"TrailTop" modular trailer building components

[Crew Dawg Dave]

Yup that is what I was looking for... The door would would have a vertical hinge (barn door) that would lead to the galley. thanks for taking the time! Dave

[jscherb]

Yup that is what I was looking for... The door would would have a vertical hinge (barn door) that would lead to the galley. thanks for taking the time! Dave

Dave,
Here's a top view. I drew two doors, because I made the trailer 5' wide and one door that's say 4 1/2' wide might be too wide, although you could do it with a single door if that were your preference. I also added an awning over the galley, it's only in outline on the top view.



For illustration purposes the fiberglass parts aren't painted in camo so their position and shape can be seen, but if you wanted to do the entire thing in camo the fiberglass parts could "disappear" under the camo paint, like they did when I put the finish on my TrailTop trailer top yesterday:

[jscherb]

What the Rescue IT! coating looks like this morning when dry. The instructions say to wait 48 hours before walking on it/72 before putting furniture on it; I don't plan to do either but I'll wait until tomorrow to reinstall it on the trailer.

[Crew Dawg Dave]

HI Jeff,
Thanks for the drawing updates... I would use one door to keep thing simple and be able to use the door for storage and have a fold down counter top. This way the door when open is an extension of the galley. The 2 door layout I think would always put a door in the way and something to worked around...
Although Jeep style hinges would allow me to remove the doors..... Maybe I will use that style of hinge for the forward cabin doors....

I did like the tarp/awning out over the doors covering the galley and I might have to give that some thought as how to work that into the build.

I like the paint/coating you are using!! I like the fact it has texture and look very durable. I think for my build I will use something similar and not the camo.... The wife informed me last night it looks okay in pictures but she is not a part of the Duck Dynasty craze.... So that is settled, no camo!

Dave

[jscherb]

I set the cover back on the trailer this morning. I'll probably wait one more day before I bolt up the hinges and other hardware.

[lthomas987]

That looks fantastic.

I have a question about the Rescue It and it's final surface texture. It says it is a non slip surface. Is it grippy like rubbery bedliner? or just a little textured?

[jscherb]

That looks fantastic.

I have a question about the Rescue It and it's final surface texture. It says it is a non slip surface. Is it grippy like rubbery bedliner? or just a little textured?

Thank you.

No, it's not rubbery, it's a hard surface. It's applied with a roller, which gives it texture, and it contains a little bit of grit which makes it non-slip.

[jscherb]

I reinstalled the hinges and other hardware, and the tilt-up sides. I'm happy with how the color of the top goes nicely with the other colors of the trailer.







[URL=http://s213.photobucket.com/user/jscherb/media/Camper/ClamshellRescueIT13_zps692901d4.jpg.html]

I've just started two other sewing projects for this trailer, I'll post photos when they're done.

[jscherb]

A small sewing project and improvement to the tilt-up camper - I've posted this photo before showing how the panels fold under the cover when not in use:



Bungee cords were used to hold the folded panels in place. Since they're stretchy, when driving around with the panels stowed like that, the canvas can move around a bit because of the stretchiness of the bungee cords, so today I made up some webbing straps with snap catches:



There's no stretch at all so the panels stay perfectly stowed.



BTW I priced the snaps, hooks and webbing at Joann Fabrics and they were 5-10x the price that Sailrite (www.sailrite.com) charges for them. The center clips, for example, were 45 cents each at Sailrite and $3.49 at Joann. Even with shipping (only about $6.50), the materials were cheaper from Sailrite, and it arrived in two days.

[jscherb]

The other sewing project I worked on today isn't really a TrailTop-specific project, but I'll post it here anyway...

My trailers usually live in the garage, but sometimes I need the garage space for a large project, so then a trailer or two will have to go outside for a while. That's fine, they're weatherproof, but still I'd like to protect them from the elements a bit. I could get a large tarp and try to secure it so it stays on, but tying a tarp down is a hassle, and finding a tarp that's a good size to fit nicely without too much extra or leaving parts uncovered can be difficult.

So today I modified a Harbor Freight tarp to be form-fitting on the trailer. It's got a reinforced pocket up front that slides over the coupler, and the back end is fitted over the back of the trailer. I've got a few more details to finish up, I want to add a few reinforcements in the corners, and I'll add some straps at the rear bottom to secure the back down, but it's mostly finished.





It's much faster to put on than a generic tarp. The coupler pocket secures the front and once I get the snap straps sewn on to the rear hem tomorrow the back will be really quick to secure. And it cost less than $20.

I plan to make one to fit my military trailer too.

[rebapuck]

What kind of thread are you using?

[jscherb]

What kind of thread are you using?

Polyester outdoor thread.

[jscherb]

For a while now I've had this idea that it would be cool to make diamondplate sheets in fiberglass. The sheets would be completly compatible with things like the fiberglass TrailTop components, and would probably even be lighter than aluminum diamondplate. Today I ran across a brand-new 4x8 sheet of aluminum diamondplate at a price I couldn't resist, so I grabbed it.



I'm thinking I'll make a mold of it, then I can make diamondplate sheets in fiberglass from that mold. I could make sheets very thin, to be a skin bonded with contact cement to say, 1/4" plywood, or I coould mold them thick enough to be stand alone panels without being bonded to plywood.

I've got a bunch of ideas for things I could make with fiberglass diamondplate sheet material. For example, it might be cool to make something like the TrailTop TrailDog design in fiberglass diamondplate. It could be painted silver to really simulate diamondplate, or some other solid color, or even camo.

[rebapuck]

Will the ideas never end? You have a very creative and active mind. Thanks for letting us take a look.

[jscherb]

Here's a concept I drew back in March. At the time I was thinking it would use real aluminum diamondplate for the sides, but now the idea would be to use the fiberglass diamondplate sheets I plan to mold. This one is toy hauler for small-medium toys, it's got an opening ramp on the back. Also supports a roof top tent.