24' V-nose, coming soon, to a thread near you.

[8ball_99]

I just sold my little 6x14 converted toy hauler and bought a 7x24 v-nose my self. I love it so far. We took it on a 600 mile trip last weekend and it did great. I've still got a lot of work to do on mine though. Plastic mart is VERY expensive on holding tanks.. My advice is to look on ebay and buy Poly tanks for your grey and black water.. You can get two 36 gallon tanks shipped to your door for around 150.. Half the cost of one tank from most stores.. Same goes for freshwater tanks-30-and 40 gallon tanks cost around 50 bucks on ebay.. Adventure RV is a pretty good place to buy RV appliances like hotwater heaters. I lucked up and got a brand new 20,000 btu RV furnace off ebay for 350. Shop around and you can get good deals.

Dealers are all different and the more custom stuff you add the longer it tends to take.. Mine only took two weeks to have built, but I didn't add to much to it.. I learned on my first one your better off just doing the custom stuff your self..

[CaptD]

Thanks for the tips 8 ball. I'm pretty much sold on the Featherlite 1610V @ 7' X 24' long. Still in the drawing stages for the conversion. Capt D.

[Kyle1911]

+1 on Adventure RV. I've bought most of my trailer-specific parts from them. I just ordered a Parallax 50 amp power center, and a 36' 50amp cable, along with shore power inlet, and a bunch of other goodies. Have had nothing but good experiences with them, and the prices are unbeatable, from what I have seen. My trailer is done, and will be at the dealer for pickup this week! I'll be starting in on it next weekend. Finally will have some pictures at that time! Stay tuned. Kyle

[8ball_99]

Thanks for the tips 8 ball. I'm pretty much sold on the Featherlite 1610V @ 7' X 24' long. Still in the drawing stages for the conversion. Capt D.

I went with steel due to cost and because I can weld steel. Installing things like holding tanks and hotwater heaters its pretty easy to have to cut or move floor joists or wall studs.. Plus I added a roof vent, welded some steps on and scissor jacks. Aluminum frame trailers do save some weight though.

[Kyle1911]

Well, we picked up our trailer Friday, and towed it home with us. Nothing like jumping off the deep end. I've never towed anything bigger than a 10 foot flatbed with a lawnmower on it, so I was a little nervous about dragging this thing home over 2 mountain passes. No problems, other than watching the gas gauge drop like a rock! I did notice that every incompetent driver in the state of Washington was on the road, and doing their level worst to make my life exciting. I'm sure you folks are familiar with the feeling "Oh, please (insert God of your choice, rock, sun, spirits, etc.), just let the idiot brigade stay away from me and my new toy until I get it home". One of the downsides of "diversity" is the fact that I need to learn new and different hand gestures, and obscenities in many new languages. I hate yelling my best out the window, while giving the all-American finger salute, only to be greeted by a confused look. Very demoralizing and unsatisfying. On with the show.

outside

starting to add 1" iso insulation

interior
I ordered this trailer with a finished ceiling, but no trim. This was to avoid wrecking the ceiling luan when removing it to insulate. The factory had to use staples anyway, to support the luan ceiling, but they did leave the trim off as requested. If the interior looks rough, it's not the factory's fault. When fully trimmed out, they make a nice product. They were nice enough to include all of the trim in a pile of pre-cut lengths for me. If you are thinking of ordering this way, I recommend doing the ceiling yourself, as I already managed to break one of the panels trying to get it down....I will post more pics when I have something to show for my efforts. The insulation is going up just like everybody elses, so nothing too exciting there. I am filling the ribs of the framing with spray foam, and sealing all seams with HVAC tape. More to follow, as soon as I start running wires and plumbing. Regards, Kyle

[CaptD]

[quote="Kyle1911"] No problems, other than watching the gas gauge drop like a rock!
That's why I am buying a 7' x 24'. Would love to have an 8 or 8.5 wide while inside but for towing the 7 wide seems to fit behind in the slipstream much better. Also no need for special towing mirrors, and I am also thinking about future tow vehicles. Don't want to have to spend the extra money on a diesel pick up. Is that door on the front of the v-nose going to be for your propane/battery storage? Capt D.

[lonerider]

WOW, that's bigger than my Travel Trailer

[Kyle1911]

CaptD, I understand the desire for a narrower trailer. This thing is wide, and leaves little room for lane-centering error. I've always tended to drive a little to the right on the highway. I just like the .5 second cushoin it might give me if somebody crosses the center line. Not with this behind me. It's gotta be centered pretty well. The baggage door will be for storage, and it also houses the 35 gallon water tank. I may put the batteries inside, but most likely I will weld up a bracket on the tiny bit of tongue I have left, and put them there. I know the water tank sounds like a ton of weight, but I can't imagine filling it before a road trip anyway. Not too many places I couldn't stop somewhere and fill it up 20 miles from where I will camp. If it doesn't work out, I will have to install a tank underneath. As for propane, there won't be any. At least not for now. I may wind up adding a propane furnace at some later date, but for now, a 1500w King wall heater, with remote t-stat will do the trick. It's been about 35 degrees here in the mornings, and with the insulation only 10% done, it heats up the trailer in about 1/2 hour to 70. All other appliances are 120 as well.
Lonerider, Yeah, it's big, but we are a family of four, and I wanted "Toy hauler" capacity as well, just without the toy hauler price, and lousy build quality. I don't need a goofy outdoor shower, or 100 gallon "Fueling station" (Does anyone see a problem filling a red hot bike or 4-wheeler with fuel, just 5 feet from your rv, and 100 gallons of gas in it's tank??) I have a mental picture of me using an outside shower, and the tarp falling down. Somehow I know there would be a flock of college girls standing there, and amid the chuckles one of them would mutter over her shoulder "Looks like the water is cold, lil' fella!" Progress has gotten off to a slow start, but will be picking up soon. Framing and electrical begin this weekend. Thanks for looking! Kyle

[8ball_99]

I also went with a 7' wide due to wind drag you would be surprised how much difference it makes having that extra bit of trailer sticking out past the truck.
I installed my freshwater tank right between the axles under the trailer.. That way doesn't matter if its full or empty. Most of the time we stop and fill our tank at a gas station.. But there has been times we had to fill up a pretty good distance from where we were camping.. My old trailer had the tan upfront inside.. Worked ok but it really messed with the tongue weight of the trailer..
To bad you didn't get an extended tongue.. I wasn't to sure about getting a V nose cause I wanted to mount 2 LP bottles on the front and a battery box.. I also wanted to use a Equalizer hitch.. With a Extended tongue I've got room for all that even with a v-nose..

I installed an outdoor shower on mine lol... We get pretty muddy riding so I figured it would come in handy. More of a prewash kinda of thing...

[CaptD]

Yeah Kyle I totally agree on the to high toy hauler prices and crappy build quality. We will all be more pleased with our own custom build toy haulers. Hey I saw that flock of college girls last weekend on Ft Lauderdale Beach as I was riding my Yamaha TW 200 down A1A. Its been close to 90 degrees here already, way to hot to soon.
8Ball please tell us how long of an extended tongue to ask for. I too would like an Equalizer Hitch and would like the propane (2 - 20# bottles) to be on the tongue. Longer trailer tongue means much easier to back in/up but what would be the disadvantages? I know its always a trade off...... CaptD.

[8ball_99]

8Ball please tell us how long of an extended tongue to ask for. I too would like an Equalizer Hitch and would like the propane (2 - 20# bottles) to be on the tongue. Longer trailer tongue means much easier to back in/up but what would be the disadvantages? I know its always a trade off...... CaptD.

I would have to double check exactly what they considered mine to be.. I think it was extended by 12". I'll take a picture of it later if the rain lets up! I have room for a battery two LP bottles and still have space for the equalizer brackets between them. Honestly the only drawback to extending the tongue is a longer trailer.. The factory mounts the wheels where they should be given the total length of the trailer..

[Kyle1911]

Well, one week of part time work in, and the trailer is almost back to looking like the day we brought it home...Not a lot of visual progress to show, just been installing the 1" iso insulation, and adding vapor barrier over it, before putting the 3/8" plywood back up. I "saved" a few bucks by getting fiberglass faced iso board. Hindsight being 20/20 as always, I'd never do that again. The $5 extra for foil faced is a no-brainer now. This stuff is itchier than batting, and needs a vapor barrier. It will work just as well, but takes much more work, and is much less pleasant! Hopefully I will have some walls up this week, and some picture-worthy progress to share. Installing wiring, plumbing, and building walls is like building a ship in a bottle....Unless you use 6"cedar fence boards for the ceiling furring strips. This will allow me to frame 3" walls, and still have enough room on the furring strips to staple up the luan ceiling. Duhhh! It seems obvious now, but I was puzzling over the sequence. Wiring, plumbing, ceiling, framing. Hmmm, hope I don't forget anything. With the wider strips, I can remove ceiling panels later, in the bedroom, bath, and kitchen, without a complete luan-shredding nightmare. Regards, Kyle