7x14 ChiefBuild

[chiefb711]

God how I wis I had a harbor freight close by I can't wait to transfer this summer

I feel your pain, I used to have to drive an hour+ for HF. Now I am 20 minutes in either direction from one. I love it, my garage loves it, and my wife hates it lol.

Working on my plans for a conversion, and interested to see your progress, so subscribed. I am trying to decide between 7x16 and 7x14, as weight is an issue. Build out is more limited with a 14 foot, so curious if you have a layout you can post?

Thanks

Rick

Rick, I went with the 7x14 single axle for weight purposes. Plus I didn't see paying an additional $500 for an axle that just added more tires. The axle upgrade to 5000# was only 200 and that included Radial tires. As for the extra 2', I wouldn't use it if I had it, and again, that would make for more materials, more space to heat/cool etc. My main concern was the trailer height, and the 7x14 had 79" interior height, which is great because I'm 6'2", and I was tired of ducking inside my previous trailer. My bed is fully removable and adjustable from 1' to 6' (assuming I want to use it for storage or something like that). I have used quite a bit of e-track in this project, but it makes sense because I also wanted modularity.

Here is a rough picture of my plans, I don't have any measurements because I'm just putting things in how they fit. If it looks like crap when I'm done, I won't care, so long as it meets my requirements and stays under budget.

[chiefb711]

Got the bed rails mounted with the frame sitting in it.

[hankaye]

chiefb711, Howdy;

Interesting, mine is almost the twin of yours, only I opted for the 6' wide.
I'll be interested to see what you do to yours. My bed will be lengthwise
do to me being 6'1" and like to stretch out when I sleep ...

hank

[chiefb711]

chiefb711, Howdy;

Interesting, mine is almost the twin of yours, only I opted for the 6' wide.
I'll be interested to see what you do to yours. My bed will be lengthwise
do to me being 6'1" and like to stretch out when I sleep ...

hank

That's why I went with the 7" wide. It gave me more room for cabinets and whatnot whenever I get around to making them.

I took a break from the trailer for a while, I was pulling it out of the driveway right after my housing office gave me a second citation for parking it in my driveway without a pass. When I pulled it out, I was a little upset and in a hurry because I was on my lunch break and I didn't think about lifting the rear stabilizing jacks up and bent both of them pretty good. So that just adds to the list of things to do. On a happier note, I upgraded my Tacoma to a Ram 3500 with a 5.9 Cummins, so I've got twice the power and three times the towing capacity now.

Once the weather warms back up I'll be back with more pictures.

Ryan

[chiefb711]

Hey all, I got some work done on the trailer this weekend. Ceiling and vent installed, bathroom wall installed, cabinets started, shore power installed, fridge installed, bed getting closer to being done, and the toilet came in! Here are some pictures.













Thanks for viewing!

[hankaye]

ChiefBuild, Howdy;

Looks like things are fallin' into place. That Galley
appears to be, for me, a tad snug, but ... that's me.

hank

[chiefb711]

ChiefBuild, Howdy;

Looks like things are fallin' into place. That Galley
appears to be, for me, a tad snug, but ... that's me.

hank

Hank,
It will be a little tight, but I think I'm okay with it. I am leaning towards a Bauhaus design where form follows function. I wanted maximum counter space with minimum movement required by the user, while still having lots of storage for all our crap. The final layout will feature a two tiered counter with a pegboard backing...it will all come to shape in a few weeks. I'm also incorporating a few secrets that I will probably not divulge for safety/security reasons.

It's a dream finally coming to shape!

Respectfully

"Chief"

[Rainier70]

[chiefb711]

Well, it's been a few days since my last post because I've been dealing with a terrible college professor. The good news is that I got a lot of work done on the trailer last week. The wife and I went camping in it last weekend while the weather was decent. The Honda gods shined their mercy on me in the form of an EU2000i for under $700 in amazing condition. So we had heat, fridge, and all the spoils of 110v in all its glory. The bed worked out exactly as I had hoped, the insulation kept that thing incredibly hot, and I had ice-cold beer. To top all that off, the rain held off the entire weekend. The sad part is that I completely forgot to get any pictures until we were loading up. Anyways, here are the pictures from the week! I hope you enjoy, sorry for the mess in a few of the pictures.

[Rainier70]

Looks good. Glad you got out for a test run.

I hear ya on the prof. Hang in there and hope that you never have another class from them again!

Is your fridge a regular 110 one? Are you running it on a converter from batteries on the way to camp etc?

A couple of questions on your bed frame. I see that you did a very nice frame in aluminum. How thick of plywood did you go with on your frame? Is 1/2 inch enough maybe? Did you go heavier?

How hard is it to lift and move up or down? Could one person do it, or is it a two person job?

Thanks for posting your great build.

[McDave]

Nice build Chief!
I am pondering one for my 6x12 and to pull the Harley with.
A couple questions here:
1. Are you planning a shower in the bathroom?
2. I take it the bathroom is located in the front, curbside?
3. 2 people to lift bed?
Thanks for documenting your build, it helps me to envision what I would like to do.

[chiefb711]

Looks good. Glad you got out for a test run.

I hear ya on the prof. Hang in there and hope that you never have another class from them again!

Is your fridge a regular 110 one? Are you running it on a converter from batteries on the way to camp etc?

A couple of questions on your bed frame. I see that you did a very nice frame in aluminum. How thick of plywood did you go with on your frame? Is 1/2 inch enough maybe? Did you go heavier?

How hard is it to lift and move up or down? Could one person do it, or is it a two person job?

Thanks for posting your great build.

Cindy,
Thanks for the feedback. To answer your questions:
(1) Fridge is 110. I do not have it hooked into an inverter, but what I did do was insulate the sides and top to keep some of the cold in when in transport. I also plug in the night before to get everything primed for the trip. When I start making longer trips, I'll probably use the same concept and keep the food in a cooler. I may go the ice block route, but I don't want to have any power draw while in transit until I do some more research. You might have inspired a new avenue of approach for me, you always have the best ideas!
(2) Bed frame is 1 1/2" rectangular 6062 aluminum on the sides, 1" square 6062 cross members, and the plywood is 1/2". Everything is screwed in using self-tapping screws and the side trim is 1x4 primed paint quality pine.
(3) I have no issues lifting the bed by myself for the time being, I just have to step it up a few rungs at a time. There will be a winch and cables to do the lifting in the future, I just haven't gotten around to a solid design; soon though.

Nice build Chief!
I am pondering one for my 6x12 and to pull the Harley with.
A couple questions here:
1. Are you planning a shower in the bathroom?
2. I take it the bathroom is located in the front, curbside?
3. 2 people to lift bed?
Thanks for documenting your build, it helps me to envision what I would like to do.

Thanks McDave! I'd be happy to answer your questions:
(1) Shower will go in the bathroom side once I figure out how I will run water in the trailer. I am debating between a PVC pipe water tank, and a few other options, but I want to go with a simple design that joins form and function. The next step for the bathroom is a toilet riser (to lift the porta-john up so I don't fall every time I have to make), and then I will add a vent on top and line the walls with some sort of waterproof membrane and lots of caulk. The bathroom will be closed off from the front by a shower curtain on a nice curved shower curtain rod (salvaged).
(2) Bathroom is the 3' by 3' front, curb-side corner. Plenty of room for me (6'2") to do backflips while yodeling.
(3) 2 people to lift the bed is ideal, but I have no problems lifting it myself. The entire bed with mattress weighs about 60 lbs, the difficulty comes when trying to unlatch the e-track braces. As I mentioned to Cindy, I plan on adding a winch and some cables to do all the lifting, but the design on that requires more beer.

Thanks for reading, stay posted for what is to come!

Chief.

[aztrooper]

Help me out on the rails you are using to raise and lower the bed. I can't picture it in my mind how it works. Pics? I'm struggling with how to get mine up and down. Here is a You Tube link on how someone did it with springs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04wZvksZD6U

[chiefb711]

Help me out on the rails you are using to raise and lower the bed. I can't picture it in my mind how it works. Pics? I'm struggling with how to get mine up and down. Here is a You Tube link on how someone did it with springs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04wZvksZD6U

Mine is a much more simple design than the one depicted in the video. Although that video inspired my original design, I have decided against the spring and Uni-strut channel. My anchor points for the cable will be at the top of both sides, and the cable will run under the bed frame. Using an array of pulleys, I will attach a pulley to lift/lower one side at a time. The bed frame is separate from the e-track rail mounts. So each side has to be lifted 3" to remove the rail mounts. You can see how everything comes together best in this image. Once I get the winch and cables into place I will take better pics.



Chief

[chiefb711]

The wife and I had a great Valentine's Day weekend. We took a trip to the Oregon Dunes and left the boy with a babysitter. He had a last minute minor surgery on Wednesday last week, and we had already gotten everything ready and paid for when we found out he was in need of the surgery. Regardless, it was better for him to not go, and stay with a friend. He was unfazed by the whole ordeal and we had a blast and got some good sleep without him, so win-win.

Before we left, I got a little work done in the camper. My goal before the trip was to finish wiring the lights and build a little closet. I also got a few hooks and other things installed.

While camping in Oregon, the campsite made us shut our generators down at night, and it got a little chilly. This has pushed me to purchase a propane furnace. I figured while I was buying things, I should get all my big purchases out of the way. This is partially fueled by the $5000+ in tax returns. I did, buy a used furnace; I got an Atwood Hydro Flame 7916-II. 16,000BTU auto-ignite, 12v, ducted, clean and for $220. I also finally got a stovetop, some stabilizing jacks (since I tore up the previous rear ones), a fantastic vent fan, and a thermostat. Woo! I have some work to do now!

Yesterday, I was out trying to find a rear wheel for my dirt bike, and I happened across an RV supply store, and wandered in. I walked out with some Dicor and butyl tape (free). I told the lady what I was doing, and she had some stuff lying around in the parts room. I think she was just impressed that I was out and about with the boy...he earned his keep I guess. Anyways, here are some pictures from this last weekend.















Thanks for looking

Chief