Dash Camper

[theDangerz]

Hi All

We finally found a cheap HF trailer on craigslist, so i guess we've officially kicked off our build.
The plan is to cut two feet off the back to make it a 4x6, but at least it's in hand and ready!


We are hoping to get away with a build lightweight enough to tow behind our mini cooper (or our 67 vw bus...which might have even less tow capacity than the mini)
and hopefully we'll still have a bit of storage space to spare.

When we finish we are hoping that it looks something like this:


We've been posting on a design thread for a little while, so if you'd like more images they are here:
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5665

[theDangerz]

Can anyone tell me if my axle location looks to be okay (after cutting 2' off the rear of the standard 4x8 HF trailer?


im wondering if i would be better off chopping 18" from rear and 6" from front (or some other combination).

thoughts?

[KCStudly]

Are you sure you can make it work at only 6 ft? Seems very short to me. The only other sleeper I can think of that small is Stacie Tamaki's Glampette (which she had custom sized to fit her for mostly solo trips).

At that length, there will be so little room for a galley that your cargo weight will be about nill, so I would think that axle location would not be critical. Then again, that might just be a weak attempt at sarcastic humor.

Your profile is very unique; I like it.

[jstrubberg]

The angle on the rear of the trailer body is going to finish off what little room you have for a galley. I would think it would be very hard to build a hatch for as well.

Assuming no galley, the maximum floor space inside would be 5'10". If you are over 5'6", you're going to find this very hard to live with.

[danlott]

I believe your plan is very nice. I also think the wheel placement is not bad for the size and weight of the trailer. I would just take the 2 feet of the back.

I actually think you will have plenty of room and storage in this little design.



As for your galley hatch I would go with the style on the right of the picture. You will not get any real shade, but you would not have to worry about hitting your head on it either. For shade mose teardroppers use an easy up type awning anyways.



Dan

[theDangerz]

thanks everyone for the feedback and consultation!!
all good questions and thoughts!

the trailer will (in current design) be cut down to 6' so that the axle is further back as recommended frequently.
the floor and camper structure will extend a bit beyond that in both front and back (essentially the length of the lower curve front and back), which means ill still have about a 6'2" mattress.
We spent the last year driving around mexico and central america in a homemade camper and i designed that mattress right at 6'...decided to give myself a few extra inches for this one (the width of our last one was also significantly narrower than 4' for us and the dog...so this should feel PLUSH!!

Started to dismantle the trailer yesterday and will try getting it cut down today.
I had seen a post or two about a "stripped down" HF trailer...is there something else i can do to remove weight (short of the full blow ultralight trailer...which i wish i would have seen before buying)?


Regarding hatch...i had placed this question in the design thread but didnt get much feedback. Ive never seen this done, but plan on mocking up a little test hatch to see if it works.
rather than either option above, id like to think a "bifold" hatch is possible that swings up and out with a second hurricane hinge for more shade/rain coverage. anybody seen or tried this??


keep the ideas coming and thanks for supporting the newbie!!

[danlott]

Regarding hatch...i had placed this question in the design thread but didnt get much feedback. Ive never seen this done, but plan on mocking up a little test hatch to see if it works.
rather than either option above, id like to think a "bifold" hatch is possible that swings up and out with a second hurricane hinge for more shade/rain coverage. anybody seen or tried this??

The problem I see with this option is the complexity. It is certainly doable, but you will have to support it and that will add weight and cost with both the supports and extra hurricane hinge.

Dan

[KCStudly]

Oh, that makes more sense now that I've seen "the bones". I still think a few extra inches would be a good thing... call it tucking room.

The bi-fold hatch seems to add unnecessary complication and would magnify the potential for leakage, but maybe not too much of a challenge. It will add weight, though. If you are going to carry an easy-up anyway, I would vote for the short simple one.

If one of your goals is to use a regular spring mattress (not the lightest option), you could still build in a removable rear access panel under the hatch to make swapping the mattress easier/possible.

This will be a fun one to watch. Thanks for sharing!

[rebapuck]

My '66 had a 1600sp and really struggled with pulling a Puck. Ended up getting a new bigger engine. Loved having a two-room suite.

[theDangerz]

wow.
really slow going here at the kickoff.

should have known the trailer wouldnt be a true 4x8.
which mean the roof skin will require more boards than planned,
which means more money...
which puts it right up there with everything else ive tried to buy for this project.
sure hope this thing turns out...

Got the trailer cut down. The 2' off the back shaves off a ton of weight.


which just makes me want to get rid of more metal.
Has anyone replaced the middle cross members of the HF trailer with 2x4s to save extra weight?
or would i be limiting the strength of the trailer too much?

[Tinbasher]

I don't think the weight saved will be very much and the strength / rigidity lost will be significant.

[Junkboy999]

My Little woody is on a HF trailer. The body is a true 4x8. It is built up on two sheets of 4x8 plywood. The trailer is a bit wider them the base of the camper, but not by much. There is a simple trim piece that cover the connection where the base meets the trailer to hide the joint. All you need to do is hide it.

How much bigger is the width of the trailer?

[theDangerz]

My Little woody is on a HF trailer. The body is a true 4x8. It is built up on two sheets of 4x8 plywood. The trailer is a bit wider them the base of the camper, but not by much. There is a simple trim piece that cover the connection where the base meets the trailer to hide the joint. All you need to do is hide it.

How much bigger is the width of the trailer?

About 1/2" on one side to to about 11/16" on the other.
Its not that it cant be overcome, but was planning on the two plywood frame sides bolting onto the outside, meaning the 4' dimension of the skins just wont cut it.
not a disaster, just back to the drawing board for a bit

[theDangerz]

Finally!!

had some glitches and other projects and....eh, who cares.
the important thing is, we finally made sawdust!

we have most of the pieces cut out and ready to roll.



Here are the details...grooves for shelving/cabinets front and back and the recess around the outside (reveal at the bottom to rest on the trailer and the recess around the top for ceiling install



Hers how things stack up so far
all in all not too bad.
still have a bit of cleanup and sanding of edges to do, but we're officially underway!
now we move onto putting it all together and seeing how far off my math and planning were!

[citylights]

Wow! Nice cuts. Wish I could cut that accurate!