Anyone seen (or built) a bunk running lengthwise?

[katiehallsmith]

Thanks for all the well though out replies and links!

Tow vehicle capacity isn't an issue. My pop up camper weighs in at 3,000# loaded. Gas mileage sucks, but the jeep does fine.

My main goal is small and light because of the distance I plan to cover with the tear.

But all of this has me wondering if maybe I should bump out 4" on each side and go wider for a crossways bunk? How much can u build out on a 4' wide trailer frame and still be strong and stable? If I made it 5'8" wide instead of 5'....that might fix the problem.

[rowerwet]

you could make the tear with curved sides to get out to the 5' 8" with the front and rear just 5' wide. of course that would require much more planning and a more difficult structure than the normal plum and straight sided tear. You would have to stick build the whole tear in place then skin with the plywood.
I have a tear planned for my family (6) that will have two "slide-outs" to allow a full length cross wise bunk, viewtopic.php?f=62&t=58594 probably easier than a curve sided tear.
the curved sides would not hurt gas mileage as much as a nearly 6' foot wide tear, which you will end up at with the width of the sidewalls on top of the bunk length.

[S. Heisley]

I've seen people build out over the width of the wheels and they don't seem to have a problem with that. I don't think that I would chance going any wider than just out over the wheels; but, what do I know?! If you build over the entire width of the wheels, you'll have a nice sleek look because you'll have built wheel wells over the wheels instead of using fenders.

If you haven't already bought your trailer chassis, consider buying one that is 5' wide. I think Northern Trailer and Red Trailers still make them. I have a 5x8' Red Trailer; and, from the chassis frame to the outside of the wheel is 5". However, from the chassis frame to the outside of the fender is 6", which means that, if I were to build walls out over the wheels, I would gain an extra foot of width, total. (Without checking, I think that I read somewhere that the maximum width legally allowed for trailers is 80".)

Most likely, someone who has a 4x8' Harbor Freight trailer will chime in with how wide that trailer is, from the outside of the wheel on one side to the outside of the wheel on the other side.

Perhaps some of the gypsy-style caravans have used HF trailers and they may have allowed 8 to 10 inches extra on each side? Maybe some of those people will chime in, too.

Remember, a slide-out foot box is still an option; or even a little bit of a slide out on each side. Oh! And also, play around with the possibility of building a bunk on a slight diagonal. You could probably gain some length that way, too.

Yours is an interesting question.

[S. Heisley]

Okay...Please take a look at this:



The picture got a little distorted from scanning and shrinking it for the upload; but, it is using a HF trailer and building the deck over the wheels to make it 5' wide and 8' long.
The bunk is 2' wide and 6' long. ( A submarine bunk is 22" wide and I have slept on a 22" wide cot; so 24" is more than that.) By sleeping as shown, everyone would have their own space and their upper bodies would have the most movement possible. Also, possibly depending on where the wheels and doors are located, I think you would have reasonable access in and out of both side doors.

Oh, and the people on the bottom might have to sleep a little on the diagonal, too, to avoid the wheel well boxes. You may may want to build a bed platform at the height of the wheel well, taking advantage of that with storage underneath and then raise the walls to 4'6" or thereabout.

[katiehallsmith]

Very cool idea. How would the diagonal bunk be supported?

[S. Heisley]

You could either support it with legs, like you originally suggested, or add extra supports into the walls to attach it to and then use something as simple as a diagonal wood frame at each end. If you decide to support it with legs, you might want to strap the legs to the corner walls so that the cot doesn't move or slide around; and, you would still need some extra support in the wall to screw into for that. If you want to use canvas and poles, you would need to add in a reasonably good sized diagonal board, with an area cut out for the poles to set down into, and this board would be attached to wall frame supports at the two corners. The advantage of the canvas and pole method is that the upper bunk could be easily moved, removed or added back, according to your needs; and, it would most likely weigh less than a full wooden cot. There are probably many different ways to do it. All of this will take some close calculations; but, I think it just might be very do-able and the abilities that you already listed tell me that you are capable of that.

Best Wishes on your build! We'll be watching.

[rowerwet]

for all the trouble a bunk would be, just building a six foot wide tear would be easier. Little Guy makes one that width, more than one person who owned one said it is wide enough for three to sleep in without feeling crowded. Six feet wide would be easiest by building over the wheels, something people do here all the time. (mine is built that way, it has inner wheel wells that don't get in the way)
A bunk would require a taller roof, and some weird contortions for the person sleeping under it and on it to get in and out.

[S. Heisley]

for all the trouble a bunk would be, just building a six foot wide tear would be easier. Little Guy makes one that width, more than one person who owned one said it is wide enough for three to sleep in without feeling crowded. Six feet wide would be easiest by building over the wheels, something people do here all the time. (mine is built that way, it has inner wheel wells that don't get in the way)
A bunk would require a taller roof, and some weird contortions for the person sleeping under it and on it to get in and out.

You're probably right, rowerwet. I think this may be an exercise in seeing what options are available to chose from; how much effort will it take; and, what will be the overall cost. In the end, it may depend on what works best over-all for Katie.

This may be a good time to mention a warning that I have previously avoided. Jeeps are strong, tough vehicles and I would think that they could pull just about any trailer. However, because of their short wheel base, they can not stop on a dime, especially if one is towing at a good clip, downhill. But, I'm sure that Katie knows this. With my 2009 Jeep, the manufacturer does not recommend pulling more than 2,000 pounds, with or without breaks. Therefore, the weight of your build could also be an issue to consider, even if you don't think so.

Also, researching weight laws, I found this, here: http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/trailer-brakes/

North Carolina

Every semitrailer, trailer, or separate vehicle attached by a drawbar or coupling to a towing vehicle of at least 4,000 lbs., and every house trailer weighing at least 1,000 lbs., shall be equipped with brakes controlled or operated by the driver of the towing vehicle.

This one, here, made me scratch my head even more but gives more information:

http://towingworld.com/towinglawsbystate.cfm?state2=NC

Katie, you may have already checked all this information; but, it was an easy look-up as I already had the Internet addresses for the above. Of course, your best source is your state's DMV. That address, I didn't have.

[katiehallsmith]

My jeep has a tow rating of 7,400 pounds. Louisiana doesn't require brakes unless trailer is over 3,000 pounds. Mine is a grand cherokee...what jeep is only rated for 2k pounds? Like, the small wrangler?

I don't think I want to go wider. I think if that were the option, then I would build the bunk to be 5' long across our feet, and deal with a too-long kid 7-8 years down the road.

Still in the planning stages. You guys have helped me a lot.

[S. Heisley]

Wow! I had no idea that a Grand Cherokee could pull and stop that much.
Mine is a Jeep Liberty, the one in the picture at the bottom of this message.
When I need a replacement, I may be looking for one like yours!

[katiehallsmith]

I thought my tow capacity was around 5k#...I looked it up, and was surprise it was over 7k!

I know it tows that heavy pop up at 70mph like nothing is back there, and has no issues with my 17' ski boat, even fully loaded on a steep boat ramp. I'm really happy w the grand cherokee.

[rowerwet]

I don't think I want to go wider. I think if that were the option, then I would build the bunk to be 5' long across our feet, and deal with a too-long kid 7-8 years down the road.

my planned camper for six has two cross bunks, I plan on adding the slide out sections when the my two youngest get long enough to need it.

[2bits]

When you are considering your width, remember to take into consideration the exterior and the interior width and the impact that each of these have. When I built my teardrop, i designed it around a queen size bed for the interior dimensions and let the exterior dimensions fall where they may. Well this ended up being 2" over a standard piece of wood in many areas so I had to bump up my overall purchase of raw materials and stack up alot more cut offs and wasted money. In the end I had to go with a full size bed due to an unrelated issue and it worked just fine and I wish I would have guilt it around that size to begin with. Not that it was a huge deal, but it was at least a hundred bux!

I like the look of wheels underneath rather than sticking out the sides too, so adding onto the sides seems reasonable. I built my last teardrop on a harbor freight frame and the fender wells stuck up over the frame about 2" and the tires would have rubbed the body if I just got rid of them, so I took some 2x2 square tubing and used them as a spacer and found some long axle U bolts and it raised the frame up just enough to be flush so then I didn't have to mess with accounting for the wheels when I built the body. That made it soo much simpler, plus there was higher clearance for any desired off road driving!

[aggie79]

Here are a few random thoughts:

With your tow vehicle towing capacity, I would consider building your teardrop 10' long. The extra length doesn't add that much weight and the extra volume gives you many options for storage, galley, etc. It may even allow for roof mounting of your kayaks on the teardrop instead of the tow vehicle.

As Thomas said, building over the wheels would allow you to increase the width. Rather than use spacers on the axle, I would build underfloor storage to gain clearance over the tires. This would give you a (permanent) place for folding chairs and tables, pop-up canopy, screen room, etc., and allow you to place the bunk crosswise.

Lastly, Linda and I were at Beavers Bend in full "chill out" mode and didn't circulate much around the campground. Sorry that we didn't get a chance to meet y'all. (We were at the end by the entrance to the camp loop.) Hopefully we'll see y'all LCG (Lake Bistineau) in the fall.

Take care,

Tom (& Linda)

[katiehallsmith]

Hmmm.... Good thoughts. I want to go as small as I can and still sleep comfy. I have wondered exactly how it works, building up over the fenders to put a 5' wide on a 4' trailer and not have wheel wells in your bed!

How would one access the floor compartment? Know of any pics on the forum of such? I have such poor luck with the search feature.