Walter, the 7x14 CTC toy hauler/camper

[Mr. Lahey]

Mr. Lahey, Howdy;

I like the name you graced your trailer with. When I saw it the first time my brain went
without hesitation to an episode of Bonanza, featured Hoss, an old miner and Walter the dog.
Every time I see your trailer's name I think of it. So I went and found it;
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5rfyhq
Hope ya enjoy it.

hank

Thank you Hank. I will check it out.

[Staryder61]

Mr Lahey,
dropped in looking for updates. We were building our teardrops at the same time.
Now starting on CTC's..
Will drop back in later on ya. Have a great weekend.

[Mr. Lahey]

Thanks for poking me awake there! Kind of took a nap from posting I guess.

I do have my interior layout finalized. Since I do it with the actual items I want to locate. I had to drag all that stuff out of the trailer and put it away. So the trailer is empty again. Part of the final layout was setting the sleeping height position for the bed. I wanted the large windows a tad above the bed. So needed that height to locate window cutouts.

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Just today Cindy painted the first coat of porch paint on the floor. Very happy with the Terra Cotta color. Accents some of the wood chips in the OSB walls. Both of us like the random look to the OSB walls. The walls will get a couple coats of honey tint polyurethane. For their final finish. I painted the first coat now to seal the floor. I'm working on a gravel/grass driveway. You can't help tracking in dirt on the raw floor. So this will seal up the floor during construction. Floor will get cleaned and final paint coat when interior construction is finished.

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Also mounted 2 @ 2500lb tongue jacks to rear of trailer. They are bolted into frame with 3/8" thread cutting bolts. I will be able to use these to level up the trailer in all but severe cases. If it's too bad I'll pick another spot to camp.

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So now I'm ready to take off wall panels. Insulate and install windows. Just going to do 1 wall at a time. Store removed panels on opposite wall. Finish a wall and move to the next. Or so is the plan anyhow.

[Staryder61]

Thanks for poking me awake there! Kind of took a nap from posting I guess.

I do have my interior layout finalized. Since I do it with the actual items I want to locate. I had to drag all that stuff out of the trailer and put it away. So the trailer is empty again. Part of the final layout was setting the sleeping height position for the bed. I wanted the large windows a tad above the bed. So needed that height to locate window cutouts.

int.jpg

Just today Cindy painted the first coat of porch paint on the floor. Very happy with the Terra Cotta color. Accents some of the wood chips in the OSB walls. Both of us like the random look to the OSB walls. The walls will get a couple coats of honey tint polyurethane. For their final finish. I painted the first coat now to seal the floor. I'm working on a gravel/grass driveway. You can't help tracking in dirt on the raw floor. So this will seal up the floor during construction. Floor will get cleaned and final paint coat when interior construction is finished.

floor.jpg

Also mounted 2 @ 2500lb tongue jacks to rear of trailer. They are bolted into frame with 3/8" thread cutting bolts. I will be able to use these to level up the trailer in all but severe cases. If it's too bad I'll pick another spot to camp.

Jack.jpg

So now I'm ready to take off wall panels. Insulate and install windows. Just going to do 1 wall at a time. Store removed panels on opposite wall. Finish a wall and move to the next. Or so is the plan anyhow.

Well, I figured it was time to wake you up, so we could get these things rolling.
I'm just a little ahead of you.
With the wall material down. I caulked all the places I could see daylight from inside the closed trailer.
Even after that, I found several places that leaked when I did the water test from every directions..
We too, are working on gravel grass. Not to worried about the gravel, it'll give the plywood some character when we seal it clear.. May add just a little Danish Oil to the polyurethane.
Foam is going in now.

[Mr. Lahey]

I forgot to say. My teardrop sold quickly. I found it much harder to part with than I thought. Only thing that helped was I felt that it sold to the right person. He was very happy to get it. He had some things happen that reminded him that life can be short. He really wanted to build his own. Yet he decided to take the express route. By purchasing a finished unit, he could camp right away. So he was happy to go have fun now rather than later.

As I unpacked the teardrop. I could not believe what I had squirreled away inside it. We were at the point where we had our gear pretty well sorted. At least for the way we camp. Had it down to what we really want and use. Were not hauling too much useless stuff. So I have a real good idea of how much storage/cabinet space I'll want in this new conversion.

Seeing this view of my teardrop. Attached to someone else's tow vehicle. Was realy weird. I was blue for a few days. The cure seems to be coming from the excitement of this new build.

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[Staryder61]

For you it was selling the teardrop. For us it was dismantling it because of the plywood failing.
It wasn't just the money we had put in it. It was all those hours, before starting the build. Sketches, plans, the layouts, changing the layouts. The reading and researching on this forum, and material suppliers.
This product, that product. Plywood's. Finishes to include paint, PMF, resin.
Either way, they are both gone now..
We did a mini van conversion. Worked for us for a while. Just not big enough. So it was either a larger van, or this conversion.
Cost wise, conversion makes more since to us. If the drive vehicle craps out. We change and still have the camper.
That's a win win for us.

[Mr. Lahey]

Some limited progress. Weather has been too nice to work. Got some small things done here and there. Removed the wall panels on one side. Looks like I've had some luck with trailer panel fit. Don't see much in the way of gaps. Or exterior panels that have gaps. Laid out where the first window hole will be cut.

Before I could assemble the jalousie window for install, I wanted to tint the panes. So, I've been spending some time there.

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Got some more time in on rust removal on the bed lift parts. Parts arrived to convert the propane stove to use 1lb bottles. I had not yet tested the stove. So I opened it up to change the LP fittings. Found a mouse nest the size of a softball. Cleared the nest. Stove tested fine using the 1lb bottle. So began to clean and disinfect it. Took some doing. Came out looking great.

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Tomorrow I'm going to start building the framework to install the first window with. Should be able to finish the rust remove and painting of the last of the bed lift parts too.

Harbor Freight had a 25% off coupon over the holiday. Picked up their smallest 12v winch for the bed lift. Got my 110v inverter at the sale too. Nice saving!

[Staryder61]

Some limited progress. Weather has been too nice to work. Got some small things done here and there. Removed the wall panels on one side. Looks like I've had some luck with trailer panel fit. Don't see much in the way of gaps. Or exterior panels that have gaps. Laid out where the first window hole will be cut.

Before I could assemble the jalousie window for install, I wanted to tint the panes. So, I've been spending some time there.

tint.jpg

Got some more time in on rust removal on the bed lift parts. Parts arrived to convert the propane stove to use 1lb bottles. I had not yet tested the stove. So I opened it up to change the LP fittings. Found a mouse nest the size of a softball. Cleared the nest. Stove tested fine using the 1lb bottle. So began to clean and disinfect it. Took some doing. Came out looking great.

stove.jpg

Tomorrow I'm going to start building the framework to install the first window with. Should be able to finish the rust remove and painting of the last of the bed lift parts too.

Harbor Freight had a 25% off coupon over the holiday. Picked up their smallest 12v winch for the bed lift. Got my 110v inverter at the sale too. Nice saving!

Wow, progress, an update.. Doing the boogie dance here.. just kidding ya. my progress and others keeps me interested..
you see no gaps.. remember to do a water test any and everywhere anyway..
If I hadn't, then a couple weeks or months later. I would have noticed water coming in somewhere.

[Staryder61]

checking ya for updates... tag.. you're it..

[Mr. Lahey]

Yikes....I don't check in often I guess. Just some very minor updates.

Weather has been excellent here. So since last update I've done 99% play time. 1% work time. Joy riding my convertible or ebike. Keeping the BBQ hot with tasty things on my deck at home.

Alos get led astray by my top secret hideaway bar and grill. With a lakefront deck. Shaded by some giant oak trees. Have a peek at the pic.
Very small crowd of local patrons. Lunch time visits tend to last longer than they should! Food is beyond awesome as well!!

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I haven't totally been wasting away in the fine weather. A big excuse for not working the camper was my table saw and mitre saw were buried deep in the back of the garage. Yesterday I spent the time to get them dug out. Placed front and center and ready to go. So I've ruined that excuse not to work because the saws are buried.

Landed a cool curb find this week as well. A wood king size head board. I'll be able to salvage some nice parts of it to dress up the camper bed.

Also got to meet a Tnttt forum member and his wife this weekend. Cindy and I had a great visit with them. Got to check out his teardrop too. We were both cheering each other on while we built our teardrops. Very cool to finally meet up in person.

We shall see if I finally knuckle down soon and get something done.

[Vnose]

I'll be following your build. Mine is a 6X14 V Nose with a single axel. A king size bed sounds great if you can live with it and as to the elevator rig, you might consider using tracts and wheels from a garage door shop. That can keep the bed from moving in all the wrong directions going up or down.

I'll be rigging up fold down beds on both sides. At my age I have those nightly trips and trying to crawl over someone isn't easy. One RV tip I saw, which makes sense, is not to put your ceiling vent fan directly over your bed, it is possible to wake up and wonder about who wet the bed.

[Mr. Lahey]

V nose- Thanks for the input. I'm safe with roof fan location. The trailer rafters are framed for the fan well ahead of the bed. So all is well.

I think I will be good with the stability of the bed as it raises and lowers. I'm using the complete system from a pop up camper. It has 4 telescoping corner posts that locate the bed ( old camper roof) and guide it straight up and down. Pic below

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So if you imagine all the canvas gone you have 4 posts left. Plus a platform/roof raised in the air. My bed frame platform will be 3 ft shorter (so lighter) than the camper roof was. In addition to the shorter length the bed platform will be made from lighter materials as well. Plus many of the pop up campers used roof top RV style A/C units too. The system lifted that fine as well. So even a foam mattress on the platform should lift just fine.

Next hurdel was getting bed to drop low enough for easy entry exit. I do not want to climb up to get in bed. You will enter exit bed from foot end. So i plan to build some Gondola shaped bed side rails to add to the drop of the mattress. My trailer is a 7' tall model so I will be able to lift bed high enough to have good clearance under raised bed. A butchered photo to show the concept planned.

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That's my theory. Sometimes practice/reality varies greatly from theory. I hope not this time.

[Mr. Lahey]

Finally knuckled down and got a window installed. I'm happy with the result. Several more to go. Just not until spring.

Built frame from some recycled pallet oak beams.

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[hankaye]

Mr. Lahey, Howdy;

Congrats on the install. Appears to be a louvered window. I like them.
Allow you to get some ventilation should it be raining.


hank

[undercrust]

Would love to know where people are finding these louvred windows (doubly so if anyone can recommend a source that's in Canada). They look like they'd be fantastic if you're out in the weather, but you still want to get some fresh air!