Mistakes I have made... so far

[Jim.M]

I am just starting my build... and have already done something "not according to plan".

I was building my floor... simple 2x2s with a 4x8 sheet of plywood on top, right?

well, I decided (foolishly) to put the frame of 2x2s together first, and then lay the 4x8 on top and screw it down.

Needless to say, "big box store" 2x2s are not straight or even evenly sized along the width. I knew this. Even so, after checking lengths several times before committing to the cutting, gluing, screwing and clamping, I still ended up with a frame that did not match my 4x8 sheet of plywood. (was a bit narrow on the 4' width in places and not exactly square).

So, if I was of a mind to do this again, I'd glue the 8' 2x2s to the plywood, then add the center ribs and glue those as well. If I was lucky my cuts would match the gap I was trying to fill.

Next I'd flip and screw the 2x2s to the plywood.

Or I could build a well-toleranced jig/work table and hopefully that would help with the construction (concrete garage floor might not be the optimal place?)

Anyhow, I've been reading through build journals and didn't really find a lot of "I wish I had done this instead" or "I really screwed up", so I thought I'd start a new topic.

I will be adding to this as my build progresses. I assume

[3822sean]

cant speak for everyone else but i have learned alot on my first build (almost done) ,there are things i would have done different i kept getting ahead of myself doing stuff that i would later have to take apart or remove but it has been fun looking forward to building another one

[dh]

I built a redneck grey water tank out of 3'' PVC pipe. Made it zig zag to save room. It drained just fine, as long as the trailer was perfectly level. Decided leveling the tear at the dump station was a bad idea, so went with a single 6'', holds more, and had room for a fresh water tank too.

[oregonguy]

My brother and I had a torsion axel powder coated on our new build...whoops! Apparently the bushing material didn't like the heat and melted out! a very costly mistake.

[wannabefree]

Um, it is not the MANLY WAY to admit mistakes. They are features. My list of "features:"

1) HF trailer, original cost $270. Cost after 1 year, 4000 mi: $970.
2) Ceiling too high. Great if you're 6' 8", though. I'm a foot short.
3) Should have dropped the frame.

All in all I am very satisfied, in spite of the features.