Redneck Rock Ranger

[Mdrinnon]

After a lot of lurking, daydreaming, and wishful thinking my build is on. I am strapped for cash and time, working two jobs after the divorce to meet responsibilities and trying to be active with 2 daughters. I managed via craigslist to score a motorcycle trailer, 5x6 rated 2000 pounds by trading a 12 guage shotgun and 2 boxes of shells. I am farther limited by my time line.. Rock on the Range music festival is in may and I missed this year. Hopefully I will will be campable and thus afforadable for 2014





Total invested so far 120.00 for 12guage several years ago

[Mdrinnon]

Well 20 bucks gas and 2.00 for reflectors, Craiglsits guy negleted to tell me no lights, and we are almost home.


another evening and 11.00 more for a 12 pack of miller and I get to see what the frame looks like. My build assistant christened the project several times lol







I get paid tomorrow, my neighbor is going to bring over his metal band saw for the 45 degree uprights and I'm going to hit the deck with a black gloss rattle can coat

[KCStudly]

Great start! Good luck on your project. What style are you building?

When you are loading pics to your gallery, on the second window there are buttons that you can select to rotate the images. You can go back in, double click on the image, select edit, and do this after the fact.

Remember, have fun with your build!

[grantstew8]

By making it 8x4 you use a lot less timber than if it's 5' wide. Tell people about what you're doing; they think its cool and ive been given stuff free. Buy only what you need when you need it unless its a real ( real) bargain. Ebay has lots of parts but bid low and expect to lose lots. as for time. I get up early and work for an hour or so every day. I spend the rest of the day thinking bout what im doing next. We have freecycle here where folk give stuff away for nothing. Dumpsters also offer lots of reasonable timber and there are always pallets. Building sites and factories normally chuck out useful sized bits of timber and boards. If you have a sips factory nearbye they use osb rayer than ply. If you have lots of woodworking tools then make it any shape you want. If not keep it geometric. My budget including the chassis is £350 or $500 or so. I'm lucky that I have a shed full of tools so am really only buying a few pats, glue nails and screws.
http://youtu.be/HJPO1ObnR50

[Mdrinnon]

Thanks for the tips guys. I prowl ebay all the time but had forgotten freecycle. I'm building Vardo. I have loved the Gypsy wagons since my daughters were tiny and I first saw them on the Wind in the Willows cartoon. The more I read and watch the deeper my appreciation.. and a healthy dose of showmanship lol. It's funny you mention pallets.. My bar build in the basement utilized pallets heavily and I'm breaking them down and sorting by size and wood type lol


My original plan was a 4x8 HF trailer build but the craigslist barter came along costing me nothing out of pocket and lightening the load toward mobility lol. The actual metal frame of the motorcycle trailer is 5x6 and it is rated at 2000 lbs.

[Mdrinnon]

Well the work schedule has been hectic and we've been hammered by yet more rain but still made good progress.



Right after this pic my friend chopped off the extra metal up front, I touched up the paint, and got the tongue jack mounted.

Roughed in the "cellar" or Han Solo smuggling compartment I told the kids that and they called me a geek...little ingrates lol. It's rough and waterproofed only as I'm going to finish it out in the flooring material.



I decided to leave the "bike tracks" for strength and just shimmed up with 1 1/2 material to get a level surface. I know its a heavy start to the build. Planning to lighten up as I build higher. Not paranoid...much.. at 6ish and 300lbs I want a little more underfoot than a couple 1x's

a quick dry fit and then starting adding some stips before the foam board goes on.


After a little help from Pop flipping the floor over and settling over the wheel wells, it was time to tarp it up just in time before the downpour. Don't tell knuckle head..he thinks it's done

[KCStudly]

I wonder is those bike channels could be put to good use routing wires or put to other use (some guys put tubes under the floor to haul fishing poles)?

[Mdrinnon]

KC I'm pondering running wiring and propane through them...under the floor and out of the cabin but protected from hazards by some serious steel.

[Mdrinnon]

Been very frustrating this week. Tons of overtime and tons more rain. The trailer has sat under tarps most of the time. I'm eventually going to have to give up and move into the barn and round up an gennie for the build.



I did get the floor and trap door completely finished and tarped down this week before the monsoon season set in.

I ended up moving into the basement to break down pallets for build materials. Our work gets a million of them in and they all go to the landfill. I hate to see the waste and harvest a lot of them for projects and for burning in the woodstove if nothing else. Mostly pine but a lot of oak, cherry, and other wood comes through.



They are a pain to break down until you get it down. I have developed my own technique and can move through a stack at a pretty good clip.


Enough to panel the side walls and some cabinet facing stacking up on the bar. The guy in the foreground is projects of halloweens past lol.

I am hoping to get some serious work done in the next few days. I found a fellow tnttt member nearby who has some 1/2 foam for sale. Thanks man I'll try to get there Saturday!!!! and Harbor Frieght has a trailer light kit coupon making it 9.99. Extra day off, materials, beer If I can hide from the kids it's on

[rebapuck]

Tell knucklehead I said hi.

[S. Heisley]

That doesn't look Redneck to me, at least, not yet. The dog approves and is day-dreaming about future trips.

[Mdrinnon]

That doesn't look Redneck to me, at least, not yet. The dog approves and is day-dreaming about future trips.

The interior may save my design name, Or maybe it just houses a redneck

@rebapuck. I will...the little pain in the butt is a lot of company.

I've had him for years, the pound named him Snoop and it didn't take long to figure out why. He has his nose in or his butt sitting on whatever I'm doing. Always in the way lol

[Mdrinnon]

Well...first day off in forever and forecast... thunderstorms of course... Decided to heck with it, threw off the tarps and made some sawdust!!!



Ledges went on easily by myself with the jack stands for an extra hand.

The end panels went together easily by myself but I had to wake up the youngest daughter and yell at pop to do some holding while I screwed everything in place. The panels are held in place with screws and a few bracing pieces until the adhesives set.





Starting to actually look like it susposed to, pop was even impressed, he'd been sceptical of the entire project but would have to come over and give his "advice" when he came by and I was working lmao

[S. Heisley]

You're moving fast on this build! So, you're building a Gypsy trailer?

[Wimperdink]

This is looking pretty slick.