Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I got a new 2016 Wells Cargo 6x12 with 6" additional height (78" interior)and a 32x72 side door for $2775 plus tax/tags back on Sept 16th..

It does have the 3/8" drymax walls and 3/4" drymax floors.. but it was in my budget.. also at 2990# there is no PA inspection required.





Came with only the side vents.. I opted for 'barn doors' so I don't have to open the entire rear and also to avoid later possible rear lift door spring issues..

I am on a budget after buying so I started mocking up the the front end as I'd like it for the TT conversion.. with cardboard..

Using the 'FlameKing' propane bottom brace, a battery box, and a mock propance tank for measurements..

Heres the real 'FlameKing' tray...



Next step was getting rid of the 4 pin and going 7 pin.. so I ordered the 7 pin junction box with wire from Amzn for $32..

The 4 pin was good but I want a battery box and I wanted the interior light to be on the 'black' wire from the truck and not the 'tail light' wire.. now I won't need to leave my truck attached and parking lights on..

I simply took an 18" 4 pin jumper and cut it in half.. so my factory 4 pin stays in tact and plugs into the 7 pin box..



I also opted to buy the $9 breakaway switch and mount it up in case I opt to add electric brakes later..
I wired that into the junction box, but dead ended the other end and zip tied it to the frame for later use..

I also got the $6 "Group 24" battery box from Amzn.. and put that on as well.. I need to make the difference in height up.. I read I person used a 2" PVC pipe. so on top of the battery box I will use 2" PVC (or elec conduit in 2") at like 5" and use large panel washers inside the battery box for mounting the 'tube' to the the top.. then when I screw down the propane spinner it will have a stable and even bite..



I opted to use 10AWG for the 12v going into the trailer.. only intend on 2 cargo lights and the 12v (7 amp) Shurflo to be on it..



I am waiting on the BlueSea 6 circuit panel from Amzn..

I did find a large piece of cardboard at work and traced the 'v-nose' and started figuring out the interior..



Dometic 310 toilet, 15" bar sink, 1.X cu ft fridge, 24x32 tub/shower, dual stove, 10 gal fresh tank..

Opting for a Full Size bed and that will be fine for me..

Will be doing 1" R-6 Thermasheath RMax or Dow Tuff-R 6.5 insulation in the walls and ceiling.. they run $20/sheet at locl HDepot..

Stay tuned..

Congratulations on a great start...such a rewarding feeling to build it yourself.

Nice. Congratulations!

That is a smart approach, making templates allows you envision and get a feel for the end result.

Thanks.. I figured the template idea would help me not mess up the 3/4" plywood counter top as well.. and I can move things around to fit..

I am still debating on the 32"x32" shower stall or the 32"x24" tub for the bathroom..

I would have to frame either one with greenboard/roc and then do an enclosure of some type around both.. the stall floor is like $119 at HDepot (or $110) on Azon the 24x32 tub is $145.. then the other stuff for walls and such is the same $$ amounts..

I did figure out that a Reliance 6gal 110v (1440w) water heater is 15.25" tall.. and the 1.x cu ft refridge is about 20" tall.. so a shelf to cover the water heater will also hold the small fridge on top and still be under the counter top height at appox 36" or so..

I picked up a 31"x24" combo shower pan and toilet, like those used in the smaller Dolphin type motorhomes (Toyota) off Ebay. I'm also using an on demand propane water heater/shower, 25 gal fresh tank, and 21 black/grey tank. Part of the challenge with these conversions is to find tanks, pans etc. that will actually fit and still leave some room to move around. If you plan on using shower pans and black/grey tanks, it may help to make a floorplan of the trailer framing so you can find one that fits where you want to put it, without having to cut the frame. Bathrooms/showers seem to be the most complicated system to add. Water, plumbing, propane, elect, vent fans, lights, water heater, waste, etc. etc.... It can be done, but it takes some commitment for sure.
I'm just getting started on mine, but have been in the planning, learning, gathering stage for months. Take your time and get the results you really want.
Lots of good ideas here and if you have questions someone here has the answer.
Good Luck and keep us posted.
McDave
p.s. Take a look at viewtopic.php?f=42&t=60663 a really nice build. This is the quality I'm looking for. Lots of others here as well.

McDave, Howdy;

You may want to re think the tanks ... if all your waste (Black & Gray) will be
going into the smaller of the 2 then you may end up with an "overage" in it.
as you will be adding solids to the quantity. Better to have more for 'used'
materials than you have to fill it with. Not sayin' you don't have a plan, ...
just the way I'd go about it.

hank

@ hankaye,
Hey Hank. I hear what your sayin' about the tanks. I already have the fresh tank 25g, and so far the largest volume black tank that will fit the area without hanging low seems to be 21g. I haven't pulled the trigger on the black tank yet, so I can try again to find something larger, or a different fresh, or...?, but yea, an "overage" sounds really BAD. I will look again, but it's time to get moving on this. Thanks for the heads-up, anyways. Keep looking out for me, I've been known to do some stupid.....
McDave

I marked the floor cross beams on the floor and wall (low) and drilled a 1/8" hole thru the floor where I am thinking of putting the toilet and the shower/tub.. Then crawled under an confirmed space and distances to triple check.. I left 4" between the toilet 'flange' area and the tub drain locations.

The cardboard as noted above is marked for the shower stall (32') and the Dometic 310 toilet.. and laid out like I initially wanted.

I found an HT707ED 8 gallon waste tank that is 6x16x36 that will fit under just fine ($170 on sale).. the frame is 3" high the tank is 6".. I figure a 2" gap to get the piping in and be able to work will leave the tank below the frame by 5" or so.. than a Valterra 3" bayonet/wastegate..

The other option is the HT706ED 15 gallon which is 8x16.5x46.. it 2" thicker but has almost double the capacity. Its like $230..

Still tossing these two up..

I used deck screws screwed them in then crawled under and checked. But mine was just for drains. My tank sits on the floor inside. It's small and only sewage is going in it. Grey water and sewage will also go in a tote a long tank.

Hey ywhic,
If you are not in a big hurry for your shower pan I think I may have one that size, maybe the metal surround as well.
We have an indoor swimming pool and had purchased the shower and surround and installed them in the pool utility house for guests and for a shop bathroom. We never really used them and had some pipes freeze 20 yrs ago, so its just been sitting there taking up space. I'll get out there and check the size and condition in the next couple days.
I'm in Montana and winter is on the way so we are busy getting everything winterized, but I'll get to it asap.
McDave

Hey ywhic,
If you are not in a big hurry for your shower pan I think I may have one that size, maybe the metal surround as well.
We have an indoor swimming pool and had purchased the shower and surround and installed them in the pool utility house for guests and for a shop bathroom. We never really used them and had some pipes freeze 20 yrs ago, so its just been sitting there taking up space. I'll get out there and check the size and condition in the next couple days.
I'm in Montana and winter is on the way so we are busy getting everything winterized, but I'll get to it asap.
McDave

No rush.. This is mostly a spring project.. got to save pennies..
I did get my toilet flange for $9 from Amzn today, and the rubber 'tank' insert flanges for the 3", 2", and 1 1/2" vents (x2) last week..

Tomorrow I am going out to wire up the BlueSea 6 connection fuse block..

Pondering a WFCO 25 or 35 amp converter/charging center with AC side for $100-120.. or just getting a PowerMax PM3-35 35 amp charger for $100.. and running a separate Square D 4 circuit/2 space mini 60 amp panel ($30) with 1-2 tandem breakers..

It works out to similar end results.. anyone got suggestions on which way to go with that??

I am just trying to charge an eventual Group 24 marine 12v on the tongue and run 2x 12v interior lights and 12v Sureflo water pump when needed (7.5amp max)..

The AC side would be a 1440 Watt (aka 12amp) 6 gallon Reliance water heater, and the 1.X cu ft. mini-fridge when finally running uses about 180w on avg (prior testing from last years solar project)..

Here ya go,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131519107633?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT
McDave