LarryJ - Trailer Build #1 (09/09/15 Update)

[LarryJ]

Weekend is not quite over yet but figured I'd post an update.

Two coats of the sticky black stuff. Wasn't quite as messy as I expected it to be, made way more of a mess painting the frame.



Got the wife to help me flip it over and set it back on the frame - perfect fit! Counter-sunk the fender washers so bolt heads are flush with floor.



Finished the cut for the front profile. Made first cut while the floor was upside down - blade is too small to do it one pass.



Did a test of the drop-well, the wife and I were both able to stand in it with no creaks or bends - very solid!!! Here, my youngest poses after testing for ballet readiness.

[LarryJ]

It's been a busy week. After 20 years of procrastination and 4 years of squeezing in classes in between 40 - 60 hours of work each week and raising a family - I received my A.S. in Mechtronics.

Even with all the celebration (and dealing with down phone systems on the other side of the country), I was able to pick up some plywood for creating the template for the sides. Using 2 4x8 sheets of 1/4" ply, I made a single 6x10 sheet. I then used a couple of 90 degree jigs to stand the sheet up on the trailer - I call this profile 'The Billboard Tear'.



I then used a projector I borrowed from work to put up an image for tracing (thx Woodbutcher!)



I had to make a few modifications to fit the trailer and to get the required height



Turn off the project and the sketched outline become much more visible



I used a jig saw to make a rough cut, sanded down the edges and mounted the template up on the trailer. Need to level out the top and remove the hump towards the back, but I think it came out pretty good on the first pass.



Now to track down some good ply for making the real sides.

[LarryJ]

Damn... didn't realize it's been over a year since my last update.

After graduating I just had to build some type of robotic device, so spent 6 months building a 3D printer and the last 6 months playing with it. Now that's out of the system...

Finally prioritized purchasing some 1/2" marine grade ply and finished framing up the walls on the tear. Just need to cut the doors and windows and I can start mounting them permanently.

[aggie79]

Awesome!

[LarryJ]

Was able to get the doors and windows cut this weekend. Now that it's starting to take shape, the wife is finally getting excited.

[LarryJ]

Things are starting to move a bit quicker now.

I put a coat of Helmsman Spar Urethane on the insides of the walls.


I painted the lower parts of the wall, below the glue line, to seal the edges from moisture.


Installed 3/4 inch insulation.


Put the walls up, installed the roof spars and it's starting to look like an actual camper. Soon after the walls went up I had three of my neighbors coming over to check out what I was doing.

[LarryJ]

Started the weekend off with an upgrade of the TV.

The plan is to use our 2009 Jeep Patriot. Stock, it has a measly 1000 lb. tow capacity, at purchase we added the tow kit (oil cooler, hitch and hookups for trailer lights) which raised tow capacity to a whopping 1500 lbs.



About $900 worth of new suspension parts.



New A/T tires and $700 worth of labor to install the new suspension and we now have 2 extra inches of lift and a much stiffer suspension that should handle the extra trailer weight with no problems, even if I go over my 1000 lb mark.



Did get to spend some time on the trailer today. Added more spars to the curves in the profile to make roof/ceiling installation easier. Also put in the rear bulkhead.



Temporarily installed the galley counter to get an idea on spacing. Counter was scavenged from an old desk credenza that my work was tossing. It's heavy but very stiff, plus it matches the laminate that I installed in the chuck box. Counter height is 38" from the ground.




Got my fenders too, but ran out of time to get them mounted up.

[LarryJ]

It was the last weekend of the year before school starts so I took the family on a four day camping trip - hopefully the last one in a tent!

We made sure to take stock of the equipment we really use to make sure there is space for all of it to be stored in the trailer.

The trip was also a good test of the new suspension on the TV. In the past we really pushed the limits when fully loaded. With the new suspension I don't think we dropped an inch fully loaded and all passengers ready to go. Mileage did not suffer a bit and it handled better, fully loaded, than it did on the old tires with no load. I'm confident it will handle the trailer with no issues.

I did get a chance to order a 6' hurricane hinge for my galley last Wednesday and it arrived Monday - nowhere near ready for the hatch yet but I had the extra money so figured it wouldn't hurt to get it now.

[rebapuck]

Sell the tent for TD money

[LarryJ]

Starting putting in the interior ceiling ply this weekend.

First piece went in without any real issues.



The second piece has the tightest interior curve. Just needed to get 1/8" more lift in one corner and it was in - then..... POP!!!!



Total ply failure - AAAARRRRGGG!!!!!

Time to take a break before trying again.......

[LarryJ]

Was able to locate some good Luan and finished installing the ceiling panels.



Gave everything a coat of spar urethane and framed up the vent.





Ran all the 12v wiring and installed 3/4" insulation.



Should get at least the first layer of Luan on the roof this weekend. Time to locate some 72" canvas/duck cloth for skinning.

Also did a quick scale test and it's currently sitting at about 650 lbs. with a 20% tongue weight. Will weigh it again, once the doors and galley are finished, to see if I need to move the axle forward to get a safer tongue weight.

[aggie79]

She's almost campable Larry! Looking great!

[lthomas987]

Time to locate some 72" canvas/duck cloth for skinning.

There is a sticky topic over I'm the foamy section about canvas suppliers and sources.

Looks great so far! I just caught up in your build.

[LarryJ]

Thanks all.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but made a bunch of progress on the trailer.

Installed 2 layers of 1/8" luan for the roof.



Installed the inner walls in the galley.



And started the fun job of sanding and filling all the seams.



At this point, I think it's pretty much structurally done!

I also purchased 15yds x 72" #12 duck, from Chicago Canvas. It's been washed and pre-shrunk, now the fun task of ironing it all out.

We need the rain here in Cali, but it would be nice if I could get two more weekends and it should be water proof.

[LarryJ]

Wow! Almost a year since my last update.

Spent most of my time working on the trailer last year, so had to knock some things off the honey-do list before I could start this year - real life just keeps getting in the way of finishing this project.

I guess I never got a chance to update this thread, but here's where I got to at the end of last year:


Used #12 duck cloth to finish the roof and sides - here's the first side done.


Duck cloth applied, still need to finish trimming the doors and windows.


First coats of paint complete - I'll probably hit the white one more time when I paint the doors and hatch. That big white patch is just begging for some Shelby style racing stripes.


Attached the painted fenders.

Trailer weighs in at 675 lbs. at this point - I'm guessing about 900 lbs when complete (empty).

This was all completed in Oct/Nov of last year - it has sat (covered) in this condition until this weekend.


Assembled the door cores and applied the first skin.


Applied some paint to the galley area, installed a 150 lb. capacity cooler slide-out and the camp stove shelf.