Oversized Off-road Teardrop (Military Themed)

[CMC]

Again thank you for the kind complements and the wishes. It has been a rough road so far but we will overcome it all.

:o Your computer designs are beautiful. Your chassis looks spectacular albeit heavy. What do you expect this trailer will weigh upon completion?

Well, the trailer is has 2 3500Lb axles and my Jeep can tow a little over 7000Lbs. I am thinking it will be around 3000-3500 most likely. Hopefully it will be less but I like to think heavy so I wont be shocked at the end.

My Goodness, what a beast!

I was thinking hmmm a wannabe making a camo tear when I read the title,
However it sounds like you have been there, seen stuff most of us havent, done the job and had a hard journey afterwards, so I take my hat off to you.
Now you are facing another battle, which I wish you all the best with.

But your trailer.. WOW, what a plan, I think you will need this to tow it:


I like how all the military insignia/ acronyms all have meanings

I will follow your build with interest

Thank you and for the record I would do it all over again. If it wasn't for all I did I would not have met my best friend and love of my life. I know it sounds cheesy, but she is my angel. Now for that truck. It would be great for towing. Haha.

[felixx]

doesn't sound cheesy at all mate.
Love pops up in the strangest places!

Now enough of the mush and build that bloody trailer!

[mezmo]

You look well researched. Did you check out the Australian and South African
off road camper trailers and caravan ? - Both excellent sources for ideas. And
here is an American company doing a similar thing.
http://www.adaktrailers.com/

Good luck with the build.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[VegasNick]

You know I did see a video of some Aussies pulling a trailer that size all over the place. It had dual axles but they looked to be independent.

[titanpat57]

Would like to wish you much luck with the build moving forward...thank you for your service!

I realize all amenities come with a price....but when you're enjoying them out in the wild, they're all well worth the expense and efforts.

[CMC]

You look well researched. Did you check out the Australian and South African
off road camper trailers and caravan ? - Both excellent sources for ideas. And
here is an American company doing a similar thing.
http://www.adaktrailers.com/

Good luck with the build.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

I have seen those campers and the price tag that goes with them. I just can't see spending that much when I can build what I want for a fraction of the price. But it will cost more blood and frustration than just buying one.

You know I did see a video of some Aussies pulling a trailer that size all over the place. It had dual axles but they looked to be independent.

I have see the axless suspension and I did contemplate using them instead of straight axles but after researching I have weighed the pros and cons.
Here are my big reasons:
1. Trying to get a replacement takes a few weeks to get which is not good when I am out in the middle of no where.
2. Many frames get tweaked due to all the weight shifting on rough terrain. Don't want to put all the weight on 1 or 2 wheels.

So the reason I went with a complete axle system:
1. Parts are readily available and at a decent price. Don't have to wait for parts to come in.
2. Easy to work on if needed.
3. Initial cost. I was able to buy both my axles for the price of one of the axless sets.

Would like to wish you much luck with the build moving forward...thank you for your service!

I realize all amenities come with a price....but when you're enjoying them out in the wild, they're all well worth the expense and efforts.

Thank you for the kind words. I look forward to enjoying my blood sweat and tears when completed.


Now for the update. I have finally had a day off where I was able to go to the lumber company. Unfortunately the place I am getting all my wood is only open M-F and close at 430pm. With my job in EMS it is hard to get time to swing by but Friday I was able too. I ended up buying the wood for the floor of the trailer. While at the lumber company my plans called for 10' sticks and unfortunately they only had 12' sticks which was not good. But I will have to say that the person that has been helping me with price quotes and answering all my questions fixed my problem. She defiantly made me a happy customer and a loyal customer. You just can't find customer service like that around any more. All I have to say is WOW, it was expensive for everything I got and that was even with a discount from them. Oh well, quality costs more. I am almost done with the remodeled plans so I will be able to finally start on my adventure. I will post pictures of the new design soon.

Wood order this trip:
6- 5'x5' Birch ply 1/2" (240 Lbs.)
15- Maple 2 1/2" S4S (12' sticks) (54 Lbs.)

Take care
Curtis

[CMC]

Ok, so here is the new design as well as more in depth of what the construction looks like. Hope ya'll enjoy.

So here is the frame that I had custom made. It is 5' wide and 14' long (not including the tongue). The frame is made of 2X3 box tubing and has 2 3500Lb axles. The rear has 2 scissor jacks for stabilization and a dual wheel tongue jack. On the tongue I am using a bulldog coupler and I have a break away kit that I will mount. The fenders were made so that I am able to remove them for the build so that I don't have to wedge everything together.



I am going to build my floor a little different than a lot of ones I have seen on the sight. Instead of building the floor with insulation on top of the trailer frame I am going to be building my floor in the frame with that top floor covering the frame. Here is the framing, lower floor, and insulation in the frame. As per the request of my wife I will be using denim insulation. After researching it though it will only be 2" deep in the 2 1/2" in gap. So I will probably add a layer of the rigid insulation as well. The insulation will be sandwiched in between 2 ply wood sheets (1/2" Birch). Here are some pictures to show what I am talking about.







Now one of the hardest things I was having to try and figure out was how to connect the floor to the frame. Well after several ideas I think I have figured it out. Might be over kill but I rather be safe than sorry. What I am looking at doing is placing brackets that are attached to the frame and screw into the bottom of the floor. Then I will drill through the 2 1/2" maple then the frame and into another 2 1/2" maple. Place a bolt through that. So now the lower floor will be attached and all I have to do is place screws from the upper floor into the maple frame. If anyone has a better idea I am open for suggestions.

The red boxes are an idea of how I would place the brackets.


The red lines show how I would drill through the material and place a bolt to secure the floor to the frame.

[CMC]

Now for the basement and sub floor. I will be using 1/2" birch as well as 2" maple S4S to frame the basement. I will have several access panels for storage as well as get to the water tank, batteries, water pump, and electrical. I will also have the a/c duct and wiring for the trailer in the front part of the basement. The sub-floor will be 1" thick using 2 sheets of 1/2" birch. This will help create the access doors as well.



Here is what the sub-floor will look like. The area boxed in red will be covered by the front cabinets.


Here is how the sub-floor will look that the access panels fit into.


Here is what the bottom of the access panel looks like. As you can tell the bottom piece is smaller so that it will fit into the open area with just 1/4" gap on all sides.

[CMC]

Here is what the basement and sub-floor looks from the side.

[CMC]

Here is what the Front cabinets will look like. I am going to trim the cabinets with aromatic cedar (per my wife's request). I will seal the cedar so that the aroma will not be so powerful. The front cabinets will have 2 AC and 2 DC plugs. This is also where The A/C ducts will be housed. I am going to place a reading light most likely below the top middle cabinet. I just have not found the light I want to install just yet. The bottom cabinet area will be shelves as well as access panels to the lower basement where electrical and A/C ducting will be housed.







Curtis

[CMC]

The rear cabinets will hold switches for electrical gear (lights, outside lights, tv, cb/scanner, radio, etc.). The tv will also be housed on the rear cabinets and so will the power center. The tv is a 19" tv/dvd combo and can run off of AC or DC. The power center is a PD4045. Inside the lt cabinet is an area to house a hard drive or thumb drive and connect it to to the tv via USB. A scanner will be used to listen to weather band as well as local law enforcement for conditions. The CB will be for emergency usage when we don't have cell service. 2 AC and 2 DC outlets are behind the tv in the electrical compartment and 1 AC outlet is located next to the power center. The bottom cabinet on the left is open all the way down to the basement floor so bigger items can be secured.





The picture is s top view showing how the cabinet looks. Part of the ceiling will be opened to allow electrical wires to run in the roof.


The area in red shows the open area at the end of the bed. Since I have 2 dogs (1 current service dog and 1 retired service dog) that go everywhere with us I am making this area for them to sleep.


Curtis

[CMC]

The interior will have 4 lights. The light I am using are the ones we use in the cab of our ambulances which you can make them either red or white in color. The red is great for night so that you don't lose your night vision. On the wall will have 2 or 3 switches on both the driver and passenger light. I don't know if I want ont switch controlling all 4 lights or just 2 lights. If I make the switch control 2 lights each then there will be 3 switches. The switches will be the on-off-on switch so that it controls both the red and white of the light. The last switch will also be a on-off-on switch to control the porch lights. One part of the switch will just turn on the light above the door and the other part will turn on all 3 porch lights on that side.

I am looking at getting a fantastic fan for the roof but don't know what model just yet. I hope I can find on that is black to match everything else I am doing. I will also be adding a moon roof or what ever you call it. I will have it set where we can look up and see out of it.

The walls and inner roof will be cedar lined as per request of the wife. She likes the look of cedar and wanted it in the camper. At first I didn't think it would look right, but I do like the look of the birch and cedar contrast. I just hope it turns out like I am thinking it will.

The doors are going to be a manufactured door. I like the window/door combo. Plus it is one less headache for me. I believe the door is 26W by 36H.



Curtis

[CMC]

Here is the galley which was one of the hardest areas to design with all the stuff I needed to be able to place but I did it. I will have to say I like this design better than the previous design. The cooler will be a coleman's steel belted cooler and the oven will be the camp chef portable oven/stove. I carried the birch/cedar theme over from the inside. I still want to put a radio in the galley but until I start building the galley I am not sure where I will place it.

Here is what the galley looks like with everything closed.


Here is what it looks like with all the cabinets open.


Now lets see more detail. This one shows the upper left 2 cabinets. The top cabinet will hang cookware on the door. The lower cabinet will have the knife block on the door. I am looking at doing a cedar/birch block for the knives.


The upper middle cabinet and shelves. On the top cabinet a utensil box will be placed for all the forks, knives, and spoons. Under that on the shelf will hold coffee mugs and the lower shelf will be for dish washing supplies. The coffee mugs will be insulated stainless steel. In front of the shelf will house the sink.


The upper right cabinet will have 2 spice racks on the door. The lower cabinet will have a cutting board on the door. Also in this cabinet the plates, bowels, and cups are housed. All the plates, bowels, and cups are stainless steal so no worrying about breaking them. The cups will be an assortment of insulated and non-insulated.


Below the counter is a slide out for the cooler and the stove/oven. The drawer between the two will house the pots and pans. Above the drawer will have 2 AC and 2 DC outlets as well as 2 switches. 1 switch controls the water pump (on-off switch) and the other will control the lights. I will also be placing the same lights from the inside in the galley. The switch will be an on-off-on switch to control the lights to either be red or white. The sink will be an undermount so that an insert can be placed over it for more counter space.

[CMC]

The hatch I wanted to look like the previous one that I designed but after much design and securement problems I had to change it up. Not to mention the calculated door was going to be over 150Lbs. which I think is to much. The hatch will have a ceder inner and a birch outer. In the hatch frame I will be placing the denim insulation. I also have found a way to get rid of that bulky license plate light. I found a set of screws used to secure the license plate that also have a directional led to illuminate the plate at night which made me a happy camper.

The picture shows the frame of the hatch as well as the insulation.


Here is the outside of the hatch. I left off the Pin-up girl since it is not confirmed if we want to put one on or not. The clearance lights are the 1 led (3/4" diameter) recessed lights.


Here is the d ring I am looking at placing on the hatch but not sure if it will be placed her or on the interior. I will be using them to tie to a stake in the ground so I do not have to worry about the wind ripping the hatch off.

[CMC]

Here are what the driver side and passenger side skeletons look like. The skeletons are made from 1/2" Birch ply.

Driver side


Passenger side


Using the driver side this is what it looks like with the wall together from the inside. The yellow line is where the roof sits on the wall and the orange line is where the wall sits on the basement frame. The 2 red boxes are where the front and rear cabinets go and will hide the insulation. The insulation is visible right now in the basement. I am not sure if I will cover that up or just let it be exposed.


The following picture shows the insulation in the skeleton. I will be using the rigid insulation for this part.


This shows what the skeletons and roof supports look like.


Here is the roof insulation. Will be using the denim insulation on the roof as well. This is also where some of the wiring will be running.


Here is how the roof will sit on the walls for the maximum support. The inner roof and roof supports will be constructed as one piece for easier placement.


Curtis