(The Puffin) New Tiny Trailer

[steve wolverton]

Doug Hodder owns a fabric store.

I didn't know that.

I found 2.25 yards for $8. Even though shipping was $10 I still came out ahead.

[Tear Les]

Well the carpet headliner was a spectacular failure. I knew that installing the headliner in my camper was going to be a huge pain in the ass. I'd stick the carpet up and it would start falling down. I'd get one side up, and then the other side would fall down.

So I ripped it all out and I'm going to try this another way. I'm going to order my black vinyl (anyone know any good sources?) and cut out some 1/8" plywood, hardboard, or whatever I can find that is the same size as the area I need to cover in the camper. Using EPOXY, I will glue the vinyl to my wooden cutouts and let gravity work its magic overnight. Then I'll glue these insert onto the ceiling and trim it out. What a huge pain. Gah!

Steve,

You really shouldn't have to go through all that. There are only about a bazillion boats (and who knows what else out there) that have "headliner" material installed. I've done a few small jobs (ie - not the whole darn ceiling) using 3M adhesive spray and never had any issues at all. They have a couple or three different strengths and I know that's what most of the boat companies we do business with use for fabric and vinyl alike. I know I used the high strength stuff once (and only once) to glue a piece of vinyl on 1/8" luan as a trim piece. I needed to reposition it slightly to make the "grain" in the vinyl look just right; when I tired to lift it back off to do that I stripped parts of the top layer of the luan off rather than break the glue's adhesion.

Best of luck however you approach it. I like Mary's idea but watch that tongue as it comes around!

[steve wolverton]

You really shouldn't have to go through all that.

Amen to that! I've used the spray-on adhesive before, but I was a bit nervous about trying it with the carpet on the roof because it would be hard to align correctly the first time.

By creating some thin wooden cutouts, I can dry fit them to make sure they fit before glueing them in. I'll also be able to epoxy the fabric to those cutouts and let them cure overnight. I can use some poles to hold the panels up on the ceiling while the panels bond to the ceiling.

One of the good things that came out of this is I get to use my black vinyl on the roof and not the carpet.

[Jeeper92]

where the heck are the pictures!!!!!!!!

[steve wolverton]

My black vinyl came in today, so I'm heading down to the hardware store to get the wood for the headliner backing.


It's outside in the sun (or about as much sun as we've had in Texas these last two months ) to get the fold wrinkles out.

[steve wolverton]

This project is ranking about an 11 on my PITA meter.

It's hot, humid, and I'm really tired of messing with it.


About to cut the vinyl to shape.


Cut and glued. I used staples to pull the vinyl taut while it's setting up.

After the epoxy has cured, I'll glue these panels onto the ceiling. Then there will be much rejoicing. Actually, after I get these panels glued in, I still have to trim all around their edges. Then there will be much rejoicing. I'm going camping this weekend - I need a break.

[steve wolverton]

Success! I think.



I'll pull the trim back off when everything has had enough time to cure and paint it black.

"I see the white trim and I want to paint it black..."

[NightCap]

I think that is going to look dang cool. I didn't even think of doing a headliner till I saw you do it. I'm glad you told us about taking the trim off. I was looking at the picture and found my self wondering if you put it on with your feet.

The camper looks good amigo.

[Miriam C.]

You mean your not sure! Looks great Steve. Like all the rest

[Thunderknight]

Steve,

I like the way you extended the floor width over the sides of the trailer to increase the usable size of the 4' wide trailer. I am considering doing the same, to somewhere between 5 and 6 feet total.
How has your extended floor been working out? Any sag problems or other overhang issues? Any tracking problems?

I have the 1740# trailer from HF, so I need to accomidate the wheels, but I definitly want to go wider than 4'. I was thinking about using 2x framing to create an actua vertical joist system type floor that will allow me to build above/around the wheel so I don't have wheel wells inside. That may make it too high, so I'm not sure yet. I'm not too worried about weight.

I may go longer in the front or back too by a small amount, not sure yet.

Thanks.

[steve wolverton]

How has your extended floor been working out? Any sag problems or other overhang issues? Any tracking problems?

I haven't had any problems with my camper by extending the width of the trailer body over the trailer frame. (Cars, trains, mobilehomes, etc. are all done this way too)

No tracking problems, no oscillations while driving, no scary or concerning behavior. It has all worked out very well - mostly by dumb luck.

I was really concerned with all of the above while building too - but after 3,000+ miles on my camper, I do not worry about them at all anymore.

I have the 1740# trailer from HF, so I need to accomidate the wheels, but I definitly want to go wider than 4'. I was thinking about using 2x framing to create an actua vertical joist system type floor that will allow me to build above/around the wheel so I don't have wheel wells inside. That may make it too high, so I'm not sure yet. I'm not too worried about weight.

I tried to keep the camper as low as I could while building and still have enough room to stand in it with the dropped floor. I'm guessing your trailer has 12" wheels is why you're wanting to build a 2x4 frame above the trailer frame? I don't see why that wouldn't work. It does raise the entire camper 3.5" above the frame though. It would also be very strong. Another consideration is your camper is going to be fairly tall, so getting in/out will be a little more difficult - you'd probably need to build a step, or have some folding steps on the trailer.

What type of camper are you planning to build? A tiny travel trailer, or a tear?

[Thunderknight]

What type of camper are you planning to build? A tiny travel trailer, or a tear?

A tiny (or not so tiny!)
I started a thread at http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=17266&highlight= describing what I am trying to do. Basically I am in search and rescue, so I'm looking for a self contained dry camping unit for 1-3 nights when out on searches (as well as the occasional rec camping, so I need room for my wife too). Bathroom is very important, as is a work area. I usually don't cook when I'm away from home, so a galley is not important to me...the space would better be used for a work area.

I like the Puffin a lot, and I have learned a lot from reading the thread. I am building my HF frame right now...as soon as that is done, I plan to come up with a floor design that maximizes my space, then start working on the rest of the design. Thank you for answering my question about the floor size. I want to get something larger than 4x8 (especially on width), so it is good to know you have not had any problems. I tow with a full size SUV, so weight is not a huge concern to me.

Thanks
Matt

[nikwax]

Steve, that reminds me, could you sketch out your floor framing for us?

[steve wolverton]

Hey Guys,

Here's an illustration of my floor.


The red shaded area is the 4x8 Harbor Freight trailer frame.

The blue shaded area are 2x4's. The middle one is 48" wide, so that it sits between the wheels.

The green shaded area is 1/2" BCX plywood (rough side down). The floor measures 6x8. I have the 2'x8' sheet of plywood on the port side of the camper, and the 4x8 sheet is on the starboard. (It doesn't really matter how you do it, two 6x4 sheets of plywood (front to back) will work too. They are joined with a butt block on the underside.

The purple shaded area are 2x2's. They add strength to the floor, but their primary use was to have a secure mount to screw the walls into.

I hope this makes sense.

[nikwax]

great, thanks!


So you could extend the dropped floor area further across