7x18 Toyhauler - Deluxe Boondocker - National Forests only

[ZColorado]

I enjoy riding my RZR 50" out in the National Forests and I love camping, but I really wanted a shower. After a day on the trail I would be covered in dust. I was inspired by 8ball_99 on the rzrforums page. His build was clean, simple and effective. After working on some commercial RVs I knew I wanted nothing to do with that level of build quality. I decided to build my own.

EDIT: Recent picture of the build, Ill update this as things change.

Recent July 4th 2020

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Here I am on my first trip last July 2019. Perfect weather.

First Trip in July 2019

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Here is my design.
36x36 shower stall - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-Class ... /303329917
Dometic 320 toilet - Elongated china bowl - https://www.adventurerv.net/dometic-hig ... 30247.html
Queen size bed - Fold down murphy style - http://busrvparts.com/bunks-fold_away.h ... Style_Bed_
12v Norcold Compressor fridge (EV0788B) - Ebay 5 year old NOS, got a screaming deal.
3 burner Dometic/atwood stove 17" (should have gone with the 21" model) - Ebay scratch and dent
42 gallon fresh water tank - Class-a-Customs - https://www.classacustoms.com/42-Gallon ... _p_57.html
44.5 gallon black tank - https://www.rvautoparts.com/VB24637HLCD ... 23124.html
20 gallon Grey tank (not yet installed, might do a pair of two) - Class-a-customs undermount
Dometic 15k btu rooftop A/C (will probably only be used when building and not camping
Acegoo LED lights - https://www.amazon.com/acegoo-Recessed- ... 012ZOI3ZW/
15' Awning electric - Aleko - Ordered it direct since they had a coupon code for 15% off. (Not yet installed)
2-100w solar panels - Rich Solar 12v polycrystalline panels
-30a pwm charge controller - will eventually switch to a MPPT controller
-2-6v golf cart batteries in series
WFCO 8735 Power converter center

the 10'2" line is how long my RZR is from bumper to end of the rear tire carrier.

Sketchup design

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[ZColorado]

I purchased the trailer May 2nd 2019. I got 8 quotes from local dealers and I ended up looking at two. My first stop was a Lark dealer and when I mentioned to the sales guy that I wanted to take the plywood walls down to insulate he practically yelled at me. "Those walls are structural to the trailer, do not take them down" The construction was all C channel and Hat channel wall studs. No bueno! I then went and looked at another smaller dealer "Reed Trailer Sales /R&M trailers" based out of Nebraska. I was blown away. All tube construction, with 0.040" thick walls. Screwless exterior which I love the look of. Build quality was night and day difference. Not only was this the cheapest trailer in the area for this size it was the nicest built. I can't say enough good things about this trailer.

On my way home

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7x18 round nose - So I can mount batteries and propane easily
No side door - I wanted an RV style door with screen
10,000lb load capacity - was an inexpensive option, I got larger axles, and better tires, frame was no different then their 7,000lb versions.
1 window mounted over the axles - was cheaper to have this installed then it would have been to buy a used on on Ebay.
7' interior height
16" OC crossmembers and studs.

Here is what it looked like when I got it home

New Interior

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Starting insulation

Beginning insulation

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[ZColorado]

Insulation:

I did a bunch of research. it came down to three options.
1. Spray Foam - best insulation, seals all cracks, adds some structure since it basically glues everything together. VERY EXPENSIVE - Probably $2,000 in my area.
2. Polyiso rigid foam board. - High R value but with one MAJOR drawback. it loses some significant R-value below 45*f. If you are in a warm climate then this is the one to choose. In Colorado I camp in the snow.
3. XPS rigid foam board.

Polyiso has the highest R value per inch, However the specification does not take into account if that R-value changes at different temperatures. This is the MAJOR drawback to Polyiso. It loses some significant R-value starting at 45*f. In the middle of summer it can get below 45f where I camp. I need that cold weather insulation. I chose XPS instead.

PolyIso temperature sensitive graph

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[ZColorado]

My insulation and wall plan is simple.
1. Remove all plywood
2. Cut and fit snug 1" thick XPS boards between studs.
3. install 1/2" furring strips horizontally. This allows me to fit an additional 1/2" of insulation and also attach my wall panels with nails so I have hidden fasteners.
4. Use metalized tape on all seams, this is supposed to reduce airflow around the insulation board for better insulation quality.
5. Nail on decorative wall board

White beadboard for the ceiling
Pine wallboard for the walls.
Dark vinyl plank flooring for the floor.


http://www.menards.com/main/paint/panel ... 779189.htm

[ZColorado]

Time for windows and doors.

I ordered the trailer with a window already installed. I knew I wanted at least two more. One of those being an emergency exit door. I bought both of them on Ebay and made sure they had trim rings included, most dont. Windows are tricky to source since they are almost all custom purchased by the Elkhart syndicate in Indiana.

I framed the doors and windows with some additional 16 ga 1x1 steel tube that I purchased from a local steel supply place. Welding them in place was interesting since my tube and the trailer tube did not weld the same, and I'm not terribly good at it.

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Exit window install

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exit window done

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[ZColorado]

My side door I needed to be as close to the axles as I could get it due to my layout. Luckily the steel studs lined up nicely and I was able to get it extremely close. I measured 5 times and welded in the frame. Then I cut out the big HUGE hole. Screwing this up would have been a huge bummer. But it worked out perfect.

This was an AP products 28x72 radius door. If I ever do this again I will make sure to get the door with the friction hinge, those stay were you put them, this one needs a doorstop against the outside skin.

Door cutout

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Door installed

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Also did a cool window up in the bathroom area.

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[ZColorado]

Black tank.

I figured I should install the biggest one I could fit. It ended up being also the cheapest one I could buy too. I ended up with a 44.5 gallon tank. It came with a 4" tall lip all around the perimeter for mounting. Fortunetly my frame cross members were also 4" tall. So I was able to get some 3/16" steel plate and some angle iron and make it work. I had to cut out one of my crossmembers but I welded in some tie-ins to the next crossmember since I had the steel tube from the crossmember I just cut out. I'm not concerned about weakening the structure since its rated to a HUGE 10k lbs and it's already 16" OC, and the very front wont have very much weight in it.

the angle iron was welded into the front side. the rear side got some spacers and I welded in some nuts to bolt the 3/16" plate to support the tank. I also squeezed in some rubber sheets to act as a insulator for abrasion.

Crossmember cut

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tank installed

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[ZColorado]

Beginning the layout.

My design was strongly inspired by 8ball_99 on the rzrforums and my buddy who built a CTC last year. I wanted a very compact kitchen so I could maximize the storage area for the RZR and minimize overall length. This design is working out perfectly and I am very happy with it. Major downside is lack of storage and custom cabinets which I don't know how to build... yet!

Design for interior

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Next step was to start laying out the inside. I started by placing my 36x36 shower pan, my 6 gal RV water heater and Dometic 18k BTU ducted furnace, and the 42 gal fresh tank. The heaters are raised because I wanted the shower and sink drain to stay inside for as long as possible so they dont freeze in the winter. The drain goes all the way back to over the axles before it drops outside. Currently this goes to the ground but I will be installing grey tanks before too long.

Early layout progress

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closeup

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[ZColorado]

Shower drainage

This used some slick products which really made this work well. I only needed to raise the shower pan 3" to get the drain to work. I used a side outlet shower drain from BlueVue and a Hepvo trap. Hepvo traps are great in RVs. You dont need all the space a regular P-trap uses and you don't need to do any special winterizing either.

https://shop.bluevueinc.com/products/si ... sembly-1-5
https://hepvo.com/

shower bottom

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BlueVue drain

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[ZColorado]

The bed

This was tricky due to wanting an East West configuration on my bed. Queen beds are 80" long. My trailer was 84" wide inside. It was also 84" tall. A simple DIY murphy bed is just a piano hinge on the wall. That would cause me to need to put my bed on the ground to get it to fold against the wall. That was a bummer.

Iconfabul8 here on the TNTTT forums posted this design which was exactly what I needed.

Iconfabul8

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Aggie79 also here on TNTTT pointed me towards busrvparts.com and their Liftco murphy bed. This has the same perfect sliding hinge design where the bed will sit against the ground when folded but when extended will be the standard height off the ground. PERFECT!

Major downside is it's not very stiff. I think I need to change the top plywood to 1/2" and not the 3/8" OSB that came off my walls.

http://busrvparts.com/images/1378684_819405044782062_1758953037127315143_n.jpg


http://busrvparts.com/images/EPI7576.jpg

rzrloaded

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Bed animation

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[ZColorado]

Kitchen area Version 1

I had a camping trip coming up soon and I had a big push to get some functional water and counter installed. I had a neighbor who was throwing away some old cabinets so I grabbed one and cut it to fit around my tank. Used some plywood as a countertop and threw in a sink. Worked great.

Every house I have ever been in has the one drawer in the kitchen just filled with junk right? Well what do you get when you only have one functional drawer... Yep, it gets filled with junk.

Kitchenv1

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Kitchen v1.1

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[ZColorado]

The bathroom.

The shower was the whole reason I started this build. I'm extremely happy with it. getting dusty and dirty on a day riding around on the trails and I get to take a shower! Awesome! Also having a residential style toilet that takes a standard elongated toilet seat is a treat. Most RV toilets are weird and cramped. This Dometic 320 is amazing, it's actually more comfortable then the one I have at home.

bathroom wide

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[ZColorado]

Kitchen v2 - adventures in epoxy countertops

This was fun, I'm not much of a wood worker but I enjoyed this.

sketchup counter

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My overall theme is "Modern Cabin" and beetle kill pine is extremely common in my area. The beatle holes allow a fungus into the wood that dies them dark blue and you get some really interesting textures.

fresh pour

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[kirkupnorth]

Wow, ZColorado....Nice work!! Super impressed with putting in your own camper-style door, and it looks great!

Enjoy the adventure, and keep posting those pictures!

[McDave]

Very impressive, ZColorado.
You have really done your homework and it appears you knew what you wanted. Planning pays off. That's gonna be a super RV when you are done.
I had never seen that chart on the insulation before, very interesting. Curious as to why the polyiso performance is not linear as the rest seem to be? However it does not seem to mention the other brands foil faced both sides polyiso, as the Dow Thermax is, R Max for example is rated at 6.0/in. Does it's performance fall off as well or would it be expected to perform similar to the polyiso Dow Thermax? Hmmmm...

McDave

Edit: Found my answer. It is a Dow graph! "data may not be representative of all insulation types." So ......