The Adventure Begins: 6x12 V-Nose Conversion

[kirkupnorth]

We just picked up our new Cross 6x12 V-Nose to convert into a camper/hauler. We've been looking at trailers for weeks. We wanted a good quality trailer that we could afford with 6'6" interior height, camper style door, walls and ceiling at 16" on center, LED lights, and a ramp. Living in far northern Minnesota, we knew we'd have to drive for hours to get what we wanted. So today we took some time off work and made the four hour drive to the Twin Cities to pick up the perfect trailer for us. Here it is:

When we were about halfway home we decided to pull into a Menards for some foam insulation so that we could get started right away. About a mile from the store a Chevy Suburban ran a red light and t-boned the pickup next to us with such force that he smashed into us. Unbelievable! Here's how that worked out for us:

We were lucky though, no one in any of the trucks was hurt and our new trailer was unharmed -- not a mark on it. And, we were able to drive the remaining 150 miles home. "Built Ford Tough" was true today!

We've got a layout plan on paper that's been reworked and tweaked countless times. In the morning we'll get busy with some masking tape and see how it looks in reality. We're really looking forward to the whole project! Stay tuned...

 

[Iconfabul8]

Holy Smack, not fun. Glad no one was injured, but still! I hope the rest of the build goes a little smoother for you. I'll be watching.

 

[flboy]

Darn! Glad you are okay. Is the truck repairable?

Good luck on the build! The trailer looks nice!

 

[kirkupnorth]

Hey, guys. Thanks for your positive vibes!

Yes, we were very lucky that no one was hurt. We won't know much more until the insurance adjuster comes on Monday. It's been such a good truck for us, we really do not want them to "total" it. Haven't had an accident in over 30 years, so we're not too sure about what to expect from the insurance company. We'll wait and see I guess.

Yeah, we're already having fun with the trailer. We have most of the interior plywood down. Just part of one wall to go. Very happy to report that the plywood is held on with real screws! I've seen so many people here struggle with those fake srew head nails.
So far, we're very happy with what we're seeing as far as trailer build quality. Looks like they did a very nice job. I've snapped a few photos today, so I'll try to get them up here sometime tonight.

 

[McDave-TNT]

Maybe not the best start to a project, but you never know... sometimes these things work out for the best. But losing a good truck is like losing a good friend. Glad everybody is OK.
So, new trailer eh? Very nice. You'll be glad that you got the extra headroom. Looking forward to your build.
Good Luck!

McDave

 

[featherliteCT1]

Nice extended tongue

 

[kirkupnorth]

Well, we got a pretty good start today. As I said, we're happy with what we're finding under the plywood in the trailer. The build quality looks very good. We were happy to see the steel tube framing is 1"x1-1/2" on the walls and the ceiling.

Tomorrow we'll get going with the foam insulation and maybe get to some wiring. We don't like the factory splices, so he's going to get rid of those. He'll solder and then heat-shrink the connections.

 

[kirkupnorth]

Progress is being made!

We're well into insulating, and the ceiling is now furred out.

We've framed in for a maxxair fan.

So far, things are going well but not terribly fast. The amount of thinking, planning, and pondering is really pretty amazing! I'm surprised to find that I'm really enjoying that part. In the interest of full disclosure, I am kirkupnorth's wife. I guess I'm Mrs. Kirkupnorth? So while I'm busy during the day as a middle school teacher, kirkupnorth is doing most of the work. Everyday I can't wait to get home from school and see the progress! I'll be helping in the evenings and on the weekends. So far, it turns out that I'm kind of gifted when it comes to removing plywood walls!

Anyway, we're both having a lot of fun with it so far. This forum has been extremely helpful. It's great to see how other people have done things, what the veterans recommend, and get ideas for solving problems.

I will continue to update as we proceed.

 

[kirkupnorth]

Nice extended tongue

Yes, we knew we'd want an extended tongue for LP tanks, and just for ease of driving, reversing, etc.

 

[MrBo]

Looking good. Sorry about the truck and glad no one got hurt! CRAZY!

 

[kirkupnorth]

Looking good. Sorry about the truck and glad no one got hurt! CRAZY!

We found out today that the other driver's insurance company is accepting full liability, which is good news! That means we won't have to pay our normal deductible, and it shouldn't affect our rates. Very happy about that!

Do any of you have a recommendation for a reverse light to mount above the ramp door? I've got to find one in the next few days. What have you had good luck with?

 

[McDave-TNT]

I used these LED Spot lights. They are VERY bright and easy to aim. Used a relay triggered from truck reverse lights and powered from trailer battery. there is also a switch just inside ramp door.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EA ... UTF8&psc=1

McDave

 

[kirkupnorth]

I used these LED Spot lights. They are VERY bright and easy to aim. Used a relay triggered from truck reverse lights and powered from trailer battery. there is also a switch just inside ramp door.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EA ... UTF8&psc=1

McDave

Thanks, McDave! Funny, I was already considering those exact lights. I'm glad to hear that you're happy with them. Into the cart they go!

 

[kirkupnorth]

We've finished the utility hookups installation, and we're pretty pleased with how it all turned out. We put in the outdoor shower, the gravity fill and city water hookups, the cable for eventual tv antenna, and the shore power electrical hookup.

We're pleased with how all of the black hookups look on the black trailer.

Here are the plumbing hookups on the interior.

The windows came today, but we had to go deal with the body shop on our truck damage. Still no final verdict on that -- we're hoping to resolve it within a day or two. Man, life without a truck is a real bummer -- even for only a few days! We're expecting heavy rain tomorrow, so windows will probably have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday. We're pleased with the progress. So far everything is going well, with no major screwups. Slow and steady.

We'll keep you posted.

 

[Joel.brian]

I installed Walmart ones on the underneath of mine and routed to my house batteries with a switch so I can turn them on even if my truck isn’t connected. Kinda wish I put them up high but this will work.

 

[kirkupnorth]

Wow, those things really put out some bright light!

It was rainy here today, so he got some pre-installation work done for the windows.

Truck update: The insurance adjuster says it's totalled, which is not a huge surprise to us. We really need the truck, though, and there are only 130,000 miles on that PowerStroke diesel engine so we're hoping to buy it back and get it fixed. It's all been a massive pain in the neck but our ultimate goal is to get to keep our much-loved truck, and it looks like that just might happen. Yay!

 

[kirkupnorth]

Some progress to report!

We've been busy, but still going kind of slow and trying to pay attention to the details. Here's where we are on the interior. We finished insulating, got the 120V and 12V wiring all roughed in, and installed the 7-way plug with junction box. We wanted that so the camper can charge off the truck batteries when we're on the road. We reinstalled the osb and primed the interior. The trailer came with that water-resistant osb, so we decided to get some oil-based KILZ primer on it. We're planning to install marine carpet on the lower part of the walls, so we went with the KILZ so that the adhesive will stick.

We installed a hatch for a small Frigidaire window AC unit, and trimmed around it on the interior. When we need AC, we'll just open the hatch and stick the unit in there. We've also installed two windows -- one on each side toward the rear. That's where the fold up beds will be. The windows aren't huge, but we're happy with them. We installed a porch light and a ramp light. The ramp light will also serve as a reverse light.

So, things are looking up! It's really fun to be at the point where we're actually building the interior, as opposed to taking things apart!

We're waiting for the LED lights for the ceiling and the MaxxAir fan. We're in a very rural area of northern Minnesota, so deliveries usually take some extra time.

This project is the most fun we've had in a while! I'll try to update every few days or so.

 

[flboy]

Looking good. It is exciting when the interior work starts and all the packages start to arrive. You enjoy. Very nice solution for your AC. I like it. When you need it, you have it.

Thanks for sharing ths pics.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

 

[Joel.brian]

How big did you make the a/c hole?


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[McDave-TNT]

I had a lot of fun designing and building mine as well. It is amazing how quickly the whole thing snowballed from motorcycle trailer to toy hauler/ camper. I bought the trailer to use for hauling tools and equipment for my business. Never really considered trailering my bikes anywhere. Then I met some folks who had the high end toy haulers and remembered how much fun camping is. I towed the bare bones trailer with my conversion van and camped at a rally or two and the seed was sown. That was 2-3yrs ago. The money I have saved on hotels etc. has pretty much paid for the entire project. It took a long time to get the Mrs. on board. Her idea of camping was a hotel. But now that its done and has all the comforts she has warmed up to it. She put her mark on it and dressed it up way more than I would be able to. It was getting too ""Man Cave-y" I guess. But I don't mind having nice stuff either. I know it smells a lot better when shes' been in there.

McDave
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