CT Scavenger

[tvag06]

Hello folks,

Looking forward to your insights on this new project. I've only ever built one interior space structure by way of a tool shed with pallet wood. It looks not too bad. I'm a hammock camper by nature but always been interested in a nice small camper for those cooler months. Also, a new addition, a 3rd generation mongrel, will be joining my outings soon enough and I wanted to have some consideration for the little ankle biter.



I've got my hands on a old boat trailer with 4.80x8 wheels and frame that is 3.5' x 14' (the tongue is 7' alone! What do I do with that!?) I want really light weight and though I'm partial to a rear compartment for food prep and storage, I'm thinking of forgoing it on this first attempt. My desire is to build something I can lift off the trailer and store in my garage. Then make a better build when I have more time and $$.

Thanks folks. Keep an eye out for me on the forum and if I ask a dumb question, well, answer it (then tell me I'm dumb).

T

[Ron Dickey]

Welcome to our forum.

Check the trailer over closly for ruse strip it down put new hubs on it or re-grease them. Check all welds get the re-welded if needed now.
My fist trailer is an old boat trailer used to put boats in the ocean in salt water. I stripped mine down removed all the rust I could, by grinding and chemicals. I repainted it. But I did not inspect the welds close enough.

I live in California. On my first big trip I was in New Mexico when the axle broke in a not to safe place. I had it towed to the motel after asking it I could park it there. Got a welder and was on my way. 5 years later the tung broke on a early morning in a town I later found out was one of the most dangerous towns in California. Even the police were slow to respond. My cousin new a man who welded and we were soon on our way. so check it over closely now

As you start your build put it in the build journal and we will give your our thoughts and as you get to areas of question ask them in those areas the apply say electrical.

We have hundreds of hours of experience here so ask away.

Ron

[tvag06]

Welcome to our forum.

Check the trailer over closely for rust strip it down put new hubs on it or re-grease them. Check all welds get the re-welded if needed now.

Thanks for the insight on your trailer tribulations! Just so happens, I'm in trailer inspection and tune up mode right now. Here is my build journal:
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=69985

Thanks again!

[dutrisac24]

It's a great idea to start a journal. Every time i build something, when it complete i think to my self... DOH! I should have made a journal. On a teardrop build, it's a great resource in case you need to change something or rebuild

[Sparksalot]

You're going to like that long tongue for backing up.

[tvag06]

You're going to like that long tongue for backing up.

Great to hear. I knew there would be silver lining somewhere!

[working on it]

I stripped mine down removed all the rust I could, by grinding and chemicals. I repainted it. But I did not inspect the welds close enough.

I live in California. On my first big trip I was in New Mexico when the axle broke in a not to safe place. I had it towed to the motel after asking it I could park it there. Got a welder and was on my way. 5 years later the tung broke on a early morning in a town I later found out was one of the most dangerous towns in California.

• My TTT is made from a derelict 50" x 60"motorcycle trailer I bought for $50, at a swap meet. I fixed it up a little, but never used it, and it sat and rusted in a tall grass spot in my backyard for 18-20 years. When I started building it again, this time as a "simple" semi-off road trailer, I lengthened it by welding on 12" and 24" extensions to the frame, making it a solid platform for a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood (it wasn't really necessary...the 3/4" floors, walls, and roof made a self-supporting structure that would've worked on the original frame). But, necessary changes (a stronger, longer tongue, and conversion to larger wheels) were done. The wheels were just too small for the intended use I planned, and the tongue was short, weak, and rusted through, so to avoid problems like the ones Ron had, I went big on my replacements: big bearings and hubs for the 14" wheels, and a 6" piece of .1875 thick, square tubing (welded to 3 crossmembers, with a center spine of smaller tubing welded over it all the way to the tail (very strong, but probably overkill).

• 

  trailer just frame, conversion to 4x8 TTT possible.jpg (201.1 KiB) Viewed 1118 times

• But, I was on a no-budget build, so I hoped my rusted original axle (of unknown capacity, using 1.5" wheel spacers for the larger wheels) would be strong enough to carry my trailer, despite being increasingly overweight (started at 1280 lbs, and has now grown to 2025 lbs loaded) for a 4x8 trailer. I knew it, or its' components were due to fail, but fortunately, a spring hanger tore loose from the frame in my garage, as I lifted it for post-trip inspection. I seized this opportunity to reinforce my frame with 1/4" angle, installed new spring hangers and hardware, and a new 3500 lb Dexter axle with brakes. My mistake of overloading the spindly, rusted axle was now rectified, with no unfortunate incident.
• You may be interested in a modification I made to mount a tonguebox on the unused space on my single=beam tongue. I needed to transfer some more weight forward, to better balance my trailer, and a tongubox was needed to do so. I had already mounted my spare tire there, and decided to fabricate a sliding platform on the beam, enabling the tonguebox to move forward for more access to the spare, if needed. At the time I made it, I had no welder, so I simply bolted on a couple of doubled-up 1-1/4 in. x 48 in. Zinc-Plated Punched Angle bars, to serve as a stabilizing platform and brace for the wooden base, that I mounted the sliding mechanism to. It works pretty well, and serves my purposes, without being too obviously redneck engineered.

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  floating tonguebox on stable platform.jpg (119.89 KiB) Viewed 1118 times

• Which brings me to the main point regarding your use of the small (but long-tongued) boat trailer. It is not much smaller than what I started with, and can be converted to a usable teardrop-type camper. The narrow width can be overcome by building up and over your wheels (which I recommend up-sizing to 13"-15" tires), and/or getting a stronger/wider axle. A single sheet of 3/4" plywood bolted/screwed on top of your existing frame (or a to a lifted framework - to have your wheels under the floor, or with internal wheel-wells) will make a strong base for your cabin. Additionally, the long tongue on your trailer is a positive feature, if sturdy enough. My trailer's new tongue tubing was only 6' long, before welding it on, with 44" in front of the cabin, limiting the space I had there, to mount tire and tonguebox. I made it short to be able to fit backed-into my 3-bay garage, so I could walk around it, with a an existing workbench/storage area behind it. I made the trailer to be 12' total length, but found that 14' would've been doable (your trailer length is ideal). If I had your boat trailer, I could've built a TTT similar to mine, with certain benefits from the placement of your axle (further back than mine - better weight balance for my very heavy galley), and the longer tongue (aiding in backing-up maneuvers). Here is a quick drawing I made, to show the placement of a 4x8 sheet of plywood on your frame, as a starting point, and where my components match up to your frame. Placement and scale are approximated! It's a viable plan, if you have the time to do so. Welding or bolting the front "v" onto the tongue (it could be 2x4's bolted or screwed/glued under the floor, instead of steel) will make a tonguebox feasible, and it will certainly make a galley possible, by offsetting rearward weight bias, while also freeing up interior space. Or, in lieu of a 4x8 trailer, extend the floor forward to make it a 5 or 6 x 8. I wish I could lengthen mine, but it would be a major task, after 5 years of interior/exterior mods. Good luck with your build!

• 

  boat trailer, overlaid with similar plan to converted motorcycle trailer.png (72.75 KiB) Viewed 1116 times