AZ Desert Rat 6X10 Prospecting Cargo Build

[hankaye]

Az Desert Rat, Howdy;

When I get ready to haul my house around I use this;
http://www.rvparkreviews.com/
Figure-out where you are going to land each evening and
do a search in that State, then County, then select one.
Takes some of the guesswork out and I've been happy with
the results.

hank

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Hank,
Thank you for the response and link ... the site looks very informative and I will look at sites on my way back. You are correct and the weather may be cold and I took the opportunity to grab a heater to knock the chill off the trailer at night!!

Thanks again,
JC

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Hank and all,
The link provided me with a couple of spots and we stayed at a camp between KC and the turnpike. It was a great little site and even though it was just off the freeway, it was fairly quiet!
I ordered a single propane tank mount (for a forklift off the web) from http://www.allforkliftparts.com and Andy Oresko was great!! The order came in just a few days and I took the mount down to a local shop to have a regulator bracket added and a hasp-loop to the buckle for security (Tank/and buckle) to reduce possibility of theft and to preclude buckle popping open when going off-road. Total for mount and shipping was $73 (A real bargain for the quality of the mount!!) and another $26 for welding ... This will make the tank mount truly road and off-road secure!!

I need to drill a few hole for the regulator and touch-up the paint on the mount ... I will add photos of the mount and installed, as soon as I can get them.

Happy Holidays and I hope everyone has a great season!!!

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Tank mount (bracket) photos added to my gallery ... Tank and mount to be added to trailer tomorrow ...

[hankaye]

AZ_Desert_Rat, Howdy;

Tank mount (bracket) photos added to my gallery ...
Tank and mount to be added to trailer tomorrow ...

JC, Good to here that you found a suitable camp site.
The propane tank holder looks to be substantial. You might want to check with
your local Propane dealer about locking the tank. I'm thinking that it is either
frowned upon or illegal. You know the " ... if there is a fire who's got the
key???" question always comes up kinda thing.
Happy Holidays!

hank

[RWH]

Just found your thread. It's always good to see a fellow prospector on the site. I just started my build to haul my prospecting equipment and camp in.

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Hank and RWH,
Finally made the first trip out with a buddy. We spent 3 days in the hills before my buddy received news of a death in his family ... needless to say, we cut the week-long trip short!

The trailer proved stable off-road and never got even close to dragging (24" clearance did the trick)!
I am now building the over counter galley cabinet (Shelving to match the lower galley cabinets), over bunk shelving to get extra junk like clothes bags and personals off the floor, a coat/hat rack, the battery and box, and a table and chair storage rack (The table storage is done and will add the pics when the shelving is done). I also need to upgrade the overhead lamps to LED -- two evenings and mornings ran the the small (temporary) battery down to 8 volts (a carry-on generator fixed that while we had a morning cup of Joe by the campfire).

I have added a few pics to my gallery - the camp site (an old mine-cleared area) showing the Tow Truck and street-side trailer with the propane tank installed, a shot from the back doors forward into the camper and galley, and a shot from the side door towards the galley. More pics to come as the rest comes together ...

The trailer has more than 3,500 miles on it and I hope to push that mileage wayyyyy up! We are planning another week-long trip to southern AZ (down by the border) towards the end of this month and hope my prospecting buddies (a group of about four or five friends, including my brother) are able to go ... most are going to have to bring their own hotel as mine sleeps only two.

Later all,

[RWH]

Looks like a great trip. Hope you got into some AU and good times. I'm hoping to make my first trip in March. Building this conversion sure is taking longer than I thought it would.

[hankaye]

Az_D_R, Howdy;

Just did a look-see of the new pix, Lookin' Good!!!
We have a lot of Prospectors that swing through this RV Park.
Owner's have a claim on Copper Flats and prospecting is spoken here.

hank

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi RWH,
I have a son living in Savannah and hope to get down to see him this summer. If you are up to a trip to the outdoors while I am there, let me know ... I use the tools for the job, but prefer a detector.

My buddies are planning a trip late Feb to a place called Greaterville here in AZ ... none of us have been there before, so the trip should be interesting!

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Hank,
Thank you for the kind words!
I have only passed through New Mexico on my way to someplace else, but am interested in spending some time there looking for gold Do you own or work at an RV Park (We have a lot of Prospectors that swing through this RV Park. Owner's have a claim on Copper Flats and prospecting is spoken here). Where might this park be; if I am passing through NM again, I will try to stop in?

[hankaye]

AZ_D_R, Howdy;

PM sent.

hank

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Got it Hank and replied -- I hope it went out okay...

[hankaye]

AZ_D_R, Howdy;



hank

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi Hank and others,
My CT build is coming together and after using the trailer for more than a CT, I was forced into making an important decision ... one that I believe we all have to face sooner or later!

I guess the first thing and a very important decision is usage -- Functional or stylish (show quality). I guess mine was a coin toss between functional and stylish ... I wanted both, but decided to lean 60% - 40% more to the functional and after spending about two weeks in the CT on three trips. One trip to Minnesota, one trip back (both with my wife & cat), and almost a week in the hills prospecting with my buddy ... I had a few ideas to work on.

The time in the somewhat cramped space of a 6' X 10' CT helped me to remember some of the basics.
1) Keep stuff off the floor ... duffle bags, boxes of water/canned goods/etc.

2) More shelving was needed to store the light stuff (clothes/towels/light paper goods, etc) and get it out of the way.

3) Remember the old KISS rule - Keep It Simple Stupid - AND do not lose focus of the goal in mind, you do have a plan, right? I was starting to get wrapped up in building the interior for show when the the goal was a nice looking, off-road, camp trailer.

4) I love the overhead lights (2) and the overhead vents (2) with fans and the lack of side vent (none, I did not want these and am glad I left them out).
5) I cannot stand to have to pack before and unpack after a trip of the things that do not need to be removed from the CT!

Cabinet fronts: I really did not need doors on my cabinets, even though they were planned and may eventually get them, I built the cabinet fronts with a 3/4" lip to keep goods inside. This worked great and went with small baskets for the three trips ... unbelievable rough roads on I-40 to rough washboard back-roads to Jeep 4X4 trail ruts and cuts! The little baskets stayed in place and worked well so far.

Shelving: I have decided that the trailer will get 5' shelves over each side window -- from near the back to approximately the front of each bunk. These will be built similar to the cabinet shelves with a 3/4" lip and 1/4" slat bottoms. I will add bungy cord material (can by it by the roll or foot from Fabric Depot and online) to span the shelves to help keep things in; I am hoping no fronts will be needed (I know from my experience that if there is a door or front on a cabinet I have a tendency to stuff stuff and if I have to look at it, I am more careful in packing).
There will be a couple of smaller shelves up front in the galley area and the galley overhead will mimic the lower galley cabs.

Storage: I never thought of the back doors for storage (I have barn doors), my buddy suggested it and now the small 20" x 30" folding table is hung on one side. Two folding chairs and the broom are to be hung on the other. This works great for my usage! (I'll post the pics of what was done here with the table and broom) So much thought goes into these ideas as once you start to think about, some of these trailers (mine anyway) have aluminum hinges and need the added weight to be minimal.
A coat/hat rack is a necessity as at the end of the day, where do you hang your hat, jacket, pants, shirt so you can find it in the morning or that midnight run to the the john, or in my case (when prospecting), my battery an pistol belt?

Bunks/Sleeping: I still need to finish the bunks, but the two cots work for the interim.

Pack & Unpak: More storage needs to be utilized in the small space available. The trips went well and the packing and unpacking went well, but needs to be better and will get there. I used to fish Tournament Bass in a couple of small clubs and an occasional invitational (small) and kept the boat loaded and ready to go --- sandwiches and water were all that it needed to be packed; everything else was in the boat and I could get in from work and be ready to go in a very short time!

I will post the back doors as they are today, but there is more to happen here ... padding, chairs and racks, etc.

One needs to keep focus on the goal --- I need to keep in mind that the CT is still to be used as a CT (ugh), a camper for on and off the road with my wife and cat, and sometimes with a prospecting buddy or my brother. The easier that I make the CT to put things away where they belong, the easier it will be to keep it that way!

I hope this helps some of the new and maybe even some of the older builders out there and happy building!!