Anyone seen (or built) a bunk running lengthwise?

[angib]

The real problem with a lengthways bunk in a teardrop is that you will be trying to fit the front or back ends of the bunk onto sloping parts of the teardrop and that makes it much more difficult to do. The one type of design that would work would be something like a Benroy that has a flat front for most of its height so that the front and back ends of the red bunk poles could attach to vertical structure:

benroy-snip.JPG (97.47 KiB) Viewed 510 times

[jseyfert3]

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.

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.

I built 5'6" wide on a 4x8 HF trailer, so that's 9" overhang on each side. And yes, I like the look without the fenders, here it is canvased (it's a foamy) but before I painted it.


First Side Canvased by jseyfert3, on Flickr

I'm quite certain you could extend it further then that without structural worries, but I'm not sure when the extra width becomes a concern for stability. As to the width, I think 80" is just the limit till you need the set of three red lights at the top back of the trailer and two red clearance lights on each of the top rear corners. I'm sure you've seen this setup, all semi truck trailers have this since they are wider then 80".

To build over the wheels is quite easy, this is what I did after some research and discussion with members here. I used hurricane ties, which are used to attach rafters to joists, to attach 1x4s to the trailer frame.


Bracket Mounting Completed by jseyfert3, on Flickr


Hurricane Tie, Mounted by jseyfert3, on Flickr

Then I made a frame of 1x4s. Plenty strong enough (2x4s would be overkill), and fairly lightweight. High enough to get you over the wheels without any wheelwells. The front 1x4 doesn't meet up with the front of the side 1x4 since I will be running ventilation through the gap.


1x4 Framing Complete (2) by jseyfert3, on Flickr

The final frame had one more 1x4 on each side to extend the "walls" down a bit. Had it been just one 1x4 on the side, I could have removed the wheels without wheelwell cutouts. Even with the "walls" extended down like I had, if it was a few more inches wider I could have slipped the tire out without any cutouts.


Front Right View by jseyfert3, on Flickr

I built mine 5'6" on the outside and over the wheels with no wheelwells in the floor so I could have 5'2" inside width for a queen sized spring mattress (5' width plus 2" for sheet tucking). If your mattress did not take up the whole floor like mine does or is a futon/air mattress that can be moved, floor compartments could be added with ease and lots of storage space would be available thanks to the raised floor. Hopefully this helps!

[katiehallsmith]

That seriously helps! Thanks for taking the time for such a detailed and helpful post.