Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[eaglesdare]

i bet. i am not finding anything cheap yet.

[Wolffarmer]

Eagle , this drawing did it for me ...

A good ole sheep camp. Though the classic sheep camp was built on 4 wheels. At the corners. Was usually built on a salvaged wagon and then later some kind of worn out pickup/car. And having four wheels in the corners made so you didn't have to use jacks. And the classics used a canvas top. I see now that the new ones are built on a 4 wheel trailer chassis. I have never stayed in one but in my youth I did visit several and had a few excellent meals.

Randy

[linuxmanxxx]

Eagle a word of caution with your plans is weight......you are looking at a bigger heavier trailer and then the couches/dinettes/slideouts and other things require wood framing and wood thus weight and towing issues.....you might have to get a little beefier TV for going biggie foamy.

[eaglesdare]

thanks linux. i can always have fun doing a new one and letting the old man have it. maybe i can con him into getting me a new tv?

[linuxmanxxx]

If you get something with a V6 at least in it your tow ratings will go way up and still keep a decent amount of economy as well. Ford's new ecoboost stuff is really looking good for power and economy even the 4 cylinder is putting up crazy numbers. The full size 4 dr F150 supercrew with ecoboost V6 gets 23 mpg on highway (yeah that big truck) I have an 01 supercrew and it drives like a car and still is a truck love it.

And remember Ford was the only non bailout american car company.

[eaglesdare]

well since its been pretty quiet here, i will update simba. he is 5 months old now.

[GPW]

Whoa !!! Looking around at box trailer prices ... They do seem Pricy... Most well over 1K ... and UP ... waaaay up ... Like Steve said , requiring a larger truck ... I even saw one yesterday right down my road that has 6 wheels (BIG) ...
Maybe need to set a target weight , including the trailer , and try to build to that ... the trick is to weigh everything ... before you put it on ...

Just more thinking that many things on the inside that are done with wood , could be lightened a lot by using the “sandwichâ€

[GPW]

What a CUTE Dog !!!!

[eaglesdare]

yes very pricey! i will take a ride around next friday or saturday and see what we have locally.

and i do understand weight issues.

[droid_ca]

GPW said-would not only have a utilitarian function , but also may serve as internal “bracingâ€

[eaglesdare]

i had to go a looking. is that a boxer? or a mastiff? looks like a boxer from what i can see. find looking dog!

[droid_ca]

They both are boxers I started initially with the one and then saw the male as well .....So now I have to put my trailer on hold yet again...but thats why we are here

[atahoekid]

I agree with the sandwich construction method. I built my cabinets, bulkheads, shelving with the thought of bracing the structure so that goal is the same, but in retrospect and if I were to do it over again,instead of using 1/2" plywood, I would go with the sandwich construction. You may gain a bit in thickness by going that way but the end goals of bracing and creating useable space remain the same. The vacuum bagging technique would be awesome for creating the sandwich. I wish I had asked more about that when I was in my planning phase, but it's not too late to use it to put the inside layer of lauan on the walls and ceiling. Just need to find a valve and buy plastic sheeting.

[GPW]

When I was covering my inside panels with old bed sheet , I found that alone made the foam extremely stiff... and we could build cabinets and shelves like this that would span the structure and provide “inside bracing “ and it wouldn’t need almost any wood at all ... maybe a little for “trimâ€

[atahoekid]

I guess this falls into the category of "build it the way you want it". I just like the look of the wood interior and yes, wood (even thin lauan) weighs more than canvas, but I was never hugely concerned about the weight since my TV is big enough and the frame is strong enough so in this case, form won out over function.

GPW is right... so many possibilities