GNAT 5X8 cargo trailer conversion

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

New here, and mine is not nearly as professional as others, but wanted to share it any way. It took about 5 months to get to it's current state. It is about 90% complete, and we took it out for the first time this last weekend. Hope you find it entertaining, and appreciate all the information on this site!


This is what it looked like the day we brought it home.


I don't show all pics of the build here. You can view them at http://goodnuffandtuff.wordpress.com/. We built up the interior so we could use it as a wrap around dining table in the day time, then drop the table down and make it into a bed at night. The interior consists of three u-shaped benches with hinged lids to store stuff underneath. A table top with steel-tube legs screws down into flanges in the floor to make a table. The table top can be broken down and set flush in the middle for a queen-size bed as shown in the next two pics:


This picture was taken before I trimmed the table to fit snuggly between the two side benches.







A 2.5 Gallon per minute propane hot water heater is plumbed under the trailer and into the rear door (inside has kitchen sink). It supplies hotwater to the shower through fittings on the left rear side (looking forward) for the tri-fold shower which stores on the left-side (looking forward) during transit


Marine speakers, LED flood lights, and AM/FM Antenna are seen in this photo. A Pyle USB/SD/AM/FM with aux in headset is inside the door


The kitchen is bolted to the door with steel L brackets, and plumbed to both cold and hotwater through the door. The 21" TV has a Western Digital Entertainment "ROKU" type box with 4 TB HD of movies and shows. The box with the radio has switches for floods, 12VDC and battery meter.


Tri-fold shower walls store on the side of the trailer during transit, and with the shower base can be set up in < 10 minutes with cold/hot water.


Full hot/cold shower with thetford curve toilet plumbed to hot water heater on door. The shower has a grey water "capture" pan under the base with a 12VDC water pump (2.5GPM, same as the shower) which pumps out the grey water either to a 14 gallon bucket or to the sewer access at site. If it is pumped to the 14 gallon tank, it is then sent through a 5 gallon sand/charcoal/gravel filter to the ground.


Hot/cold water runs through outside of cargo door into the kitchen sink.


The cold water runs from park source under the trailer to right side (looking forward) and is distibuted to the Hot Water heater inlet and sink cold water. It is "tee"'d at the park side inlet to feed to cold water for shower.


The hot water heater has cold water inlet split (top pvc) so it also goes to the cold water part of sink. The hot water output (bottom pvc) splits to go to the shower and the sink.


The pvc pipes running under the GNAT's rear deck supply cold water TO the heater, and hot water FROM the heater for the shower. I insulated it after freezing temps in SC cracked the pipes...



As you can see, with the pop-up screen tent we have 10 square feet of protected living space. The heavy-duty black nylon curtain allows the cargo door to remain open; it has weights in the bottom of the curtain to keep it on the floor, and is water-resistant and insulated.


View of the table top in table-mode. Leg's are steel posts bought from LOWES with steel flanges in the floor. Posts are screwed into floor, table-top has friction-fit holds to mount to poles.


Myrtle Beach State Park, Oct 2013...first trip in it...


Nothing like relaxing at the table in the morning, having a cup of coffee and catching up on the news (if you want)...the tv mount pivots 180 degrees so you can watch inside the GNAT, or outside...with a amplified antenna, you get all the free channels over the air...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzIvXX13Lk8

You can view the entire build at http://goodnuffandtuff.wordpress.com/

[hankaye]

RAYISOUTTAHERE, Howdy;

Welcome to the forum. Nicely thought out and put together CT Camper.

hank

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Can't wait to see the matching paint on your TV

[ValerieP]

Just curious- how did you paint the outside?

You have a lot of great ideas in that trailer! We have a ramp in the back of ours that I am still trying to decide what to do-how we will make that part of our living area!

[lrrowe]

RAYISOUTTAHERE,
I am interested in your United Nations filter system. I checked Google out for it and did not really get any good info. Can you describe the contents a little more....what, how much, what order, etc.

Thanks,
Bob

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

ValeriP: My wife designed and painted the GNAT. She used the Patridge family bus (which was based on a famous painting) and sketched it out, then pain-stakingly taped it out, painted it (4 coats) with roller brushes (the mini-kind) and then put 4 coats of wax on it.

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

I cannot find the original link I used, but here is another one: http://web.mit.edu/watsan/Docs/Student%20Reports/Ghana/2009/Group%20Report-Ghana09,%20Clair,%20Sara,%20Dave,%205-21-09.pdf -- just go down to around page 24 where it talks about biosand filter. It's pretty simple, I used pea gravel, playground sand, and charcoal. I did note however, that I put the stuff in backwards (guess that's why sand came out first)...it filters it slowly, so when using the kitchen sink, you have to be careful that it doesn't overflow, but we didn't have any problems. I tested it by putting soapy water from the clothes washer into it (could see it was cloudy and smelled of detergeant), and when it came out it was odorless and clear (other than sandy). It's meant to filter for DRINKING, so my thought is it's definitely good enough to filter to let it go on the ground. We used a 12 foot hose, and routed it towards the back edge of our site (a ridge with no one on the other side), and it just formed a very small puddle, absorbing quite nicely into the ground). I am using the same concept for the shower, but have to use two buckets (one, slightly higher than the second, will capture the water from the shower, and "spill over" into the filter. When done showering, slowly fill filter until the first bucket is empty)...

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

If anyone is interested in the build up of the GNAT just visit http://goodnuffandtuff.wordpress.com/ and thanks for the many ideas I "stole" from this forum...

[lrrowe]

Wow, you sure have made great use of a small trailer. Also you must be gifted with being able to look at a project and to come up with a solution. I have looked up your filter system you posted for me and have that on my list for when I go into the National Forests. Your shower system looks well thought out also and the sump pump also gives me ideas for my system.

How long does it take you to set up the shower system and then whole system? It looks like a lot of work.

What did you use for the shower pan? I am thinking I will experiment at first with the concrete type mixing trays and end up making my own out of plywood and fiberglass. Is you shower about 2' x 2'? I am concerned that the size might be a little tight and we are not big people.

Good Job and a great documentary.

Bob

[lrrowe]

Just curious- how did you paint the outside?

You have a lot of great ideas in that trailer! We have a ramp in the back of ours that I am still trying to decide what to do-how we will make that part of our living area!

Valarie,

See the posts in my topic, http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=57886 about Barn Doors or a Ramp further on in the Topic. I am going to think this out some more before I get one or the other. I will share my ideas for a ramp set up with you (and others of course) and hope you will do the same. I guess I need some ideas in this area.

Bob

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

Wow, you sure have made great use of a small trailer. Also you must be gifted with being able to look at a project and to come up with a solution. I have looked up your filter system you posted for me and have that on my list for when I go into the National Forests. Your shower system looks well thought out also and the sump pump also gives me ideas for my system.

How long does it take you to set up the shower system and then whole system? It looks like a lot of work.

What did you use for the shower pan? I am thinking I will experiment at first with the concrete type mixing trays and end up making my own out of plywood and fiberglass. Is you shower about 2' x 2'? I am concerned that the size might be a little tight and we are not big people.

Good Job and a great documentary.

Bob

Bob: The base is separate from the walls / top. I made the base out of a portable plastic table (reinforced under so it would "bow" when you step on it, to drain to the middle). There is a 10 gallon tub under it, with the sump pump in it. The pump pumps out to the filter system, which then travels via hose to the edge of the camp site.

The walls are folding, and "friction fit" into the base with a piece of board. Two walls are hinged together, with the third attaching to the other two via two wing-bolts. The top is "friction-fit" and also uses one wing-bolt. The entire thing hooks up in 7 minutes, and tears down in the same. I purposely made it so it could be set up quickly. I used two 10ft shower hoses (the kind you use on a removable shower head in the bathroom) to attach the shower to the trailer hot/cold water supplies. The entire base is sealed around the edge. I used a marine lock connector for the fan, connected to the back of the GNAT (wired to the 12VDC power supply I made from two computer power supplies hooked up in parallel, providing about 600watts of power). The sump pump plugs into the 110 dual receptacle I put on the back of the GNAT right above the 12VDC marine connector. The interior dimensions of the base are about 30" X 30" and as a frame of reference my 26ft Travel Trailer shower is narrower than the one I built. Hope that answers your question.

[lrrowe]

Yes, thanks, believe I have an understanding of what you did.
Bob

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

As we will be at Myrtle Beach State Park in SC next week, I thought I would include a map of the park with "our" favorite spots. We have been going since 1993 and have carefully surveyed the sites over the years.

Our criteria are as follows:

- We always want a site with full hookups (electric, sewer, water)
- We prefer a site with privacy
- We prefer a site that has room on the trailer door side so we can set up our awning / tent.

With that in mind, the map shows "A", "B", and "C" sites, based on the three criteria above (keeping in mind all the sites marked by "A", "B", or "C" have full hookups).

http://goodnuffandtuff.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/2010-mb-state-park-campground-map.pdf

Hope it helps someone who has never been but planning on going.

[ValerieP]

Thanks! We plan to stay a couple of days in August and I will use your ideas when I make reservations!

[RAYISOUTTAHERE]

If you've never been to Myrtle Beach State Park, you are in for a treat...