A 12 ft. FEATHERLITE conversion

[Prem]

Check this out:

http://www.alumaklm.com/ae610_ae612_enclosed_trailers.html

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[hunter535]

Nice looking trailer. Looks like it would make a great one to convert for camping.

[Prem]

This one is tops too:

http://www.worthingtontrailers.com/trailers/motorcycle/motorcycle_encl_64/encl64_motorcycle_trailer.aspx

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[hunter535]

The weight difference between the aluminum and the steel trailers is amazing. Almost half the weight difference. I looked at aluminum trailers in the style of trailer I wanted but I couldn't afford the aluminum. Pretty pricey! I am happy with the trailer that I have now. But who knows about the future!!!

[Prem]

hunter,

I write this at the end of day when I worked on the steel chassis, standy quasi-teardrop that I am currently building just to try out a new shape (V-tail).

I've done a lot of steel welding both MIG and stick. But, IF I had access to all the tubing, angle and flat stock aluminum that I can so easily get in steel, I would most likely be doing things a lot differently on this and future camping trailers. (I'd have to learn aluminum welding too.)

Factories, like Feathelite, Aluma and Worthington, have all that, and most importantly, they have the jigs needed to prefab walls perfectly. For that I admire their products and bought one for my own. (My previous trailer was a 6-wide, traditionally-shaped teardrop.)

When I tow my 12-foot Featherlite aluminum chassis trailer, I barely know it's behind my tow vehicle. It only weighs 1,250 pounds loaded. (My 12' teardrop weighed 1,800+ pounds empty...4" channel steel chassis with steel floor.)

The interior volume of a cargo trailer dwarfs any teardrop of the same length. Ergonomic versus non-ergonomic. I've started calling "traditional" teardrops rolling coffins. 4'x4'x8'...good grief. For two adults??? Tents are bigger. And that size has become a "true religion" for some nostalgists. I'm a pragmatist. What works better for me is the cargo trailer.

I accidentally stumbled upon aluminum cargo trailers. (I won a Featherlite baseball cap at my first teardrop gathering!) If it weren't for that, I'd never would have gotten on to them or bought one. And, I only bought mine because it was minimally dinged and reduced a grand in price to almost the cost of a steel trailer. I'm really happy with it. But we're splitting hairs here in the big picture. Be happy with what you've got. You got a good one and you have done a superb job (with your kid) of converting it to a family living space for some upcoming journeys and explorations. That's quality family experience!

It's the journey, not the destination or the means of transportation.



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[Prem]

Here's an interesting piece:

http://www.ve7prt.bc.ca/trailer.htm

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[michiganflipper]

here are some real nice trailers to http://www.legendmfginc.com/

[Prem]

Yeah! Nice find. I especially like this model:



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[hunter535]

Yeah! Nice find. I especially like this model:

http://www.legendmfginc.com/Archives/DVN5177.htm

Prem

That is one nice CT!

[michiganflipper]

they are built about 40 miles from my house

[Prem]

And Triton:

http://www.tritontrailers.com/products/ModelGalleryPhoto.aspx?CatID=27&SubCatID=25&ModelID=357&UnitID=77&gpid=145&pg=1

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[Prem]

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SINGLE AXLE CAUTION

One of our camping club members recently lost his trailer in a high speed rollover due to a torsion axle spindle failing. It was a light trailer for its size, made largely of fiberglassed foam. See photos:

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=32474&highlight=rip

He said he got the left trailer wheel off the road momentarily (bang!) while pulling into a rest area, but doesn't/can't know much more about why the axle failed, except that it had the bored-out center for easy lub grease injection to the rear bearing. (Hollow axle)

A few points:

1. Have your trailer axle bearings and seals professionally checked and repacked every 6,000 miles.
2. 55 MPH is the speed limit towing a trailer almost everywhere.
3. The smaller your tires, the more they spin per mile and the more heat they generate taking a toll on the bearings faster.
4. If you lose a tire (flat), wheel or axle stub (spindle) on a single axle trailer at speed, you're suddenly pulling a plow that pulls to one side. All the more reason to maintain excellent tire pressure and tire quality and to get the bearings and seals checked and lubed at manufacturer's recommended intervals.

Because of this incident, I will only use torsion axles without the EZ lube feature (hollow axle) on future trailers. A higher weight rating is better than lighter here! My cargo trailer weighs under 1,500 pounds and has a 3,500 pound torsion axle without EZ lube.

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[Prem]

P.S. I wouldn't trust EZ lube/hollow axles on a tandem axle trailer now either.



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[Prem]

Latest find:



A Hehr low-profile RV roof vent that I found at Habitat for Humanity's RESTORE yesterday. Nine inches square and all aluminum. Brand new (but old). $2.00

Spring operated with chain pull.

What era is this from? The 60s??? It came on factory canned hams, didn't it

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[Arne]

looks like the kitchen vent in my 1936 built home.. chain and all... sucks a lot of air out. They are spring loaded and would probably work in that position.