Benroy style dutchie (campable)

[teddy]

These are my buildplans thusfar, based on a caravan frame. Your input is quite welcome, as i'm sure your experience might spot the weak points of my ideas. The measurements may have a 1 inch margin, due to a bug in my brain caused by crowncapped bottles ;-)



Purple: fridge
yellow : drawers
dark blue: stove
light blue: watertank
red: cupboards
black: electricity / raceway
green: matrass
pink: shelf

The fridge will be mounted on a slideout, sideways for easy acces in the galley.
Stove will be fed from a propane bottle stored in the tongue box.
The electrical part will be a shore power connection on the drivers side, AC in the galley and the cabin, battery powered DC for lights and USB chargers in both areas.
The shelf up front will house the LED reading lights with dimmer switches, and a rear facing interior lamp.
The roof hatch with fan is not on the drawing, but will be there.
The chassis has a brake system and crank out stands. Maximum weigt is 1650 pounds so it doesn't need a title. (Title is the term, right?)
Walls will be made of 3/4" plywood, cutouts filled with polystyrene, backed on both sides with 1/8" plywood.
Top will be made out of 1"5/8 spars, filled with polystyrene, sandwiched between 1/8" plywood.
All skinned by 1/25" aluminium

My questions thusfar,
1. does the weight distribution seem ok?
2. Porchlights, do you have them, and or use them?
3. Does red lighting really not attract bugs? Even with LEDs?
4. how should i attach the floating aluminium? nails, screws, sealant only?
5. The galley hatch will be one of the weaker pieces, is there a way to guesstimate the number of lenghtways ribs it needs? Im thinking of using 3/4" plywood, maybe glued to a strip of 3/8".


Edit:
the profile of my TD on a 1 inch grid, might be usefull for someone can be downloaded here.

[bobhenry]

2. Porchlights, do you have them, and or use them?

Yep!





AC and DC capability.

[mallymal]

Fantastic shape Benroy style front gives plenty of space inside but you've got a little more curve in the rear roof which I think looks more elegant. If I ever build mine, I might just copy you if that's ok

[citylights]

These are my buildplans thusfar, based on a caravan frame. Your input is quite welcome, as i'm sure your experience might spot the weak points of my ideas. The measurements may have a 1 inch margin, due to a bug in my brain caused by crowncapped bottles ;-)

The fridge will be mounted on a slideout, sideways for easy acces in the galley.
Stove will be fed from a propane bottle stored in the tongue box.
The electrical part will be a shore power connection on the drivers side, AC in the galley and the cabin, battery powered DC for lights and USB chargers in both areas.
The shelf up front will house the LED reading lights with dimmer switches, and a rear facing interior lamp.
The roof hatch with fan is not on the drawing, but will be there.
The chassis has a brake system and crank out stands. Maximum weigt is 1650 pounds so it doesn't need a title. (Title is the term, right?)
Walls will be made of 3/4" plywood, cutouts filled with polystyrene, backed on both sides with 1/8" plywood.
Top will be made out of 1"5/8 spars, filled with polystyrene, sandwiched between 1/8" plywood.
All skinned by 1/25" aluminium

My questions thusfar,
1. does the weight distribution seem ok?
2. Porchlights, do you have them, and or use them?
3. Does red lighting really not attract bugs? Even with LEDs?
4. how should i attach the floating aluminium? nails, screws, sealant only?
5. The galley hatch will be one of the weaker pieces, is there a way to guesstimate the number of lenghtways ribs it needs? Im thinking of using 3/4" plywood, maybe glued to a strip of 3/8".

Your build is very similar shape and design as mine. I like it!

We have and use the porch lights. It is always getting dark before you are ready!

Check out my build for details on attaching aluminum skin. I am a big fan of a floating skin held on by a screwed on trim with flexible sealant between the aluminum and trim.

The key to galley ribs seems to be having enough depth to keep them from flexing and bending. If they are deep enough, some get away with three! I like at least four. One tip I saw after I built mine was to use an aluminum sandwich! 1/2 inch plywood rib, a piece of the aluminum skin cut the same as the rib, then another piece of 1/2 inch plywood. Sandwiched, glued, and screwed together. That is how I would do my ribs next time. Other than being over built and heavy, mine worked out good.

Are you going to use a pump with your water tank? A simpler solution is a 2 gallon (or so) tank on the upper shelf with a gravity spigot.

1650# is generous for a 5x8, and just about right for a 5x10. What size are you shooting for?

Will the fridge be propane? 12v? 120v? Ice box?

Where will the battery go? I planned on the battery in the tongue box, but moved it to the galley, because my tongue was getting too heavy. You might have the same problem with the big tongue box. I have a 40# air conditioner on my tongue.

Where will the battery charger, AC-DC converter, 120v breaker, 12v fuses and splice box go? Inverter? I started out with ideas of just a raceway like you, but ended up needing an electrical cabinet to fit everything.

I just ask the questions to help and get you thinking about it. happy building!

[teddy]

Yep!
AC and DC capability.

I like them! not feasible for my intended use, the first night some drunken farmer ( or myself) will sway too close and break them, so ive got a more streamlined idea.

Fantastic shape If I ever build mine, I might just copy you if that's ok

Sure, be my guest, give me a shout and i'll send you the full scale drawings. (finally a good use for my large format printer )I've drawn it "by hand", till i got a nice fluid shape. I just hope the roofvent won't mind a little bit of a curve.

We have and use the porch lights. It is always getting dark before you are ready!

Check out my build for details on attaching aluminum skin. I am a big fan of a floating skin held on by a screwed on trim with flexible sealant between the aluminum and trim.

The key to galley ribs seems to be having enough depth to keep them from flexing and bending. If they are deep enough, some get away with three! I like at least four. One tip I saw after I built mine was to use an aluminum sandwich! 1/2 inch plywood rib, a piece of the aluminum skin cut the same as the rib, then another piece of 1/2 inch plywood. Sandwiched, glued, and screwed together. That is how I would do my ribs next time. Other than being over built and heavy, mine worked out good.

Are you going to use a pump with your water tank? A simpler solution is a 2 gallon (or so) tank on the upper shelf with a gravity spigot.

1650# is generous for a 5x8, and just about right for a 5x10. What size are you shooting for?

Will the fridge be propane? 12v? 120v? Ice box?

Where will the battery go?

Where will the battery charger, AC-DC converter, 120v breaker, 12v fuses and splice box go? Inverter? I started out with ideas of just a raceway like you, but ended up needing an electrical cabinet to fit everything.

I just ask the questions to help and get you thinking about it. happy building!

Porchlights, check! Ive ordered 4 of these solder a few leds and resistors and fill it all up with epoxy.

So the skin is held on by tape or something while you mount the sealant and trim? great idea!

The sandwich tip is quite a good one, now you mention it, ive used quite a lot of alu sandwich panel for signs, quite sturdy but light.

No pump, no sink, just one or two gravity spigot containers, grey water can easily be captured by a bucket or drain in the grass.

Im planning on 5x9, due to the size of my fridge (12/230 volt) not fitting in a 5x8. 1650 is the max, lighter is better. I'm actually a bit worried about my tongue being too light, i've already scrapped my 8" front cabinet, so the axle will be furter back. (the axle sits inside the frame, no easy way to move it)

Battery will be mounted in the galley, i'm thinking making a fake rear in one of the cabin cupboards to mount the fusebox and such behind.

Please, ask away, every question makes me think about new problems, which are easier solved during the design stage :-)

[citylights]

So the skin is held on by tape or something while you mount the sealant and trim? great idea!

Battery will be mounted in the galley, i'm thinking making a fake rear in one of the cabin cupboards to mount the fusebox and such behind.

Yes, the aluminum skin is held on by some tape while you apply a flexible sealant to the edges, then aluminum trim over that, and screw it down. Old school is to use butyl tape flexible sealant. (That is what I used.) I have seen that others use more modern caulking adhesives. Here is a link for the butyl tape.

http://www.amazon.com/Dicor-BT-1834-1-Butyl-Seal-Tape/dp/B001FCB4JS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405745030&sr=8-1&keywords=Butyl+tape

A false back in the cabinet for the electrical is a good way to go. You might wait until late in your build to decide on the battery in the gallery or tongue box. You can use that heavy item to balance things out.

[ctstaas]

Hey Teddy, The prevailing consensus I agree with is your axle should be around 66% of you cabin length. 280 cm x .66 = 185 cm. !5 cm extra will increase the tongue weight slightly but not enough to cause you to need to abandon design. If you do move it forward, mind how it will affect your door and fenders. Great design because it's yours.
Enjoy, Chris.

[teddy]

Old school is to use butyl tape flexible sealant. (That is what I used.) I have seen that others use more modern caulking adhesives. You might wait until late in your build to decide on the battery in the gallery or tongue box. You can use that heavy item to balance things out.

I've seen 10' rolls of butyltape at my local RV parts store, ill check it out. The battery is indeed a nice counterweight, good point.

The prevailing consensus I agree with is your axle should be around 66% of you cabin length.

Ok, thank you for the info, makes sense, it seems i'm quite on par with my design.

[teddy]

Dust! no sawdust yet, just stripping the donor trailer.







Some stuff like the opening windows and fridge had to come out with care, as my neighbour wants to try to sell it on our version of Craigslist. The interior on the other hand came out with a hammer and a lot of sweat! I did try the sophisticated way with a cordless screwdriver but it was way slower and not nearly as much fun!

[teddy]

Not too much to do at work this afternoon, just a couple of clients picking stuff up, so i decided to give the angle grinder a good workout.





This is what salty humid air and time will to to your roof:

[Junkboy999]

Must of been fun cutting that thing in half.. but then comes the hauling it off to the dump and clean up.

Nice clean looking design. I like the Benroy shape.

[teddy]

Quite a lot of fun indeed :-)

Off to the recycling center yesterday, presorted, one side alu, other side wood. About 70% of the junk loaded on my little trailer.


Today a removed the flooring, i couldn't think of an easy way to do this on my own, but it was a slow day at my neighbours garage, and half an hour on a carlift with an airwrench did wonders! (Except that one bolt that slipped, but the flooring was no match for a 6' prybar.)


One of my neigbours asked me today to borrow my trailer, when? 8 o'clock tomorrow morning! But its filled with the other 30% of junk! In the end, they offered to take the junk to the recycling station on my garbagecard. (yay, im sleeping in!)

Next week, wire brushing!

[noseoil]

Not sure if you've seen this yet, but I find it's very helpful to be able to plan on weight & balance before you start the build. My Benroy design is a bit more boxy than yours (with a flat roof & curved ends) but I'm getting started now, finally. This link will take you to the page and then it's just a download to run it in your computer. You may find that things will have to move a bit to make the weight & balance correct, but it really helps to see the changes you make, first. Very nice design you have there! Best of luck on the build & I'm looking forward to seeing it when it's done.

http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear81.htm

[teddy]

Thats a usefull link,thanks. My design is even a little tongue heavy according to it. (heavy to european standards, not american).

[teddy]

Spend the afternoon at the shop removing some rust from the axle.


And spraying it with rustconverter. It needs at least 24 hours to work, so i'll see on monday if it does as promised.


edit: btw, how do i move or ask an admin to move a tread?