Inspired to get a 6X10 CT!

[crumvoc]

Been rainy and cold here, so have not made a huge amount of progress. did get one wall and most of the ceiling insulated, roughed in a little wiring. I have decided to not install the dumpster dive windows, as they have a couple of problems I don't want to deal with. Ordered two 30x15 crank out windows from Lil Bear. I have decided that I will install one of the little 12x4 crank out "dumpster" windows in the rear door, high, for ventilation and also to serve as a nice gun port. just kidding about the gun port part.

Also, I ordered and received from the same vendor a teardrop style door latch and outside locking handle. It will be a cinch to install... once it drys out a little bit. Much less of a project than trying to install an RV lock set. Still trying to figure out how to build a folding bed/couch set up. Some nice ones on this site... and I just found out that my nephew is a master welder!


Ramp in place. Pretty nice deal at cabelas for $99. Aluminum and light.

Ramp folded and being used as a work table. Chair at front of trailer is in place for deep contemplation....

[crumvoc]

Here are a couple of photos of a "proof of concept" temporary trial of the teardrop door latch. I will put some sort of striker plate on to protect the aluminum. The exterior handle just goes through a hole in the door and through the square hole on the interior latch mechanism. Once in, cut the extra length off the handle shaft.

[crumvoc]

Here are a couple of ideas I'm thinking about:

For wall covering canvas painter's tarps glued to wall with contact cement. Cheap, and softer to the touch than wood. Might even try to dye it some way.

Thinking of other uses for the folding aluminum ramp. Mount legs of some sort for a rear deck or front porch? Inside table surface? Mount on folding brackets on the outside of the trailer for an exterior table/workspace? some sort of seating/couch?

Use surface-mount wiring channel/boxes (like this http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... reId=10051) for 12V system to make it easy to service/change.

[crumvoc]

I found a floor model of this Sterilite Drawer cabinet (regularly $69) at Home Depot, nice and grubby, dirty, with a small crack in a drawer and bought it for $25. Seems sturdy (enough), and the drawers even have rudimentary glides...

[pete42]

Have you thought of using colorful bed sheets to cover the walls?
if done when the walls were off the trailer and laying flat might work.
or how about using outdoor carpet?

keep going and keep posting

[crumvoc]

Installed the teardrop style door latch yesterday. This turned into a bigger project than I imagined. If you decide to install such a latch on a cargo trailer side door:

Make SURE that the exterior part is 90 degrees to the door. I didnt do that and had a problem with the exterior latch and the interior latch binding... took about 3 hours (and a dictionary full of swear words) to figure out what the problem was... and two extra (small) holes in the door... which will need to be fixed somehow.

Also, be careful where you place the latch... which seems obvious, but make sure you take into consideration the overlap of the door frame on the trailer... I didn't do a good job at that before I started drilling... ended up having to elongate the outside latch hole to get it into the right position. This took a while with a dremel. Should have gotten a power rotary rasp, I suppose. Turned out ok though.

Live and learn... If I knew then what I know now, this would have been a pretty straight forward install.

I have new respect regarding putting holes in the trailer when it comes time to install the windows... which will be very large holes!

the two photos below show progress thus far. I need to do some modification of the indoor side before it is permanent. Looks kind of nasty now...

[crumvoc]

Quality wiring on Mirage Trailer... This is how they route most of the wiring in the trailer, through washers welded to the structure. A grommet would have been nice! How long will it take to wear through the insulation and short out? Any bets?? I am seriously thinking of moving all that wiring to surface wiring tracks (like this stuff http://cableorganizer.com/surface-racew ... ching.html) mounted on the wall just below the curve of the ceiling to make sure it is nice and safe, and accessible.

[crumvoc]

Have you thought of using colorful bed sheets to cover the walls?
if done when the walls were off the trailer and laying flat might work.
or how about using outdoor carpet?

keep going and keep posting

Thanks for the suggestions! I"ve been considering several options for the interior side walls:

Apply large commercial carpet squares (available cheap at a local HFH Renew store)
Wall paper it with maps and glue (ewww... daughter suggestion)
Line bottom 2-4' with aluminum panels like the exterior of trailer, or masonite. Something tough.
Indoor outdoor carpet.
Just panel it with cheap paneling screwed to the walls to make it easy to open the wall up.

I kind of like the idea of some sort of fabric or carpet on the walls to soften up the interior a little... also for sound deadening.

Got a while to decide. Lots of work to be done before I make her' pretty...

[crumvoc]

Asking for some advice: I will be receiving two 15x30 inch windows in the next few days. I am trying to decide how high to install them. Some folks recommend putting them low, so that you can see out the windows when you are seated in the trailer. Others seem to want to put them high so as to make it harder for uninvited gawkers to peer inside. The windows will come untinted, so I could put tint film on them pretty easily. This trailer is 92" tall, with the bend in the wall/roof junction at about 82". So, the maximum height of the BOTTOM of the window would be about 5' 3".

Opinions? Thanks

[BC_Explorer]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I kind of like the idea of some sort of fabric or carpet on the walls to soften up the interior a little... also for sound deadening.

Got a while to decide. Lots of work to be done before I make her' pretty...

In one of the older build threads here, one person put short gray/blue? carpet on the interior side walls and with the white cabinetry he used, it looked sharp. Sorry, I cannot recall the exact thread or forum member but perhaps others here may remember.

[BC_Explorer]

Asking for some advice: I will be receiving two 15x30 inch windows in the next few days. I am trying to decide how high to install them. Some folks recommend putting them low, so that you can see out the windows when you are seated in the trailer. Others seem to want to put them high so as to make it harder for uninvited gawkers to peer inside. The windows will come untinted, so I could put tint film on them pretty easily. This trailer is 92" tall, with the bend in the wall/roof junction at about 82". So, the maximum height of the BOTTOM of the window would be about 5' 3".Opinions? Thanks

My trailer is 73 inches interior height. I had the factory install the 30"x22" window as high as possible. I am glad that the window is higher and not lower even though the window is tinted inward looking and is difficult to see into from the exterior.

[crumvoc]

Today I installed one of the two 30”x15” crank out windows I bought from Grant at Li’l Bear Tagalongs. They arrived well packed and in perfect condition. They arrived without any fasteners, sealer or instructions. I emailed Grant asking some advice about how to mount them, and he responded within minutes on a Saturday. Excellent Service.

The windows arrived drilled for mounting on the sides only. Top and bottom mounting rails were not drilled. The sides are set up for plastic covers for the screws, and the covers were included. I asked Grant his advice on whether to drill the top/bottom rails, or use some sort of an adhesive. He did recommend that I drill them, and recommended either siliconized latex caulk or RV putty. Home depot carries the former, but not the latter, so I bough the caulk.

Then it was back to the trailer to begin the process of measuring, remeasuring, re-remeasuring, sitting, pondering, worrying, remeasuring again until I ran out of remeasures... Then, cutting.


I elected to cut the aluminum exterior panels with a jig saw swathed in blue painters tape to protect the surface. I put more tape on the exterior panels to protect them Since I was bisecting one of the frame uprights, I used a 4.5” right angle grinder and a cutting wheel. Having never used one before, I discovered that one has to be VERY careful not to lose control of it... Also, wear googles or a face shield as the grinder throws a lot of material.

Once the exterior panel hole was cut I reinforced the opening with 2” X 1.25” fir strips. I initially stapled them from the outside, very close to the edge of the hole to keep them positions while I reinstalled the 3/8” plywood paneling. I screwed the plywood to the fir strips, and then installed the window for a test fit.. It fit! (Phew)

Next, I dry fit the window, predrilling the holes on sides, and through the top and bottom window rails. Once installed securely with screws, I removed the window and returned to the inside of the trailer where I used a router with a roller bearing tip to follow the outlines of the fir strips, opening the wall. That worked great.


Then, I returned to the outside of the trailer, and applied blue painter’s tape all around the outside edges of the window frame. This was done in order to prevent the latex grout from making a mess on the side of the trailer. I then removed the window and applied the latex sealer, and reinstalled the window. Then I used paper towels to wipe away any excess caulk from the frame surface. Once the frame was nice and clean, I pulled away the painters tape... And got a nice clean edge.

Last, I installed the plastic screw covers on the vertical edges of the frame. They were hard to install until I figured out that if you warm them in water and then squeeze them a bit they fit in the locking grooves.

All of the above took only about 7 hours! I have one more to do, and since I did all my trial and error (and error, and error) on this first one the second should go much better.

I was concerned that I might destabilize the side wall of the trailer by cutting the vertical support and just framing the opening without replacing more of the structure. However, when it was all buttoned up, with insulation in the core, the wall was very solid. The sandwich of exterior aluminum, fir framing and plywood worked well. The top of the window is actually very securely attached to the top frame of the trailer structure.

The windows seems of high quality and operates smoothly. I like the idea of being able to leave the windows open part way even when it rains.

[crumvoc]

Asking for some advice: I will be receiving two 15x30 inch windows in the next few days. I am trying to decide how high to install them. Some folks recommend putting them low, so that you can see out the windows when you are seated in the trailer. Others seem to want to put them high so as to make it harder for uninvited gawkers to peer inside. The windows will come untinted, so I could put tint film on them pretty easily. This trailer is 92" tall, with the bend in the wall/roof junction at about 82". So, the maximum height of the BOTTOM of the window would be about 5' 3".Opinions? Thanks

My trailer is 73 inches interior height. I had the factory install the 30"x22" window as high as possible. I am glad that the window is higher and not lower even though the window is tinted inward looking and is difficult to see into from the exterior.

I took your advice and installed the windows about as high as I could get them. I like it!

[crumvoc]

Combination of good weather and weekend allowed me to get a start on the starboard window. This time I invested in a Kreg-type (off brand) pocket screw systems... WOW! That system is awesome. I may never stop building stuff! Now I need to go to tool-porn-palace (Harbor Freight Tools) and get a couple of the clamps that make working with frames easier. I did a much better job with the framing, as compared to the port side. I may redo the port side framing one of these days now that I have a better idea what I'm doing.

[crumvoc]

A couple new photos. The ceiling paneling and lights are finished (Whew)... I will be using the same paneling for the upper half of the walls, with some indoor outdoor carpeting (dark gray) applied to the lower part of the wall. Also playing with an idea of using large carpet tiles from "Restore" to finish the curve of the roof. Got these for $1 each. Very stiff. I kind of like this idea...