Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[eaglesdare]

alrighty, i've had my morning tea and getting dressed to go out there. i am bringing a bigger hammer with me.

wish us luck!

[vreihen]

any advise from those that have built these things? those U bolts don't seem to want to go into that square flat piece and still go around that long round piece.

Is the problem that the U-bolts are not long enough to reach around the axle and down to the spring plate, or that the legs of the U-bolt wind up spread too far apart (or too close) when they get to the spring plate's bolt holes?

If the problem is that the holes aren't lining up, try rotating the spring plate 90 degrees and see if the holes line up any better. For some reason, I seem to recall the spring plates on my HF trailer kit (40x48) being slightly rectangular and not perfectly square.

If you find that you have to bend the legs in, my suggestion is to screw the retainer nuts onto the ends of both sides. If they are lock nuts, just put them on with your fingers until the threads just start to hit the nylon locks. Then, grab across the two nuts with channel-lock pliers and gently squeeze until the legs are bent in enough to fit through the spring plate. By using the channel-locks on the nuts, you'll save mauling the threads with the pliers.

Of course, I need to include a disclaimer that I put together my HF trailer kit 11 years ago, and I don't remember too many of the details.....

[eaglesdare]

look in this pic and you can see the U bolt is sligthly too far off.


we did turn those plates and tried the bolts on the opposite sides also.
but hubby finally got them, the big hammer had to be brought out

[eaglesdare]

now we are having a problem with this


we are turning it this way because as suggested, we add an extension. but notice that gap? well he gave up and he will work on it another day.

but that part doesn't stop me from working on the floor next. so pay day is next friday i believe. shopping for ply wood.

[Cliffmeister2000]

try loosening all the bolts on the tongue assembly, then loosely installing them all, the slowly tightening them all, so they are all almost tight before the first on is completely tight.

[GPW]

Eagle , in your exuberance, don't seal the plywood floor until the build is done ... Why?? Because you want Maximum adhesion between the foam , ply and cloth, inner and outer ... the strength of the shell is the skins... we want those to adhere really well !!! Easy enough to seal it later before you stick it down on the trailer ...

That trailer looks NICE !!!! Tongue looks long enough eh ??? You're not using a bumper hitch huh???

[eaglesdare]

Eagle , in your exuberance, don't seal the plywood floor until the build is done ... Why?? Because you want Maximum adhesion between the foam , ply and cloth, inner and outer ... the strength of the shell is the skins... we want those to adhere really well !!! Easy enough to seal it later before you stick it down on the trailer ...

That trailer looks NICE !!!! Tongue looks long enough eh ??? You're not using a bumper hitch huh???

what do you mean seal? do you mean either the black goo/varnish?
i was leaning towards building on the frame, and to build up, floor, then walls, all attached to floor and frame.


i have a question about the ply. during this next week i might get out to see what we have here locally. but will i be looking for untreated or treated wood? also will i be looking for 3/4 in thick 4x8 sheets?

[GPW]

Well, if you must ... Just get raw plywood so the wood glue can penetrate ... T2 doesn't stick very well to varnished surfaces ... but it's OK to varnish over that later ... Or ... only seal the areas that will not be glued to ... leave about 6-8" bare around the perimeter (both sides ) for the wood glue/cloth/etc. OK ? Then you can attach the ply to the trailer frame and build away ...

[Wolffarmer]

for the floor on mine ( more conventional build ) I use 3/4 inch ply for the floor and some stringers as my frame is about 3 foot wide. I think in your case 1/2 ply would be plenty. Mine is way over built like most 1st timers.

Randy

[eaglesdare]

thanks everyone! lets hope this coming weekend will be nice also. i guess i am going to have a get a cover shortly to protect anything that i do start.

[GPW]

Hitting 70F today (predicted) .... NICE !!!! Getting the foam out of the mini CT...

[eaglesdare]

yay! go get it done!

please charge your camera and take pics.

[eaglesdare]

i have been searching, but would like ideas for a door. are we making the door out of the foam also?

do we buy a door, or home make one?

[GPW]

Gosh , that's an option ... I was thinking of a foam door with a wooden frame surround.... Still covered with fabric , of course ... But a commercial or "found" door would work nice too .. with the proper reinforcing in the door frame ... All how much you want to make really ...and how "thrifty" you are ???

RE: Thrifty... I've been eyeing this old Custom van down the street ... Nice windows ... still in perfect shape ...Van abandoned ... I'll have to ask the old lady who owns it for those .... could be cheap ...Could look Nice in a foamie ' For my build , I'm invoking the "Fine Art of Salvage" ..to save coin... Already got the foam for free.. old boat trailer just waiting in the yard ... lots of leftover canvas and paint ... All I need now is a gallon of Titebond 2 (or 3) and some probond... Pretty thrifty so far ...
71F today ... heat wave

[eaglesdare]

what is this probond? and why do you/me/we need that?