Skersfan's New Shuttle Pod Trailer Build...
- Thread starter SWITAWI
- Start date
ZR2nit
Adventurer
Nice job on the trailer Bob. I like the design alot. My wife would love something like this as she hates RTT as well. Only thing i would change if i bought a trailer from you would be.
Add the solar panels on the roof (with some kind of cover on them while hauling.
And somehow make the kitchen have a few pull out work areas.
Have the outside shower intergrated into the trailer.
some type of enclosed areas for the kitchen,shower and outside bathroom
Great job though. Far better then I could ever build. I like how you have the trailer just would tweak a few things
MT
Add the solar panels on the roof (with some kind of cover on them while hauling.
And somehow make the kitchen have a few pull out work areas.
Have the outside shower intergrated into the trailer.
some type of enclosed areas for the kitchen,shower and outside bathroom
Great job though. Far better then I could ever build. I like how you have the trailer just would tweak a few things
MT
Piet
Adventurer
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. :bike_rider:
Titanpat57
Expedition Leader
Made in America baby!!
Site looks awesome, can't wait to start tweeting you....
every 3 minutes!....
I'm gonna sell two this weekend...you better order some steel buddy!
Good luck..Pat
Site looks awesome, can't wait to start tweeting you....
every 3 minutes!....
I'm gonna sell two this weekend...you better order some steel buddy!
Good luck..Pat
Mods
ZR2nit,
I actually have a solar panel that I carry in the truck, and depending on which roof rack I go with it will have a solar panel on the roof, but will be removeable. Mounting them solid is not a good idea. Means the trailer has to be in the sun. If you go back through the build you will see the solar panel and how it is attached.
The trailer already has a shower system, hooked into the hot water system.
Slide outs are pretty much impossible with this design, just no room for them unless I raise the counter. It is alreay at the limit I think. If I run the sink drain into a lower holding tank, I might have some room, but not much I am affraid. I am looking at swing out on the outside that might work, but you have the top of the fridge, and there is a cutting board that covers the sink. All designs have their limits and advantages. Patti is so much happier with this design than the box trailer it can not be measured. We were in Phoenix this weekend and saw the the new M.O.A.B trailer. Typical box trailer, tiny kitchen, no area and she made comments about feeling sorry for the lady having to deal with the kitchen. This does give you quite a bit of room compared to the box trailers. I will look at the slide out idea for under the sink though.
I will be offering the trailer as a base unit that you can modify. I am actually talking with a guy that wants one to carry his quad in, so will remove the back wall and reverse the door to make it a ramp. He will pull it in with a winch mounted in the front and tie downs in the rear.
I have talked with a guy about the outside enclosures, but he does not seem to excited about making them. Still working on that. Any suggestion on where to go for that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your very kind comments.
ZR2nit,
I actually have a solar panel that I carry in the truck, and depending on which roof rack I go with it will have a solar panel on the roof, but will be removeable. Mounting them solid is not a good idea. Means the trailer has to be in the sun. If you go back through the build you will see the solar panel and how it is attached.
The trailer already has a shower system, hooked into the hot water system.
Slide outs are pretty much impossible with this design, just no room for them unless I raise the counter. It is alreay at the limit I think. If I run the sink drain into a lower holding tank, I might have some room, but not much I am affraid. I am looking at swing out on the outside that might work, but you have the top of the fridge, and there is a cutting board that covers the sink. All designs have their limits and advantages. Patti is so much happier with this design than the box trailer it can not be measured. We were in Phoenix this weekend and saw the the new M.O.A.B trailer. Typical box trailer, tiny kitchen, no area and she made comments about feeling sorry for the lady having to deal with the kitchen. This does give you quite a bit of room compared to the box trailers. I will look at the slide out idea for under the sink though.
I will be offering the trailer as a base unit that you can modify. I am actually talking with a guy that wants one to carry his quad in, so will remove the back wall and reverse the door to make it a ramp. He will pull it in with a winch mounted in the front and tie downs in the rear.
I have talked with a guy about the outside enclosures, but he does not seem to excited about making them. Still working on that. Any suggestion on where to go for that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your very kind comments.
ZR2nit,
The trailer has a solar panel set up, but waiting to decide on which roof rack people are going to want. Most likely something like what is on the trailer now. That allows the solar panel on top, or I could have Baja Rack make one that is higher. The trailer has a morningstar digital controller and plug in system already.
The shower is ran through the hot water heater and has an outdoor control.
Slide outs are nearly impossible with this design, due to the heigth of the counter, but you can use the fridge top as one and the cutting board covers the sink, giving you more room than the box trailers have by far. I am planning on moving the sink drain and going directly into a holding tank, that may give me some room, but I doubt much. It would have to be a cabinet affair I think, but the fridge would have to be in for it to be used. Still not a lot of room, looking at a swing out setup from the side of the trailer that might work.
Enclosures seem to be a problem, not having much luck around here finding someone to make them. Any one having contacts with a fabric man would be great. I had one, but he is not real interseted in doing them. He makes golf cart enclosures and is so busy it is sickening. Being close to Palm Springs and Hemet, the pass area, he never stops making them and has orders for next year already. Could be in the wrong business!!!!!
The trailer has a solar panel set up, but waiting to decide on which roof rack people are going to want. Most likely something like what is on the trailer now. That allows the solar panel on top, or I could have Baja Rack make one that is higher. The trailer has a morningstar digital controller and plug in system already.
The shower is ran through the hot water heater and has an outdoor control.
Slide outs are nearly impossible with this design, due to the heigth of the counter, but you can use the fridge top as one and the cutting board covers the sink, giving you more room than the box trailers have by far. I am planning on moving the sink drain and going directly into a holding tank, that may give me some room, but I doubt much. It would have to be a cabinet affair I think, but the fridge would have to be in for it to be used. Still not a lot of room, looking at a swing out setup from the side of the trailer that might work.
Enclosures seem to be a problem, not having much luck around here finding someone to make them. Any one having contacts with a fabric man would be great. I had one, but he is not real interseted in doing them. He makes golf cart enclosures and is so busy it is sickening. Being close to Palm Springs and Hemet, the pass area, he never stops making them and has orders for next year already. Could be in the wrong business!!!!!
I have been thinking that a split door system which would open left and right would allow several advantages.
1. at 90* opening they could act as wind breaks.
2. at 180* opening they could provide addtional counter space
3. Of course one could be at 90* and one at 180*...
I suspect this would both add weight and cost... not good. However, it creates opportunity to add fold up tables, storage in the doors, etc.
Being that I camp in the desert, wind is always a factor. Unlike a portable stove, once set up, I probably wouldn't want to be moving the trailer if the wind shifts.
Anyway, just some thoughts..
Ron
1. at 90* opening they could act as wind breaks.
2. at 180* opening they could provide addtional counter space
3. Of course one could be at 90* and one at 180*...
I suspect this would both add weight and cost... not good. However, it creates opportunity to add fold up tables, storage in the doors, etc.
Being that I camp in the desert, wind is always a factor. Unlike a portable stove, once set up, I probably wouldn't want to be moving the trailer if the wind shifts.
Anyway, just some thoughts..
Ron
ZR2nit
Adventurer
Thanks for the comments Bob. As you can see i get on the site real late or early in the morning (bit of a night owl) so your seign may be perfect. I guess i would just like to see a few more pics of the kitchen set up. i built a M416 trailer with what I thought were all the bells and whistles but my wife hated it. She always said it took to long to set-up, was cold, hot, and the fabric was always damp. I didnt mind it to much but she just felt to exposed.
What about having provisions on the sides to hook the solar panels up to. Kind of a "clip-on" affair in lame-ins terms. That way the panels would be off the ground, secured on the trailer when basecamp is set-up, and you could position them wherever you need them. Just an idea. i do like the roof rack so I would not want to sacrfice on that. I would aslo be in for a small AC/heater type set-up to keep the wife happy. Nothing huge maybe a small (very small) RV unit.
Keep up the good work Bob. Looking forward to the website being completed so I can really check these trailers out. Please keep us informed and up to date.
What about having provisions on the sides to hook the solar panels up to. Kind of a "clip-on" affair in lame-ins terms. That way the panels would be off the ground, secured on the trailer when basecamp is set-up, and you could position them wherever you need them. Just an idea. i do like the roof rack so I would not want to sacrfice on that. I would aslo be in for a small AC/heater type set-up to keep the wife happy. Nothing huge maybe a small (very small) RV unit.
Keep up the good work Bob. Looking forward to the website being completed so I can really check these trailers out. Please keep us informed and up to date.
ZR2nit
Adventurer
Something similar to this type of AC unit but with a built in heater. I realize it would have to be small but surely a company makes something like what I'm trying to describe
http://www.adventurerv.net/coleman-polar-cub-roof-air-conditioner-top-unit-p-1343.html
You would need it to run very long thats for sure. Just something to keep it comfortable inside
http://www.adventurerv.net/coleman-polar-cub-roof-air-conditioner-top-unit-p-1343.html
You would need it to run very long thats for sure. Just something to keep it comfortable inside
The AC that I plan to use is the Coleman Polar Cub, it has a heat strip available. I am also looking at the Propex propane heater so you do not e have to have 110.
The solar panel will have fold down legs, so you can park in the shade and run the panel out 50-75 feet away from the trailer, it then plugs in right below the shower and behind the generator into one of the Marinco land plugs.
I have a full 48/24 inch counter in the trailer, of course the stove tak es up part of it, but the rest is available for food preperation and the top of the fridge gives you about 18 inches when pulled out. Will look at a swing set up on the outside of the trailer that could be pulled around when set up.
We have been forunate that it has been pretty nice when we have been camping. I plan on taking the trailer to a campsite above Ouray, at roughly 11,000 feet this summer, I am sure we will find out what we need for it there. It normally rains and gets quite chilly every afternoon in the area, sometimes snow flurries. Most likely has hard core camping as the wife will be doing. If I had suggested it in the box trailer, I would have been going alone. She is all in with this one.
The solar panel will have fold down legs, so you can park in the shade and run the panel out 50-75 feet away from the trailer, it then plugs in right below the shower and behind the generator into one of the Marinco land plugs.
I have a full 48/24 inch counter in the trailer, of course the stove tak es up part of it, but the rest is available for food preperation and the top of the fridge gives you about 18 inches when pulled out. Will look at a swing set up on the outside of the trailer that could be pulled around when set up.
We have been forunate that it has been pretty nice when we have been camping. I plan on taking the trailer to a campsite above Ouray, at roughly 11,000 feet this summer, I am sure we will find out what we need for it there. It normally rains and gets quite chilly every afternoon in the area, sometimes snow flurries. Most likely has hard core camping as the wife will be doing. If I had suggested it in the box trailer, I would have been going alone. She is all in with this one.
Dirtytires
Explorer
Cool. I like it..
Uncle Roger
Observer
Couple of questions... (and I apologize if you've answered these before and I missed it...) Do you have an approximate price in mind? Will it support a rooftop tent (like an autohome) on top? Also, in addition to our Disco, we have a Toyota Minivan (the "Slug") -- is your trailer something that could be pulled by a minivan like that? (That would be on-road, of course, or at worst, in something like a state park.)
Thanks!
Thanks!
I am not a vendor on this site yet, had to have the website up and operational. Hope to pursue the vendor status in the next couple of weeks. Please email me at bob@aspenxtrails.com. I will provide a price there, but it has been mentioned as a goal on here.
The trailer will support its own weight on the roof. There is not a stronger trailer on the market, a major RV manufacturer stated they had never seen a better frame. It will support pretty much anything you can put up there. This is a structural steel frame with over 1 inch of marine grade plywood and fiberglass. There is nothing like it on the market at this time.
The weight is 2100 pounds with all the wife's junk in it. I would assume your vehicles would pull it.
I have plans to make a on road version, that would be lighter though. That is down the road a little ways, but have been asked about it several times.
Thank you for your interest.
The trailer will support its own weight on the roof. There is not a stronger trailer on the market, a major RV manufacturer stated they had never seen a better frame. It will support pretty much anything you can put up there. This is a structural steel frame with over 1 inch of marine grade plywood and fiberglass. There is nothing like it on the market at this time.
The weight is 2100 pounds with all the wife's junk in it. I would assume your vehicles would pull it.
I have plans to make a on road version, that would be lighter though. That is down the road a little ways, but have been asked about it several times.
Thank you for your interest.