening size. They could only be forward of the fenders, as the back is completely used. I had though about a door for the batteries, but because I needed to have them over the axles, they end up behind the fenders.
Also on the production trailers, using steel the frame work will be more standard. I realized after building it I had over built it with some 2x1 for framing the doors and windows. Will change that, I will order windows that acutally clamp together allowing a narrow piece of steel.
The idea of raising the bed above the fender wells is a very good idea. Will take some measurements on that and see what I can come up with. It is close inside for width, but being a memory foam mattress it seems fine. I am well over 200 pounds and my wife is not tiny. Way more comfortable than our roof top tent. That thing just about go me divorced. She literally hated it.
Thank you for all of your comments and I will look closely at each one.
The frame is welded completely around making it virtually impossible to get finished wood on the inside. I actually tried to do it and did not like the look. Most likely due to my lack of woodworking talent. Finishing the inside to the level of the wood tear drops would increase the cost and I am trying to keep mine far below their prices.
I will be doing the frame differently and it will be powder coated and linex before applying the outside walls. There will be a coating on the luan, but not sure what I will use.
On the underbed storage, I have thought about it. I actually was going to do it on this trailer, and about 8 inches is the limit. I will be changing the front angle some and that will allow the door to be higher and farther forward. It is still something I could do on this one, and I still may.
Unfortunately there really is not away for it to have outside openings I am afraid. I will check on doors, I could mount them directly to the wood and not frame them, if framed with steel it cuts down on the opening size. They could only be forward of the fenders, as the back is completely used. I had though about a door for the batteries, but because I needed to have them over the axles, they end up behind the fenders.
Also on the production trailers, using steel the frame work will be more standard. I realized after building it I had over built it with some 2x1 for framing the doors and windows. Will change that, I will order windows that acutally clamp together allowing a narrow piece of steel.
The idea of raising the bed above the fender wells is a very good idea. Will take some measurements on that and see what I can come up with. It is close inside for width, but being a memory foam mattress it seems fine. I am well over 200 pounds and my wife is not tiny. Way more comfortable than our roof top tent. That thing just about go me divorced. She literally hated it.
Thank you for all of your comments and I will look closely at each one.
Indiedog,
Did some rough measuring today. It appears that I could raise the bed to the level of the wheelwells, and make it wider. Draw backs are door openings, and ceiling heigth.
By making the trailer wider, you raise the price of the trailer considerably. I have it set up now on 48 inch width so to speak. each piece then becomes a double for floor and top and bed area. Little change in the walls. Also steel tubing comes in 20 foot lenghts, that changes the over cost on the steel. Time to build would not change much after the first one is my guess.
Another small problem, this trailer gives you room to get in it when it is nasty outside, set up play cards, watch tv, still quite small but useable. By raising the bed to the wheel well level it does away with that and just becomes a sleeping compartment. Not sure that is what most would want.
Go back through the build and look at the components that are standard on my trailer, comparing to others. I have just about every option anyone could think of, far more than the competition and I am trying to hold the 17.5k price. I have cut every corner I can think of to do that. Do you feel by changing the design I would gain far more sales and would the consumer be willing to pay another 2 grand for it.
These things only have so much room, in honesty offer very little comfort compared to a real RV, but vastly more than a bunch of boxes and a rooftop tent. I am marketing to the female side more so than the die in the wool outdoorsman. Bare essentials so to speak.
I may build a proto of what you have suggested, as I have looked at alot of those things. But these things are not cheap to build by any means, the components alone total more than a moderately outfitted AT.
Also by making the box wider or out to the outside of the wheel wells, you will lose gas mileage, add weight and the chance for more trail damage, currently the frame and the wheel wells will take most hits that could do damage.
This trailer is designed to craw over anything, Rubicon, Kokopelli, John Bull. The only question of trail worthiness is the width. Keeping the walls inboard was my idea of making it possible. Also by running the walls over the fender wells, you end up with sealing issues down the road normally. Right now the whole box is a sealed box seperated from the wheel wells. Give me more postitives to try this. Hell it is only money!!!!!
Did some rough measuring today. It appears that I could raise the bed to the level of the wheelwells, and make it wider. Draw backs are door openings, and ceiling heigth.
By making the trailer wider, you raise the price of the trailer considerably. I have it set up now on 48 inch width so to speak. each piece then becomes a double for floor and top and bed area. Little change in the walls. Also steel tubing comes in 20 foot lenghts, that changes the over cost on the steel. Time to build would not change much after the first one is my guess.
Another small problem, this trailer gives you room to get in it when it is nasty outside, set up play cards, watch tv, still quite small but useable. By raising the bed to the wheel well level it does away with that and just becomes a sleeping compartment. Not sure that is what most would want.
Go back through the build and look at the components that are standard on my trailer, comparing to others. I have just about every option anyone could think of, far more than the competition and I am trying to hold the 17.5k price. I have cut every corner I can think of to do that. Do you feel by changing the design I would gain far more sales and would the consumer be willing to pay another 2 grand for it.
These things only have so much room, in honesty offer very little comfort compared to a real RV, but vastly more than a bunch of boxes and a rooftop tent. I am marketing to the female side more so than the die in the wool outdoorsman. Bare essentials so to speak.
I may build a proto of what you have suggested, as I have looked at alot of those things. But these things are not cheap to build by any means, the components alone total more than a moderately outfitted AT.
Also by making the box wider or out to the outside of the wheel wells, you will lose gas mileage, add weight and the chance for more trail damage, currently the frame and the wheel wells will take most hits that could do damage.
This trailer is designed to craw over anything, Rubicon, Kokopelli, John Bull. The only question of trail worthiness is the width. Keeping the walls inboard was my idea of making it possible. Also by running the walls over the fender wells, you end up with sealing issues down the road normally. Right now the whole box is a sealed box seperated from the wheel wells. Give me more postitives to try this. Hell it is only money!!!!!