7x7x16 V Nose Cargo Trailer Conversion, First Build

[McDave]

Wise and prudent thinking Don.

McDave

[low277]

Lots of books, documents and papers written on grounding and bonding. Everything from Uffer's concrete encased electrodes, to Sourses book on grounding to the NEC article 250.

It's called AC theory for a reason!!!!!

[flboy]

Lots of books, documents and papers written on grounding and bonding. Everything from Uffer's concrete encased electrodes, to Sourses book on grounding to the NEC article 250.

It's called AC theory for a reason!!!!!

Yes, all that gets rather technical very quickly. Aside from the normal AC and DC electrical system grounding considerations.. I have to consider RF grounding as well since I'll be operating HF and VHF (QRP and QRO) gear on the 12VDC system in my CTC from time to time..... but that is more a topic for a radio forum. :-)

It is a Theory, but very demonstrable. People are shocked to find that out!

[McDave]

Lots of books, documents and papers written on grounding and bonding. Everything from Uffer's concrete encased electrodes, to Sourses book on grounding to the NEC article 250.

It's called AC theory for a reason!!!!!

Yes, all that gets rather technical very quickly. Aside from the normal AC and DC electrical system grounding considerations.. I have to consider RF grounding as well since I'll be operating HF and VHF (QRP and QRO) gear on the 12VDC system in my CTC from time to time..... but that is more a topic for a radio forum. :-)

It is a Theory, but very demonstrable. People are shocked to find that out!

I actually did lol!

McDave

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

I know nothing about electricity and how to hook up what to where ... that said,
I do like to find knowledgeable folks to help me get things done. Here is a page
from one such person.
http://noshockzone.org/category/rv-safety/
The guy is good, has a weekly blurb that gets posted in the weekly "RV Travel Newsletter"
he has a series of about 12 articles that he posted all about RV electrical safety. If ya poke
around the link a bit you can run across them and so other useful info perhaps as well.
Remember I know nothing about electricity ...

hank

[jr9744]

@flboy, Good idea to keep things that are unclear about electricity off the forums.

I've been finding time to work on the trailer here and there, so figured I would give an update.

At this point I have all the DC wire ran, the kitchen framing done, and the shelving system in the back done. I'm really looking forward to wrapping up the ac/dc so I can start working on the water systems.

I plan to finish adding the second layer of insulation to the top of the trailer where most of the wires are. I then plan on finishing the ceiling with some white panel board stuff I bought from HD.

Kitchen framing done and Fridge roughed into place. I decided to go with a regular AC mini fridge because I believe I will have enough battery power to run it 24/7.



Another shot of the front of the kitchen. I did end up buying a sump pump that I will use to send the shower and sink water to the gray tank.



Side view of the kitchen frame with fresh water tank in place. I tried to give the fridge some space/air all the way around.


It took some thought to figure out how to wire up the rocker switch. But eventually I got there. I plan to mainly use the rocker switches to control the 23 interior lights I will have


Center section with DC wiring in there. In retrospect, I may have choose less lights and circuits. Running all the dc wire was painful. I ended up buying marine 12v 14 guage wire with a casing on it. It was very pricey, but worth it. I started with solid copper wire for the DC and it was too hard to use due to its stiffness.



A closer view of the center panel with dc wire and 2nd sheet of insulation


Random picture of how I ran one wire and split it into 3 in order to hook up 3 led lights. I like the 4 pin connector thing. Works o.k.


2/3 of the second set of insulation done with the dc wiring.


Side picture of all the ac/dc wiring. It looks messy, but i'll clean it up when I'm done.


I hope to get that second layer of insulation done this week and the white paneling up. Once I get through this I'm looking forward to getting to the water pieces.

It's a lot of work, but worth it and I'm learning so much as I do this process. With the weather cooling down, I'm enjoying working more at night when it's cool out.

[flboy]

You have gotten alot done! Nice work. You will be done before you know it.

The mini fridge will work fine. The power draw difference between that an a purpose specific DC fridge is not enough to be a concern if you have good solar and battery capacity.

Thanks for sharing your progress.

Pic of my mini fridge in use. Loaded up for the week.



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[McDave]

What is all that stuff? No bacon? No Jameson? Not even a beer? Yikes! I guess your cigars must be in the wife's purse? I'm a little worried, Don. But I do dig those Georgia peaches.


McDave

[RandomAbstract]

Liking your build

[flboy]

What is all that stuff? No bacon? No Jameson? Not even a beer? Yikes! I guess your cigars must be in the wife's purse? I'm a little worried, Don. But I do dig those Georgia peaches.


McDave

Lol... Did have some bacon hiding in there somewhere. We did alot of cooking this time. Mostly breakfast and dinner. Typically picked up lunch while out riding or etc..

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[jr9744]

@flboy Can't wait till my fridge looks like that and I'm out somewhere!!!

Allright, so I figured I would make some time to do a post of my progress.

I've finished running all the DC wire (I think). I finished the second layer of insulation on the main living area (not the bathroom yet). I have put together the heart for my plumbing under the kitchen counter. Bought the kitchen counter.

My next steps really are finishing the framing for the bathroom, finish designing the kitchen area that is across the kitchen counter where the gray tank will reside. My goal is to completely have the plumbing and electrical done this month. This includes the solar panels on the roof.

Some pics:

The heart of my plumbing system under the kitchen counter.


Side view of the fresh water tank where the lines come in.


General pic of the trailer yesterday. You can see the second layer of insulation up.


Here is a night picture with me running a couple led lights while thinking about my design further. You can also see the butcher block counter I bought. Oddly, the counter really motivated me and made me really feel like the place was coming together.


Another night picture with the right side of the trailer showing and the rocker switch working. That side that will be where I will put a kitchen area (Table, chairs, window)


One thing I've started doing is gathering all the wood in the house of stuff I can 'repurpose'. I'm also starting to think more about design and how I really want the final look and feel to be.

Some things that still keep me up at night though (In case anyone can give feedback):
* Is it really that bad to cut a stud for a window? I fear I may need to do this but worry about the integrity of the structure if I do so.
* I'm growing really interested in using pine tongue and groove for the walls and roof. I worry about the weight with all pine. I need to go to a weight station or do the math.
* Where would be the cheapest place to have someone put back on my trailer door ramp coil spring and lines? Long story, but I took it off and have really struggled putting it back on. Ready to pay someone to help if I need too.
*

[McDave]

One thing I've started doing is gathering all the wood in the house of stuff I can 'repurpose'. I'm also starting to think more about design and how I really want the final look and feel to be.

Some things that still keep me up at night though (In case anyone can give feedback):
* Is it really that bad to cut a stud for a window? I fear I may need to do this but worry about the integrity of the structure if I do so.
* I'm growing really interested in using pine tongue and groove for the walls and roof. I worry about the weight with all pine. I need to go to a weight station or do the math.
* Where would be the cheapest place to have someone put back on my trailer door ramp coil spring and lines? Long story, but I took it off and have really struggled putting it back on. Ready to pay someone to help if I need too.
*

Hey jr9744,
You have made some significant progress there. The "infrastructure stage" is a time consuming and sometimes less than rewarding process, but ya just gotta go through it. The time spent in planning and building at this stage helps to prevent rework and future regret. You are real close to the "fun" part. When the finishes start coming in and stuff is visually rewarding the work is a lot more satisfying.
It is not bad to cut a stud for a window, as long as you finish that job. Just like normal construction, you need to install a header and sill plate. The header distributes the roof load to the adjacent studs and the sill plate carries the window load. This also keeps the wall and roof framing straight, level and plumb. The window then has a sturdy frame around it. It is not a tough job really. It doesn't have to be welded in if you're not able, but you do need to have a mechanical connection between the header or sill plate and the cut stud and the adjacent studs. Screwed or riveted works fine.
I have seen the tongue and groove pine and cedar planking for walls and ceilings that is 1/4"x4"x8' but I haven't found a weight on them. 1/4" should be fairly light, but it all adds up.
If the ramp spring and cable are still intact I may be able to help coach you through install. Do you want to post a pic. or two and describe the problem?
I love the idea of repurposing old stuff. It gives a really unique look that cant be duplicated. And all that stuff you have been hoarding has a new life. That's the fun part.

McDave

[John61CT]

pine tongue and groove for the walls and roof. I worry about the weight with all pine.

Yes would be heavy.

Has anyone ripped luan or other thin sheets to make faux paneling?

Obviously would be too thin for proper shiplap rabbeting, just plain lap joins. Maybe somewhat fragile, but cheap and easy to fix

A nice quality sheet to start with would probably give a very nice "land yacht" effect with ​tung oil, or if you want to avoid it darkening, Epifanes "Rubbed Effect".

Just aesthetically, I would just do the above on the walls.

Wood all around would IMO make the space seem smaller, maybe get oppressive. But wood panelling and a plain white ceiling, maybe flat textured, think that would be nice with an attractive warm-temp lighting scheme

[jr9744]

pine tongue and groove for the walls and roof. I worry about the weight with all pine.

Yes would be heavy.

Has anyone ripped luan or other thin sheets to make faux paneling?

Obviously would be too thin for proper shiplap rabbeting, just plain lap joins. Maybe somewhat fragile, but cheap and easy to fix

A nice quality sheet to start with would probably give a very nice "land yacht" effect with ​tung oil, or if you want to avoid it darkening, Epifanes "Rubbed Effect".

Just aesthetically, I would just do the above on the walls.

Wood all around would IMO make the space seem smaller, maybe get oppressive. But wood panelling and a plain white ceiling, maybe flat textured, think that would be nice with an attractive warm-temp lighting scheme

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. I may go weigh it after all the framing and electric/water is done to help me make that decision. I actually already bought some 4x8 white sorta glossy paneling from HD (i'll put a pic up later). I was planning on using that, but was watching HGTV Tiny Homes and that Pine is so pretty to me. And i'll admit, the weight chart was one thing I sorta ignored in this whole process.

I do like the idea of half wood and regular paint like I've seen. But idk...designing will be the fun part but also a part I'm not very good at.

[jr9744]

Hey jr9744,
You have made some significant progress there. The "infrastructure stage" is a time consuming and sometimes less than rewarding process, but ya just gotta go through it. The time spent in planning and building at this stage helps to prevent rework and future regret. You are real close to the "fun" part. When the finishes start coming in and stuff is visually rewarding the work is a lot more satisfying.
It is not bad to cut a stud for a window, as long as you finish that job. Just like normal construction, you need to install a header and sill plate. The header distributes the roof load to the adjacent studs and the sill plate carries the window load. This also keeps the wall and roof framing straight, level and plumb. The window then has a sturdy frame around it. It is not a tough job really. It doesn't have to be welded in if you're not able, but you do need to have a mechanical connection between the header or sill plate and the cut stud and the adjacent studs. Screwed or riveted works fine.
I have seen the tongue and groove pine and cedar planking for walls and ceilings that is 1/4"x4"x8' but I haven't found a weight on them. 1/4" should be fairly light, but it all adds up.
If the ramp spring and cable are still intact I may be able to help coach you through install. Do you want to post a pic. or two and describe the problem?
I love the idea of repurposing old stuff. It gives a really unique look that cant be duplicated. And all that stuff you have been hoarding has a new life. That's the fun part.

McDave

The "infrastructure stage" has been a learning experience for sure. Once I put the counter on the frame I built, it started to feel like a real place although I know I have a lot left. I'm really looking forward to getting to the traveling part of this.

I spoke to my neighbor today about the studs and windows too, and he pretty much echoed what you just explained about the window. So I'm on the hunt now for a nice size one for the 'kitchen' and I will frame it like you explained (pics will come).

I spent about 12 hours trying to put back on that 'torsion spring'. I found someone on here who had steps to do it, but no way. I was also trying to fix that by myself and it was a challenge. Btw, I completely took off the cables and removed everything from the trailer. So yeah, I think I'd be willing to truly pay for this. They say garage guys can do it easily, but I called around and some won't even touch it. I'll put some pics up on the weekend.