Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

did i misread? i thought the question was a build of 500lbs loaded including frame?

that is what my answer was to.

I apologize...I misread, thinking the 750 weight limit was the goal...

Oops...

Another example of "Sometimer's."

[Wobbly Wheels]

If anyone's interested in 'thrifty' gel cells, call around to local security companies. The backup batteries in security systems and emergency lighting units are typically replaced every so often. They aren't 100%, but you can get them dirt cheap. A few cycles and they're almost like new. I got a 12A*h and an 18 A*h this way for $20 and a case of beer.

i will keep the things that i have used, and get rid of the rest.

When you do, would you mind posting up what you've found essential vs unnecessary ?
It's always interesting to see how lists like that vary from person to person.

[chartle]

Whats your definition of small?

I was thinking along the lines of a full-size 12v gel cell battery...Heavier use, for sure...9 lbs is great...What are the amp-hrs rating? Of course, if all you're going to use is occasional LED lighting it hardly matters.

Regardless, at 9 pounds for the battery, that's a gain of an easy 50 lbs...

Good deal, f'shore!

12 Ah I only would run maybe a light in the sleeping compartment and some lighting in the galley. No inverters running blenders for Margaritas.

Right now we only pull out our Coleman single mantle mini propane lantern if we are really cooking in the dark. Other wise we use small LED lanterns the size that would fit in your pocket. We are very much in the keep the light low and let your eyes adjust camp.

One thing I missed though a spare tire that's around 20 to 25 lbs if I want the bolt on carrier too.

Oh and the jack and the stabilizing legs. I think I need a bigger boat er car.

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

Whats your definition of small?

I was thinking along the lines of a full-size 12v gel cell battery...Heavier use, for sure...9 lbs is great...What are the amp-hrs rating? Of course, if all you're going to use is occasional LED lighting it hardly matters.

Regardless, at 9 pounds for the battery, that's a gain of an easy 50 lbs...

Good deal, f'shore!

12 Ah I only would run maybe a light in the sleeping compartment and some lighting in the galley. No inverters running blenders for Margaritas.

Right now we only pull out our Coleman single mantle mini propane lantern if we are really cooking in the dark. Other wise we use small LED lanterns the size that would fit in your pocket. We are very much in the keep the light low and let your eyes adjust camp.

One thing I missed though a spare tire that's around 20 to 25 lbs if I want the bolt on carrier too.

Oh and the jack and the stabilizing legs. I think I need a bigger boat er car.

Yeah...Sorry about confusing the target weight. 500 lbs might be a nigh on impossible target.

[GPW]

Why not toss the spare in the trunk (saving the weight of the bracket ) and stabilizers ? Just leave the TD hooked up ... No stabilizers ...

[eaglesdare]

you know i have been thinking about this. mine is a real basic shell, with a mattress, frame at approx 500lbs.
however, i think with some tweaking you could also get around 500lbs loaded. but the word loaded would have to be difined.

do you really need the battery? would a flashlight do just as well? or a florescent lantern? much less weight. don't use the wood in the back where i did, use foam back there.
that saved weight there might allow for the cooler then.

what else would you need? granted if you use the air mattress, that will save weight for some other item.

a thinner ply for the floor than what i used, will also save some room for more added stuff.

i would keep the spars, but maybe get rid of one or 2, just space them out a bit more. that is a few more lbs saved.

even substitue the wheel frame thing, that curved piece that goes over the tire? make one out of foam, that will again save a few lbs.

i do have a flat piece of wood, that is my door to the outside, its the flip down and out counter. but that could be replaced also with a full hatch. another way to save some weight.

so yes i think it may be possible to shave off some weight from mine and change it up a bit to allow for added items and still be approx around the 500lbs.

but then you have to try and balance things out. i don't think you want all the weight in the galley area. because that is what you will end up with. perhaps add a spot on the tongue for the cooler, and then a small galley.

really depends on what you consider loaded. i consider a battery to be a luxury i don't need. now i do consider my porta potty, my a/c, and heater as loaded. so those items to come along. none of them are really heavy though and so far has not caused any problems for me.

really you should not have much trouble though, your tow capacity is higher than mine.

oh one more thing, you might beable to tweak the frame itself, to lose some weight there. but that is technical stuff that i know nothing about.

i just thought of another thing: i don't have a "window" persay. i have holes cut out in the door. but no glass/plexi, no frame. so there is no weight there. i only have a mess hotglued in, and nylon cut from an old tent hotglued in there to keep rain and bugs out. if you add a "true" window, you will add some weight.

[chartle]

Why not toss the spare in the trunk (saving the weight of the bracket ) and stabilizers ? Just leave the TD hooked up ... No stabilizers ...

Have to have stabilizers. Once when growing up and with my family we stopped for one night on our way somewhere. It was after dark and we tried to get setup as quickly as possible.

My father either forgot to put down the stabilizers or thought he could get away with not using them. We also didn't put up the dining canopy so everyone all 5 or 6 of us where in the pop up.

Well we were OK until a majority of the people moved to the back of the camper and you can imagine what was said next.

"Don't anybody move"

Well we all moved back to the front of the trailer and fixed the problem.

The next morning we realized that not only did we nearly tip over the trailer but behind the trailer was a huge hill.

Oh and the spare can go in some sort of compartment in the trailer.

I did a little sketch up last night, and since I'm going 5 feet wide on a 4 foot wide trailer, I have to build over the wheels so I should have around an 8 inch by 4 foot wide by 80 inch (size of queen mattress) space under the sleeping area. I know I can't make one huge space and will have to add cross members, but it can hold flat things like chairs and the like.

One goal is to have all the camping equipment in the trailer at all times so we don't have to drag it out of the attic when ever we want to go out for a weekend.

The 500 lbs is a more of a wish based on me pulling the trailer with my Elantra and me always reading years ago that you should never max out your tow weight and keep it around 75% of rating (so really 562.5 lbs).

By the time I get to build this, my wife will have a different car and right now the Jeep Liberty with its 5,000 lb rating and anti-sway system looks good.

[GPW]

When you’re trying to save weight , it’s the Little things that add up quickly ... Thinner floor , 3/4â€

[chartle]

[quote="GPW"]When you’re trying to save weight , it’s the Little things that add up quickly ... Thinner floor , 3/4â€

[GPW]

Here’s one suggestion ... http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=78197

[chartle]

Here’s one suggestion ... http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=78197

Where does the 1/4 inch plywood go, inside or outside the foam?

[mezmo]

Hi chartle,

Your poptop 'TeeterTotter' story brought back a memory for me.

When I was a kid in the 1950s, my Dad was a heavy equipment operator
for a pipeline company in WNY and WPA. We lived in house trailers and
and traveled around from job to job. Dad pulled them with either a Chevy
PU or, the preferred, Caddy sedan. One cold drizzly November day we
moved from PA back to NY. The one trailer park we had a reservation at
turned out not to have the site available when we got there, so we went
to another about 20 miles away. By the time we got there it was dark but
there was a street light near enough to help at the spot we had. So Dad
backed in the 8 x35 foot Marlette, that was our mobile home, into position
and unhitched it from the Caddy. While he was doing this we got
company! A friend from the pipeline knew we were in the area and just
stopped in with his wife and kid. In the meantime, Dad had hooked up
the electric and turned on the propane so mom could cook supper and
we 2 kids + 1 company kid were shooed into the the middle walk through
bedroom to get out of the way while Mom started to get supper and
yakked with the lady friend. The trailer was unblocked, resting only on the
tongue jack and tandem wheels. In the course of entertaining ourselves,
we three kids went back into my parents rear bedroom. As soon as we
did that, the rear of the Marlette went down, the front went up in the air
and stuff started to fall out of the bathroom cabinets onto the floor. After
exchanging "Oh Shhht!" looks amongst ourselves, we started forward out
of the rear bedroom and the front of the Marlette went back down in a
nice smooth motion and went back to level, to rest again on the tongue,
jack and four wheels. Needless to say we were 'admonished' by Mom Not
to do that again and stay in the middle bedroom until we were called. We
all thought it was sort of neat when it happened as we didn't know it would
happen when it occurred. Now how many times can a kid say they had
'tilted' their 'house'? Anyway, my Dad got it secured enough for the night
and fully leveled and set up the next day.

We later used this new-found knowledge when we went to visit some
cousins at their dairy farm. We and the cousin kids came across a single
axle farm wagon sitting next to the tractor shed. Since we had told our
cousins what had happened with the Marlette, we all wondered if it would
happen with the farm trailer. So we held on to the stake sides and walked
towards the rear of the trailer bed and Whee! Hee! It did the exact same
thing! After a few 'rides' of that, we went on to check out other things
inside the barn.

We were familiar with Teeter Totters as kids, but didn't know a trailer and
its axle placement and its weight distribution would act the same way,
until we 'discovered' it firsthand!

So I'd vote to always have stabilizer jacks mounted to your trailer and
deployed when it is unhitched and in use. No need to turn it into an
unexpected carnival ride when you least expect it.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[GPW]

CH, the ply goes on the inside and serves to spread the load across a large area of the surface...

Norm I can see the necessity on a larger trailer for stabilizers... On these small ones , it may not be needed ... Maybe !!! Or maybe just one ... if you’re trying to save weight ... and you’re planning on unhitching the Trailer ..

[eaglesdare]

off topic: we went to an apple orchard yesterday. anyone want some applesauce? i know have that coming out the ..well you know what. making apple butter now, and in a little while, pie filling.

love having this stuff in the middle of winter.

ok back to the topic.

[GPW]

Apple Butter .... Mmmmmm!!!!!