Bob Henry's 4x7

[WhitneyK]

Good morning Sunshine!

I did decide to put in some bedding and plug in my ceramic heater and crawled inside about 4:30 for a 2 hour power nap.

I know I know pictures. The significant other was at a grandkids birthday party with the camera.

DIDN'T GO TO A GRANDKIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY ..... MAN, R U INSANE!!! (I pretty well had the answer to that question before I typed it )
You probably will be spending a few more nights in the RVW for missin' the party.

sure would be nice to have a garage

Maybe your next build could be a HUGE td, maybe 24' x 40', and forget to put a trailer frame under it.

Nice find on the old cooler looks like it would make a great tongue box. Weld you up an angle iron frame for it to set in, maybe strap it in place? Like the old trunks.

I'd comment on your progress, but, uh, since there's no pictures to show for it, well, you know.....

Oh ya, and by the way Bob, I took off work today gonna try to get my skin cut, at least for one side. 5x10 sheets of aluminum are fun when working by yourself.

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Holy Strombolli !


Maybe I should just sell my little $15.00 cooler........

http://compare.ebay.com/like/350492349869?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y

 

[GuyllFyre]

Holy Strombolli !
Maybe I should just sell my little $15.00 cooler........
http://compare.ebay.com/like/350492349869?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y

Wow!
That would certainly make me think about selling it if I could.
eBay is getting tough for sellers to make money though, so many fees on everything...

 

[S. Heisley]

sure would be nice to have a garage

Hey, Bob! Aren't you the guy that builds storage buildings for other people?!

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

OUCH !

Yes Sharon you are correct and my 12 x 20 is full my 12 x 16 is full and my little 5 sided 8x8 has just enough room to get the door open.

Where do you think I hide all the good JUNQUE that I use in these builds?

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Well the weekend update has no new construction as we drove 400 miles to visit Mom.

HOWEVER.........

While we were there we went junking ! Goodwill ,grannie's attic ,flea markets , elvis's junk shop and even a few yard sales.

I have been toying with putting a material covering over blue foam inserts on each wall as a wall finish. Kinda a poor mans hull liner

Well a lucky $2.00 find at one of the yard sales and I have 3 bolts of real nice embossed material to use as the material cover and the foam cutout here at work are free by the pickup load.

So it looks like this coming weekend will be a little cut and tape on foam and material. I will cut the foam to wedge it tight and then wrap and back tape the material to the back of the blue foam with some killer construction tape and jam fit it in place. With the walls in place I can then install the 15' white rope light that I will be using for interior lighting.

To cut the foam I am going to install a loop of 12 gage copper from a section of 12-2 w ground romax and see if I can install it on the nose of my weller soldering gun and get it to cut the foam. It's just an experiment if it doesnt work I will break out the handy knife and drywall saw. Or maybe a cut off wheel in the 4" grinder for the straighter cuts.

Note: If you have only one tool purchase this year make it a cheap little 4" grinder I have used mine for everything since I bought it.

On a surprise design flaw..... While measuring for the size foam I needed to cover the side walls I found out the rear shelf is installed about 5 degrees down hill running front to rear.

This will turn out to be a very happy accident ( kinda like my lantern hooks on the chuckwagon that just happens to hold the bin doors open)

Well it turns out that when ready to be towed (slightly nose down) The rear shelf actually is level so things will be less likely to walk out and the front cabinet shelf that is actually built level with the floor will run about 5 degrees down hill from rear to front of the trailer so things will stay in this cabinet as well.

GO FIGURE !

I'd rather be lucky than good !

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Well the weekend update.

Some one wet the bed !

Yep opened the door Sat AM and had had a roof leak thanks to some torrential rains. With a little detective work with the garden hose I found that the cut in tail lights that I had forgotten to caulk and the license plate light had funnelled water into the foot of the bed. There was also a little water at the door where the casement style window had let water leak in. I had not finished building it and just had a piece of the FRP taped over it so I was not too surprised at this leak. I decided to simply make it a fixed window so I remover the tiny casement sashes and replaced with a 15 x 18 inch piece of lexan left over from Chubbys roof.Glued and pin nailed 1/4 round in behind and set the lexan in from the outside and used 4 tiny screws as glazing points to hold it in until I can pick up some more 100% silicone.

I mounted the newly repainted old style cooler on the tongue for a tongue box. made a rather clever mount out of 2 pieces of 15" 2x2 angle left over from the side rails cut off of the barn's frame rails. As with so many of these old style domed top coolers the top was cruched enough that The bail handle would not clamp the lid tightly so I went looking and found the hand grip cushion from the crutches I had use as table supports. I removed the bail and slid on the cushion. After building up the diameter of the bail with some ice dam tape I centered the cushion and it compresses just right and clamps the lid solid. Now you know why I never throw anything away !

I then decided to cut and fit 1" foam inside the trailer and wrapped with some nice soft cocoa and white striped material. This was a P.I.T.A. job. It took me 5 1/2 hours to cut and fit and recut and modify to finally get the foam to fit. Then remove and wrap and back tape. Looks real nice though. Kinda a poor mans hull liner. Picked up a whole bolt of material for $4.85 at Goodwill. I have enough left to make bed sacks for this builds foam mattress and to cover the 2 twin mattress in the barn. After the foam was installed I was instructed by the boss to trim out the curb side window so I went looking and found some plactic panduit. It is a little plastic chaseway that surface mounts to hide electric wires. studying this for a moment I decided it could be carefull split on the table saw and the plastic ell formed would trim the window most elegantly and that is what was done. It looks great and helps to hold the material covered foam solidly. Vic stopped at Goodwill on a whim Saturday and found a very nice dark chocolate brown comforter for $12.00 to complete the monochromatic look by tying in the bedding.

I next turned my attention to lighting and added rope lights across the front down the curb side and across the back to arrive at the quad electrical box. Rope is clipped to the bulkhead walls and each roof spar.
I even added a "Clapper" for remote switching.

Here is a rather poor night shot thru the door.

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Here are the other pics

I was toying with a hme made rear rack....

When I found this for $10.00

Here s the trimmed out window described above

And my poor mans hull liner

I tradeded in the mini casement window
for a fixed lexan one

Here is the profile !

 

[aggie79-HILO]

Bob - I love the cooler tongue box and the interior foam panels. I thin the foam panels are a good way to retrofit insulation to uninsulated sidewalls.

Take care,
Tom

 

[WhitneyK]

Wow Bob, the cooler / tongue box turned out great, looks real nice.
That's a great idea wrapping the foam with cloth, not only adding R value, but should help with sound deadening (that way everybody camping around you won't hear you snore ) I really like the looks of it. Would also be a quick way to add extra insulation if needed for winter camping, could be removed for summer. (just a thought, didn't say it was a good one)
$10 for the rear rack? What a steal! Now that's what we're talkin' about, bargain boy! Somebody must have got tired of bustin' their shin on it.

Turned out great Bob!

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

ME SNORE !!!! You ain't heard the bride she wakes me up sleeping in the recliner in the next room.

The panels just made a more finished look. My builds tend to get "campable" and that's where they die. I am determined to complete this one.

It has drug it about 150 miles in the last few days and all is good to go.

Got a few more tweaks to go but they will wait if I don't get to them.

 

[S. Heisley]

Bob Henry wrote:

I tradeded in the mini casement window
for a fixed lexan one

Do you still have a window or vent that opens to let in fresh air? Chili & Beans could be a problem, ya know. (TeeHee!)

 

[LDK-TNT]

Hey Bob

Just wondering, did you make your matress out of that foam rubber yet?

Your really moving along on this build. It's lookin good.

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Do you still have a window or vent that opens to let in fresh air? Chili & Beans could be a problem, ya know. (TeeHee!)

Small double hung aluminum storm window with 1/2 screen at the bottom.

I can open top or bottom sash and move screen to top or bottom. With the top open and a little box fan hung in front I can point in for fresh air or out for exhaust it has been all we have needed in the bigger 5x10 build and these are the same windows.

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Hey Bob

Just wondering, did you make your matress out of that foam rubber yet?

Your really moving along on this build. It's lookin good.

Nope that load in the picture went into the barn build. I was able to retreive a tempera mattress that was being tossed to the curb because it had a rip from being moved. I cut it to fit and will be sewing a bed sack for it out of the left over material that I used on the walls.

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Well Rip Van Winkle is going campin' tonight.

Last night we made up the bed and I installed a temporary inside door latch at her insistance.

The bride is taking him behind her little Scion XB and going to her sisters cottage to use it as an extra bedroom. The tribe is all in town and they are gonna gather.

No not me ! I am gonna be getting ready for the Hoosier fall gathering the 14th. So I'm staying home making a check list and packing a bit so I don't have to run around and do it all at the last minute.

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

Well Rip is loaded mattress to ceiling with good campin'
junk and ready for the 1/14/12 Shivaree in just 10 more
days. I just need to load a cooler and a dry box of
groceries and we are ready to roll.

I intend to get a dozen or so great photo's of him in
action. He will be sporting his 10 x 10 kitchen with a
4x4 half bath. Both bat wing tables will be installed
and ready for some serious cookin'. The bride took
him camping in October but this will be my first out
with him. I am looking forward to seeing just how
well he works as he is the smallest sleep in tiny trailer
I have built.

 

[WhitneyK]

...ready for the 1/14/12 Shivaree.....need to load a cooler...

Really Bob? Load a cooler in January? How long have you lived in Indiana? Oh wait, maybe it's to protect your "stuff" FROM freezing?

 

[bobhenry-TNT]

YEP ! Keeps hot things hot and cold things cold.......

Got time for a story.....

I worked very briefly for Wabash Trailer the semi trailer people.

At lunch on day I was pouring soup out of my thermos
and as the steam rose from it I couldn't help but notice
the startled look on a fellow employees face. I said Hi
and asked his name. In a very thick Southern accent
he introduced himself as Leroy. Seems Leroy was from
coal country in Hazzard KY. He could contain his curiosity
no longer and asked about the silver bottle. I explained
it was a thermos. He asked what it was for and I
explained that it kept hot things hot, and cold things cold.
He stated that as soon as he got his 1st check he was gonna
get him one. Several days passed and I finally spotted
him in the lunch area with the largest damn thermos I
had ever seen. When he spotted me he made a bee line
over to show me his treasure. Playing with him I asked
what it was for. Well it keeps hot things hot and cold
things cold was his rehersed answer. Then I had to ask...
What ya got in it? The answer kinda startled me when
I heard "chicken soup and iced tea".

I still wonder how it tasted

 

[Deryk the Pirate]

lol.... sounds mighty different