Thrifty Alternatives ..Building Foam Campers

[GPW]

Jack , welcome to the extended Foam trailer discussion ! Being an Artist (visual) and a musician , luthier , tube amp maker .. I know where you’re coming from !! ( MN)

To All : The paper idea was merely suggested as a Thrifty ALTERNATIVE !!! I personally won’t be using paper , just saying , it’s Possible , if you can’t find anything else ... I will be using heavy canvas and Fabric ... as per the “norm” ...

However, I kinda’ like the idea if the “chicken wire" imbedded under the canvas on the roof ... that would add a Tremendous amount of strength , for very little weight gain .... again , that’s just an idea ... Not an argument ...

[GPW]

Pete sez’ "why are we going over this again it's been done it works. “ It’s for the good folks who have NOT read the whole Monster thread ...

RE: Glue and thinning for skin attachment ... No matter how much you thin the glue , when the water evaporates , it leaves the same amount of glue you started with ... the glue doesn’t evaporate , and you only need it thinned enough to still give good “tack and grab” ... T2 is too thick to comfortably work with straight from the bottle ... JMHO... I even thin it for wood working , just not nearly as much for attaching skins... For wood , I use the thinned glue as a pre-glue , on each surface , really working it into the grain , then use the un-thinned glue for finally sticking the pieces together... never had a failure in many wooden projects ...even my guitars and amp cabinets

The next trailer will have the skin attached with Paint , which seems (according to Big Mike’s testing) to be even a better adhesive than the T2

[Wolffarmer]

Welcome to the forum Jack.

Prize? I don't know. Maybe I will drink a beer in your honor.

You do deserve recognition for persistance that is for sure. Some day I am going to start on a sort of semi standy to pull with my Suzuki Vitara. I could sure use a bit more room than the 4x8 tear I have now. Not going a whole lot bigger. Something like 4.75x9 and about 5 foot inside. Will also have my trap door in the floor so I can stand up occasionaly. Also might build me a 3 wheel bike of some kind for Burning Man. Either that or lose weight.



Randy

[eaglesdare]

welcome jack to the foamie section! the best i can do is to applaud you for reading this whole thread!

i think it will be very doable to come up with a foamie to pull for your needs. build one of those A-frame's and put a foam tear on top. that should be way lighter than my 500lb one.

i did find the iron, but have never used it. i still have the bubbles on the front, as well as other places now. i seem to be the only one with that problem, i also seem to be the only one to use cinch straps, so i am going to say this is the cause. the foamie is still very campable though, just not that pretty.

now about that paper covering. i think i will be giving this a try on the second build. i am going to give a few scrap pieces here a test. i won't be using newspapers, as i just don't have them. but i will be trying the brown rolls of craft paper. i am just not at that stage yet, so i don't have it all figured out. i am still trying to get hubby to fix me up a space with a roof, so i can get back to working on it. it first has to stop raining here for him to hook me up with a spot.


now about those dogs.... simba is now 1 yr old and he graduates from his puppy classes today. i just hope it stops raining. nothing like having a wet collie in the car, or house.

[droid_ca]

now about those dogs.... simba is now 1 yr old and he graduates from his puppy classes today. i just hope it stops raining. nothing like having a wet collie in the car, or house.

I'm almost thinking that we need a pet selection on this forum.hahahahahaha Good Simba as for mine the two boxers are thinking that they should try and do bite training as my little one is slowly becoming a police dog...Ok I'll be quiet now about my dogs hahahahaha

[eaglesdare]

droid, i would love to have a dog that would do schutzhund(sp) work. but my simba just doesn't get that bite work. i did have a great dane though that took to protection pretty well on command. the hard part was getting him to stop. you should do fine with boxers and a mal. hubby is also working on fencing in a field here. once that gets done i plan to work more with these dogs. i do have a mixed dog here, suppose to be rotty mix, but since we got her from a shelter, not sure. she looks more dobie-ish, but acts more like a gazelle. i know she would take to bite work. so i might work her a little more in that area.

[wagondude]

Eagle, If you do decide to go the paper route, ask around at some hotels. They usually get stacks of papers for the patrons to read. I know of one that puts out a fair amount for recycling every week. I even have a bank near me that has free papers available. finding the source just takes a little thought and open eyes.

[eaglesdare]

lets say i were to try this, or at least test it, how big should my strips be? should they be fat strips, thin, long, short? i have a test piece of foam here, and was going to try the paper, but i wasn't sure how wide or long i should make the paper.

[Wolffarmer]

4 inches wide.

Randy

[Wolffarmer]

GPW

YOu bugging out?

Randy

[Jack B.]

4" sounds like a good number, but would it not be best, as a rule, to go as large as possible for a given situation? Big where you can and smaller where you want to do things like form curved edges or get into tight places.

Paper just seems to be the easiest way to approach fiberglass smooth finishes. Lay it up. Sand it down. Repeat as needed. Then prime and paint followed by a clear coat of summthin' for sheen if desired.

Gotta say I wish there was a video of Eagle doing here colored paper mosaic floor. I know I have the principle in mind, but if pictures are worth a thousand words, then a narrated video could BE a thousand words.

I finally had time to get to some of the other sections here now that the first 314 pages have been read. Found the little A-frame trailer stuff. Interesting. I have one of the little red you-bolt-it trailers with the 4' long body with 40" between the fenders. With a piece of 1/2" plywood for the floor it weighs in at about 100#. I tried a design idea for a 40" wide 6' 6" long clam shell type sleeper with 1/4" plywood sides and top that opened at one end with a hinge at the other. Idea great, light weight ripstop fabric work not so much. Storm from hell the first night had me trying to sleep in a coffin. Pulled quite well behind the bike. I'm thinking that perhaps something like the ultralight TD around 7" total with 1" foam walls, 3/8"-1/2" floor plate and glued/painted canvas over several light weight wood spars/slats for the top. Put a 1/4" plywood stone guard perhaps a 1'-2' or so high across the front. Voila! I would think that could come in under 200# empty using my existing trailer.

For something to pull with my trike I've been doodling with the idea of a PVC pipe trailer frame, light plywood floor with a bent PVC TD shape covered in glued/painted canvas on 16"-20" bike wheels. If you search somewhere such as google images for "tiniest trailer" you can see where I got the idea from at first. Average speeds of 10-12 mph negates any problem with wind resistance, except in Katrina type situations. Perhaps do it as a 4' TD with a 2' 6" pull out at the back for my feet. Better than a tent and quicker to set up. Plus you can haul gear in it out of the weather.

Just thinkin'.

Jack

[atahoekid]

Hey Jack. You might want to check out the pico light build thread. He built a trailer to pull behind his motorcycle and if I recall, he just put something like 7500 miles on it. Perhaps it will give you some ideas

[Jack B.]

My main concern is that my tow bike is a 650 single. I've got a lot of torque but there are still limits to what I can start AND stop with it. Since it'll be only me using it ('cause she's not a big fan of long distance discomfort . . .) it can be narrower and lacking in some creature comforts. I looked at the pico light section. I'm still in the weight paring stage for now. Still have to learn to weld so I can finish this recumbent trike before the chills set in here in MN. Then I can start a new project.

Anybody know how to keep the squirrels from chewing my green tomatoes that don't seem to want to to turn red?

How's that for a new off topic intrusion?

Jack

[GPW]

I believe you can pickle your green tomatoes ... hard for squirrels to get into a jar , but then , they are pretty smart ...

[Jack B.]

I was a kid in GA and FL so I know we can fry them up too. Problem is we live for this time of the year when the cheese and tomato sammies with lots of mayo hit the back porch at lunch time. And since there's no way to get her to eat okra I'm pretty sure fried green tomatoes is kind of far down her vegetarian menu choice. May just have to pick 'em green and let them ripen "off the vine". Not quite as tastey but still way better than store bought.

Can't grow good maters in all this black soil anyway. Same as with melons, you need clay and sand. Alas and alack.

Gonna do a little experimenting this next week with some sheet material, canvas, burlap with varnish, polyurethane and paint. See if the fabrics shrink tight and how tough the final product is. I know the old plane sides were stiff but couldn't stand up to the Red Baron's bullets to well.

Jack