So much for keeping up with posting on my progress. Also, two week deadline is passed and out the window. New hopeful date is 4th of July.
This past weekend I nearly finished the floor. Tonight and tomorrow I will make the wheel wells. Do yourself a favor and pay the extra $300 for a 5x8 trailer if that's how big you want it. Building out the floor was a huge PITA and time suck. First had to make a frame out of 2x2's and match it up to the HF frame This was difficult in itself because the trailer members were 1.5" and the 2x2's were 1.375" I had to check all my measurements and calculations thrice!
Another word of warning. Harbor Freight trailer directions are wonky. The pieces aren't labeled. And the pictures for the first few steps have the wrong crossmembers shown. That leads to you getting to Step 3 or so using all the wrong parts. If you're using red loctite this is the worst moment ever or just an excuse to get a propane torch.
After getting the frame all assembled, I flipped over the deck to drill counter sink holes where the trailer bolts were so the floor could lay flat. I also drilled all the holes for through the frame and the plywood for bolting the floor to the trailer. Used spray truck bed liner (2 coats / 4 cans) on the bottom. Then stained and polyurethaned the top. Which was dumb since no one will ever see it!
Now I need to finalize my design. But I just happen to be the worst decision maker in the world.
Time to decide on the galley so I can continue making progress. Requirements:
- Maximize space
- Be organized
- Minimize weight and wood.
I figure using plastic bins as drawers is a ton lighter than building cabinetry. I found two options at Ikea the Trofast and Samla bins. They are pretty close in size, but one is a few inches deeper than the other. I apologize in advance for the awful pictures. Doing the math made me a little sad how little storage there actually will be in the galley. The bucket all the way to the right I'm adding a spigot for a water container.
Option (1) Trofast - Will be on rails to slide in and out. 11" deep which is perfect according to the benroy plans for the depth of the counter. The bins also make it to just about the right counter height.
Option (2) Samla bins - Maybe just build a shelf, with a ledge cutout on the back side. They have tiny legs so they would stick in place when you push them back in. You'd have to slightly lift the front to pull it out. These are 15" deep versus 11" so would have slightly more storage. This takes about 4" out of the sleeping area leaving about 76-77" length inside. We are both short so it doesn't make too much difference and we are already cutting the mattress to fit over the wheel wells anyway. But I don't want to get to cramped. I just want to maximize storage space and have everything prepacked The other issue with this setup is it raises the counter 2-3" which in my mockup seems to be too tall.
Although I was initially opposed, I think the white ones look cleaner. Though I doubt that will last long while camping. There does seem to be less space using them though. I'd probably build higher to the ceiling with more bins if thats the case. Need to just make a decision so I can move forward.