"TrailTop" modular trailer topper building components

[jscherb]

Thinking more about the cargo top design for my Jeep-tub trailer - In my collection of parts here I've got a barn door from the back of a postal jeep (the glass is fine, the reflection on the glass in this photo makes it look like it might be cracked):

Maybe instead of a liftgate like I did for the military trailer chuck wagon/cargo topper, I should use the postal door...

The above concept drawing isn't "painted", here it is the same color as the tub. Maybe too much yellow though .

 

[screwball48]

I like the postal cargo door on a trailer that size.

 

[rossvtaylor]

What a great thread, even though we don't have a trailer (we're in the ambulance conversion crowd). But I found it while looking for experiences with the Behr Deckover paint. I see your use of the Olympia Rescue It, and it's impressive. That looks like the product we're looking for. Are you still pleased with it, after your first trial (what, almost two years now?)?

The info about the epoxy primer was helpful, too. I didn't see you mention a brand - do you have a preference there?

 

[jscherb]

What a great thread, even though we don't have a trailer (we're in the ambulance conversion crowd). But I found it while looking for experiences with the Behr Deckover paint. I see your use of the Olympia Rescue It, and it's impressive. That looks like the product we're looking for. Are you still pleased with it, after your first trial (what, almost two years now?)?

The info about the epoxy primer was helpful, too. I didn't see you mention a brand - do you have a preference there?

Thanks. Yes, I'm happy with the Rescue It, it still looks like the day I applied it.

I recently used Deckover on another project, there's a "light" version of it without the heavy non-skid grit that Rescue It has. Here's that project: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...y-style-Trailer-Tub-Kit?p=2066601#post2066601

I use PPG Omni epoxy primer. It's reasonably priced and comes in gray, white and black.

 

[jscherb]

My friend Chad has been working on a design for a Dinoot-based camper and yesterday he sent me a rough sketch of what he's thinking about along with a list of his requirements. I did a few concept drawings based on his sketch to see how everything lays out to scale. These drawings are based on a "Double Dinoot" - an 8'3" tub made from a Dinoot Compact tub plus extra Compact side panels. Chad drew his sketch with a side-swing tailgate, so that's what I've done here; I've topped it with a TJ Safari Cab barn door. I'd guess he'd use some other type of door on the back, but I had the barn door drawing handy so I threw it on.

His basic layout is similar to teardrop-style trailers, with the rear door opening to access a pantry and access to the sleeping compartment is through a side door. I put an ARB 37-quart fridge on the floor in the pantry to check the size. I added a side door that could be found on eBay or in a trailer surplus place.

There's a flip-down extension on the front to extend the bed; he drew it much longer than this but I've shortened it so that the flip-down panel is the same height as the front panel of the topper so it'll fold up into the topper nicely. His sketch showed a flip-down sleeping platform that was long enough to sleep in, which would have kept the floor of the trailer open, but that being so large it seemed to me to offer construction and operational challenges so I shortened it as shown here. I'll redraw it at the length shown on his sketch if he wants me to.

He also drew a flip-up panel in the roof on his sketch, so I've added one; it's got solar panels mounted on it.

I've drawn the superstructure using TrailTop components; I'm not sure what my friend would use to build his topper.

He calls his design the "Eagle's Nest" (he has a Wrangler Golden Eagle edition to pull it); I'm also calling this design the TrailTop-DD ("Double-Dinoot"). I'm posting it here so he can see what feedback people might have on his design; hearing what you have to say I'm sure will help him refine what he wants to do.

Two x-ray views; the first shows the sleeping position and the second shows that there would be some room inside to sit on the end of the bed with your legs on the floor.

He's also sent me a top view showing more detail on his ideas for an interior layout but I haven't had time to do anything with that yet.

Any comments/suggestions/criticisms for Chad?

 

[jscherb]

Scott at Compact Camping has two very good observations about Chad's design:

Two observations: With the bed height, close to half that of the door, going to be tight getting in and out. Not sure you want roof rain runoff directed towards the galley area

Good observations.

I was thinking there would be steps to help get in the door, but also the bed could be lowered and also the center of the front panel of the tub could be lowered so the bed extension that folds down can be at the same height as the lowered bed. It would be an easy mod to make to the Dinoot front panel, and also could provide for a slightly longer hinge-down section of the bed platform, which in turn would shorten the section of the bed platform inside the tub, and increase the floor space at the foot of the bed. All good things.

A gutter/diverter at the low end of the tilt-up is probably in order to channel water running down the tilt away from the galley.

 

[jscherb]

Someone suggested a Flip-Pac version, so I drew one. Not sure if this would suit Chad's requirements - he told me he wants a hard-side camper because he's tired of setting up and taking down tents in the rain, and to me a Flip-Pac sort-of qualifies as a tent, doesn't it?

 

[jscherb]

Chad's reaction to the drawings:

So a couple of thoughts I've been having since seeing these drawings by Jeff:

As one person mentioned, with portions of the bed extending into the enclosed portion and covering the door, access could be interesting. Lowering the hinge point for the bed may help to alleviate this, though how much I'm not sure. It could be done to where the gas cans and front storage box is easily removable so the hinge point can be very low, and wouldn't really cause too much of an issue as far as packing/unpacking. Then again, the front storage box was set with the plan for it to house two or more deep cycle batteries, a Goal Zero generator, and wiring components.

Another option is using a roof top tent style (modified) to where the bed is on the roof of the rig. I'm really not a fan at all of the typical roof top tents, because as Jeff had mentioned, they really arent much different than a normal tent (to me anyway) and sort of negate the point of having an enclosed trailer. Now, something like this I could be accptable with (http://www.bigfoottents.com/hard-she...ent-black.html), but the typical roof top tents, I'm just not a fan. I also forsee water infultration problems with a typical roof top tent style, where as you fold it up, rain and water gets to the 'inside' of the tent, which would make multi-jump trips needing a inside tent dry out. I'm not sure if thats a true statement, as I've never see one of these before, but just looking at the nature of them, thats my assumption.

My original sketch included a pull-out bed similiar to most pop-up trailers. In the drawing Jeff altered this to be a flip (fold) down bed which makes the bed needing to extend into the trailer to profide sufficient space for sleeping. The positives to this I see are a much easier, much quicker set-up, take down, and construction. The downside is as discussed earlier, it causes for interference with the door which could make entrance and exit interesting. Another option would be to reverse it to where the bed portion is in the rear half of the trailer. This would also reduce entirely the need to have the front flip down portion which would also make construction and complexity much easier. The down side to that is it would eleminate the rear cooking and food storage options, and also the entegrated closet I had in mind. So a question I have for those who have constructed similiar things before is would a pull-out bed be worth the extra time, cost, and complexity in design?

Another option I just thought of is what about a bunk bed system? Instead of room for two to sleep side by side, on the side opposite the door there could be a bunk bed set-up. This may prove to be fairly simple to design and implement. It would reduce the galley and closet by half, but would not eleminate it entirely. The downfall is should I get married some day, it would not provide the ability to sleep next to a future potential wife, then again, if I were to go on an expedition with say my dad, it would at the same time eleminate the potential for awkward sleeping situations.

Pros/Cons?

I'm curious to hear thoughts on this, as the rest of the design really is sort of at a standstill until the sleeping arrangement gets finalized.

 

[jscherb]

Here's another concept for Chad, in this one the side opens out into a bed. The roof of the pop-out swings up first, then the bed platform swings down. One person could sleep on the platform as shown, and there could be more platform inside the tub to widen the bed for two people. The guy is 5'10".

 

[screwball48]

Two ideas: treat it more like a teardrop camper, or use an elevated sleeping area like an Ursa Minor E-camper. If designed like a teardrop then a side entry door would be used to access the sleeping area, and the rear door would house the galley area. If the galley is in the rear then leave the door traditional jeep two piece. The upper portion would swing up and provide a minimal awning and a table could be affixed to the lower portion for more useable counter space. If done as an Ecamper style then use the rear door for entry and place the galley on a slide out on the curb side. A stove and small sink could be affixed to the slide and RV style hatches could be placed along the side of the camper to use as a pantry area. You could then use track along the camper side to affix a removable table mounted over the fender.

 

[jscherb]

Two ideas: treat it more like a teardrop camper...

Agreed... maybe the best configuration for Chad would be to use a traditional teardrop layout - bed on the floor, galley in the back. I've drawn this concept along typical teardrop lines, but based on a Dinoot tub and with a rectangular superstructure. The rear hatch would be full-width with a standard tailgate below. The interior layout also follows typical teardtop practices, with cupboards in the back of the sleeping compartment and smaller cupboards above the "headboard" of the bed.

I've moved the axle back so the side door can also be moved back, also along typical teardrop practices.

One thing that limits the bed space on the floor of a typical Jeep tub are the inner fenders, but with a Dinoot tub, there's no reason the track width has to be so narrow that the inner fenders protrude into the tub - a wider track width axle could be used along with external fenders, keeping the entire floor open for the sleeping area. Here are a bunch of different fender mockups I did a while back:

And while I drew the concept above with a rectangular superstructure, there's no reason a traditional teardrop shape couldn't be be built on a Dinoot tub, I did one a few years ago (the sunset mural is digitally added to this image but other than that it's a photograph of the one I built). This tub is about a foot shorter than a Double Dinoot so the concept drawing above is longer. I also built this one to accommodate a roof-top tent, an upstairs for kids?

The galley area (which I never built out on my prototype), would look like this with a side-swing tailgate and a wide hatch above, this idea would apply whether the superstructure is a teardrop shape or a bread loaf shape...

 

[jscherb]

I need to use the trailer to haul some furniture that won't fit under the hard cover, so the cover's got to come off.

Taking the cover off is a 5-minute exercise - remove 1 nut each on the gas struts, remove the hinge pins and lift off. The TrailTop cover is very light, but at about 5' x 7 1/2' it's a bit awkward for one person, so I hang it from the garage door rails.

In these photos it's hanging just high enough to roll the trailer out from underneath, but I can hang it all the way up and still fit one of my tall Jeeps under it.

I swapped the tonneau cover on for this job.

I'm planning a "riser" made from TrailTop parts to raise the cover to allow for about 4' floor-to-ceiling room inside the trailer, then the cover won't have to come off to move larger cargo secure from the weather. I hope to start that project next month - I'll post details of the project here.

 

[Baejkrichard]

How do I order your the modular pieces?

 

[jscherb]

How do I order your the modular pieces?

The TrailTop components are not currently in production, sorry.

 

[Nigel59]

Hi Jeff! Wondering if there are plans to the "trail dog" trailers I can buy? cheers Nigel, Sydney Australia