MyAway build - Updates for space usage & organization

[Rlowell]

Sharon,
You are building a beautiful project!!! The attention to detail is amazing!
There is so much on this sight that I have a hard time covering it all and I am sorry that I just found your build link. Great job!
Rod

[Prem]

Sharon,

Yup. Crunching the numbers, clearly you're going to need hydraulic rams to lift the galley hatch. Check with your local backhoe dealer. Two should be enough. And you'll need a power takeoff (PTO) off the output shaft of your tow vehicle's transmission to drive the hydraulic fluid pump. Make sure that you never disconnect the lines from the tow vehicle to the trailer or the fluid will blow out and the hatch will come crashing down.

Praying for you.

Prem

[Prem]

P.S.

You'll also need to add a second axle behind your current axle to handle the weight of the hatch with the hydraulic rams and their reinforcing brackets. An upgrade to 22.5-inch, 12-ply trailer tires would be advisable also. ...and most assuredly a counterweight on the tongue to keep the tail from wagging the dog, as it were.

Your tow vehicle is a one ton diesel, isn't it?

[S. Heisley]

Prem wrote:

You took physics and/or mechanical engineering, didn't you?

No, but I'd say MYoung did!

The load on the hinge or on the lifting mechanism at the opposite end is a simple calculation. Think of the roof as a beam with uniformly distributed weight. The force at either end is one-half the weight of the roof.

If the center of gravity of the roof is skewed forward, for example, to a point where the distance between the hinge and the center of gravity is three-quarters of the distance between the hinge and the lifting attachment at the opposite end, then the force needed to lift the roof is three times greater than at the hinge.

The force needed at the hinge is a function of the center of gravity relative to the two ends of the roof. It does not change with the angle of the roof, because the relative position of the center of gravity changes proportionately with angle of elevation.

Thanks, Mike.

[S. Heisley]

Rlowell wrote:

There is so much on this sight that I have a hard time covering it all

Thanks Rod. I tend to get a little carried away sometimes.

[cdfnchico]

Lookin' great!! Susan!

[S. Heisley]

Thanks, Cathy. It's starting to come together...finally!

[Prem]

Cathy,

The red roof on your teardrop is stunning.

Eunice Hill gets everything in red for camping. But she doesn't have a red roof yet!

Prem

[azmotoman]

Sharon, what's going on with your build? I've been watching for a few months and seems you are taking a break. I want to see this one FINISHED and in operation. We came very close to buying one of the VW tilt/pop-up Westy's, but opted for a TD instead.

Get back to work! You have done such a wonderful job, thus far.

Don't keep us in suspense.

[S. Heisley]

Hi, azmotoman. Thanks for your interest.

I'm still working on the trailer but it’s another boring part. I filled all the plywood seams on the outside of the lifting roof with epoxy filler and then applied fiberglass tape to the plywood seams. Once I had that done, I flipped the roof over so I could strengthen the eve. I couldn't get anything to make the sharp curve, so I applied fiberglass and epoxy laminate resin to its backside. When I bought the fiberglass sheeting, I had to choose between woven and not. I chose 'not'...bad choice. That stuff is messy; gets into and onto everything; and, after it is applied, it "attacks" the applier!

Word to any rookie, looking at this, choose woven! Below is a pic of the loose stuff, before clean-up. It seems to clean up okay and will probably look okay once it is painted. It definitely made the eve stronger.



I have fixed my Firestorm orbital sander again and have enough parts to fix it one more time. Hopefully, it will get me through the finishing of this trailer. Tried it and found that the sander sheets get caught on the fiberglass tape edges. So, I'm going to sand the edges down just a bit by hand and then try again. I bought a goggle/mask set for fiberglass and a Tyvek jumpsuit. I plan to put all that on and then hit all the fiberglass tape in one day....have to wait for a day when nothing is happening and the temperatures are not triple digit. Hopefully, the heat wave will end soon.

[Prem]

Sharon,

Progress is good.

FYI, fiberglass mat is stronger than fiberglass cloth by thickness because of the random cross-lay of the strands. To clean it up, press down the strands sticking up, you can heavy plastic sheet/garbage bag sprayed with WD40 and apply pressure with a narrow foam roller. If you also use a narrow foam roller to apply epoxy to fiberglass mat it doesn't get all over the fabricator/applier, just the applicator.

SO.....hundred degree weather again. Epoxy, paint, caulking and glue love that. When will the trailer be finished?

I'm working on the Round Tail every afternoon lately.

Let's race. I'll be finished with it by the end of October. GO!

Prem

[S. Heisley]

Prem wrote:

FYI, fiberglass mat is stronger than fiberglass cloth by thickness because of the random cross-lay of the strands.

That’s why I chose it but application was a bigger hassle than I expected.

To clean it up, press down the strands sticking up, you can heavy plastic sheet/garbage bag sprayed with WD40 and apply pressure with a narrow foam roller. If you also use a narrow foam roller to apply epoxy to fiberglass mat it doesn't get all over the fabricator/applier, just the applicator.

Thanks for that. Maybe I’ll add another layer of the stuff and try your tips.

What do you suggest be used to remove the WD-40 so the paint will stick afterwards? How do you know you have gotten that WD-40 oil off all the intricate edges?

SO.....hundred degree weather again. Epoxy, paint, caulking and glue love that.

That can be bad. Many products are not supposed to be applied if the temperature is past the 80’s and it can cause problems if you disobey the instructions.

When will the trailer be finished?

My judgment of ‘when’ that will be is not clear. Knowing how to judge working time takes trailer building experience that I just don’t have. Plus, there are always mitigating factors that can come into play.

I really can’t give you a date, Prem. I, too, would like to see it done before the rainy season but, please remember that I live further south than you do. The rainy season here doesn’t usually start until sometime around or after Thanksgiving.

I'm working on the Round Tail every afternoon lately.

Good! Your Roundtail Thread has had no memorable updates with pictures in almost a year. Where’s da pics?

Let's race. I'll be finished with it by the end of October. GO!

Prem, is this the race of the tortoise and the hare? I may not be a hare but I don’t think I resemble a turtle, either.

It is my guess that you are at least 10 years younger than me, probably more than that. It also appears you are in good health with little, if any medical obstacles to get in your way.

You have had much more experience at these things and you can call your friends over to help you, which you have done. Most the people that I know (including me) don’t have experience building trailers. Most may think it is cool but I think they are standing back watching to see if the old lady can do it and that’s okay with me. I’ll just do what I can, when I can. It’ll get done.

[Prem]

What do you suggest be used to remove the WD-40 so the paint will stick afterwards? How do you know you have gotten that WD-40 oil off all the intricate edges?

It's there forever. Don't use it if you need to put anything over it, like paint, more epoxy, etc. It's only for the final layer of mat IF you don't have to finish it. I was thinking it was just hidden and only for strength, not for a final finish to be seen.

So what you do in a situation where you need to strengthen AND paint the area is:

1) Wet the wood with epoxy mixed with a little acetone for good penetration into the wood.
2) While the first coat is wet, lay on the fiberglass mat and roll to saturation with more epoxy mixed with a little acetone for fast penetration into the glass.
3) Lay on fiberglass cloth for the final coat and roll with thick epoxy. A second coat *may* be required to fully cover the weave.
4) WHEN FULLY HARDENED, wipe repeatedly with a rag saturated with acetone to remove the gummy amine layer that comes to the surface of cured epoxy. Wear a heavy rubber, dish-washing glove for this. Nitrile and Latex gloves disintegrate from acetone fumes.
5) Paint. (2-part epoxy paint is best. Always add a dash of acetone to get a good bond.)

FYI, neither of us is the hare nor the tortoise. I'm so lethargic and far behind that it's a joke. Catch me if you can. (Been remodeling my kitchen and starting a new company. And then there are the other two trailers and helping friends in need that take up some time every day.)



Prem

[S. Heisley]

Prem wrote:

FYI, neither of us is the hare nor the tortoise. I'm so lethargic and far behind that it's a joke.

Thanks, Prem. It's a relief to know we are both human.

Your instructions, above, will help anyone who is planning on fiberglass and paint. Those instructions are pretty much what I did, but without the acetone. I think I'm going to apply another layer of 'glass but first, I'm going to practice on a junk piece of ply, to test/try covering the epoxy and fiberglass with waxed paper or other such product before I press/smooth it down. I want to see if that will work or if it helps at all.

[Prem]

Sharon,

I've had epoxy actually stick to waxed paper, but give it a test. Any acetone in the resin will mess up the waxed paper. Experiment with pulling the waxed paper before the resin completely hardens and after the resin hardens. See which works.

I've tried heavy plastic sheet also. Even without acetone in the resin, the plastic stuck to the hardened resin. Proof positive that epoxy resin really is the ultimate glue.

I originally used petroleum jelly. What a mess. Diesel fuel was going to be too nasty (although it works well as a release agent on MDO plywood for concrete wall work), so WD40 was the more convenient compromise.

I need a vacation. You'll probably get ahead of me.



Prem