dustboy's 6 x 12 conversion

[dustboy]

Got out this weekend into Tahoe National Forest, were supposed to rendezvous with some friends but the gravel road to get there was pretty brutal, and my TV's transmission overheated. So, we found a nice little spot along the way and made camp.



The galley works great, cooking and cleaning is easy since everything is in arm's reach. I cut the metal tubing from the Coleman stove's regulator and hooked it up with rubber fuel line; now the disposable tank stores nicely under the counter.



The 21-gal fresh water tank lasted two nights, it ran dry before I finished Sunday night's dishes. We weren't being very conservative with the water, and we need a gauge to indicate the level of water in the tank. Does anybody have a good solution for this?



Also, I don't know if it's possible, but it would be nice to improve the trailer's offroad worthiness. I'm not trying to take it on the Rubicon, but we like to camp off the grid. A lot of our destinations are down rocky fire roads but the trailer bounces and crashes around like crazy. Would adding some shocks to the axles help??

[A Plus MM]

Does the trailer have springs or torsion axles? If you figure out a way to add shocks to a torsion axle I'd love to see pictures.

I made a mistake on my single torsion axle trailer of replacing the damaged axle with a heavier one, now there is not enough weight in the trailer to move the suspension and the trailer bounces a lot more than I feel it should. Maybe this is what you have going on also with your tandem axle setup and fairly light load, there is not enough weight to hold it down on the bumps.

[bc toys]

what are you pulling your trailer with

[hankaye]

dustboy, Howdy;

Shame about the tranny cooler. Looks like you 'survived'
in fine fashion.
What type of axles do you have??? Been doing some research,
and the leaf spring are supposed to be better for your kind of
terrain. I plan on going up into the Gila Nat'l Forest with mine,
whenever I can get to it...

hank

[dustboy]

The TV is a '09 Honda Ridgeline. 5,000 lb towing capacity, I don't think the trailer fully loaded is more than 3,000.

Yeah, Hank I hope I didn't do any damage, the light came on and we started smelling tranny fluid. Next day it was fine and we pulled up a big hill to get out with no issue. We were creeping pretty slow b/c of the bumps and it was dark, so no airflow over the cooler. Think I'll change the fluid anyway.

The axles are 3500 lb sprung under Dexters. I remember seeing someone who added a shock kit but don't remember where. Maybe I could pull out a leaf? I don't expect to ever need to haul more than a ton or so.

[dustboy]

Wellllll, about a month ago we had a baby girl. Which means, the trailer needs another bed.

Here's the current setup, if you need a refresher. The adult bed is forward of the galley (backsplash doubles as headboard). At the front of the trailer is where we keep the pack-n-play crib.


I think the solution is a bunk above the galley, it could extend forward a couple of feet over the adult bed.

The trailer needs a couple of rub rails up high anyway for cabinet hauling. They could serve as ledgers for the bunk, but I haven't decided how to build the bunk platform without it being too hard to install and remove.

I've got half a mind to start over with the whole thing and build the galley as a flip-down set up over the right fender. That would save us a good deal of interior space, and I wouldn't have to open the barn doors after the kids have gone to bed to get a beer...but maybe I'm getting a bit carried away.

[rebapuck]

I don't know if this would work for a water gauge. Add plastic tubing running from the bottom of the tank up to a vertical location you can easily see. The water level in the tube should be the same as in the tank. Drop a small floaty thing in the tubing for more visibility. A cap for travel. Did that make sense?

[Rainier70]

I think I would put a bunk in above your galley, and just back it with a thin plywood sheet between it and the doors. You could even glue some sheet foam on the back of the plywood for some sound insulation.

The tube gauge is what I would do also, but there are probably some inexpensive electronic gauges and senders out there somewhere too.

[dustboy]

Add plastic tubing running from the bottom of the tank up to a vertical location you can easily see. The water level in the tube should be the same as in the tank.

Yeah, I was thinking along those same lines. I've looked everywhere for an electronic gauge, even asked a buddy who is a marine electrician, but even with his wholesale cost, it is over $100. I would rather spend that money on a new cooktop.

I could give it a cap with a VERY tiny hole, that way the level could change slowly but should prevent water from splashing out.

[hankaye]

dustboy, Howdy;

If you are going to put one hole in for the tube gauge,
do another so it vents back into itself. That's basically
how the old sight gauges worked.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sight+g ... =673&dpr=1

hank

[dustboy]

Of course Hank! I should have just looked at grandma's old coffee pot. Too bad the warranty has run out on my brain.

[dustboy]

In case anybody is wondering how an empty cargo trailer instantly becomes a camper:

[dustboy]

I've had this steel cabinet kicking around my garage for a while, it seems like an ideal place for the Eccotemp water heater to live. And there's plenty of room leftover to relocate my battery, water pump, and electrical distribution.


I could push the heater up to the top of the cabinet and cut a vent hole in the sheetmetal, and somehow cover it to keep rain/debris out.


Now, the question is where to put the cabinet. On the tongue? Main problem there is that the crank of the jack will hit it.


Or the side somewhere? Looks kind of funky but it's a lot closer to the solar panel and the galley, and a shower hookup could be installed inside the cabinet.


Horizontal over the fender? Looks a bit less funky, but?? The heater will go in sideways if the bottom of the cabinet is cut out for the plumbing connections.


OR..Nah...

[Glenlivet]

Just wondering. if it's going to be on the outside why does it need a cabinet? Wouldn't it take up so much less room and look less obtrusive without? A ramped sheet metal piece on top ought to keep out rain and allow venting to the sides...

[dustboy]

I dunno, Glenlivet, it just seems kind of vulnerable, doesn't it? Like there's some delicate parts inside that might be sensitive to the weather or vandals. Or critters could nest up inside the heater box.

Maybe I'm paranoid?