Foamie Plans EVOLVE into Truck Cap TTT - BUILD JOURNAL

[JDHIV]

I WAS going to go all whole-hog on making a 'Foamie' style of trailer as I am concerned about weight. If you wish ...check out ALL my Q's and all the great help I was getting in that thread: viewtopic.php?f=55&t=57011&p=1032432#p1032432 There should be only two pages in that thread...and it will link back to here when you finish it!.

I have a 2005 Honda Accord V6 sedan with ONLY a 1000lb towing capacity..........so the weight wasn't allowed to add up too quickly...hence my original foamie focus. I don't have a lot of time/money/patience,,,,,and as such..........no time RIGHT-NOW to build an awesome TD type of trailer.


I have decided to go the route like a couple of others on this forum did (i.e. OHBUGGER & PJO129) by using a large full-sized truck cap/canopy and building a sort of wooden analogous truck-bed underneath it and mounting that in top of the floor I glue/screw/bolt to the trailer. So, I think MUCH of what you all posted is still useful !?

LINKS TO THEIR BUILDS:

1) OHBUGGER 's: viewtopic.php?t=45827 "Truck Canopy Trailer..."



2) PJO129 's : http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=55583 "The Patrol Box"

[JDHIV]

But, I'm still going to build a good flooring that is cantilevered out beyond the current width of the trailer...

...My current plan (as per help from my father) is to attach a flooring of 7 2x4's as cross-members on my trailer...and topping that with 1/2" B/C-grade plywood and filling the "voids" under that with 1.5" sheets of foam. This will get a protection layer of either RV roof paint and/or spray on truck liner. Then, I'm likely to make a roughly 2' wall in the standard construction of a typical American Wall...a baseboard layer of 2x4 running around the base of 3 walls (2 sides + 1 front) and running 2x4 vertical 'studs' spaced ~20" or so on-center and then a top-board on that (all glued/screwed & L-bracket screwed together...........this top-rail of 2x4 (or 2x3?) will be what the truck cap rests on and is bolted to....Foam will fill the spaces between 'studs' and eventually skinned in either the foamie fashion of T2 glue and canvas +paint or plywood and the inner skin will be thin 1/8" Luan or something to cover up the foam.

I will likely paint all wood with the "magic mix" rather than using pressure treated.

I will make this campable to start and then work on refinements.

Thanks to OBUGGER & PJO129 for their pioneering (?) work on this design....My overall budget and time frame didn't let me make a true TD shape or foamie construction THIS time around....but SOMEday I will take what I have learned and will continue to learn here to do so!!!

[JDHIV]

AND...just to keep you up to date with the gutting of an old 70's Coleman Valley Forge popup/tent- trailer and where I'm at today see the following images:



I cut some of the extra width of the X-members at this point to reduce weight and because the metal was a bit bent and slightly torn in spots that far out because of judicious use of a sledgehammer and other tools!

-----------

Then some paint and repositioning the fenders:

the fenders are sitting on two pairs of extra steel I did NOT cut..and the walls will have support from them as well!







more to come...mostly Q's but also maybe the older A.R.E truck canopy/cap i bought today for $130...

Thanks!

_John

[JDHIV]

Here are a few images of my "new" canopy cap off an older dodge 1500 truck:





It is an older Aluminum A.R.E. brand camping type of cap with a hurricane hing holding the whole back "wall" on with a door in it and is paneled on the inside.

It is now in my backyard on two sawhorses........ A good sized next of yellowjackets had made a home up in there and even hours after that area was sprayed and nest removed...they were beginning to have up to 6 scouts back in there looking to rebuild.

I had to rent a home depot truck for about 2 hours to go get it which involved having 4 of us lift it (light when divided by 4..just awkward) and put it on the HD truck...and then home my 20yr old neighbor and his friends and I got it easily into the backyard. The cap is now 10-20 miles away...I hope they can't find there way "home" to it!!! I also picked up two pieces of B-C grade 1/2" plywood and two 1-3/8" silver backed sheet foam for floor insulation, while I had access to the truck.

Thanks for looking so far!

_John

ps: I'm going to go back and re-read all the posts that I've gotten as help and review them! Thanks guys/gals !!!

More of my own pics to come.

[JDHIV]

As I stated above...my possible new-plans regarding the floor and overall construction are:

----

...My current plan (as per help from my father) is to attach a flooring of ~seven 2x4's as cross-members on my trailer...and topping that with 1/2" B/C-grade plywood and filling the "voids" under that with 1.5" sheets of foam. This will get a protection layer of either RV roof paint and/or spray on truck liner.

Then, I'm likely to make a roughly 2' wall in the standard construction of a typical American Wall...a baseboard/base plate layer of 2x4 running horizontall around the base of 3 walls (2 sides + 1 front) and running 2x4 vertical 'studs' spaced ~20" or so on-center and then a top-board (another horizontally laid 2x4 parallel to the base plate under the studs) on that (all glued/screwed & L-bracket screwed together)...........this top-rail of 2x4 (or 2x3?) will be what the truck cap rests on and is bolted to....

....Foam will fill the spaces between 'studs' and eventually skinned in either the foamie fashion of T2 glue and canvas +paint or plywood and the inner skin will be thin 1/8" Luan or something to cover up the foam.

MY QUESTIONS ARE:

1) Do I need 2x4's in the bed/floor considering the cantilever of about 10" out on either side?

2) When I run a "base plate" in essentially building a short "pony" (?term) wall in typical American wall 2x4 construction... I have the wheel wells / fenders in the way so I can't run one continuous 2x4 from front to back that will be glue/L-bracket screwed to the plywood floor.........I AM GOING TO HAVE TO go around those fenders OR over them (building the floor above them is not an option)......SO, WILL I LOSE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY BY DOING THIS? I certainly won't run a vertical 2x4 stud up over the fenders but just flanking them...will this break in the base-plate 2x4 mess anything up????

Here is a picture of where the fenders are that I will have to either go around or over:


3) Does what I suggested seem like overkill considering it will be supporting a cap that could weight around 250lbs and all the other stresses it'll go under barreling down the road at highway speed? If so, how?

Thanks!!!!!
_John

[JDHIV]

ANOTHER Q: THIS ONE INVOLVING THE FLOORING PLYWOOD:

I have two pieces of 1/2" b-c grade plywood (4'x8')...I'm covering a 6' wide and 8.5 foot long floor...............how would YOU cut these two pieces to make those dimensions?

Thanks again!

_John

[JDHIV]

EVOLUTION of construction design/plans for the floor and walls to support a large truck cap for a TTT:

After speaking to a guy at home depot who seemed to grasp carpentry...he suggested that the flex of any Two-by/2x___ wood (x2, x4, x6) will flex the same if layed down flat orientation when bolted to the trailer as the subfloor beneath the 1/2" plywood I have as a floor. So, a 2x4 will be just as good as a 2x6 UNLESS you orient them taller than wider.

I will not be doing this as it will yield too much overall height. SO, I am going to have 8 of these 2x_?_ members bolted to the trailer...since they will be flat I will go either 2x3 or 2x4..not much of a weight difference overall.... I COULD sacrifice ONE ADDITIONAL INCH by orienting 2x3's upright .vs. 2x4's on their sides if it would really make the flex on the floor THAT MUCH BETTER?????

I will then have to build something similar to typical American home 2x4 wall construction with all 3 boards being the same type of size: A bottom "base-plate" run horizontally, a stud vertically oriented (2 options on this) and a top-rail.

I'm not sure if I will use 2x3's or 2x4's for this...I'd like to orient the studs as they are supposed to be...but this puts their longer dimension going INto the middle of the trailer and eating up inner-camper width/space. I may go with 2x4 basePlate and topRail and 2x3 studs.. or just all homogeneous sizing......ANY SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THIS????....

....considering the wall will be reinforced by an outside skin of plywood as well as some L-brackets and the back "wall" will not have studs but be a kind of "U" shaped laminate of plywood to allow for the truck-cap to have something to come down and connect with (see the image I'll insert below of how OHBUGGER did his back wall:


WALL STUD SPACING: I have options: do I stick with 16"-on-center or can I go wider and maybe save the weight of a few 2x4's? if so, how much wider? OR, is it even worth saving the weight considering the wall will only be 22" tall..so every 4 studs would be really from just one board and since 2x4's weigh about 12lbs each...and I have a 22 horizontal feet of walls to build (2 sides and one front)...16" on center would mean a total of 264" of wall length and if 16" on center, then 17 studs can come from ~4 boards....going to 20" or so "on-center" would only drop the number of 2x__ boards down to 3.5...even at only 3 boards....it is only a savings of 12lbs if I used 2x4's.


ALL THIS WONDERING AND 2ND-GUESSING IS ANNOYING!!!!


But the rain is either stopping or gone for a while...I"ll go take some pics of the cap as I promised 2 days ago.

More to come...Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

_John

[JDHIV]

I just ran some quick calculation assuming I'm using kiln dried 2x3's or 2x4s from subfloor all the way up to my 22" high walls to support the truck cap.

2x4's would be 180lbs of lumber....while 2x3's would be 140lbs...so there is 40lbs of weight to save by using all 2x3's!! .............UNLESS someone can talk me out of 2x3's for good reasons...I think that is how I'm going to go.?

With all other things being equal....I would have either a 790lb or 750lb trailer (not including any foam, inner wall skinning or the framed out rectangular boxes I plan to build INside the trailer for couches/beds like OHBUGGER did in his build. AND that also doesn't factor in the GEAR (i.e., cushions/bed, battery, wiring, power converter camp stove and etc...)

What do y'all think?????????

_John

pics coming,,,,I promise!!!

[bobhenry]

This project sounds real familiar....................




http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=30307

As to scaling down weight wise I don't think it would be possible to build much lighter without losing a great deal of strength. The roof is aluminum coil stock over 3/8 plywood then 2 layers of 3/4 foam in the cavaties and 1/4 luan interior liner over the bones that are 24" o/c. I lifted the entire roof framing onto the barn side walls by myself before adding the aluminum. It is designed as light as I dared. The framing 2x4 were cut down to 1 1/8" by 2 1/2 " actual size.

[JDHIV]

Thanks Bobhenry! Can you answer any of my Q's or is your answer the link to your barn-trailer type build? Either way I'll be re-reading that thread! But weight is climbing up too darn high too quickly on my build and I need to get it barely above 800lbs for the extras that will add to it and keep me under/at 1000lbs when loaded up.

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PICS OF CAP AND START OF BUILD

>>>Here is my "new" cap and the trailer is covered up for today's rain


>>>Cap from the side...I have it on sawhorses and not on level ground


>>>I think someone sprayed the outside silver at some point in its life...this one is not a newbie by any account...but it is made of aluminum (saves some weight)!!


>>>Front of cap with slider windows..looks uneven because sawhorses on uneven ground


I'll keep the images coming I just want to make sure this is posting correctly!

_John

[bobhenry]

I just ran some quick calculation assuming I'm using kiln dried 2x3's or 2x4s from subfloor all the way up to my 22" high walls to support the truck cap.

2x4's would be 180lbs of lumber....while 2x3's would be 140lbs...so there is 40lbs of weight to save by using all 2x3's!! .............UNLESS someone can talk me out of 2x3's for good reasons...I think that is how I'm going to go.?

With all other things being equal....I would have either a 790lb or 750lb trailer (not including any foam, inner wall skinning or the framed out rectangular boxes I plan to build INside the trailer for couches/beds like OHBUGGER did in his build. AND that also doesn't factor in the GEAR (i.e., cushions/bed, battery, wiring, power converter camp stove and etc...)

What do y'all think?????????

_John

pics coming,,,,I promise!!!

6 x 8.5 trailer has 23 feet of bottom plate 23 feet of top plate and 16 ~ 22" studs at 24" o/c thats 75 feet at 1.375 # per foot or 103 # +/- by cutting to 2x3 you are reducing the wood volumn about 28% so you are now down to a pound per foot or a total of 75 pounds. (I ripped mine down too !)

As to cutting the plywood cut the 2 pieces at 6' and lay across the bed rail to rail the extra 6 inch splice I would place i the center protected under the bed. You will need to adjust your under floor supports to give you a nailer at each seam. This ight mean an extra "floor joist"

[JDHIV]

MORE IMAGES AND QUICK DESCRIPTIONS:

===Another few angles:




===Rear door (only door) opening and sort of view inside


===interior view of paneling and different flat angles of it..and the taper of the front of cap downward...almost teardropISH ?




===My trailer and flooring being fleshed out...under a cheap canopy covered by a tarp...next 4-5 days should be relatively rain-free....I gotta get out there and start sealing that wood!!!!


===I laid two 4x8' 1/2" PLY down and cut out corners to allow for the fenders...also cut the 8' dimension down to about 75" (6'3") so now the left-to-right is that size from original 8'...the front-to-back is still 4'.


===here you can see I laid a piece of scrap from the pop-up camper demo on the forward piece of ply to show where a metal X-member is underneath...because my cap is OVER 8' (like another 4") I have to add a little more plywood flooring and will probably need to add a X-member of wood right at that seam....UNLESS THERE IS A LIGHTER WAY???


That's all for now folks...Thanks for looking and any help is DEFINITELY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!

_John

[JDHIV]

6 x 8.5 trailer has 23 feet of bottom plate 23 feet of top plate and 16 ~ 22" studs at 24" o/c thats 75 feet at 1.375 # per foot or 103 # +/- by cutting to 2x3 you are reducing the wood volumn about 28% so you are now down to a pound per foot or a total of 75 pounds. (I ripped mine down too !)

As to cutting the plywood cut the 2 pieces at 6' and lay across the bed rail to rail the extra 6 inch splice I would place i the center protected under the bed. You will need to adjust your under floor supports to give you a nailer at each seam. This ight mean an extra "floor joist"

=========Thanks BOBH! I ALREADY cut my plywood last night (as you see in the pics I just posted) so my wheel wells are already notched out...but I will add a nailer at each of my two seams (the one between the wheels, and the one up front for the extra 4 or so inches)

Also, what was that diagonal piece of maybe 1" wood that was running through notches in the studs? And to confirm..those studs are cut down close to a 2x3 size??

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_John

[bobhenry]

And you are not alone here is my buddy Pete's quickie build for the CRA gathering.....

http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=3016

[JDHIV]

And you are not alone here is my buddy Pete's quickie build for the CRA gathering.....

http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=3016

Thanks! I have already been checking his pics and build out as well as OHBUGGER's

And thank you tons for the info you are giving me via PM AND here!!!!!

_John