Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Converting Cargo Trailers into TTTs

Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Postby Goldie » Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:34 pm

Hello Everyone! Found you guys through google, my husband and i are picking up a 24 foot enclosed car trailer. The idea behind it is to convert it to fit our needs for camping, as well as maintain its capabilities to haul several four wheelers at one time!

We dont have the plans to put any kind of plumbing in it, most of the ATV places we go to have showers and restrooms. I would like to have it wired for electricity all the way through. I would like a refridgerator, microwave, tv, sound system. Would like to put up a awning on it, so that we could have a old school coleman stove to cook on. Anyways, we will be looking for some help and insipiration! I would love to see other larger trailers posted!


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:shock: And so it begins :shock:

Going to need some new skins on the back side
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Starting the Demo
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Roof was already insulated
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Got it all cleaned out and sides removed
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Insulated one side, going to add a power panel where the trashcan is
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2/21/12

Did some more work to the trailer. Its coming along quite nicely.

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My husband doing some of the wirirng.
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Ripped out the floor to replace the panels.
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Last edited by Goldie on Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:07 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Postby Pyrofish » Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:14 pm

Welcome to the best and most helpful DIY CT conversion/Toy Hauler site I've ever seen. It seems like so long ago when I began mine, but it was just last summer. There's tons of great information on here, and lots of helpful folks around.

My CT is 20'x8'6x8' tall. I had high hopes of getting FAR along by August of last year... hehe Just picked up the styrofoam for my wall insulation. Now I need to finish my electrical installation so I can insulate.

These things take time :roll:
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Postby 8ball_99 » Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:08 pm

Welcome, I found this site the same way. Had the thought of turning a cargo trailer into a redneck toyhauler. Didn't realize there had been plenty of people before me with the same idea.

I started with a 14 footer and now have a 24' footer cause I needed a larger garage.. We carry a couple RZRs in ours. It doesn't take all that long to build one out, But it is a lot of work.. Probably more then most think. To do it right all the little things add up time wise. Took me around 3 months to build mine. We love ours though and are very happy with how it all turned out. I get a kick out of the guys that park beside us in one of those large toy haulers. They look in mine and first word out of their mouths is man thats all you need.. When I tell them the weight and its paid for.. :D

Here is a link to my 24' http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=43448 Look around there are a few toy haulers on here..
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Kudos!

Postby Engineer Guy » Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:40 am

Looking GOOD, Senor! I'm hoping to convert a 8' x 18' or 20' V Nose some day.

I've got the identical Carrier A/C in my 15' TT. They appear to have a 'Soft Start' feature. This feature causes the Compressor kick in such that the current in-rush doesn't trip a 'typical' 15 Amp A/C Breaker. This really helps in running the A/C, and Trailer overall, from a 2kW Honda or similar Genny.

There's a lot of mis-information out there about A/C and Genny use or current draw, so I hope this A/C Factoid helps.

Nice work!
~Reality proceeds with or without your consensus~
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Postby Goldie » Thu Feb 09, 2012 1:03 pm

8ball_99 wrote:Welcome, I found this site the same way. Had the thought of turning a cargo trailer into a redneck toyhauler. Didn't realize there had been plenty of people before me with the same idea.

I started with a 14 footer and now have a 24' footer cause I needed a larger garage.. We carry a couple RZRs in ours. It doesn't take all that long to build one out, But it is a lot of work.. Probably more then most think. To do it right all the little things add up time wise. Took me around 3 months to build mine. We love ours though and are very happy with how it all turned out. I get a kick out of the guys that park beside us in one of those large toy haulers. They look in mine and first word out of their mouths is man thats all you need.. When I tell them the weight and its paid for.. :D

Here is a link to my 24' http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=43448 Look around there are a few toy haulers on here..


Yours is one that i showed my husband originally to convert him over to the idea!

Did you make your tv mount or buy one?
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Postby jwhite » Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:53 pm

For me personally I want to be completely self contained and one of the main things I wanted in my trailer was to have my own bathroom and shower and not have to rely on public restrooms esp in the middle of the night?
I use my trailer mostly in the summer so I like to rinse off as often as I want,and it's really nice to take a quick shower before a long drive home if you have been out in the sun all day.
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Postby Goldie » Fri Feb 10, 2012 9:24 am

jwhite wrote:For me personally I want to be completely self contained and one of the main things I wanted in my trailer was to have my own bathroom and shower and not have to rely on public restrooms esp in the middle of the night?
I use my trailer mostly in the summer so I like to rinse off as often as I want,and it's really nice to take a quick shower before a long drive home if you have been out in the sun all day.


Yeah but thats not that big of an issue to us, maybe if we do another conversion we will consider it. But for the most part being our first conversion and getting our feet wet we are not going to do it. Most of the facilities we ride at have great showers and restrooms. I am not a pickey person, and i know i have to where sandals into public showers :).

My parents used to take us camping all the time in just a tent... so i guess i am used to it :)
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Postby 8ball_99 » Fri Feb 10, 2012 10:54 am

We really wanted our own bathroom. That was one of the main reasons for the trailer. If we go ride on a holiday weekend it's nice to have your own toilet and shower.
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Re: Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Postby Goldie » Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:45 pm

Got started on it this weekend. Added some pictures to the 1st post 8)
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Re: Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Postby Goldie » Tue Feb 14, 2012 1:53 pm

We have been working on this thing non stop since we got it and got all of the gear together. Last night after work we took A/C foil tap and taped up the insulation around where the holes were. This came at the advice of a friend that has a rv business and has completed several cargo conversions. With the whole thing fully insulated, and the wall panels going back up its starting to have potential. We have the wires run and need to get them walls cut out for them. We have to replace the floor in it before we can finish that part up or put in cabinets. Plenty of cool things to come!
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Re: Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Postby AWK » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:38 am

Thanks for sharing. I'm working on a 28Ft enclosed. I'm taking a slight different approuch as mine is basically a garage "Man-Cave" in the woods. I'm not doing any plumbing or water, and no sleeping quarters (this may change). I have added AC/DC circuits, work benches , storage cabinates, thand this summer I will add a fridge (beer holder) because it's a long walk to the cabin.

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Re: Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Postby Goldie » Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:09 am

Walls are painted, wiring is completed. Check the first post for some newer pictures added. We ripped out the floor to replace with new boards that are not covered in oil, and dont have holes every where in the floor. We are going to put an epoxy on the floor once we get them installed. Right now they are sitting outside letting the sealer dry.
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Re: Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Postby pete42 » Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:07 pm

Keep up the good work the one best thing about doing one the way you like is, you can do one the way you like...........
If and when health improves I'll be joining you in a build be it only on one half as large.

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Re: Hello Everyone! Hallmark 8.5 x 24'

Postby Goldie » Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:13 pm

Pete, I agree with you completely, it is done the way we want it.

It is like its a completely new trailer already, you wouldn't know from the outside, but there has been a lot of work that has been done on the inside. Yesterday we got all of the boards cut for the floor and laid them in there. We ran out of daylight though so we only got a couple of the boards screwed back into the trailer. The new floor is going to make a huge difference aesthetically on the trailer.

Another thing that we got for the trailer was the rubber maid fastrackck system. We were originally going to buy a couple of the aluminum helmet storage system to put all of our ATV gear in, but we have come up with a solution with this stuff.

http://www.rubbermaid.com/category/page ... tionSystem

For anyone else looking for storage solutions, you may want to give this a look. I will get some pictures up tonight of the progress. We are going to get the floor screwed in tonight, and start the epoxy tomorrow to make the floor look super awesome.
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