A Small Scooter Camper

[hpmariner]

I own a 2016 Cushman II Highlander Scooter. I have wanted to do a camping trip but I don't do tents very well..(old knees and hips).
I have decided to build my own Tiny Camper Pop-Up inspired by the many bicycle campers many have made. But it has to be light and little windage as my 14 hp motor will have to pull all of us for over 800 miles up and back on the Natchez Trace Parkway. It's the perfect road trip as the speed limit is 50, with Zero commercial traffic, Zero Stops signs/Redlights/ and Zero yeild to intersecting traffic for it's 444 miles.
I have started with a old Aluminum extension ladder for a chassis with a 3/4 sheet of outdoor ply for a dec to build up from. I added 2 500# Torsion Axles for with 12 inch wheels. and crafted a laminated 1/4 x 2 inch tongue with a tie rod end joint to give me my 360 swivel action.
After putting in on it's wheels, I hitched it up for road testing. It' weighs in at 146# bare deck, so I added a 50# bag of sand to give it what I expect to be loaded weight for road testing.

 

[hpmariner]

Here is the Trailer on the ground and hitched to the Cushman. This is day two of test riding it around the neighborhood, then out onto the main road near my house. In these pictures you can see the hitch I designed that gives the swivel I need as well as the 50# bag of sand I added to simulate the loaded weight I think I'd be pulling.

During test-riding, that bag of sand had slid forward on the deck without me knowing and had put it's full weight on the tongue and hitch assembly. I was wondering the design of that section if it would be strong enough to take some abuse, well here's some numbers for my rig so far...

The trailer up to the deck weighs 146#. The tongue weight is 20#. the bag of sand gives me roughly 200# total, and when that bag of sand slid forward, the tongue was carrying 70# !!! I now hove no fears of the tongue not taking a bit of abuse!

 

[AeroNautiCal]

This is really neat, and it has a genuine Ladder Chassis!
I'm looking forward to seeing your design for the camper body and how you fit it out.

 

[rebapuck]

Love the retro look of the scooter.

Any progress on the trailer?