Motorcycle Camper (First Build)

[jae]

OK, I suppose like a lot of build threads I've been looking at, I'm starting off with a very general concept in my head, but not much real direction.

First off, what's important to me:
- light weight (sub-250 lbs)
- aerodynamic (shooting for minimum impact to fuel economy)
- minimal set-up / tear-down (trying to simplify from my tent-camping experiences)
- inexpensive

Is that last one really necessary? Well, I'm thinking of this first build as more of a prototype. I'd eventually like to build a nicer, larger camper to pull behind my wife's car for family trips, but for now I'm looking for something that can be an inexpensive project to learn the ins-and-outs of camper construction.

That said, while I'd like it to look presentable, I'm not planning on skinning it in aluminum. My initial thought to hit my lightweight goal, is to basically use the wooden floor as a structural member of the trailer, and reinforce that with steel (or aluminum) angle for rigidity, much like the Goldbrand structure. Walls/ceiling would be constructed of wood frame and foam, with a painted canvas outer.

My indecision is coming into play where I have to start considering the overall length and height of the trailer. Prepped to sleep, I'd prefer a space just slightly bigger than my sleeping bag. I'm thinking about 42" internal width, and about 72"-78" internal length.

To compromise between looks and space, I'm considering a micro-teardrop shape, something about 48"-54" in closed length with a hatch on one end that would open to allow a 1'-2' extension, possibly opening like a drawer rather than a fold-out.

[angib]

I'm not convinced that a trailer that lengthens provides any real benefit, apart from looking clever. It's the cross-section that matters for drag and a longer (ie, fixed length) body will probably have the same or lower drag. And the extendable body will probably weight more than the fixed body, as the sliding bit will need to be reinforced to compensate for the loss of strength where it's not fixed to the rest of the body.

Here's a trailer that was towed many thousands of miles:

[eggsalad]

250 lbs. is a tough goal. My build is just big enough for a sleeping bag, but the walls and floor are 1/2" plywood, and it comes to ~470 lbs.

Then again, a lot of my weight is in the PWC trailer I used, which is close to 150 lbs with tires.

I've thought about how to go lighter. The only answer is fiberglass. I think the easiest/cheapest route would involve a cap (canopy, camper shell) from a mini pickup. If you can find one, the smallest cap will be from an old Volkswagen Rabbit pickup.

Build the lightest frame you can, with an axle-less suspension. Build some low side walls, if you want to increase headroom. Mount the truck cap.

(There are a few build threads on using a truck cap as the basis for a TTT. Dig them out and look through them.)

Good luck, but again, 250 lbs is a really tough goal.

[KCStudly]

Come over to the Foamie builds section of the forum. Lots of opportunity to build light.

That, or build it like an old wooden fame /fabric covered airplane; formers and stringers like a scaled down version of GPW's Foamstream, covered in fabric and paint... with or without the foam.

[jae]

I'm aware that 250 lbs is an aggressive goal, but I've also got a Venture with a sidecar and see a possibility that I might pull the trailer behind the hack. The thought of this worries me for a couple of reasons, but the last thing I need is a bunch of extra weight behind me should that end up happening.

Come over to the Foamie builds section of the forum. Lots of opportunity to build light.

That, or build it like an old wooden fame /fabric covered airplane; formers and stringers like a scaled down version of GPW's Foamstream, covered in fabric and paint... with or without the foam.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Using a 1/2" ply w/ reinforcing for the floor, something like a 2x2 (halved 2x4) for the framing, some construction foam for insulation, and then painted canvas on the outside. If I really feel it needs more reinforcement, or just a better finish, 1/4" ply on the inside walls.

[KCStudly]

On something that small you shouldn't need much wood at all. Maybe some 2x2 around the door.

The shape of the structure provides all the strength you need in such a small unit, you should not need much wood.

The only reason I used as much wood as I did in my build is for the traditional appearance and because I expect to have a snow load on the 64 inch wide roof at some point or another.

Check out Eaglesdare's Mickey and GPW's Little Camo (in the big Thrifty thread) foamie build, then scale down and use less wood.

[ST1100]

Hi Jae - 10 mm plywood is much heavier than 1 mm aluminum.

My torsion axle plus steel tongue plus two wheels weighs 97 lbs.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=54344&start=30#p990219

The complete very solid Basic Trailer (3.3 x 6.6 ft) made of aluminum has 172 lbs including the heavy stainless steel skirt.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=54344&start=180#p1055076

My plan ist to meet 300lbs with stainless steel.
If you build your small teardrop only from aluminum, you may meet 250 lbs.

[angib]

This is exactly what I was thinking. Using a 1/2" ply w/ reinforcing for the floor, something like a 2x2 (halved 2x4) for the framing, some construction foam for insulation, and then painted canvas on the outside. If I really feel it needs more reinforcement, or just a better finish, 1/4" ply on the inside walls.

Whoa, wash your mouth out! 2x2s are house-building timbers that have no place on a light trailer. What you are describing is at least 500lbs and maybe 700.

The Pico-Light uses nothing more than 1/8"-3/8" ply and some 1x2 framing and the weight estimate for that is 280 lbs.

[jae]

Whoa, wash your mouth out! 2x2s are house-building timbers that have no place on a light trailer. What you are describing is at least 500lbs and maybe 700.

The Pico-Light uses nothing more than 1/8"-3/8" ply and some 1x2 framing and the weight estimate for that is 280 lbs.

This is why I'm reading around a lot on here before I get into any actual construction. I'm afraid that as a mechanical engineer by trade I'm conditioned to overbuild things at first glance and then go in and figure out how to save weight by subtraction.

My biggest concern is wind load on the side of the trailer, catching it like a sail and tearing the top off. I'll keep reading about what the foam guys have done though, as their tears are much larger in surface area than what I'm looking at.

BTW, with the very early model I had built, it looked like I could likely get away with a single 12' 2x4 to cover all the framing I was looking at (minus the roof/hatch, which would've used much smaller beams).

[jae]

of course, now that I read about how easily the foam is bent, I'm thinking I could do all kinds of fun stuff with the shape of the front end that would add usable head room (when lying down)...

edit: now that I'm considering actual construction, it might be more practical to do the front at an angle rather than as a radius.