Re: New TTT - The Boxcar - New Sliding Bed

[doug hodder]

Bruce....don't know what to say....absolutely outstanding guy! Thanks for the updates on it. Think you can make it out to the IRG this next summer? I'm looking forward to seeing this critter all done! Hey everyone, party in Bruces trailer! Doug

[bdosborn]

Gosh Doug, I appreciate the kind words. Heck, I stole most of my ideas from you so your compliments mean a lot!

Bruce

[bdosborn]

Bruce, is your trailer in the Build Journals section? I'd like to see how you did it. Way awesome work, man!

Bump.
Here's the build thread. I guess I started this before I knew there was a section for builds.

And to tie it into the build thread, here's the first outing thread:

First Outing Clicky

Bruce

[bdosborn]

I made another build video, this one is for the boxcar:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSuLYxQOfl4

Gosh, two years only takes 8'26". Seems like is should lake longer than that.


Bruce

[mikeschn]

Very nice job Bruce!

Two years condensed into 8 minutes... whodathunk?

Mike...

[Team Varekai]

Bruce, what can I say.......Truly amazing
Absolutely phenominal build and really enjoyed the slide show on youtube

btw. who were artists and what were the songs playing during the vid?

[bdosborn]

btw. who were artists and what were the songs playing during the vid?

Thanks guys! The artist is Brian Bromberg.

Bruce

[Ron Dickey]

Very very very impressive!!

After you get done there is a question in the Poll site, If you had it to do all over again what would you do differently.

If I make a bigger one it will have a double axel like the Maxitear.


But the work you show of the inside makes me realize where i went wrong on mine, having never made one before nor anything like that.

This should be in a plans site or on a CD for you to make funds back on.

How much planning was put into it before starting and how many times did you find yourselves saying no this will not work lets try this.
In you Box Car what did you change the most that you knew would not work by the time you finnished this trailer.

You show how much real Fraiming make all the difference to the assembly prosidure.

Did Georges in CO influence your design much? which as I remember also had a back door and smaller raized top.
Most of us are influenced by what we see in others trailers.

[bdosborn]

Ron

After you get done there is a question in the Poll site, If you had it to do all over again what would you do differently.

I've been very pleased with how its turned out. The only thing I would consider changing is the pop-top. I love having it but I'm not real keen on how it goes up and down. I think I would look at hinging it to the body instead of having it go straight up. But, I went I went with the design I did because I thought the overall structure would be stronger with a minimum of open area on the roof. The teardrop flexes enough over curbs that I had to shim the door latches so they wouldn't come open. I was worried that the Boxcar walls would flex during travel and the barrel latches in the pop-top wouldn't line up. So far, the walls have been rigid enough that the pop-top has lined up even after the trailer bounced around on 20 miles of washboards. So its like any design, there's always trade offs and rarely a perfect compromise.

If I make a bigger one it will have a double axel like the Maxitear.

I like the Maxitear too and thought about using a tandem axle. After a lot of thought I decided to stay with a single axle.
- Its a cheaper over time not having to buy an extra pair of tires.
- A single axle is lighter than a tandem.
- The trailer turns better on a single axle.
- Less interior space dedicated to wheels.

How much planning was put into it before starting and how many times did you find yourselves saying no this will not work lets try this.
In you Box Car what did you change the most that you knew would not work by the time you finnished this trailer.

I spent a *lot* of time thinking through the design so I didn't run into much that I changed as I went along. I spent the most time thinking about how the pop top would work. I ended up trimming the side panels a bit after I had made them (and caught the pocket screws in the saw!!) but that's the part I fiddled with the most. I think building the interior before the exterior helped with the wall planning. I placed everything on the floor and then framed around it. It was a bit nerve racking when it all came together; I was finding out if the measurements I took two years ago would work!

Did Georges in CO influence your design much? which as I remember also had a back door and smaller raized top.
Most of us are influenced by what we see in others trailers.

Yup, I spent a lot of time looking at his trailer.

Thanks for the positive feedback! Let me know if you decide to build a bigger trailer so I can watch your build.


Bruce

[bdosborn]

For fun, we camped out in the driveway last night and tried out the Magma grill I mounted on the tongue. I grilled a medium rare steak and it came out great.

Here's the grill in the extended/cooking position.



Its tapped of the main propane tank so we don't have to use the little green containers anymore.



Here it is in the travel position.


The Magma grill is pretty spendy but I found a lightly used one on eBay for a lot less than a new one. We grill just about everything we don't cook in the DO so I don't mind spending more on a nice grill and the Magma is the only grill I could find that had a different kinds of mounting hardware.

Bruce

[synaps3]

An old friend of mine had a Magma on his boat. They're good grills.

[Steve E]

Bruce,
Very nice job you have to be proud of your build.
Really like your craftmanship and well thought out plan.
Steve E

[bdosborn]

Thank you!

[bdosborn]

I had the trailer weighed yesterday on the way home from the first camping trip of 2010. Jean's traveling so it was just Misty and me for a quick overnight at Crow Valley Campground.

The axle weight is 2,460#. I didn't have the tongue weighed but that's at least another 300#. The good news is that the trailer was fully loaded with all our gear as well as water, propane and diesel so it won't get much heavier in the future. I'm glad I stayed with the 3500# axle, I almost went with a 2500#. The tires are rated for 1,820# each so I'm good there. I bumped the tire pressure up to 45 psi, which should give me a 75 mph top speed according to Goodyear.

I'm also glad I went with a composite tongue using 2"X3"x1/8" tubing as it should be plenty strong according to Andrews Tongue Strength page. I tried to save weight during the build but I didn't sacrifice on strength - everything is rated to 3,500#. That includes the trailer brakes as I still have to have to stop this pig....

One of the goals for this build was to get every luxury I wanted into the trailer and that adds weight. On the other hand, the truck didn't have a single camping item in it, *everything* was in the trailer (another goal). My guess is that the total weight isn't that far off from what we were at in the teardrop considering all the stuff that used to go into the truck. I wish I'd weighed the tear before we sold it. I bet I could shave 500# off the total weight by emptying out all the chairs, awning, dutch oven, generator, water, etc. Still, I'm over my weight goal by 300-400#.



The truck weighed 7,300# so the Gross Vehicle Weight was 9,760#. I got 16mpg which is amazing to me now that I know how much everything weighs. I guess I better start paying attention to those bridge weight limit signs...

Bruce

[Miriam C.]

Still worth it. That "pig" is fantastic!