Neo NAMR 7 x 16 V-Nose Conversion

[foxontherun]

Been lurking for a few years and am finally getting around to working full time on my build. Purchased a Neo NAMR V-nose cargo trailer in June 2018. On the way to pick trailer up in Michigan, I saw this sign off the side of the interstate in Kentucky. Not sure what a "used" cow is; must be a Kentucky thing. I guess if you have race horses you can have used cows.

The trailer is a 2019 Neo NAMR 7x16; upgrades are:
-- 7' interior height
-- Frame is 16" OC on walls, floor, and roof
-- Two roof vents
-- Awning
-- RV Side door with screen; moved back as far toward wheels as they could
-- Torsion axles with electric brakes on both axles
-- .040 siding upgrade
-- Side door entry step
-- Scissor jacks front and rear

The plan is to leave trailer as "stealth" looking as I can. The only windows will be in the rear of the trailer when you open the ramp door. I plan to use the ramp door as a porch and there will be an interior wall with two casement windows and a full glass/screen storm door for light. It's amazing how much light comes thru the two roof vents. I am sure that will change some when I install the two MaxxAire 5100 Fans.

So far, I have the insulation done. There is between 3 and 4 inches in roof (roof has slight arch so more in middle than the sides). Two inches in the walls and 2-1/2" in the floor.

Currently, doing a "test" on an interior window A/C idea to see if the louvered sidewall vent I am planning will work for intake and exhaust for the A/C. The test is going good so far; we've got some 100+ heat index days coming up the rest of the week; will be interesting to see how well the 6,000 BTU Frigidaire keeps up. More info on the test can be seen here: viewtopic.php?f=42&t=72833

Now, I down to the dreaded first hole cut in the sidewall. Super nervous about that. Already have one screw-up from the inside where a screw went thru the side wall. Right now for the time being, that screw up has a gorilla tape band-aid until I decide whether I want an access door there.
Harry

 

[foxontherun]

Here is my current floor plan. My main concern is weight in the right place. I am planning to have a 30 gallon water tank and that weight when full would help balance out the weight on the other side (six 6v batteries). I don't really want to haul water; would prefer to fill when I am closer to destination. Obviously, that could be a potential weight distribution issue, maybe??? Thoughts??

Thanks,
Harry

 

[McDave-TNT]

Here's a tool to help you with weight and balance. https://www.engineersedge.com/calculato ... alance.htm
Just insert your numbers where the red numbers are and the program will do the math. You are looking for approx. 15% of total weight on the tongue.
For the water tank just remember that water weighs 8 lbs/gal.. My trailer tends to be nose heavy so I put the tank behind the axle so I could use it as ballast if required. Nice trailer, good luck!

McDave

 

[Coventry_Kid]

Harry:

Sure like your choice of trailer! Your plan looks very similar to what I did with my NAVR.

As for holes in the rig: 2 - 14x22 smoked skylights, 1 Maxxaire fan in the roof, and 4 windows. But I remember my trepidation before I made my first cut into the nice smooth surface.

Almost 5 years later and no leaks!

Good luck with your build.

 

[foxontherun]

Anyone have any experience with this type electrical inlet? The directions for installation don't mention anything about using a sealant when installing. The only thing there seems to be on the back of this is a rubber gasket. Really don't want to install anything that would potentially leak. The hole required to install this doesn't leave much room for error; I would say that it would be likely that all the rubber seal would NOT touch the trailer side, part would be in the hole.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Harry

 

[hankaye]

foxontherun, Howdy;

Anyone have any experience with this type electrical inlet? The directions for installation don't mention anything about using a sealant when installing. The only thing there seems to be on the back of this is a rubber gasket. Really don't want to install anything that would potentially leak. The hole required to install this doesn't leave much room for error; I would say that it would be likely that all the rubber seal would NOT touch the trailer side, part would be in the hole.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Harry

I would use a hole saw slightly larger then the diameter of the section just below the label
showing in the photo. Then All the seal is on the metal and it should fit snugly and be tight.

hank

 

[foxontherun]

Hank, is the rubber gasket sufficient or do I need to put some other sealant as well? Directions call for a 2-7/8" hole saw; that size really looks close to edge of plug in my test run on a scrap of luan. Tried a 2-3/4" that is better but still pretty close. I will see if a 2-1/2" will work out. Thanks for the input.
Harry

 

[aggie79-HILO]

I would recommend a plywood backer for the inlet. With the stresses, that a power cord can place on the inlet, you don't want to "hang" it on the sheet aluminum alone. The plywood backer would give more "meat" for the inlet screws and better distribute the loads.

If you use plywood, and if you have a router, you may want to cut the hole for the inlet in the plywood first. Then mount/attach the plywood and use a router with a pattern bit to cut out the aluminum. This is how I cut the opening for the inlet in my teardrop trailer:

 

[foxontherun]

I do have plywood backing in wall behind where this electric inlet will be. I plan to put the electric inlet to the right of the water inlet.

Hindsight 20/20 should have cut the hole in the plywood BEFORE installing the water inlet so that I could remove the plywood and do just that. However, I think it will still work this way as I can use the plywood as backing for the hole saw to get thru the aluminum and then go in trailer and finish drilling the wood part out. I already have the pilot hole going thru the wood and out the aluminum. I used the hole saw on making the initial cuts in the aluminum installing the water and louver vent. However, in those two cases there was no plywood behind the wall at the time. The water inlet was already cut in the plywood. So.....
Could potentially be an issue.....hope not.

Thoughts?
Harry

 

[featherliteCT1]

Aggie79,

Did you use anything like butyl putty sealing tape around the perimeter of the outlet to seal the outlet? If not, do you think that that would help or cause problems? Even though there is a rubber gasket, I would think that the putty would squeeze out nicely to seal the hole.

 

[aggie79-HILO]

Aggie79,

Did you use anything like butyl putty sealing tape around the perimeter of the outlet to seal the outlet? If not, do you think that that would help or cause problems? Even though there is a rubber gasket, I would think that the putty would squeeze out nicely to seal the hole.

For the electrical inlet, radio antenna, door latches and other parts that had rubber gaskets, I used a thin layer of latex sealant on both sides of the rubber gasket before mounting the hardware. For things that didn’t come with rubber gaskets and that may have to be removed, like windows, I used butyl tape. On the windows, I installed them, waited a week for the butyl tape to ooze out and take a set, re-tightened the fasteners, waited another week to see if there was any more squeeze-out, trimmed the squeeze out from the edge of the windows, and then ran a bead of OSI sealant around the edges.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[hankaye]

foxontherun, Howdy;

Hank, is the rubber gasket sufficient or do I need to put some other sealant as well? Directions call for a 2-7/8" hole saw; that size really looks close to edge of plug in my test run on a scrap of luan. Tried a 2-3/4" that is better but still pretty close. I will see if a 2-1/2" will work out. Thanks for the input.
Harry

Harry, I can't tell from the photo. Appears to look like it should do. With a backer board that would
stiffen up the skin my best guess is yes. If it does leak then you can always remove the rubber bit
and replace it with some butyl-tape.

hank

 

[foxontherun]

Good morning,
Well I ran across some rust under my breakaway switch yesterday when I was doing some rewiring.

This rust wasn't there the end of March when I was repairing a leak in the nose. It appears I did something that caused this to happen. In four months time this rust occurred. What is the best way to clean this and to prevent it from happening again? I have ordered a new breakaway switch as the bottom of the old one isn't worth the effort to clean.

Hank, you mentioned in an earlier post using Henry's Tropical White: <edited> Re: rust from roof Postby hankaye » Sat Jul 20, 2019 10:02 am"...NO sandpaper! Use Scotchbrite pads, over a dozen years of corrosion control for aircraft...... if not then try some Comet or other brand of cleaner. Warning, once you break the protective coating that is on the Aluminum you will be chasing the crud forever or until you sell it to someone else. One good way to prevent new corrosion from forming would be to cover it with something like a paint that would also repel the Sun's heat. More then a few here have used Henry's Tropical white with excellent results. Only a recommendation to consider. hank"

Not sure I want to paint my trailer tongue white, ha! Is there anything else I could use to help prevent the rust?

Thanks,
Harry

 

[Ol' D]

Hi, Neo,
I'm wondering if the corrosion wasn't caused by the two dissimilar metals being in contact. If that's the case a gasket between the aluminum and the steel of the switch might keep it from happening again. I'm sure Hank will know. Good luck.

Dan

 

[hankaye]

foxontherun, Howdy;

Good morning,
Well I ran across some rust under my breakaway switch yesterday when I was doing some rewiring.

This rust wasn't there the end of March when I was repairing a leak in the nose. It appears I did something that caused this to happen. In four months time this rust occurred. What is the best way to clean this and to prevent it from happening again? I have ordered a new breakaway switch as the bottom of the old one isn't worth the effort to clean.

Hank, you mentioned in an earlier post using Henry's Tropical White: <edited> Re: rust from roof Postby hankaye » Sat Jul 20, 2019 10:02 am"...NO sandpaper! Use Scotchbrite pads, over a dozen years of corrosion control for aircraft...... if not then try some Comet or other brand of cleaner. Warning, once you break the protective coating that is on the Aluminum you will be chasing the crud forever or until you sell it to someone else. One good way to prevent new corrosion from forming would be to cover it with something like a paint that would also repel the Sun's heat. More then a few here have used Henry's Tropical white with excellent results. Only a recommendation to consider. hank"

Not sure I want to paint my trailer tongue white, ha! Is there anything else I could use to help prevent the rust?

Thanks,
Harry

Harry, that reply you quoted was referring to an Aluminum roof on someone's CT. Your tongue which is made of Steel.
On steel you can 1) use the sandpaper [the automotive 220 grit], or 2) Spray it with vinegar allow to sit about 10 to 15
minutes then rinse off and thoroughly dry. Then it's time to add a protective barrier of some sort ( Paint, sealant
something that you will be happy with yet moisture tight). These switches appear to use their bottom as a ground and
most likely the why it corroded, like the Neg. post on a battery. The bolts that secure them are the means of grounding
through contact with the frame and the interior of the hole. The 220 or vinegar will work well on the surface of the switch
too, just need to apply something to seal it up without sealing the walls of the mounting holes. Again, paint, sealant your
choice run some of the 220 grit to clean the bolt holes and you should be good to go.

As for the cause, ... can only guess that when you were repairing the leaking nose you may have created some sort of
'short' or loosened a connection in the system. Good thing is there are only a few wires that need to be 'explored'.

Hope that helps.

hank

 

[foxontherun]

Good morning,
Trailer is all aluminum. Will the cleaning method be the same as steel? What do I seal aluminum with?

Thanks!
Harry

 

[hankaye]

foxontherun, Howdy;

Good morning,
Trailer is all aluminum. Will the cleaning method be the same as steel? What do I seal aluminum with?

Thanks!
Harry

Harry, mornin'. Well, looking at your photo again I'm seeing rust (iron oxide), on the tongue.
Aluminum's "rust" is generally a whiteish/gray color (Aluminium oxide). I'd try an Scotchbrite
pad (Blue), then work up in coarseness (Green), to see if the Rust color comes off with that.
We used to use the rule of going with the mildest method then work up into the industrial
strength stuff. The use of some Comet or other brand of scouring powder would be justified
to help remove the stain. These will also work on the base of the switch as well. You've
caught it early and it is just surface rust.
As for sealing the frame, good question. Is it painted now? If not then you can seal it with wax
or you can get a rattle can of clear lacquer to cover it. Raid the wife's hair spray, same thing.
The main thing is to clean it up and see what you actually have then using the mildest means
possible, remove ALL of the corrosion then apply a sealing compound it it. As I mentioned in
my previous post I guessing that the ground is supposed to be through the hole to the frame.

Best of luck. Please let us know how it turns out.

hank

 

[foxontherun]

Tried the Scotchbrite pad, did OK on the light rust stain but the deeper rust didn't seem to do much. Found a solution though that did the trick. Straight white vinegar and aluminum foil. Poured a small puddle of vinegar on area and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes then took a piece of aluminum foil crumpled up shiny side out and scrubbed. Pretty much came off first round. There was just a little area where the rust was a little deep not just surface rust. Same trick again, voila good as new. Then, I washed it with soap and water and rinsed real good. You do not want vinegar to sit on aluminum for long time it will begin to cause corrosion itself from what I read about it. But this trick worked and quite well. Here is a before & after picture.

Harry

 

[foxontherun]

Would there be any reason NOT to put dielectric grease on switch between frame and bottom of breakaway switch to help eliminate future corrosion perhaps? I checked with factory to see if there was supposed to be anything between and they said no; has to be metal to metal for grounding. Curious if the grease would work.


Harry

 

[hankaye]

foxontherun, Howdy;

Ya done good! Looks like hardly anything has happened, which it should
when you're finished.
The Grease will form a barrier (good), but will need to be renewed at intervals.
How often??? You will need to figure it out. I'd suggest after a drive in the rain,
after driving through a winter storm with treated road surfaces, After sitting for
a period of time. Only some suggestions. I'm sure you can think of as many as
suites you or a few as you feel comfortable with.
Overall,

hank