CapeBuild Build Journal

[halfdome, Danny]

John, It would be a lot easier on the back to do as much wiring now instead of laying on your back installing it.

Leave pig tails long enough to connect clearance lights etc.
Danny

[Capebuild]

Thank you both, SW and Danny for the suggestions. It's good to have someone else kind of "looking over your shoulder" (or in this case, my shoulder )....
For sure, that's a great idea to prepare as much wiring for above the floor BEFORE the actual floor decking is installed.

I did have in my plans a chase of sorts to run wiring through the spars... but from your suggestion if I wire up the junction box
and bring the wiring up through the flooring in designated areas in preparation to run through the walls, as planned.... and cap it off till I'm ready to tap into it... that
makes great sense to me.

Thank you both, again!

John

[halfdome, Danny]

John, if your walls will cover the chassis you can do all the clearance lights without drilling holes in the floor.
The only place I drill through the floor is for a 4 pin tail for the lid lights and that's done in the galley back wall.
Years ago on This Old House it was said drilling a hole through a supporting member cuts the strength in half so I only drill one hole for the roof fan.
I make an L shape piece of molding to the cabin ceiling profile and run all my 12 volt through it on the wall.
It's 2 piece so I can unscrew it to add or remove wires.
I run my 110 volt to the headboard area through wire mold in the corner of the floor where the mattress covers it up.
Danny

[eLink]

Years ago on This Old House it was said drilling a hole through a supporting member cuts the strength in half so I only drill one hole for the roof fan.

Well, not necessarily... It depends on the location. An appropriately placed notch or hole in a framing member should not reduce its strength at all. In fact, the internal stresses at the center of a framing member are zero (or negligible). Additionally, plywood skins glued to to the top & bottom will reinforce the spars and make up for any weakening caused by holes.
Here is a typical diagram that is used for building construction, but the same rules can be applied to camper framing.

Notching_Beams_3.jpg (70.14 KiB) Viewed 1665 times

[Capebuild]

June 19, 2021

Big day today.... Having finished painting the chassis I was able to install the axle and flip the chassis back over, right side up (with the help of my wife, her brother
and a little engineering planning ).

Installed the junction box and started wiring that up.

[halfdome, Danny]

Very nice John.
Danny

[twisted lines]

Don't forget the park light switch

[Capebuild]

Twisted Lines....I'm not sure I know what you mean by "the park light switch".

Danny, thank you! And I have to say thanks again for getting me to think about starting the wiring prior to installing the floor deck. Not only has
it gotten me to think about how the wiring will enter the cabin but I can also see now how it would be quite a drag to have to get on my back underneath
the trailer to do what I'm doing now (prior to deck install).

John

[twisted lines]

Power the brown post when disconnected from Auto power, your detail may like the all red function at camp or roadside

[halfdome, Danny]

Power the brown post when disconnected from Auto power, your detail may like the all red function at camp or roadside

What are you trying to say.
I have a LED switch in the cabin that powers the clearance lights while camping or spending the night at a rest stop.
Is this what you're getting at???
Danny

[twisted lines]

Yes in the cabin preferred
Trim / clearance / marker / tail / brown / tan ,,,,,, pick one.
I figured you had it

[western traveler]

Yes in the cabin preferred
Trim / clearance / marker / tail / brown / tan ,,,,,, pick one.
I figured you had it

I understand you two are talking about a switch to use clearance lights for campsite lighting, Is that correct? I am clueless and hadn’t heard of or seen it. Is it common? Can you explain this in simpler terms. How does a person add a separate switch to turn them on?

[twisted lines]

Yes in the cabin preferred
Trim / clearance / marker / tail / brown / tan ,,,,,, pick one.
I figured you had it

I understand you two are talking about a switch to use clearance lights for campsite lighting, Is that correct? I am clueless and hadn’t heard of or seen it. Is it common? Can you explain this in simpler terms. How does a person add a separate switch to turn them on?

I understand you two are talking about a switch to use clearance lights for campsite lighting, Is that correct? Yes
I am clueless and hadn’t heard of or seen it. Is it common? Don't think so? I found it reading here in the four years I have been milking my project

Can you explain this in simpler terms. How does a person add a separate switch to turn them on?

[halfdome, Danny]

I run power from my fuse block to where the galley lid pigtail intersects the running lights.
I then run 2 wires to the switch at the headboard.
I think it's the heavy wires bottom right, don't want to disturb the TV right now to verify which one it is.
I also run the ignition wire for the radio to the headboard along with 2 low led mood lights and under bed lights.
The small round white item in the upper left is a smoke alarm.
Danny

[twisted lines]

I run power from my fuse block

Always Good point! He did say simple.
Another tiny detail! power from trailer battery