by ctstaas » Sun Jul 06, 2014 2:01 pm
Hi Steve, I asked about drop floors also and have gotten no response either, so I'll respond to yours. I decided to design my own and here's what I learned during the design phase: Regardless of the cabin you want, the frame for a drop floor is going to be different to accommodate the drop. The frame I plan for my 5x5x10 will have two outside lengths of 1 1/2 x1 1/2 x 3/16 welded full penetration to the diagonals of the same materials to the tongue tube. Three other lengths of the same material is used to frame the drop also ( two for the length and one cross member). I plan to use 3 x3 x3/16 for the tongue and first two cross members and center connector for the rear receiver. I plan on making my drop out of sheet metal, because I Have access to the stuff needed, but it could be made of plywood easy. I drew a line from the hitch to the bottom of the tire and wont have my drop depth exceed that line. For simplicity reasons my drop pan will be 2' x 4' x 10" deep, welded to the bottom of the frame. That design will use 10 sq.' of sheet metal. 10 GA. would weigh 57 # and 16 GA. will weigh 25#. For the size I think 16 GA. would be just fine. RV table kits are available and cheap and easy to use. I plan on 15" of seating on the front and two sides. I plan on three cushions the length of the cabin width and the width of the seat depth. I'll rotate these three with my mattress foam for sleeping. I plan to store only comfort items in my drop when not in use.
I think my frame will be three times as strong as needed and I'm OK with that. Should I taper the front of my box? I would appreciate input to my thoughts during the planning phase.
Enjoy, Chris