FoamStream...

[GPW]

KC, that was the Dry fit ... here it is glued ... Just slobbered TB2 all over the back , pressed it down ... It stays ... I did cut all the pieces out first and just temporarily pressed them in place (the previous pics ^ ) ... then glued them all up at once.. we found that much quicker than one at a time cut and gluing ..

Ran out of TB2 ... my fourth gallon ..

[GPW]

Distressing , the little spaces in the #3 panels (middle ) where the foam didn’t quite meet the ribs ... Thinking some good quality gummed paper tape should seal those ...

I’d like to spray some texture over all this , like drywall, just to add a little character to the surface , and hide some of the sins...

Chipboard , TB2 and foam is a marriage made in Heaven ... All the talk about cardboard in the past ... I’ll certainly be using it again !!! ...

[Bogo]

Bogo , that’s a really Neat idea , but those Filon prices are just CRAZY ... The FS is ending up costing a little over a “large” ($1000.00), and that’s for the whole thing ...

You sure you can’t find something ... Thriftier ? ...

I'm making the TTT for extended use doing remote dry dock camping in grizzly bear country, and for fall/winter use. I'd feel a bit better with the hard skins of Filon or aluminum. I've nixed making my own fiberglass panels due to how much they will off gas as they cure. Painted steel skins is maybe the cheapest per sq ft, but are also the heaviest by far. There are other weights of Filon than I've seen sold retail. I need to get quotes on them to see their real costs. Also I don't think any I've seen for sale at retail are fire code rated for interior use. I'm thinking something like the Crane Composites FDG2 0.040" for interior, RBP 0.050" for exterior, and maybe even the RVSR high flexibility sheet for the roof. http://www.cranecomposites.com/support/resource.html It would be nice to wrap the FRP sheet over the sides of the roof and down over the tops of the wall sections. It would greatly improve waterproofness. If I use aluminum, I'd already planned to do that, but most FRP skins like Filon usually have to large of bending radius.

I've been looking at what they use for the pre-painted aluminum skins on RVs. Most of it is half the strength of 6051-T6. It's only advantages are it is more formable, and already painted. My planned curve radii are well within the easy formability of alloys like 6061-T6 and 7075-T6 and I can use a thinner sheet. I likely can go to 0.020" sheet which is 70% of the weight, yet significantly stronger than the 0.055" Filon. 0.032" aluminum is only moderately heavier than 0.055" Filon and I've seen it painted so it is a possibility. In the past I think I've seen 0.020" painted, but haven't run across it in this search. I'd love to find 36"x144"x0.020 and 48"x144"x0.020 sheets or suitable width rolls of 7075-T651, 7075-T6, 6061-T651, 6061-T6 or similar painted in polar white. For softer grades of aluminum I may have to go up to 0.032" thick skins. We're talking a savings of 120 lbs using 0.020 AL over 0.055 Filon and 170lbs for going from 0.032" to 0.020". I need to make my sizes and weights calculations spread sheet able to handle different skin materials for different walls. The skins on the middle walls don't have to handle tree branch scraps so they can be much thinner. Similarly I can use thinner skins on the inside walls for the middle and top tiers.

I'm sure if somebody wanted to they could make the design with canvas covered foam walls and ceiling. The unsupported wall edges likely would need an aluminum angle to stiffen them and to attach the brush and wiper strips to.

[GPW]

The wife just got home with more chipboard ... enough to finish up the other side ... However we did have to Order the 0.120” thick chipboard for the front ... very Thick !! Almost an eighth of an inch ... That should do nicely in the nose , and will bend readily to the shape . That will be treated to "the mix" first , just to make sure it’s waterproofed ... then screwed on , like paneling ... sorta’ ...

Getting closer all the time...

Bogo .... best of luck on finding the right material .... just FYI , our little steel skinned Cargo trailer is one tough little beastie’... Surprisingly the painted Steel does well in our Humidity ... Very Strong . Not much that’s Grizzly proof though ... Think I’d rather camp someplace where there’s squirrels and bunnies ...

[atahoekid]

Having seen what a bear can do if it wants into a trash can, I decided it wasn't worth worrying about what a bear can do. There just isn't lots that can withstand a bears determination. Short of sheet metal, which is way too heavy, the bear can get in. So I just went with fiberglass and foam. Even the wife thought my logic made sense and didn't fight me on it and we camp mostly in bear country. We went camping earlier this year in a spot that had no bear warnings... we were shocked . Almost couldn't believe it.

The Foamstream is awesome and I have said it before, I really like that other design you came up with but I think that I want something with headroom for standing next time. As we edge (slowly, very slowly) toward retirement age, the wife and I have discussed a fifth wheel. As has been discussed earlier, the RV industry makes and sells crap, so I'm considering a foamie fifth wheel build. If I find the right frame I may be looking at my next build.

[Wolffarmer]

If anybody should ask ... the only different thing I’d do if building another FS would be to get the proper BLU or Pink Foam in a uniform 2“ thickness... Cutting up large foam blocks into sheets was a project in itself ... so much EASIER to just start all EVEN , smoother and easier to work with , and just producing dust and not beads that get Everywhere.. ... and it would be only 76” Wide ... on the outside ... still plenty of insulation , one would think ... I would keep the ribs ...

Just sayin' ... lesson learned !!! The Thriftiest way is Not always the easiest way , sometimes multiplying the labor factor beyond what would be considered ... reasonable ...

On a trailer your size I would keep the ribs also. Just to handy to have around.

Sorry. I have not read the thread for a few days. I do fear pulling anything that large with my TV, a Suzuki Vitara with a 2000cc motor. No matter how stream lined it is still looks like a large broadside to me. But you will be doing the testing. I will be doing the watching.



I will watch while drinking a Moose Drool

Randy

[KCStudly]

From http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/751/2296

"Notes: (on Moose Drool beer)
It's chocolate brown in color with a creamy texture. A malty beer with just enough hop presence to keep it from being too sweet. The aroma mostly comes from the malt with a hint of spice added by the hops. Moose Drool is brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate, and whole black malts; and Kent Goldings, Liberty, and Willamette hops."

Oooooh, that just sounds so right! Good choice.

[Mary C]

just use a foamie and get a portable solar electric fence and give the nosy bear something to yelp about. the extra amount you spend on all that glitzy expensive walls and coverings will more than pay for the fence. When I talked to Yellowstone they said it was ok to use just around your immediate sleeping accommodations tent but not the whole camp site. Well that would work. The POP should wake me up if a bear shoved his snout near the TD. That's why I decided on a Foamie! Looking good GPW.

Mary C.

[Bogo]

I know I can't make it bear proof. That is why I usually keep my food and food prep equipment in the truck. When boon docking out in the wilds, the truck and camp gets surrounded by an electric fence. Bears generally takeoff and run fast when they get shocked by an electric fence. At least that is what the US Forrest Service reports. They use them extensively in bear country. I want the hard sides more to make casual or accidental tests in campgrounds unfruitful. I don't use an electric fence in them.

A few years ago I checked out what it takes to make a bear proof container. By doing a pop-up top, I pretty much have made bear proof impossible. A bear could easily grab under an edge and pull it out. You generally need less than 3/16" to prevent that, and I have 1/4" or so. Furthermore, when the surfaces next to the edge are pressed on, they can't deflect so that the crack opens up enough that a bear could get it's claw or tooth in. The length of the crack is way to long for any sane amount of material to keep it from flexing to much. Might be a reason to go back to the perimeter frame design for construction. I could make the perimeter frames wide enough that a bear can't get a good bite on them and force the skin away from the frame. I'll have to do some research on that and see what the weight penalties are. I can also make the hatch and door perimeters interlocking joints. If one side is pushed on, the other side moves with it. The problem with them is they aren't good for winter use. Too many places for the water to get in and freeze. Fall and winter is when I have time to go camping.

Another reason for the hard sides is tree limbs on overgrown roads and campsites.

Finally the skins will make the walls stiffer which will make them less likely to warp and get out of alignment over the years. I need this so the seals don;t have to have outrageously wide sealing tolerances.

For a foamie 5th wheel you could start with a low bed 5th wheel car hauler., or the frame from a 5th wheel dump bed trailer. Otherwise I think you'll have to make the frame or have the frame made for you. The goose neck is the hard part on one of them.

[GPW]

Consider the plight of the poor Bear .... it’s just out looking for a cookie .... one could possibly “bait" the Bear , leaving a Giant bag of cheap dog food a mile or so down the road (over the hill and far away ) ... The Bear will eat it’s fill, then go to sleep .... By the time it wakes up , you’ll be gone ... (Theoretically ? ) ...

You can bet your a** I’ll not be camping around any Bears ...

[GPW]

By emptying out all my old T2 bottles into a peanut jar , I was able to finish the inside chipboard , save the front nose ... So that’s that and all’s well!!!

Also able to cover the middle nose part ... Only the heavy chipboard yet to be installed on the nose bottom (like paneling) and the burlap over the upper rounded part ...

[GPW]

And back in prime ... Now out of the Gripper too ... that fiver'... Poof !!! Gone !!! ... a little caulking here and there and some sanding and we’re ready to paint ...

Just an observation ... The Gripper , like any Latex product after a week is still un-sandable (gummy) .. Have to wait a while more ...

[GPW]

Ps. The floor will get painted Last ... it is pretty Horrid eh !!!

[Bogo]

Ps. The floor will get painted Last ... it is pretty Horrid eh !!!

Nothing a belt sander wouldn't solve real quick...

On my design I blew my tall c-channel frames away and put c-channels into the basement floor and main floor. I was going to not make the floors to complex, but the issue of not being able to properly fit water heaters and furnaces forced my hand. I also made the nose more rounded to allow putting a spare tire there. Then I moved the spare to the back and put the generator back on the tongue. I'm being real disruptive today and can't make up my mind. On the other hand I did get my water heater placed. I sized the water heater spot for an Atwood PD-50. It's an on demand water heater. I'm tempted to use a second one for heating and run coolant through it. A standard 6 gallon would fit into the same space, but the PD-50 is half the weight.

[GPW]

Taking today OFF !!!
Past couple days the Heat Index was over 100 F degrees (actual temp 96F) ... Going to rest , and let everything “bake” (cure) in the FS ... Too HOT to be outside another day ...

Just have to wire up the lights and we can go get “legal” ...